Thank you, Netgalley and Random House, for the e-arc in exchange for a review.

I'm honestly very disappointed in the book, it has all the makings of a wonderful book: the cover is gorgeous, LGBT+ friendly, feminine rage (which was frankly need this week/election week), and slight speaking out against the church. I thought I would love this book, but it just wasn't it.

It took so long to get through, even though it was only 350 pages. I kept falling asleep because it was just so boring. The characters were flat and 1 dimensional. The butterflies come up once and then are never talked about or explained even though according to the cover they seem intrical to the story. We spend all this time being fearful of a random beasts that just happens to be a lioness.

I would rate it 1 star but I added an extra just because I do love feminine rage books I just wish we got more of that.

Oh, what great timing to read this book. The strong female friendships, paired with the raw feminist rage is what made this inspiration of the Beast of Gévaudan a perfect book as WE ARE THE BEASTS.

Gigi crafted a beautiful story and distinct voices that made me root for the characters to escape their abusive lives.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children for the eARC and congrats Gigi!

"Deaths and disappearances pile up as a mysterious beast stalks the French countryside and two girls seize an unlikely opportunity that just might save them all - or serve them up on a platter.

Step into this chilling, historical horror inspired by the unsolved mystery of the Beast of Gévaudan.

When a series of brutal, mysterious deaths start plaguing the countryside and whispers of a beast in the mountains reach the quiet French hamlet of Mende, most people believe it's a curse - God's punishment for their sins.

But to sixteen-year-old Joséphine and her best friend, Clara, the beast isn't a curse. It's an opportunity.

For years, the girls of Mende have been living in a nightmare - fathers who drink, brothers who punch, homes that feel like prisons - and this is a chance to get them out.

Using the creature's attacks as cover, Joséphine and Clara set out to fake their friends' deaths and hide them away until it's safe to run. But escape is harder than they thought. If they can't brave a harsh winter with little food... If the villagers discover what they're doing... If the beast finds them first...

Those fake deaths might just become real ones."

You gotta take what opportunities you're given!

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. This one had a lot of hope for me, but unfortunately fell flat. It wasn't really keeping my interest the way it needed to, and I didn't feel a great connection with the main characters. I might reattempt in the future, but for me, if I have to work that hard to try and love it, it's just not meant to be.

We are the Beasts follows Joséphine and her best friend Clara in a small town 1765, France under attack by a beast that resides in the nearby forest. The villagers believe it’s a curse from God to punish them for their sins. But Joséphine believes it can be an opportunity. With the help of Clara, the two girls begin to use the beast’s murders to fake the deaths of their friends with cruel fathers and brothers. But the threat of being caught lingers and as the beast seems to be closing in on them, the deaths they’re faking might become real.

This was an enjoyable read! The concept was really interesting and so fascinating that it was inspired by real events. The overall vibe of the book was well done and I liked that it was set in a small French town. I generally enjoy historical fictions books like this one where the women are accused to be witches and the men are generally awful. It was a little slow and I would’ve preferred a bit more horror, but I also liked that the story was centered on women helping other women. It was also so refreshing that Joséphine and Clara were shepherdesses—I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where the main characters are before and it was a detail I thought was fun.

Joséphine and Clara are good main characters, and I like the cast of women they saved and surrounded themselves in. There’s a lot of queer representation which I really liked and Louis’s story was so sad. I liked that Joséphine and Clara’s relationship wasn’t perfect and that it had a lot of growth by the end. It was really nice to see that relationship progress. Charlotte’s story was so sad but heartwarming. I’m really happy with the ending and liked the direction the character’s lives are going in as they felt fitting and believable. The last 50 or so pages gets super intense and is really nicely fast-paced.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read if you love historical fiction, beasts terrorizing small towns, and women supporting other women.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story is based on true events in Gevaudan, France. The region was plague by a wolf-like creature attacking villagers. It was called the Beast of Gevaudan. It follows a few characters and themes of "no good deed goes unpunished" as we follow them through chaos, and also, harm that sometimes befalls women at the hands of those who should be protecting them. Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Children/Delacorte Press for the ARC. This book publishes December 10, 2024.

This book is absolutely amazing. It really captures the essence of what it means to be a woman. It had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It is so beautifully written and the overall themes are brilliantly exposed in the end. I have no criticism. I am glad to have the privilege of reading and enjoying it.

Thank you netgalley and PRH/Delacorte Press for the e-arc,

I'm not giving this book a star rating on GR because I dnfed it 12% in,

While the characters are intriguing and I think if I could sit down with this at a later date to try again, would be willing to give this a second read, there were two stand out things that made me go: "Hm, this one isn't for me."

1) On page three it says "Not today, Satan." this immediately threw me out of 1700's France and made me cringe a little. I'm not sure how well this would go over with YA readers. To be honest it made me go: "oh, a millennial wrote this" and that thought chased me until I got 12% into the book and decided to set it down for now.

2) I usually don't mind anachronistic language in historical novels, in fact, I prefer it because it allows historical research and atmosphere to be built in a more genuine way-- therein lies the issue. I would not be able to tell where this book is set if not for the handful of odd French words tossed in or the the brief description of the landscape.

3) Speaking of those odd French words peppered in to remind us this story is set in France and these characters are French, it just didn't land with me. It was another thing that removed me from the story and not to sound harsh, but it felt like a very lazy way of worldbuilding.

Overall, I was not grounded in this book early enough to really understand the stakes beyond "girls being targeted by the patriarchy" I generally like that theme but if a book is going to be a historical horror, I need something to sink my teeth into and We are the Beasts lacks that toothiness after the first chapter. This book feels more like the Beast of Gevaudan as a trojan horse for a screw the patriarchy, girls and their wrongs esque plot.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press for the ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The author takes a crack at the Beast of Gevaudan, one of my favorite unsolved historical mysteries. However, the beast is not the main character or focus of the story. The beast hiding behind human masks is the real enemy.

I liked many elements the author used in the story, especially the Ethiopian connection. I would love to find out the research behind this connection. The characters for the most part were well written, a few seemed predictable/formulaic. Some of that may be due to the fact that with so many characters in play it was hard to fully grasp some of them. The part of the story that includes the beast itself was interesting, but was not as surprising as I had hoped. I do think the theory the author went with is one of the most plausible. The author’s take on the sheep in the story was great throughout.

For a YA book I found this to fit in the middle and I enjoyed that. Too often when I read a YA book it is either too mature, disturbing or too childish for me to agree with the rating. To me, this is a perfect balance and makes it accessible to a broad age range. The violence is real enough and adequately expressed without glorifying it.

My criticisms are personal opinion. I found some of the modern slang that was used a couple of times did not fit the narrative well. Adding some of the French words and phrases could have been a nice touch but I felt they were too simplified or overused. I also felt some of the situations and solutions were not completely realistic or possible. The story flowed very well, however at the end I did feel like it moved too fast and could have been drawn out for the good of the story.

My 5 star streak is slowly getting broken up by low reviews…
Unfortunate, but let’s just get to the review.

Plot Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Josephine and her best friend Clara are shepherdess living in France when deadly attacks begin wreaking havoc in her small town. Instead of cowering at the threat of this beast, Josephine and Clara take it as an opportunity to save the girls suffering at the hands of men in their community.
But as their number of rescued girls grows, escape seems more and more impossible. Will the men of the village find them out? Or will the beast get to them first?

Plot Review:

I don’t really know what to say about this book.
At the heart of it, there were some important lessons and meanings. I love a book with a deeper message.
But, well, this was not at all like the book I was promised.
It’s marked as horror, but I was never genuinely scared throughout this story. In fact, I felt very little of anything. There was no connection to these characters. No gentle introduction to them or the situation they are in.
Instead, we are thrust into the story and into Josephine’s life.
And the “beast” in question never felt like a real threat. The men in this story were the true terror, I know, but I was also told I would get a beast and it was simply not delivered to me.
Well, it was, but it also wasn’t, and I was left very disappointed.
Again, I loved the overall message, but this plot was not it. You can have important lessons and also have a decent storyline at the same time.
No need to sacrifice one for the other.
But I don’t think Griffis got that memo…

Characters:

Josephine was… Fine.
Clara was… Fine.
Everyone else was…. Fine.
Honestly, I don’t really know them or understand them. I felt like we spent so long together, yet I just never felt anything about them.
I loved the strong emotions they felt and their sense of justice was very satisfying, but they didn’t make me feel what I wanted to feel.
I guess that’s kind of all I have to say.

Overall Thoughts:

I love books with powerful messages, but this was not it.

"I will save this little girl if it's the last thing I do." This gripping tale of a village in 1700's France, troubled by beasts both human and animal. A group of girls bond together to protect their own, under tremendous societal/religious pressure. Definitely has a subversive, feminist vibe - which I loved! A few slips into 21st century speak, but for me that didn't stop the flow. I was swept up in this story from page one. It moves quickly, and drops hints along the way. Great read!! Looking forward to seeing the hard copy - the cover illustration is gorgeous! Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the eARC.

LGBTQ+ rep: sapphic relationship (not really the focus), achillean relationship between two minor characters

Josephine, a young shepherdess living in the Gevaudan region of France with her best friend Clara, is faced with two sets of beasts: 1. the monster roaming the countryside and killing young girls and 2. the men of her village, who think they are owed anything they want. When the two girls stumble across a young girl in the aftermath of an attack, they decide to fake her death rather than hand her back to her abusive father. What follows is a tale of suspense, camaraderie, and refusing to give up.

Pros: the setting of this book was incredible - as someone who has spent a lot of time in the woods by themselves, I was taken back to that feeling of paranoia where I was carefully inspected every shadow and branch. I really enjoyed the main cast of characters, and the way they all came together felt really good when it happened.

Cons: I thought the balance between "the men have absolute power over everyone" and "Josephine is still impulsive and spunky" wasn't quite right. The consequences for being not normal and not falling in line were repeatedly described to be so steep that I didn't quite believe Josephine still had the lack of impulse control and fire she had and hadn't faced worst. It required slightly more suspension of disbelief than I was able to give.

All in all I ate this up!

3.25

Now playing:

FEMININE RAGE - PEGGY
1:35 ───ㅇ───── 3:47

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Characters:

Louis - He is the only character that matters. He is the best.

The lambs - IYKYK THEY ARE ACTUALLY THE BEST

Belle - I liked her complex character and how she didn't exactly fit our rag tag crew but she was complex

Clara - I loved her soft caring nature but also her communication with Jo, especially when she finally allowed herself to express her anger

Jo - I don't have a lot to say on her. She had a lot of feist to her and I loved that. Especially in a world like this with women extremely suppressed her anger was refreshing.

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Plot: The plot I wish was a bit more high stakes, it was also at times extremely unbelievable, but still the found family was nice

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Overall thoughts: This book made me angry in all the write ways. It was an easy read with deeper themes the closer you look, It was fun and fresh

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"I love you."
"Forever."
"And ever."
"Amen."

4.5/5 stars rounded up!

I had no idea what I was expecting when I got into this book, but I'm glad I enjoyed this!

The feminist themes in this book, though heavy-handed, are done so well. It's 18th century France in an outskirt village; the phrase 'gender equality' doesn't exist here. Even though I feel like it's overdone, it's not, because men, society as a whole, were really hateful, abusive, and outright ignorant, otherwise, to women and girls. Hell, it's still like that in our world today. Regardless, I really loved the friendship, and non-explicit romance (As in, they didn't kiss or anything, but the narrative and characters made it clear their love was romantic), Joséphine had with the girls. The loyalty and dedication that grew between the group as the book went on was very heart-warming.

The story revolving around the beast wasn't what I initially expected, but I still was pleasantly surprised. I thought this was a fantasy historical fiction, therefore the beast would be something magical, but the author wrote a historical note that this story is based on actual events that happened in this book's setting. It made the book feel more grounded in my eyes, and it relating back to the overarching themes of the abuse of nobility and the carelessness they exert over the "common folk" and the animals they rip from their homes. Additionally, people who didn't have access to these resources wouldn't know the look of animals from other countries, so it would make sense if they could think it magical when it was only invasive due to idiotic rich people.

I think people coming into this book want the horror to be from the beast, but I have come to learn throughout my time reading that the true horrors, the quiet but accepted truths, are the ones reflected from the very day life. I believe Griffis does a wonderful job in her portrayal of that in this book!

Note: Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an e-ARC of We Are The Beasts!

Rating: 4.75/5 Stars!

Summary: Josephine has lived as a shepherdess in Mende, France, alongside Meme and Clara ever since her mother and brother died in a bout of plague and her father disappeared into the woods. Now there are rumors and tales of sightings of a beast, one that hunts humans in the rural countryside of France. When Josephine and Clara find the body of a local boy, torn to shreds and bloodied, they initially think it was the beast; until they find his little sister, who tells them it was their father. Determined to save the little girl, Josephine fakes her death at the hands of the beast. And then, the beast actually appears in Mende. Racing against the clock, the men who’ve arrived to hunt the beast, the priest, and the men of the village, Josephine realizes there are more girls to save from the men. She wonders: Who is the real beast; the animal, the men, or her?

Review: First off, I want to say the crafting in this story is immaculate. There were tidbits that I wrote off as unimportant that ended up becoming integral to the plot later and it was so satisfying seeing it all come together. Josephine is such a relatable main character and I was cheering her on the entire way. I feel like more of Clara’s personality and character could have been shown to us rather than told by Josephine, but I really liked all the rest of the main cast, as well as the main peripheral cast. Louis’ character arc in particular was, I thought, incredibly well done, and I’m so happy he turned out the way he did– again, more pieces of the puzzle that just fit together so nicely.

The worldbuilding here starts right from the get-go, as in, right from the very first scene, and Griffis paints such a lush landscape rife with intrigue and the beauty inherent in nature. Griffis also does a fantastic job of making us, the audience, second guess if the beast is actually some mythical monster or an ordinary animal, leaving the details vague enough until the end for us to be left in the same sort of fear and suspense that the characters are in over the beast.

This book is excellence, and I would particularly recommend it to people with a fascination for history– not the war kind, but rather the kind that delves into the everyday life of common people, rather than the opulence of turbulence of the highest classes of people, particularly as this book breaks down the harms nobility and upper class people did to the already-struggling lower class, often without even realizing the full scope of their harm.

Thank you again to Delacorte Press and NetGalley, and I am wishing Grffis much success with this magnificent book!

I struggled with this one. Some of the language brought me out of the story... or maybe the writing style. Idk I didnt clique with it. I was super intrigued by the synopsis. But it was also kind of dark in the way that it talked a lot about dad's abusing their kids. So I found it hard to read because of that as well. I didn't end up finishing the book.

From the top, historical horror, with queer teens saving themselves, and an actual historical basis? Plus a rage against the patriarchy? Heck yeah! And a gorgeous cover on top?! Yay!

There is a lot of action to enjoy in the girls (and one boy) and their efforts to escape an abusive society in rural 18th C France. On the other hand, I found the historical setting only vaguely historical (a rebel yell is heard more than once, 100 years before Stonewall Jackson led his charge), and the horror more or less beside the point.

The story <I>does </I>double down on the evils of patriarchy and class system, presenting one violent male after another, each the perfect target for our heroes' rage. But it's a sort of a straw man argument -- in a society where men hold and misuse all of the power, to what world will our band of heroes escape?

On the other hand, the book succeeds as an entertainment around the fascinating story of the historical Beast of Gévaudan. It will appeal to light horror readers and fans of Griffis' previous books.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for the eARC in exchange for my unfettered opinion.

In a tale inspired by the horrors of Gévaudan, young girls are being brutally murdered by a beast stalking the French countryside. Joséphine and her friend Clara are exactly the kind of targets the beast would seek out—young shepherdesses traversing the land with nothing but a herd of sheep. But the girls will soon find out that a beast with claws and a taste for young girls is the least of their worries—some beasts walk on two feet.

The gorgeous cover drew me in, and from there, its title. In the end, the title delivered in the story it sought to tell—feminine rage. From that rage, Griffis described a wonderful world of resilience from girls and women alike. I appreciated the journey Josephine took in handling her love for Clara and everyone else. However, Josephine and Clara felt slightly stagnant, and I would have loved to see some more growth between them. The theme of girls helping girls made for an easy read, and I enjoyed the faster pace. Definitely a great read for anyone looking to get into a more beastly YA novel.

Books that combine my love of historical fiction and horror are always a nice treat for me, and this book delivered that in spades. I also loved that this one is YA so it was more about creepy vibes than anything else, and it sure was! The tropes in this book are not new, or unusual, and I feel that I have read a handful of books very similar to this already this year. However, what sets this book apart was the delightful writing. It was so well done and vivid. When I say this book creeped me out, I mean it. I don’t read at night, and books like this would be one I would avoid at night because it felt so realistic, and the writing just came alive. This book had a deeper meaning, and it was interesting to think about what the beast represented. It was very unsettling on so many levels, and while I think some of that will be lost on YA readers, I still think it is an important message. The pacing was nice and fast and kept me on the edge of my seat. This book had me fully engaged and I loved it. I finished this one over the course of an afternoon and recommend it for a rainy day when the creepy vibes will hit just right.

gorgeously unique tale of the Beast of Gevaudon, which is a very unique and intriguing little event/tale. great representation