She’s grown up with an invisible, power-boosting entity in her mind. One only she can see and speak to. Their bond is close, intimate, and deeply unhealthy …and somehow, deeply lackluster?

While the setup for this book is intriguing, and for the first half of the story I was spellbound, eager to see how it would all unfold and how the relationship between the FMC, Alma, and her “beast,” Aster, would develop, I was ultimately left unsatisfied.

Their relationship builds the central part of this story, and it should be intriguing, because, hello, hot, dangerous entity only she can interact with, that helps her achieve more with her powers, but also pushes her into increasingly disturbing territory?

This is a treasure trove of so many things that could be explored: manipulation, trauma, loneliness, want and desire, the taboo of him being a non-human entity and their thus impossible desire for each other? The desperation, fear, and the grappling with the darker themes that Alma encounters as she matures?
Alllll this potential… and it ends up feeling surprisingly bland and underdeveloped. All these complex aspects you could use to flesh out their twisted connection, and it feels mostly bare, hollow, and cliché.

The MMC, while powerful and clearly manipulative in some ways, just never clicked for me. Despite the premise, their interactions lacked tension and emotional weight.
It’s strange… This book doesn’t shy away from brutal undertones or graphic violence, yet the central relationship felt oddly sterile and lacking in spark. That contrast stood out in a way that pulled me out of the story.

Weirdly enough, I don’t have many other complaints. The FMC’s strained relationship with her father was well-developed and led to one of the more powerful moments later on in the book. The worldbuilding and lore were solid. I also liked the secondary characters and enjoyed seeing their connections to Alma grow over time. The fight scenes were dynamic, and I loved some of the more brutal moments.

But because the main relationship — the absolute backbone of the plot — felt so underwhelming, it left the whole reading experience a bit empty. I just couldn’t connect the way I wanted to, and that impacted my overall impression of the book.

Audiobook/Narration:
The narrator did a lovely job! I listened to parts of this as an audiobook and really appreciated how well she distinguished the different characters with subtle affectations. Her tone was smooth and pleasant to listen to.


Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the idea of this book and I always love a story with morally grey characters and an FMC seeking revenge. Unfortunately, I don’t feel like this book delivered on those and the idea was not executed it a fleshed out way.

First off, I wouldn’t really call most of the characters morally grey. They are either terrible or doing the best they can with what they’ve been given. Second, we are told hold much our FMC wants revenge and that it’s her motivation for doing things, yet she seems to balk at the things she needs to do for the revenge.

Really this whole story is a lot of telling and no showing. There isn’t a whole lot of world building and their is brief mention a couple of times of a young Alma being afraid of ghosts in the night, but it comes off as a child’s fear and not that there are actual ghosts. Which, apparently there are….. it comes up again towards the end of the book and if it was going to play such a big part it really should have been addressed and shown more.

I wish the relationship between Alma and her god had been shown more instead of just told to us, I think it would have made it all so much more poignant.

At the end of it all, I wouldn’t call Alma ‘revenge driven’, I would call her a lonely girl who just wanted to feel like she belonged. So she let the first person who showed her any sort of kindness and affection dictate how she did things, but the moment it looked like someone else could become her ally, despite whatever they’d done to wrong her in the past, she’d do what she could to gain their acceptance too. I get this was supposed to show her struggle with wanting revenge and doing what is right, but it just made her seem wishy washy most of the time.

The premise had so much promise: a godlike being with a long-standing grudge posing as the FMC’s imaginary friend since childhood? That setup alone was enough to get me interested. And the story starts off strong: the FMC is a shy, shut-in, total people-pleaser who’s pushed way out of her comfort zone when she’s forced to reconnect with her estranged and villainous father in a desperate attempt to save her dying mother. She ends up having to move in with him, which creates the perfect tension. But when her mom dies anyway, the book takes a turn into revenge territory... and that’s where it started to lose me.
The revenge arc just never clicks. I kept waiting for the FMC to have this breakthrough, to step into her supposed destiny as a ruthless champion on a divine pilgrimage, but it never felt believable. She gets emotional having to kill forest animals, and anytime she has to kill something innocent. But then she is supposed to be strong and cut-throat for this pilgrimage. And again, shy and gentle protagonists can absolutely work—but this story hinges on her being able to lead a violent, high-stakes mission fueled by cosmic vengeance. And she just doesn’t seem emotionally or mentally ready for any of it. The disconnect between who she is and who the story needs her to be is never convincingly bridged. I’m not convinced she would be able to do it at all.
There are multiple “twists” that just feel like last-minute pivots instead of intentional plot developments. The stakes are constantly being pulled out from under you, which makes the entire journey feel kind of meaningless. If everything can change in the span of a few pages, what was the point of any of it?
I genuinely wanted to like this book. The idea was fresh, the setup had bite, and I was ready for a complex dynamic between the FMC and her godly, vengeful companion. But it all just fell flat. The pacing, the character arc, the emotional payoff—none of it really landed. And the ending left me more annoyed than satisfied.
It had potential, but the execution just wasn’t there.

Finally a book that captured my heart like Fourth Wing!! The second time around was better listening to the audiobook.

NetGalley Audio ARC

I really wanted to like this book but it just did not hit for me. The ONLY characters I cared about in any way were Fion, Kaim, and Six and they unfortunately were hardly in the book at all. This book simultaneously felt way too long and also not fleshed out well; the concepts were there- interesting gods, creepy other realm, political intri9ue and revenge plot. I just feel like it could have been so cool but I was having to drag myself through finishing it. The gods were fascinating and I wish we had got way more lore about them especially because they are supposed to be such an important part of the story. Overall I would give this book about a 2 star rating and I don't think I would ever recommend this to anyone.

The House of the Beast” is a dark, atmospheric novel that weaves together gothic horror, fantasy, and a whisper of desire.

Alma agrees to a desperate bargain with her estranged father in hopes of saving her gravely ill mother. In return, she must live in his imposing estate—home to her family clan that worships an ancient elder god, known ominously as the House of the Beast. Though the estate hums with life and introduces new characters, Alma feels profoundly alone. Her father is cold, uncanny, and filled with shadows she cannot name.

In her isolation, Alma turns to Aster, the imaginary friend from her childhood—only to discover he is very real, and far more powerful than she ever understood. Though dangerous and otherworldly, Aster is gentle with Alma, and through their bond, the truth of the House begins to unravel.

What unfolds is a tale that simmers with dread and wonder, it reshapes gothic fantasy into something entirely its own.

Loved this! I was fortunate enough to listen to this audiobook by the amazing Michelle Wong (thank you Harper Audio Adult and NetGalley for this ALC). Jeanne Syquia gave a wonderful performance to this gothic fantasy (and at times pretty gory) tale of a girl born out of wedlock, forced into a family that resents her.
Unbeknownst to everyone, Alma, the main character, harbors her own secret agenda amidst the monsters surrounding her.

The cover immediately caught my eye—if I had seen this on a bookstore shelf, I would've snatched it up without a second thought. Visually striking and intriguing, it sets the tone well for what's inside.

The world-building was compelling, with a unique blend of fantasy and sci-fi elements that gave the story a fresh twist. I appreciated how the author played with genre conventions, adding unexpected layers to the setting and lore.

The plot took some surprising turns, which kept me engaged, although at times it felt like certain elements could have been more fully developed. That said, I really enjoyed the author's tone and dialogue; the writing style had a flow and charm that made the characters feel grounded and believable.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was articulate and struck the perfect balance of captivating without being over the top. Their performance definitely added to the experience and helped bring the story to life.

One aspect I wasn't completely sold on was the portrayal of the Beast—leaning more toward a golden retriever archetype than I would have liked. While it wasn’t quite what I expected, I can see how that version of the character might appeal to certain readers.

Overall, this book reminded me a bit of Belladonna, so fans of that story will likely find a lot to enjoy here.

So this was fine. Good, even, but overall a bit of a letdown to what I was expecting. Someone exclaimed it was very Kaori Yuki coded and I suppose that colored my expectations. I was expecting grotesque, dark, exquisitely violent content executed by ridiculously attractive men/women. I feel like it hit those beats just occasionally.

This is marketed as an adult novel, but felt very much like a YA that wanted to be New Adult and threw in an occasional violent scene to get it there. I read elsewhere it is being said to be a romance/romantasy? I definitely dont agree with that if true! Very light romance throughout the novel.

I appreciated the story that we got of their Gods and would have liked to seen even more of that expanded on. The lore of the world is probably what got me most interested and I really enjoyed the pilgrimage portion of the story that were given. The side characters were pretty interesting as well. I particularly liked her cousin, his fiancé, and Fione. I thought their side stories were done well.

I know the true core of the novel was to be about Aster and Alma's relationship. Meh. For being this impending Monster in her head Aster just never felt monsterly. He was just some dude being flirty until maybe the last 15% of the book. I did like the pining and yearning that Alma felt for him, because, duh, relatable but it just felt very slow and blasé.

Speaking of supposedly being something and not getting it....Alma! We're told shes vengeance hungry and will do anything....except, is she!? Im expecting ruthless action on her part to justify her wrongs and yet she was having to be pulled and prodded by Aster the whole time while worrying about herself being good. I dont know, when the whole premise of the story is revenge, I feel like that should at least be believable in the first half.

I did listen to this on audio and the narrator was great. I would have loved to see the illustrations, and maybe those kick this to next level of stars if they increase the vibe we were going for. (From what I have seen the artwork is very beautiful!)

Overall, the author has a strong voice and I felt like the story was well written. I would certainly pick up another book by her in the future! Worth a shot for new readers to try, but it fell a little flat for me.

Thank you to netgalley and HarperAudio for the chance to listen in early and review!

𝕳𝖔𝖚𝖘𝖊 𝖔𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖇𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖙 𝖇𝖞 𝕸𝖎𝖈𝖍𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖊 𝖂𝖔𝖓𝖌

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 rounded up!

🗓️Release date: August 5✨

Thank you Harperaudio & NetGalley for the ALC of Michelle’s debut novel of House of the Beast.

Okay, I want to preface this by saying this was categorized as a romantasy. Which is definitely incorrect, It’s a dark epic fantasy with a very minor romantic subplot. The gore is what honestly keeps this from venturing into YA.

I enjoyed this book and was impressed by her work especially as this is Michelle’s debut novel. The audiobook narration was very well put together, Jeanne Syquia is so talented.

Read this if you love:
🗡️Morally grey characters
🗡️Toxic, codependent relationships (M/F, M/M)
🗡️Vengeful female main character
🗡️Chaotic-evil trickster god
🗡️Family rivalries
🗡️Court intrigue
🗡️Deadly trials
🗡️Nightmare realm full of monsters
🗡️V!0lence
🗡️Stunning black-and-white art by the author woven through the text

The reason I didn’t give this a solid four is because the political parts in part two in the middle of the book could have been condensed and shortened. The action with the pilgrimage didn’t start until about 70%, and that’s when things got crazy. And honestly, I wanted Alma to completely go feral on those that have wronged and manipulated her. And we didn’t get that.
That ending though, 😩 can’t wait to see where the story continues. I have a feeling we will be seeing that beautiful Prince again. 🧐

"House of the Beast" is a hauntingly beautiful tale that immediately captivated me. The story follows a young girl who, after the loss of her mother, is thrust into the care of a father she's never known. She is taken to serve a mysterious entity known as "the beast." Initially, the infatuation of an ancient god with a young girl seemed a but weird to me, but the narrative quickly weaves a compelling spell. Wong masterfully crafts a story of heartbreak and vengeance. I could not put this one down.

I was surprised by how much I like this! I usually read very romance forward books, I would even argue that this had zero romance in it.

This novel is a great change of pace from all the new series coming out.

I love a FMC driven by rage and revenge. There are a few aspects of the ending that l'm a little confused on, even tho I felt I had a good grasp on the magic and world building. Over all very enjoyable read.

A beautiful and violent tale of vengeance, love, and ultimately, self-discovery. This story was absolutely addicting and I was really vibing with the gothic atmosphere it created. Wong really did not hold back building this twisted world full of violence and classism.

I loved that we got to see in so much detail the relationship that Alma and her monster developed, with all its beauty and its flaws. That being said, if you are going into this expecting an adult romance, I don’t know that I would call it that. There is romance for sure, but it felt like it was a more juvenile romance that felt more like a friendship but with a few kisses and some jealousy sprinkled in. Also please do not go in expecting a conventional romance HEA or it will ruin the whole vibe of the book for you, and as I said, it really is a great story.

I read this as an audiobook and I am a bit torn on whether it helped or hindered the story. I think that Jeanne Syquia did a good job narrating for Alma, although her pacing may have been a bit slow. I also think she did a good job with young Aster, but she kept Aster’s voice pretty much the same later in the book when he was older and it really just did not fit with his personality, especially as we learn about his more vicious tendencies.

Overall I really enjoyed this and it was a great debut for Wong into dark fantasy. I also loved the cover art, its absolutely gorgeous and really lends to the gothic vibes.

I really enjoyed the mythology of the novel and the world it was set in. The main character was a little annoying, but overall I enjoyed the side characters more.

House of the Beast is a dark, gripping fantasy with phenomenal pacing and immersive world building. Alma is a fierce, resilient protagonist you can't help but root for. The Magic system and eerie god-bound Houses had me hooked. This book is intense, emotional, and unforgettable. I am desperate for a sequel. 4.5

Jeanne Syquia was an amazing narrator.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Audio for the chance to listen to this title in exchange for my opinion.

The audiobook made the read so much better. I never used to like audio books but now I feel like you don't get the full experience unless you do and I thought it was very well done. I loved it.

I really enjoy a Gothic revenge tale and this fit that for sure. I do think it could've been a bit shorter but I really enjoyed this story overall. I received this story as an ALC and enjoyed the narration a lot, I thought the narrator did a great job and was really entertaining. Alma had such a journey in this book with herself, her family and her beast and I loved it.

When Alma’s mother falls deathly ill, Alma reaches out to the father she’s never met and begs for his help. He agrees to hire healers for her mother, but only if Alma joins his house, a noble family who are devoted to The Beast, the most brutal of the four gods. With no other options, Alma agrees, but immediately regrets her decision. Her new family despises her because she was born out of wedlock, and her father only wants to use her as a pawn to help him achieve his own dark ambitions. Alma is treated terribly by her family and is trapped within the family estate. But Alma has a bond with The Beast, who appears to her as a handsome prince named Aster. Together they plot revenge, vowing to destroy Alma’s father and everything he stands for.

This is a dark fantasy book. I’ve seen this marketed as a romance, but I strongly disagree with that. There is a romance subplot, but it’s only one small part of the story and doesn’t have much of its own development. That’s not a criticism, I really liked how it was handled - but if you go into this book thinking it’s a romantasy you’ll be disappointed!

The story is mostly focused on Alma’s revenge, which I really enjoyed. The bad guys in this book are awful, so her revenge feels really satisfying and justified. Even though she is dead set on revenge, Alma doesn’t completely abandon her morals. While I like Alma’s character arc, there were a few times when I felt like it wasn’t developed on the page as much as I would’ve liked. There was a scene or two where it felt like she just suddenly grew a conscious, but for some reason it wasn’t relevant until that moment, which felt weird. This wasn’t a huge issue, just something I noticed once or twice, and I did like her character arc as a whole.

I thought the world building was very interesting. The gods, their powers and followers, the technology (or lack of) in the world, etc. were really interesting! Alma’s god appearing to her was really cool and worked really well. I would have loved to know more about the world, but I think the author did a good job balancing giving enough details to get the reader interested without getting too bogged down in the details.

Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable read! If you like revenge stories or darker fantasy books that aren’t too dark, I would recommend this book. I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator, so if you like audiobooks, I think it’s a good choice.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Audio for providing me a copy of the audiobook in exchange for my unbiased review.

This story had an interesting premise.I enjoyed the setting and darker vibe that it had but there were some elements that did not work. I found the pacing of the story to feel a bit uneven. The beginning with the prologue sold me and had me excited for what was to come. They cut her arm off really early in the story. There was a lot of action but then as the story drug on it started to lag. I also felt a bit mislead by the marketing this was clearly A ya fantasy novel an it would benefit so much from being fully fleshed in that category instead of trying to be something else. The romance was so lacking that it shouldnt be there at all. The dread beast is not a likeable character that you want to root for. I did not want him to be with Alma I found him to manipulative and whiny.
Overall this was an interesting book that I think if marketed to the right audience will be the right fit for some readers but it was not for me..
I listened to the audiobook which was done very well but sadly missed out on the illustrations that are in the book which I think would have helped the book come alive in a different way.

House of the Beast was an absolutely refreshing read that takes elements of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror and weaves them together to create a story of longing for human connection that is relevant to all of our lives.

I enjoyed the audiobook version of House of the Beast narrated by Jeanne Syquia. It allowed me to listen at a pace that helped the longer chapters not feel as long or drawn out. I do wish there would have been more nuance and variety between the voices for the different characters, but, overall, I appreciated Jeanne Syquia's narration.

Alma is a sympathetic main character whose motivations are relatable and allows the reader to understand her choices and actions. I appreciated the single POV as it allowed Michelle to build the tension and suspense of the reader feeling that something dark is building but not necessarily being able to put a name to it. This tension kept me engaged and invested in the outcome of Alma's story.

Michelle Wong has created a unique world in which religion and spirituality work together to bring to life a story of human connection, grief, and revenge that is engaging and thought-provoking.