Rating: Loved It, 4.5 stars

We Shall Be Monsters is a YA horror-fantasy inspired by Indian mythology by Tara Sim. We follow Kajal who is desperately trying to perfect her resurrection spell in order to resurrect her sister before she turns into a bhuta, a vengeful spirit that was never released to the afterlife. However, she is roped into a rebel plot to resurrect the crown prince to save the country from a spreading blight, and the person she resurrects is not actually the prince. They must work together to find the prince and to resurrect her sister before it is too late.

So right off the bat, I really enjoy Tara Sim's writing, her characters, and her world building. I feel like the characters are very well done, and I really appreciated their interactions. Kajal is a morally gray heroine who is the "let the world burn if I get what I want" sort, and I feel like she is really well-written. Tara Sim does an excellent job walking the line of being unlikable in some aspects but still rooting for her as a character.

There were some parts where it was s smidge info-dumpy and I would have appreciated a glossary/index, but overall, I was enjoying the world, the characters, and the plot enough that it didn't matter much. I enjoyed the dark, horror-esque vibes quite a lot.

Also there is an undead dog who is a very good boy.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this and look forward to continuing in the series.

I received a copy for review from Penguin Teen. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to like this so bad but I just could not get into this. I can appreciate that this is an awesome concept and creative story to tell but the writing is just not enticing to me. We have undead dog, blight, witch accusations and some horror elements. Which of all these kept me i terraced until it didn’t and I found myself trying to force myself to finish it.

First - as a heads up - this is a start of a series. I didn't realize that when I requested the ARC. All that to say, this was very interesting and different from many of my other recent reads. This story ties in Indian mythology in a really successful and rich way. I thought the first 50% of the story was a lot stronger than the second half.

“Her finest creation. Her potential downfall.”

“Tav sensed her stare and gave her a bemused look. ‘What?’ ’Nothing,’ she said. ‘Just admiring my boys.’ He glowered. ‘I’m not your boy.’ ‘You’re my creation, aren’t you?’ ‘My mother created me.’”

We Shall Be Monsters is a story of sisterly love, science in a time of witchcraft fears, fearing your own creation, and Indian mythology. I enjoyed the characters, the story, and all the myths and legends. 👹

Kajal is a great main character. Haunted by her past, clever, and fixed with single-minded determination to bring her sister back from the grave. The characters she meets along the way all have their own secrets and motivations, but the best one by far is Kutaa the zombie dog, he was the best boy. 🐕

I loved learning more about Indian culture and mythology. Although it is only inspired by the story of Halahala and takes some liberties with it, I really appreciated the author’s note at the end that told me the actual beliefs. I loved learning about bhuta, asura and deva, nagas, dakini, and so much more. 🐍

The plot was full of twists and turns and kept going places I didn’t expect which was a ton of fun. It was spooky, adventurous, mysterious, and thrilling. 📖

I was a bit disappointed by one of the developments of the plot though. I really liked in the first half how there was a focus on the importance of balance between light and dark, and how darkness is not the same as evil. However, in the end the dark side seems pretty simply evil. I was expecting something a bit more nuanced based on the first half, but that’s just not what the story ended up being.

Overall, I’m excited for the last book in this duology, I need to know what happens next!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for supplying an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Here's the thing. Hindu mythology is densely layered. I know a little bit about it, only because I was interested in it and read up. But that knowledge pales in comparison to the amount of information available. There are countless types of deities and demons. There are layers to power, energies, the world, and even similarities to the caste system (which Tara Sim points out in the author's note.) If you have little to no familiarity with any of this, YOU WILL STRUGGLE. If you can not determine word meaning with context clues, YOU WILL STRUGGLE. If you have a poor memory of book events from one day to the next, YOU WILL STRUGGLE.

Now that we're past that information, I enjoyed this read. The long and short of it is a girl named Kajal wakes up in the middle of a funeral pyre for her and her sister. Kajal manages to rescue her sister's body. Kajal has the intention of resurrecting her before her sister becomes a bhuta (which is a sort of vengeful spirit.) Kajal practices the dark arts through scientific experimentation, but in this world that labels her a dakini (witch.) It is very dangerous to be labeled a witch, so Kajal lives a fairly nomadic life, trying to make enough money to buy supplies to continue her experiments. She initially has a few months to revive her sister, Lasya, but for some reason, Lasya is turning into a bhuta before she is supposed to. As a result, Kajal desperately agrees to help some rebels resurrect the true heir to the throne.

Still with me? We're just warming up. There are still the deva and asura, the concept of samsara, and the unique aspects of ayurvedic medicine particular to the world of the book. Because even though a cursory knowledge of Hindu mythology will help you, it is important to remember that the magic systems are still unique to the fantasy world that Sim has built. So even though you may think you know what an asura is, you may not know what it is in the context of the book.

I am very glad that there are so many fantasies emerging from cultures across the world. The exposure gives me unique views into societal norms that I'm unfamiliar with. I will say this though. It helps A LOT when there is a basic index of terminology used. In recent years, I've seen authors including a cast of characters for some of the more challenging books with a lot of characters. And it is fairly common practice to include a map whenever a journey factors into the plot. But it appears that a dictionary of terms used throughout the book is no longer common practice. Help us out, authors. One of the tenets of reading comprehension is vocabulary. If our brain space is busy trying to figure out what the individual words mean, it gives us less brain space to understand why that sentence is meaningful. Or, heaven forbid the more common practice of simply skipping sentences that we don't understand.

It is also important to note that this book is the first in a series, so the world-building can be intense.

Overall, a very interesting book and I do look forward to the rest of the series. There was also a twist that I didn't see coming (which is surprising considering how many fantasy books I read.) So, if you're in the mood for something that may challenge you, this is a great choice.

Dealing with ancient magic and powers, Kajal will do anything to bring her sister back to life. Found by dissenters in her journey, Kajal is tasked with bringing back a prince from a long forgotten battlefield. But can she do it? Through trial and error, he comes back. But he isn't the prince they were trying to find, but his twin.

Working with Tav to find the correct twin and also find her sister's body, Kajal discovers more about her past than she reckoned for. As she feels closer to Tav, more questions arrive about things that are uncovered.

I loved the premise of this book and really liked the prose, but had a hard time sinking into the book--I normally don't mind when a book is primarily telling rather than showing but I think I just needed a little more of the latter.

I did like the plot and the characters, I just had a bit of a hard time giving my full attention to the book.

“The worst day of Kajal’s life was the day she broke out of her own coffin.”

We Shall Be Monsters is the first in a new series by Tara Sim that is equal parts Indian mythology and horror retelling. Kajal begins the story awakening from the dead only to learn her sister, Lasya, is also dead, but not entirely. Lasya’s soul is trapped as a bhuta (a murder-hungry spirit), preventing her from joining the cycle of reincarnation. The bhuta wreaks havoc on Kajal and anyone Kajal happens to come across. Blamed for the bhuta’s wrongdoings, Kajal is deemed a witch and locked away. The plot progresses with two rebels helping her to escape her prison—on the condition that she will awaken the long-dead crown prince. Chaos ensues when Kajal accidentally reawakens someone else, pushing her real-life reunion with Lasya back even further. Filled with spirits, demons, reanimated corpses, and a blight that eats away at their land, We Shall Be Monsters is a horrifically delicious Frankenstein retelling that incorporates Indian mythology and culture seamlessly into a dark, fantastical world.

While reading We Shall Be Monsters, I was first struck by Sim’s poetic yet gory writing, perfect for a horror fan like me. The novel is filled with disturbing scenes but balances out the grim with shades of beauty. Through Hindu practices incorporated into the story, heartfelt moments between siblings, lost lovers, and an adorable dog brought back to life from the dead, We Shall Be Monsters is a captivating and endearing read. Kajal is a compelling main character, despite her splenetic tendencies and her unwieldy scalpel, as she begins to learn from her past and grows to trust the people around her. This novel differentiates itself from the common gothic stories I normally gravitate towards as it uses its focus on South Asian culture and Hinduism to create a fantasy world that feels completely authentic. The novel not only has fantastic representation for mythologies often not explored in YA fantasy but also has a crucial nonbinary character who joins the cast of main characters. While I was able to predict the twist-ending, I was nonetheless shocked at how all the components set up at the start of the story manage to pay off in such an elegant and harmonious way. I highly recommend this novel to any reader trying to expand their mythology knowledge and any reader who enjoys a bit of gore in their novels.

Pine Reads Review would like to thank Viking Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.

We Shall Be Monsters is based on Hindu mythology, which can get complicated, as Hindu mythology draws on multiple sources, and varies significantly across the region in which it exists. As a fantasy novel in the growing mythology-based fantasy genre, this book is a good entry. The main character, Kajal, is an interesting young woman, with a difficult past, about which I'd like to know more than what was provided in the novel.

This novel started out well, and I was quite caught up in it, and then something... happened... in the middle, and I lost the thread of the book. I'm not sure what it was, just that I lost interest in it, and had to force my way through the last third. It may have been the change in perspective from one character to a different one, in a flashback format; I found that rather hard to follow. I also found the pairs of main characters, who share some significant characteristics, a little complex; as a plot device, it makes sense, but it muddle the story in ways that again, made it somewhat difficult to follow. This won't bother some people, but it did bother me. There is also fairly extensive use of terms from Hindu mythology, some of which are explained, but many more are explicable only from context, which was good for authenticity, but could be confusing.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

We Shall be Monsters
Tara Sim

Look at this cover y’all! It’s fabulous and I’m a sucker for a beautiful cover. The quickest way for me to read a book is having amazing cover art.

I love mythology! This one had Indian mythology with horror infused fantasy. I know, I couldn’t resist either.

Kajal will do anything to bring her sister Layla back from the dead. She plans to resurrect her, but before she can, her sister Sarah spirit turns violent…

The plot of this one is fast moving, high fantasy, and incredibly twisty and complex. The world building that Tara Sim built is one of fantasy and folklore lovers dreams. Wonderful well built characters that you cannot help but love.

YA fantasy, Indian mythology, sisterly bond, friendly, zombie, dog, what’s not to love?

Thank you to @coloredpagesbt @penguinteen @tarasimauthor for having me along on this book tour and for the gifted copy.

#WeShallBeMonstersTour #booktok

Kajal survives in a war torn and blight infected world to complete a single task, to bring her sister back to life before her soul becomes wraith who only seeks to kill. When she is caught by a group of rebels, Kajal has no choice but to perform the necromancy she has been practicing and bring back the Crown Prince, for if she fails her sister will be lost forever. When she accidentally resurrects the wrong boy, they must work together to not only save Lasya, Kajal's sister but their entire world.

Thanks to Netgalley and Nancy Paulson Books for the advanced copy of this book.

The tagline for this book is Frankenstein meets Indian mythology and it has really left me wondering how much is Indian mythology and how much was the fantastical mind of Tara Sim?

I have a little bit of an obsession with ghosts, necromancy, and mythology. Especially when all three are combined into one of the most vibrant and enchanting stories. I own a Tara Sim book, and I have another on my TBR, but this is the first book by her that got me. Of course it has to be the first in a series so now I have to wait forever for the next book to be released.

Theres this moment that happens in the book that was right around the 75-80% mark where my face literally looked like this and it completely changed my whole opinion on the story up until that point. We Shall Be Monsters has all the anticipated world building of the first book in a series which makes the start of it a bit slow. Even after the action started I was like, this is a good read, its fun. Honestly, that's usually where I am for a first in a series book unless it totally rocks my socks. But then the moment happened and for me it was so completely unexpected that it immediately made the jump to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Obviously I can't tell you what this amazing thing is or why I found it to be such a boost to the story for me, what I can tell you is that the characters that Tara Sim created in We Shall Be Monsters lead very interesting lives.

I thought this book was pretty good and definitely interesting. Tara Sim created a cool world with awesome Indian mythology, and the characters were super fun.Learning about Indian mythology was fascinating, and that was my favorite part. Lasya and Kajal had a complex relationship that kept me hooked.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the story, but there was too much happening too quickly. For the first book in a series, it felt like it gave too much information. I'm not sure if I want to read the next book.

This was my first novel by this author. Felt this wasn’t an adult book. Felt YA, which is ok but I think this book would have benefited with some more adult content, specifically in the resurrections etc.

I enjoyed the Indian mythology and science integration. The plot felt original. There were times in the middle I felt were stretched too thin. I think this could have been a standalone.

The relationships between the siblings were interesting to me. There is a plot twist I didn’t see happening.

Overall thought it was good.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley, Nancy Paulsen Books, and Penguin Young Readers Group for this advanced copy. You can pick up We Shall Be Monsters now.

I loved Tara Sim's adult novels, and this book proves that no matter the genre or age range, Sim will deliver exceptional world-building that hooks you immediately, I felt so immersed in this world and its many layers, and the magic system felt complex but not so much that I couldn't grasp it. I loved Sim's interpretations of Hindu and Indian mythology, and how she subverts the typical Eurocentric magical creatures and beings we interact with so often in YA and adult fantasy.

The characters in this story also leap off the page. Kajal felt like the epitome of female rage, and not in a cliche girlboss way. Her anger and actions were justified, in my opinion, and I loved her interactions with our cast of characters.

The ending truly took me by surprise, and I can't wait to see where Sim takes this story next! If you're a fan of Frankenstein vibes, Indian mythology, and siblings who would burn the world down for each other, this is your book!

The lore, world building, religion, and culture of this novel was absolutely incredible and had me totally eating this story up. I didn't believe I've read many stories, fictional or otherwise, centered around Indian religions and I love that the author took pieces from multiple religions and built upon it. The authorial voice was beautiful and everything felt so rich and REAL. The character relationships felt fully developed and some of them were so sweet and wholesome I was brought to tears. I did at times struggle with the main character though. It felt like she was just constantly hiding and being dragged along for plot progression, without really "participating" in the story. That said, throughout the story you do see why she is this way and through character development she does grow.

I enjoyed the beginning of this book, right up until the point where it became clear that this would be the start of a series. Now I’m stuck waiting for more books to come out, and while it might be interesting to continue, I’m not anxiously awaiting the next book. I do enjoy the fierce, unapologetic protagonist Kajal and the sweet boy, Tav, she mistakenly awakes. The female professor and top student, and powerful dakini and naga women provide feminist representation. I also appreciate the queer representation with a nonbinary supporting character, a main character who casually mentions her attraction to men and women and her sister kissing a woman like it is no big deal, and some hints that the prince and his male aide may have something intimate. I like the mythology, which for me included a lot of further reading to understand concepts and characters based on those in Hinduism. An author’s note explains some of the ways religion and mythology inspired the story, and ways in which the story is simply fantasy and not meant to represent peoples’ very real beliefs. It will be interesting to see where the author takes things next.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for providing me with a gifted ARC of this book to read in advance so I could share my honest review!

I knew I was going to love this book immediately. I am a huge fan of non-European inspired fantasy, and when I saw a blend of Indian Mythology and Frankenstein, I knew that this was going to be a book for me. You already had me at fantasy horror, but when when you deep dive into the rich and fulfilling landscape painted by Indian culture and the pull from Dharmic religions. It was a unique and unendingly interesting read and I enjoyed it from the front page. The characters were all well developed and dynamic, as well as the entire magic system, and storyline. Not only does it read as a fantasy and a horror, but a bit of a mystery as well.

The story dives deeply into the ideas of balance in life, and inherent goodness and badness. It looks deeply into ourselves and our personal relationships and the things that we will do, the things we will overlook, and the things we are capable of in regards to those people we care about.

I loved this novel and will definitely be seeking out more desi fantasy in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

We Shall Be Monsters is great and I read it in one sitting. I recommend it for fans of retellings, mythology, and horror.

We Shall Be Monsters by Tara Sim takes you on a wonderous story of two sisters and two brothers that are intricately connected. Steeped in her own version of Indian mythlogy, Tara Sim takes you on a journey with Kajal who awakens in a coffin and finds herself digging out only to find that her sister Lasya has died and the townspeople are preparing to burn their bodies to cleanse them and allow their spirits to move on. When Kajal comes bursting from her coffin she is accused of witchcraft. She takes her sisters body and runs.
Kajal has a plan, she uses all that she has taught herself and with the right ingredients she attempts her experiment first on a dog who she found by the side of the road. Opening the dogs Chakras she brings it back to life, however something is still not quite right. On her journey to find all the correct ingredients she needs to bring her sister back from death she finds herself in trouble often. She is accused of being a witch almost everywhere she goes. After being accused and thrown in a cell Kajal is given an offer by two rebels that will help break her out. They want the rightful heir on the throne instead of the warlord who now sists on it. The offer is this they won't give evidence of her experiments to those that would destroy her if she will help them find they body of the crown prince and resurect him. After doing this they will help her with her sisters body. Seeing now other way Kajal agrees but she has no idea what she has really agreed too.
Brimming with mythology #WeShallBeMonsters takes you on an Indian version of Frankenstein and the things people will do to save the ones that they love, and the lengths that love will go to to find itself reunited with its other half. #TaraSim has written a truly amazing book that I strongley reccommend!

I would like to thank #Netgalley for the chance to read #WeShallBeMonstres by #TaraSim in return for a fair and honest review.