This was well done -- from the mythological foundation of this world to the fascinating players inhabiting it -- I couldn't say that I was invested throughout, but I was fairly engrossed. Timekeeper was my first Tara Sim's book, and this one obviously surpassed it by leaps and bounds. The opening was a banger, and it drew me to Kajal's cause immediately. She was reserved, prickly but also immensly smart and a lovable sister. I enjoyed the emerging bond between her and the very good boy Kutaa very much.

My personal interest for the book unfortunately waned the further the narrative moved away from Kajal, eventually leaving her for the much more ambitious Bigger Picture. My biggest frustration was that Kajal didn't have any agency in this matter. The second being I felt like the political climate was not set up well enough to bear this shift. I could not find it in me to care about the royal drama, the rebels, who was overthrowing who, and why all of this is so important. Kajal and her sister were all I truly cared about (sorry, Tav) but when I had to walk through miles of dry political maneuvering (not to mention the set up of said maneuvering) to get there... By that time, my interest had dwindled to nearly nothing.

I did appreciate that each character had come alive in their own individual way, even the ones I hated or the ones with little screentimes. The romance was... fine. There was an element to it that I absolutely adored but that was all. Personally, I found Kajal and her love interest work better together as friends. I'd also enjoyed my introduction to the Hindu mythology, as I felt that this area was the one given the most care and attention. I would have loved and appreciated a glossary in the back, though.

Even with my grips about this book, We Shall Be Monsters still impressed me as a whole. Objectively speaking, this was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it to any fantasy reader who is sick of the Western cannon and wishes to branch out.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the E-ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
4.75 out of 5 stars

The book opens with Kajal punching her way out of her coffin, then opening the coffin next to her, stealing her sister's corpse, and running out of town, scaring those who were attending the funeral.

So begins Kajal's quest to reanimate her dead sister. But first, research. Then: a trial. On a dog. Who is now undead, doesn't eat, but is loyal to Kajal. Fun times.

See my full video review here: https://youtu.be/bnRkkVEFdbk?si=aZ9Z35fMXH1p5sD- and don't forget to subscribe to my channel.

I really enjoy Tara Sim's books and I also enjoyed this one. I liked the story and the writing and I feel like it was a pretty quick read.

I think this is a case of It's not you, it's me more than anything.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad book by any means. Kajal is an interesting, well-rounded main character who's delightfully snarky, and I always love a morally gray FMC. Additionally, Sim's interpretation/use of Hindu mythology in the story is really cool; I'm really glad to see other mythos other than the Euro and Greek centric ones getting representation in YA fantasy. All of this should have hit well with me, but it just didn't.

I think the biggest thing going against this book for me was the pacing, specifically the fact it took over a third of the book for the story to get past its main premise. By the time the story finally got past that point, I found myself too bored and burnt out to care, which sucks for me. I also couldn't stop finding it funny that Tav (the aforementioned wrongly resurrected boy) was named as so, because I have severe Baldur's Gate 3 brainrot and could not thing of anything else since Tav jumped into the narrative.

All in all, I wish I could have personally enjoyed this more, but maybe if I were to pick this up in the future, I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

This is a perfect book for AAPI month! :D
I love this book so much and can already not wait for the next book because the sorta cliffhanger was too brutal and literally right after I was suffering from the worst book hangover I’ve had in a while!
I loved reading the author’s note and finding out about her *sort of??* thought process while writing this book!
Thanks to Penguin Teen for providing me with a ebook to read and ENJOY!

5/5 ⭐️
“Her finest creation. Her potential downfall.”
This book was absolutely amazing! I was devouring it. I was so upset whenever I had to put it down because often I had to put it down right at massive reveals. Then I would be constantly thinking about the story and how I couldn’t wait to get back to it.
Not only was this story fresh and new, pulling inspiration from multiple different South Asian and Indian religions and folklore, but the dynamics of the story was fresh. At its core, while there is a hint of romance, the most important and most dynamic relationships was between siblings. We were presented with many pairs and groups of siblings and shown not only the length they would go, but that unique dynamic only siblings can have of equal parts hating and loving each other.
Honestly, I don’t know what more to say about this book besides that it is a Frankenstein story meets South Asian folklore meets unique family dynamics reminiscent to that found in Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon. It is a book with great representation while also tackling different levels and styles of grief. It is a story that isn’t just good vs evil. It is a story showing that there is more layers to being on opposing sides. Just read this. Please. This was amazing
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

When Lasya dies suddenly Kajal, her sister, decides that she will do whatever she needs to do in order to bring her back regardless of the consequences for either herself or her sister. Unfortunately time is not on her side and Lasya turns into a bhuta, a spirit filled with the desire to murder those who did her wrong throughout her life. Each kill lends strength to the bhuta, lessening Kajal’s chances of bringing Lasya back to the world of the living. To make matters worse, Kajal is accused of the actions taken by her sister, leading to her imprisonment and her condemnation as a witch. Luckily two strangers appear and offer to help her escape, but they want something in return; they want Kajal to resurrect a dead prince so that they might be able to overthrow the usurper. Unfortunately while Kajal is successful in resurrecting the person brought to her, it's not the right person, angering the rebels and forcing her to work with the boy she brought back to life to find the true prince.

This is a novel that went back and forth for me. At times I was rather confused about what was exactly happening, forcing me to reread sections with the hope of obtaining some clarity. At other times I was very intrigued with what was occurring, but then something would happen or someone would come along and I would find myself lost again. I found Kajal to be a very interesting character. I really liked the strength that she showed throughout the narrative, as well as her stubbornness and intelligence. The descriptive language is phenomenal at times, really painting a complete and interesting picture, but I kept finding myself lost which took away from the language used. While I am curious about what will happen in the second novel of the series, my confusion throughout this one may sadly affect my decision regarding the reading of the next novel.

Thank you to Nancy Paulsen Books and NetGalley for the chance to read the e-arc of We Shall Be Monsters.

I went into reading We Shall Be Monsters by Tara Sims without reading the synopsis, which meant that I had my first surprise when the main character, Kajal, initially resurrects the wrong person. This mishap actually was the turn around in the story for me. Solitary Kajal was rightfully neither a happy nor interesting person. “Not Crown Prince” Tavinder or Tav for short brings out both her personality and some movement to the store that was pretty bland despite its progressing through about 1/3 of the novel before his appearance. And thankfully, the story does not fall into the typical “enemies to lovers” trope, and continues its focus on family ties and how they can be both a blessing and a curse. While slightly confusing, I loved the introduction of an additional storyline toward the end of the book. The character of Divya was definitely my favorite, and I was happy when her storyline comes together with the main one in the end. I also love the introduction of Indian mythology and the world building was quite believable, even the fantasy elements. I am very much looking forward to reading more about these characters as the series progresses. 4/5 star read

A very enjoyable read, I love how the author blended Hindu mythology, religion and magic. Bonus points for the undead dog, my favourite character! Kajal was an excellent protagonist and I really liked her relationship with her sister. I do think the pacing was slow at times, but overall it was a good read.

Tara Sim’s “We Shall Be Monsters” captivated me as soon as I saw the beautiful cover! I am super interested in Hinduism & Buddhism and loved the deep dives into Ayurveda, chakra systems, and Indian mythology as a whole. I appreciated the similarities in this book to some of the ancient folklore including The Birth of Lakshmi.

This Frankenstein inspired piece was rather unique - I am always impressed when I read something that doesn’t remind me of anything I have ever read before. It didn’t seem formulaic and this one kept me on my toes as I was surprised with a lot of the twists. This story is really cool and I would highly suggest it to folks who are looking for something different in a fantasy fiction novel.

The main characters are flawed and vulnerable, the plot is packed with action and adventure, and overall the representation for Indian mythology culture is almost too well done.

I will admit I did have to go back and reread chapters to gain clarity as I was confused at times about what was happening along with not being entirely confident about all the terminology. This is a novel that I would read again and I bet I would enjoy it even more the second time around. I do look forward to reading the sequel and continuing this series - I was a bit perturbed by the abrupt ending, but I am hopeful that the next installment will make it make sense.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Penguin Young Readers Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. I look forward to reading more from Tara Sims.

A super unique new series full of Indian mythology, Frankenstein-esque resurrections, vengeful spirits, and generally lots of dark & magical things. The MC Kajal is a complex and flawed character who ultimately only cares about bringing her dead sister back to life. Her journey is action packed, stress inducing, and emotional, yet there are a lot of positive aspects as well, including a slow burn romance and an undead animal companion.

There were definitely a lot of terms I was unfamiliar with and maybe didn’t fully grasp but I enjoyed learning about the mythology nonetheless. There are some really great twists & characters that I came to love - I’m forward to seeing what comes next for them in the rest of the series!

Thank you to Penguin Group for the ARC!

Necromancy meets Indian mythology in this dark, adventurous, and mysterious YA/NA fantasy novel. With high intrigue and plenty of twists and turns to keep readers guessing, We Shall Be Monsters is a truly engrossing read that was hard to put down. Sibling dynamics and Indian mythological stories sit at the heart of this story, but there’s many underlying themes to uncover, including clever visual and thematic references to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein sprinkled throughout.

Overall, this was a highly entertaining read, and I can strongly recommend it to fans of fantasy, classic horror, and/or mythology/folktale themes. I can also say that those who are usually put off by some YA voices are unlikely to have a problem with this book, as the characters are more in the NA (New Adult) age range of about 20 years old.

♡ High Fantasy
♡ Dark Adventures
♡ Undead (Zombie) Dog

This story was adventurous and action packed. There was a lot going on but it was written it a way where it wasn’t overwhelming or confusing to understand. There was death, necromancy, and a rich history of the fantasy world the author created.

The mix of mythology from different cultures was so interesting to read. The author’s note pointing it all out even more and further explaining their own spin on things.

I feel like people who liked Frankenstein would love this more fantasy level book. It was complex with lovely world building and characters. Even including a dog that was brought back from the dead.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Nancy Paulsen imprint for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Spice Level: n/a
Angst Level: 💧💧💧 (3/5)
POV: Third Person
Release Date: 25, June 2024
Rep: Non-Binary (Side Character)

⚠️ Content Warnings:
Graphic: Classism, Death, War, Violence, Animal death, and Murder
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent, Blood, and Body horror

Will post to Goodreads when Pub date comes

This is the first book I have read that is based on Indian mythology, and it was amazing! Between looking up terms and their pronunciation, and really diving into the myths, the book gave me the giddy feeling of learning as I first did when reading Percy Jackson and stumbling into Greek (and other pantheon) mythology.

We Shall Be Monsters follows Kajal, a stubborn & prickly lady and her dog, Kutaa as they set out to resurrect her sister before she runs out of time and permanently becomes a vengeful ghost, called a bhuta.

While it’s hard to dive into this book without spoilers, I enjoyed it quite a bit! It’s definitely shaping up to be one of my top reads for 2024, and honestly will definitely be reading more from this author while I wait for everyone to get their hands on this!!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Nancy Paulson Books for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5~This was truly a unique and enjoyable read! Although the pacing can be quite slow at times, I really enjoyed the world building and the characters. I thought it was such an interesting premise; the mythology and Frankenstein aspects worked really well together. Looking forward to the sequel!

This book has been pitched as Frankenstein meets Indian mythology, and I would say that's pretty accurate. This is a retelling of Hindu mythology, with some elements of Buddhist and Sikh religion mixed in as well. The main character is Kajal, whose sister has died. Through experimentation with a combination of science and magic, her goal is to resurrect her sister. But at any moment she could be stopped, hunted by the usurper king's army of witch hunters, whose targeting of especially women has increased as a sickness spreads across the land. Everything is at risk: crops, animals, and people. The blight has turned them into zombie/ghost type of creatures who spread violence and chaos where they go. When a group of rebels learns that Kajal is able to resurrect the dead, they seek to use her to resurrect the prince who was deposed. She mistakenly resurrects the wrong person, and together they race to find the prince before they are caught.

I really liked this one, and I am excited for the sequel. There were some major twists throughout this book. Kajal is a snarky, cold, and ultimately lonely. She's a thorny girl and I just want to comfort her and give her a hug and protect her from all the betrayals she suffers in this book! There is also a bit of a slow-burn type of romance developing which I fully support of course. At one point, a lot of new words are thrown around to try to explain the world and the magic/mythology system which did become a little confusing. It seemed so unexpected because there weren't as many earlier to that point...it reached a critical mass for me, but otherwise I thought this was interesting. Also Kajal resurrects a dog who is such a good boy.

3.5⭐️ A refreshingly diverse fantasy story with inspiration from Hindu mythology. The pacing was slow at times, but the world building and twists more than made up for it.

Marketed as 'Frankenstein meets Indian mythology' this book did not disappoint!

With a stunning cover, beautiful message for YA readers, heartfelt and imperfect characters, and the goodest undead doggo, Fantasy readers are sure to enjoy Sim's story and well-executed plot. I would definitely read more books by her and more books in this realm.

Thank you for the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. The Indian mythology was very interesting and wasn't too complicated to understand. Kajal was a great female protagonist and the sisterhood between her and Lasya felt genuine and real. There was a moment I especially liked where Kajal showed some character development. For me it was hard not to like her.

There were so many great plot twists, and they all shocked me (in a good way). Right when I thought I understood everything that was going on, another twist would hit me by surprise. The imagery was also very detailed and well thought-out. There was, however, a few chapters towards the very end that left me a little confused. Those chapters were very pivotal and important to the main story and included a lot of relevant lore, but the shift from a new perspective felt a little too abrupt. The point of view suddenly changed from Kajal to someone who hadn't been given any introduction prior. However, because of the added lore and how it continued to keep my interest in the story, I think it was a nice addition and I would gladly re-read it again.

The slow-burn romance aspect of this was well-paced. I'm left satisfied with it and the chemistry was definitely there. The ending was also bittersweet, but I'm at peace with it, knowing that there's another book coming. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.

When Kajal wakes up and tears her way out of a coffin, she never expected to discover her sister in a matching coffin beside hers. Unlike Kajal, Lasya is extremely dead. Distraught, Kajal decides that the best way to deal with accidentally killing her sister is to bring her back to life. Unfortunately for her, she seems to draw attention to herself everywhere she goes. It’s how she finds herself arrested in yet another witch hunt and forced to rely on the help of two rebels. Now Kajal has to help them bring the crown prince back to life so they’ll help her get Lasya’s body to a safe location for revival.

This book is absolutely amazing. I actually put the other books I was reading down just so I could devote all my reading time to this book alone. We follow Kajal in a very loose Halahala retelling soon after a terrible accident resulted in the death of her sister. From the moment she wakes up and discovers that Lasya is dead, she is filled with grief and is convinced the best route is to bring her sister back from the dead.

The best thing for Kajal to do is to blend into her surroundings wherever she goes, but she sticks out and tells people off as she sees fit. She feels very deeply and the only people she could ever count on is Lasya and herself, so we’re watching her race against time before Lasya’s soul is warped and becomes a bhuta. The only problem is that she’s become a bhuta much earlier than expected, and anyone who crosses Kajal drops like flies because the bhuta is attacking anyone Kajal gets angry with. Insert a witch hunt, some rebels, and bringing the wrong prince back from the dead and you’ve got a recipe for one hell of a story.

I absolutely loved the characters. Each of them are well developed. You can tell that even the characters that briefly appear have a lot of dimension. I really enjoyed watching the story slowly unfold and see how much foreshadowing there is. There’s only one part toward the end of the book that felt super out of place and kind of odd until you see the reason for it, and I wish that part was better planned out because it came out of the blue. I honestly thought that maybe the advance copy I received abruptly ended and that section was an unannounced preview for the next book. Then it loops back around and back into the story and now I understand why it’s there, but it was just odd and out of place for the most part. There was no foreshadowing, so I’m hoping that this is something that is edited to fit into the story better for the final copy for publication.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and even with that one section that felt out of place, it was honestly one of my top reads for this entire year. I am so excited to read the next book when it comes out. I’m buying this book the second it drops and plan on rereading it sometime between the day it releases and whenever the second book will eventually drop.