I am always going to read stories about revenge. There’s just something about my vengeful heart that demands it. And House of the Beast is a revenge story to a T. Keep reading this book review of House of the Beast for my full thoughts.
Summary
Born out of wedlock and shunned by society, Alma learned to make her peace with solitude, so long as she had her mother by her side. When her mother becomes gravely ill, Alma discovers a clue about her estranged father and writes a message begging for help. Little does she know that she is a bastard of House Avera, one of the four noble families that serve the gods and are imbued with their powers—and her father is a vessel of the Dread Beast, the most frightening god of all, a harbinger of death.
In a desperate exchange for her mother’s medicine, Alma agrees to sacrifice her left arm to the Beast in a ceremony that will bind her forever to the House and its deity. Regardless, her mother soon passes, leaving Alma trapped inside the Avera’s grand estate, despised by her relatives and nothing but a pawn in her father’s schemes.
Now vengeance is the only thing that keeps Alma going. That, and the strange connection she has with her god—a monster who is constantly by her side, an eldritch being taking the form of a beautiful prince with starlit hair that only she can see. He tells Alma that she has been chosen to bring change upon their world, and with his help, Alma plots a perilous journey to destroy the House that stole everything from her.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
House of the Beast is a story steeped in revenge. It’s a story that asks us whether there’s a place for mercy in revenge. Whether we can be soft and kind, in a world that wants to turn us into a weapon. Can kindness survive? Alma hones herself for years into being a weapon to avenge her mother. She trains herself to the bone and continually lets those around her undermine her. But as she is on the cusp of enacting her plan, she begins to wonder if she’s lost sight of who her mother loved, who her mother wanted her to be. I enjoyed how House of the Beast examines the consuming nature of revenge. The sacrifices we make, the lives we lay upon alters only for the chance to be chosen.
(Disclaimer: Some of the links below are affiliate links. For more information you can look at the Policy page. If you’re uncomfortable with that, know you can look up the book on any of the sites below to avoid the link)
It can be tempting to harden our heart so it never hurts again. But we cannot live without allowing anything else to impact us. House of the Beast delivers a fantastic revenge story. However, I wish there had been a bit more attention to the other parts of the world outside of Alma’s family. I never really had a clear sense of what was happening for them and it just make it feel a bit insular. We were supposed to feel the danger and the stakes, but without knowing what was outside our door, that made it ring hollow. Additionally, I wish the end had a more prolonged ending because compared to the lead up, it just felt a bit rushed.
Overall I enjoyed this story of revenge, I Just wish there had been a bit more scope and development at the end to bring it fully home. Find House of the Beast on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.