I love a good dark fantasy. This had a good balance between plot, character development, and the romance. I loved the audio for this book. I felt like it truly gave the characters life.

4-Star Review of House of the Beast by Michelle Wong

House of the Beast is a dark, immersive fantasy that balances danger, desire, and transformation with a sharp edge. Michelle Wong delivers a lush and evocative world where every shadow seems to whisper secrets, and every character carries a hidden wound.

The story blends the mythical with the personal, following a heroine who is both fierce and vulnerable as she navigates a realm haunted by curses, beasts, and ancient power. The titular “beast” is more than just a creature—it’s a metaphor for grief, rage, and the monstrous parts of ourselves we try to hide. Wong’s prose is lyrical without being overwrought, and the emotional depth of the characters pulls you in, even when their choices are morally gray.

The romantic tension has a classic Beauty-and-the-Beast vibe but is layered with fresh twists and darker undertones that set it apart. Some parts of the plot felt slightly underdeveloped, particularly toward the climax, but the atmosphere and emotional stakes more than made up for it.

I received this audiobook as an Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley and am leaving this review voluntarily. A gripping and gorgeously written tale for fans of dark fairytales, complex heroines, and slow-burn fantasy romance. I’ll definitely be watching for what Michelle Wong writes next.

This didn’t go as dark as it should have. The premise promised a brutal, theocratic kingdom where noble houses claw for power through divine favor and grotesque sacrifices, but the execution was uneven. The first 300 pages read like a sacrificial rite where the victim was my patience. The prose was lush at the expense of momentum, every sentence was so heavy with ornamentation that the story itself struggled to breathe. And then, finally, the Umbral Plane arrived (65-70% of the way in) and suddenly, everything clicked where I needed it to. Gothic, eerie, drenched in the kind of creeping dread I’d been craving from page one. Why did it take so long to get to the good part? The structure also felt unbalanced; too much setup, not enough payoff. While some seem to called this a romance, I don’t think that label fits. Alma and Aster were something far more twisted and fascinating; a mirror, a doubling, a bond that went beyond mere attraction; it was a haunting. They weren’t lovers, they were reflections, twisted and inevitable, each the other’s shadow and ruin. That was compelling, but not fully realised. The rest? A mixed bag. There’s a razor sharp story buried here, but it’s blunted by its own excess. It needed sharper claws. I liked it, didn’t love it, and I’m still annoyed by how much better it could have been.

Thank you to HarperAudio Adult for providing the ARC via NetGalley!

Alma lived with her mother her whole life until she got sick. She had never met her father until she called on him to help her mother.

Her father takes her in but makes her sacrifice her arm for the Dread Beast one of the four gods worshiped in their land.

Alma's 'imaginary friend' turns out to be the Elder God Dread Beast and hes making a plan for revenge against her father.

Every character in this book is either morally grey or just plain evil.
How is Alma going to navigate this new life with her father and her God?
How is Alma going to enact their revenge on her father?
Will she succeed?

I loved how this story was set up. The world building, the characters, the plot all of it was so good

Thank you HarperCollins, NetGalley, and Michelle Wong

A steampunky fantasy with epic battles, trials, and intricate family politics. Nothing was bad, but nothing was phenomenal either resulting in an enjoyable but unmemorable read. My only gripe is the characterization of Aster, who is supposed to be an insanely old and powerful god but acts like a cocky 15 year old complete with questionable flirting and relationship skills. Listened to the audio, but I heard the book has sick illustrations that would’ve probably bumped my rating to a 4. Thanks NetGalley for the audiobook arc!

I’m not sure what it is about me right now but finding books highlighting relationships with the MC & their mothers leading to a revenge plot has been happening pretty frequently lately and I’m not mad at it. Pair that with other toxic relationships, need to prove oneself, and unexpected friendships House of the Beast was a really good time.

This was a joy to experience as an ALC.


RATING: 3.75 stars (rounded up)

When Alma's mother falls ill, she reaches out to her absent father, who happens to be a vessel of one of the four elder gods- the Dread Beast. Needing a heir, he brings Alma into his house and makes her a vessel in exchange for taking care of her mother in her illness. When he doesn't hold up his end of the bargain, vengeance is all Alma wants. She has a plan to take what her father wants most, and the Dread Beast himself is on her side. 

The world-building/magic/gods was very interesting- I wish it was more fleshed out and detailed. I was 40% in and felt like not much had happened (or a decent amount had happened but it just wasn't all that interesting to me?). Up to this point it felt very YA instead of Adult (as listed on Goodreads) or New Adult (as listed on NetGalley). For the first 15 or so percent of the book the FMC is 11, and then a time jump happens and she is 19, but still seems very young. All of that said, Part Two of the book was a lot more interesting. But then I didn't really understand or like the ending. I felt like I left unsatisfied.

I enjoyed the narrator and felt like they did a good job with the emotion of the story. The narration is very slow- I had to have it at 1.75 speed to get it to where it sounded normal. I have never had a 1x speed seem sooo slow. Good news is the daunting 17 hour long audiobook is really not going to take that long.

I rated it 3.25/5 stars rounded down to 3. 
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult for the advanced listeners arc!

2.5 Stars

I want to thank NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this advanced listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

I want to start off by saying the narrator, Jeanne Syquia, did a phenomenal job in her performance. I loved her for Hurricane Wars and I loved her in this.

This book had such a strong start in the prelude. I felt Alma’s anger, anguish, and sadness. The magic system I thought was very interesting–sacrificing a part of your body in return to be granted a gift from the Elder Gods. I thought the action scenes were cool and I liked Alma's relationship with her mother.

That’s where it ends for positivity. This was slower than slow to the point it was boring. We have all this allusion to this gate to enter the realm of the Gods and yet it takes us almost the entire book to get to that point. The romance subplot in this was lackluster–it did not feel compelling at all. It actually made me want to call the police, wee woos are coming for you Dread Beast. The writing even when just listening to it–was more formulaic than clever. This is marketed as a New Adult novel but it reads as YA, almost juvenile.

I wanted to really like Alma as our FMC but I just couldn’t. To be quite frank, I felt like all the characters fell flat. For a book that was pushing for this huge political and magical maneuvering, I know very little of the world. And what I did know, felt cheap and empty. This book had so much potential and it just disappointed me.

Thank you NetGalley & HarperCollins Adult for the ARC!

Michelle Wong makes a striking debut with House of Beast, announcing loud and clear that she’s ready to shake up the fantasy genre.

From the very first chapter, the characters felt alive. I was immediately drawn to the main character and her complicated relationship with her mother—it’s heartfelt, layered, and beautifully written.

The world building hits hard, showing the sharp divide between those who are barely surviving and the wealthy who have everything (and waste it). Watching the protagonist rise from the very bottom to the top almost overnight (view spoiler) is as thrilling as it is devastating, and it changes her in ways that feel deeply human.

This book isn’t afraid to go dark. There were moments when I had to pause just to process how heavy the choices felt, but that’s exactly what made it so powerful. At its core, House of Beast is about resilience, kindness in the face of cruelty, and the price of power. And yes—there’s even a romance (view spoiler) with a god made in the stars that adds an extra spark.

If you love emotionally charged fantasy with complex characters, this one deserves a spot on your TBR.

Thank you Harper Voyager for the free audiobook! I was so excited to read this and I'm happy to say I was not let down! Jeanne Syquia did such a good job with the narration that I felt like I was transported into the world. (Although given the world, I don't think I would survive it half as well as Alma did).

If I had a nickel for the number of books I read this weekend that featured sacrificing part of their body for a bond with a monster, I would have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, so if you have any recommendations, I would love to hear them because this unlocked something in me.

The twists and turns in this kept on coming until the last page. If you like books about terrible fathers, not-so-imaginary friends, revenge, gods that take over your body, and an ending that will make you sob, then you should definitely check this out. If you don't like those things, I don't know what to tell you.

My only complaint is that it is a standalone. And I love standalones, but I also could spend an entire series in this world and still not get enough of it.

I was lost with this book, unfortunately. I tried. I considered not finishing several times, but I did make it to the end. And to be honest, I was just confused. I think maybe more world building would have helped? I really did not understand the main ideas of the book, the "religion", the history or the "Gods" the characters worshiped. How was he her imaginary friend and a God? Why did she call him her monster? I did not understand the "hands". I'm sure they were explained, and other people had no problem figuring it to out, but it just did not take for me.

And while I did not really enjoy thr story, I am glad I finished it. I can appreciate how much work the author put into the story and so I will not be leaving this negative review on any other sites, unless the publisher requires.

I think I had different expectations for this book. I think I was hoping it was more adult as that is what it marketed as but to be this just read as YA. I did an immersive read as I was lucky to have both the audio and earc, but this could not keep my attention. The narrator did an very good job but I feel like it was a bit of a slog for me to get through but it looks like I am in the minority. Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read.
2.5 star

I love this audiobook, I read it as an ARC and now that I listened to the audio it makes it even more great.

3.5 stars ⭐️ House of the Beast is utterly unique and took me by surprise. I read the premise and assumed it was romance but I would not categorize it as a romance.

What to expect:
✨ YA dark fantasy
✨ god and monsters
✨ death trials

Thank you to NetGalley and HaperAudio Adult for the ALC. All opinions are my own 🫶🏼

Dark, intense, and addictive. I love the story. The eerie atmosphere, the twisted secrets, and the slow-burning suspense made this very hard to put down. The beginning is very gut wrenching to read but you get all the answers to your questions within time. Truly amazing world building and character growth. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this fantasy masterpiece

In a country under the rule of four gods, lonely Alma’s childhood imaginary friend turns out to be an elder god. Wong’s action scenes are cinematic, her characters multidimensional, and the story borrows elements from others with an original twist (think a dark, horror-filled Howl’s Moving Castle). This is an engrossing read that’s impossible to put down!

Jeanne Syquia does a beautiful job narrating, but the illustrations are so gorgeous that I recommend a physical copy for anyone able to enjoy them.

I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult & Harper Voyager for allowing me to listen to an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had already read an eARC of this book, but loved it so much that I really wanted to hear the audiobook version as well. It did not disappoint! House of the Beast is a dark fantasy novel that blurs the lines between genres and everything you know about "dark romance". It is absolutely fantastic and will be recommending it to all my friends who love fantasy. The audiobook adds a layer of atmosphere and tension that the book doesn't have and the narrator did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life.

FMC Alma lives with her ailing mother and is desperate to find help for her. She reaches out to her estranged father, begging him to help. Unfortunately, her father is a vessel of "The Dread Beast", but he makes a bargain with Alma to save her mother. The cost is Alma's left arm in a ceremony that binds her to her father's House, trapping her. Her mother dies anyway and this fuels Alma into vengeance, and a plot to destroy her father's House. Alma is favored by the eldritch god Aster and they develop a very twisted romance.

This book does not shy away from blood and gore, with a heavy hand in dark horrors and morally-gray/evil characters. The world-building and character development is phenomenal! It is definitely a slow-burn dark romance, with emphasis on the DARK. It is not a fun, cozy or cute "romantasy" but it will knock your socks of and leave you wanting more of everything! I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook version of this book!

If you like Dark Fantasy-Horror & Dark Romance then go check this one out -- publishing soon on August 5th. Five Stars!

This was a very unique fantasy. Great world building, solid characters, well written, not predictable. Can’t say I’ve read another of its like. It has the feel of an oriental fantasy with the celestial gods. Thoroughly enjoyed. Standalone, not an HEA.

House of the Beast is a dark fantasy debut novel by Michelle Wong filled with gothic atmosphere, toxic/co-dependent relationships, family rivalries & deadly trials. I would NOT classify this as a romance.

Alma, the FMC, strikes a deal with a mysterious trickster god (only she can see him) to seek revenge on her aristocratic family. I loved seeing her mature throughout the book, and while I might have wanted her to be a little more vengeful, I also felt like I could really empathize with her decisions.

I really enjoyed the world building and writing style of this story. The magic system was unique but easy to understand. The pacing was mostly steady and I wanted to keep listening. I devoured this audiobook in under three days.

The narration by Jeanne Syquia was incredible! She inhabited these characters, giving each a distinct voice and breathing life into Wong's atmospheric prose. Her narration added layers of tension and emotion that made the listening experience genuinely captivating.

While I believe this read more like a YA book (coming-of age-themes, no romance, the FMC being 19), I could not put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley & HarperAudio for the advance listener copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book has my whole heart. I read this book in 24 hours and know I will continue to think about it and come back to read certain parts again and again. The atmosphere is dark, gothic, and gritty, but Michelle Wong still manages to include moments of heart, beauty, and tenderness. This book is not an action-packed entertaining read; it is so much more. It is a character study set in a unique world with relationships and characters you will feel so protective of by the end.

I loved being with Alma on her journey from childhood into adulthood, watching her navigate her new world and wrestling with her demons. I only wish we could’ve seen more of Alma during her years of training, watching her hatred fester and grow. I couldn’t help but think that Alma’s relationship with her father is *slightly* reminiscent of Jude and Madoc from The Cruel Prince, which happens to be a favorite of mine also. Don’t even get me started on Aster. His and Alma’s relationship is definitely toxic, but their story was so beautiful, I tear up just thinking about them.

How is this Michelle Wong’s debut novel?! I cannot wait to read anything and everything she releases next. And the illustrations throughout the book from her?! Those were such a cute touch that made me smile every time I saw one.