Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's | Delacorte Press for the digital ARC of “We Are the Beasts” by Gigi Griffis.

From the first sentence of the book, I was entranced. It started with such a lighthearted look at a troublesome little lamb, slowly shifted to the concerns about ‘a beast’ that lives in the woods, and ended with butterflies dipped in blood. The brutal imagery of a corpse juxtaposed with the delicate nature of the butterfly and child had me gasping.

The rest of the book was shrouded in mystery, waiting for the beast to be revealed, and each time the 'beast' struck more of the dark nature of humans was revealed.

It felt like the book was aptly named - a reminder that humans can be the most dangerous beasts of all.

5/5

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc


Honestly, I am kinda tired to reviewing this book so I will be back tomorrow to do so

DNFed book, just could not get into this book. I was just bored, sorry. I chose a one star rating bc I just planet didn’t like it. It just plain and boring. I thought it was going to be better.

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

This book mixed two of my favorite things: the Beast of Gevaudan and the religious persecution of girls and women. The story was phenomenal. I loved the tender relationships between the escaping characters, it was a great mix of found family and communal survival. I also really loved this interesting take on the origins of the beast and how that was tied into the strength of women, the depth of their love, and their willingness to sacrifice themselves. The exploration and development of the relationship between Josephine and Clara was so sweet, it felt so loving and pure that it could have taken any form but its final form felt so endearing and satisfying. I will absolutely be putting this on my list for Female Rage Recommendations.

Great book! I really enjoyed the dark atmosphere of this book.
I will be buying a copy and I look forward to reading more books from this author.

A story inspired by the Beast of Gévaudan with a light sapphic romance and the bonds between girls. When a string of mysterious deaths begin to happen in the quiet French hamlet of Mende, people think that they've been punished by God for their sins. Two girls, Sixteen year old Josephine and her best friend Clara know its not just a curse...its an opportunity. The girls of Mende have been living in a nightmare, with men who abuse them and restrain them... it feels like a prison and this could be their chance to finally escape. Using the creature's attacks as a cover story, both Josephine and Clara set out to fake their friends' deaths and hide them until its safe for them all to run away,,, but things only get further complicated when a hunting party comes into town saying they are here to hunt the beast and they demand food and soldiers... everyone is suspect and the lies are only growing... can the girls escape or will they face something worse than the beast? This was a delightful read that blends with historical inspiration with fiction and I absolutely enjoyed it. The relationship between Josephine and Clara was sweet and strong, they are best friends, they love each other, and they'd do anything to protect each other. It's a fun read and one I'd absolutely recommend!

Release Date: December 10,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's | Delacorte Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

We Are the Beasts is a gripping blend of historical horror and feminist defiance, set in a quiet French hamlet haunted by whispers of a murderous beast. Sixteen-year-old Joséphine, a determined and resourceful protagonist, sees the creature’s reign of terror not as a curse, but as an opportunity to save her friends from the daily horrors of abusive homes. Together with her best friend, Clara, she orchestrates an audacious plan to fake the girls’ deaths and hide them in the wilderness until they can escape for good.

The novel’s atmosphere is immersive, steeped in the chilling isolation of a community on edge and the ever-present threat of discovery—whether by villagers, the beast, or the upcoming reality of a harsh winter. Joséphine’s courage and ingenuity make her a compelling heroine, and the stakes feel intensely personal as she and Clara navigate the dangers of their mission. The pacing keeps readers on edge, balancing moments of quiet tension with bursts of heart-pounding action.

Griffis skillfully weaves themes of survival, solidarity, and resilience into a story that’s as much about the bonds between girls and those who don't fit into societies strict norms as it is about the looming danger outside. While the beast itself adds a layer of menace, the true horror often lies closer to home, highlighting the courage it takes to stand up against oppression.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Synopsis:

A beast terrorizes a small village, snatching shepherdesses and ripping them to shreds. But what exactly is the beast? Supposedly, no bullet can harm it. It’s too big to be a man and looks like no creature anyone has ever seen. Some think the creature is a curse sent to punish them for their sins. Others think a witch must be responsible. The only thing that is certain is that the beast has developed a taste for young girls.

My Thoughts:

What drew me to this story is that it is inspired by the real-life brutal attacks attributed to the Beast of Gevaudan in the 1700s. What kept me reading was the characters and the bonds that formed between them. The story is a bit of a slow burn, in my opinion. The beast is more of a background fixture than anything—always lurking, rarely attacking. The soldiers that come to “save” the villagers are despicable, making you question who’s more monstrous, the beast or them? The men of the village are just as bad, neglecting and abusing the women in their lives. That is, until those women decide to grow claws.

All in all, I enjoyed this story. I was satisfied with the explanation of the beast, but mostly, I just enjoyed reading a story about young women supporting, believing, trusting other women.

Read if you like stories with:

Small isolated villages
Mysterious murders
Lots of sheep
A cheeky parrot
Women standing up for other women
Friendship / Love story


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5

I would recommend this book to those looking for an interesting read. We are the Beasts tackles topics such as misogyny, abuse, and liberating people from terrible situations. The book is about a few girls that took advantage of some killings that were occurring to save the girls in their town who were being abused. They faked the girls' deaths to get them away.


I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press for the ARC.

Inspired by the real-life mystery of the Beast of Gévaudan, We Are the Beasts follows a cast of characters disadvantaged - through gender, sexuality, and social class - in their society. Through the backdrop of mysterious deaths and animal attacks, they finally get a glimpse of something only dreamed about - freedom.

A great alternate title for this book would be "How to Fake Your Death in 18th Century France" because I'm pretty sure the entire cast did just that at some point.
I found the characters, generally, to be very compelling and enjoyable. Josephine had a very engaging narrative voice, and I found this novel to be quite easy to read - I flew through the majority of it in a day. But I was disappointed in the lack of attention to historical detail.
I would say I'm less bothered by the anachronistic language, especially because it flowed so well, than I was by the immense lack of detail. Nothing about this story felt grounded in the 1700s, other than a handful of mentions of the Seven Years War. Mostly, I was looking for details about clothing or church doctrine that would ground this story more firmly in its setting. Unfortunately, I found mostly un-descriptive references to dresses and undergarments and some very basic religious bigotry. I absolutely love opulent historical descriptions - give me fabrics and food and tallow candlelight and bumping carriages - so I was really very disappointed. This story could just as easily have been set last week and it wouldn't have made much of a difference.
While a fun, feminist power story with some not-very-scary eerie moments, a historical horror novel, this is not. Much to my disappointment.

Girls literally choosing the risk of a beast over being around males. Faking their deaths at the hands of a beast to get away from the monsters in their lives - their families, neighbors, and religious leaders.

Josephine and Clara are the center of each other's universe, and where Clara is kind and calm (though not weak or a pushover), Josephine is a storm, determined and protective. That bubble expands outside their relationship to begin to include the other women and girls in their town, and they realize they can use the random attacks by a supposed beast to hide the ones who need to escape. That's just as risky, as they have to hide the girls in the woods where the beast lives and convince their families not to look for them.

There's a lot about the different kinds of feminine bonds and connections, about forgiveness, and about the power of one woman believing another, even when they don't like each other. The change in the dynamic between Josephine and Belle was one of my favorites.

You're also going to really love sheep by the end of this. Starting right from the first page with the fool-sheep to the whole herd, and that the loyalty of a shepherdess to her flock is mutual. There was a moment that was so fierce but also silly and adorable at the same time, I laughed with wonder. Seriously. The sheep.

I'm not normally one for historical, but this was excellent.

Oh my gosh! I did not quite know what to expect with this book but I was absolutely blown away. This is a story of feminine rage, found family, fear, and love. The storytelling was incredible and I was sucked in right away. Also the way I am obsessed with sheep now? I love them! Best part of the book. This book also made me angry and sad and frustrated with what we as women have had to suffer through the ages. It made me connect to the book in a way I wish I didn’t, but also in a way that made me appreciate the feminine rage even more. The fact that it is based on true events is so fascinating to me as well and a piece of history I did not know anything about but am now obsessed with. Overall, I’d highly recommend this book!

4 stars instead of 5 because for being set in the French countryside in 1765, there were some too modern phrases like “not today, satan” that should have been edited out.

I’ve always been intrigued by the Beast of Gévaudan and stories that blur the line between history and legend. So I was very excited when I heard about We Are the Beasts by Gigi Griffis. This book turned out to be different from what I anticipated (I won’t lie, I was half-expecting a werewolf tale–this is not that), but I loved how it reimagines the history and weaves in important themes.

Set in 1765 France in the small rural village of Mende, the story follows Joséphine, a young shepherdess that lives with her best friend, Clara, after her family died when she was a child. The plot kicks off when Joséphine and Clara are grazing their flock and find the body of a young villager, who appears to be killed by the as-of-yet unseen Beast of Gévaudan. But as the story unfolds, the danger proves to be much closer to home. While the elusive beast still lurks on the town’s periphery, it’s the men in the village—fueled by superstition, religion, cruelty, and control over women—that pose a more immediate threat. In response, Joséphine and Clara use the cover of the beast’s legend to fake deaths, helping young women escape dangerous families and oppressive societal structures.

This novel is a powerful exploration of important and relevant themes: the control and abuse of women by men and societal structures; the inequality between rich and poor, and the inherent danger of being poor; the double standard between men and women; and the corruption of the church/religion and the patriarchy. At the same time, it celebrates female friendship, the power of solidarity and love, the freedom of allowing oneself to be loved, and the strength women gain by fighting back against oppression and taking back their power.

The novel’s themes are tackled head-on rather than subtly, but I found myself not minding that so much. It was the substance that really mattered, and I found that the characters and events of the story were compelling and interesting enough that I found myself enjoying (for a change) topics being explored so blatantly by the story (and Joséphine, our narrator). This is not, on the whole, an action-packed story, but a slower, quieter one, focusing on the small acts of rebellion women must make to survive in a harsh world. The pacing picks up after the first half, and some scenes are genuinely tense and action-packed towards the end, but overall, it’s a thoughtful and compelling narrative.

That said, there are a few minor drawbacks: some modern phrases felt out of place for 18th-century France, and the overuse of French phrases in the prose (especially at the beginning) became distracting at times. However, these are small issues that didn’t detract from the book’s powerful messages or the enjoyment I found in reading it.

I especially appreciated the representation of queerness throughout the novel and found myself falling in love with the core group of characters. I also found myself moved to tears at one point… Maybe it’s where we are at this moment in time, but women fighting back against the patriarchy and finding their strength is something that I’m always going to cheer on and support and, yes, cry over.

If you’re looking for a story about women’s empowerment, breaking cycles of abuse, and small (yet important) revolutions, We Are the Beasts is a must read. While it’s particularly suited for teens and young adults, adults can enjoy this as well, especially if they enjoy stories with deep yet non-subtle themes. And if you like the idea of badass young shepherdesses rising up against the patriarchy with their sheep by their side, this one is definitely for you.

Read if you like:
- Women supporting women
- Female empowerment
- Quiet(er) revolutions
- Women (and allies) against the patriarchy
- Queer characters
- A band of endearing characters/found family
- Exploring social issues

Content Warnings:
- Sexual and physical abuse
- Blood
- Death/murder of children
- Religion as a weapon/religious fervor
- Starvation
- Animal death (non-graphic) and harm

Thank you to Random House Children’s Books and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy! All opinions are my own.

We Are the Beasts follows Joséphine, a teenage girl in eighteen century France whose village is being terrorized by the Beast of Gévaudan. An unexpected discovery inspires Jo and her best friend and fellow shepherdess Clara to take advantage of the chaos. They’ve been living in fear of the men in their village their whole lives,

This book is full of very strong characters, and Jo and Clara are absolutely the right choices to be at the center. Almost every character we spend time with is a teenager, and they’re really well written and feel like people on that frantic edge of adulthood. They’re all aware that the wider world is an unfair one and that a man-eating monster might actually be the most manageable of their problems. I enjoyed watching Jo interact and bounce off with the rest of the cast, her arcs with Louis and Belle were quite good.

The amount repetition and some bizarre writing choices inhibited me from enjoying this any further. Characters regularly swear in french, which is so strange to read when you know they’d actually be speaking in french to one another. I started pretending in universe they were swearing in english because it happened so frequently. There’s also a lot of anachronisms that make this book feel like it exists in a nothing time period. Ostensibly, I felt like the only reason this book is set in the time period it is is so we can have the actual Beast of Gévaudan be featured, none of the other commentary about religion on patriarchy really felt like it gained anything from a historical setting.

Ultimately, I think this book is a little too ambitious for its own good. The horror, when we get to see it, is great, but the patriarchy is such an oppressive force in Jo’s town there’s no time for the reader to relax or spend down time with characters not in a fight-or-flight mode. I also had the frustration of really liking the main romance, but finding the stage of the relationship we saw the characters in a frustrating one that was ultimately a bit of a time suck that didn’t pace particularly well with the rest of the plot.

If you’re looking for a ragtag group of gay teenagers teaming up to take on literal and metaphorical monsters, We Are the Beasts is the book for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the eARC.

Darkly enchanting and full of beautiful feminine rage, We Are the Beasts will have you feeling the full spectrum of emotions, On the surface this story is a retelling of the Beast of Gevaudan, but at its heart it is about women who are willing to do anything to take back their power and to protect each other.

In Mende, women and girls have been surviving, not living for years. The men and past of the village abuse and use them, and with no way out they are struggling day to day just to survive. Now there is a beast in their midst, just one more thing for them to survive.... unless they can use it as a cover to find their way out. With Josephine and Clara leading the way, can they escape this nightmare?

This story is about despair and suffering, but more importantly about strength, gumption and hope. The author pulls you into this atmospheric world that is both history and fiction, truth and almost truth. You will find yourself sucked into this retelling and wanting more at the end. My emotions were all over the place between the righteous fury I felt for the characters and the hope that they would get more. I loved everything about this book! It was moody, but also action packed. Just the full gambit of emotions and themes.

There are a lot of scenes that are violent - including abuse, sexual harrasment and killing of a child by a parent. So if these themes are ones that trigger you, then I would suggest not reading this book. But those are the only reasons that I can see for not wanting to read this darkly beautiful story.

Overall, I loved the feelings this book invoked. I truly enjoyed this version of the Beast of Gevaudan and the history end note was much appreciated. This is the first book by this author I have read, but it will certainly not be the last and I will be telling all of my bookish friends about this one!

I'm slightly obsessed with the Beast of Gevaudan, in part because my husband is from the area and I know it well. So when I saw a book set in Mende (his hometown!) combining the legendary Beast with female rage, I knew I needed to read it. This is YA horror, not a genre I usually grativate toward (although I must point out that It's Only a Game, YA thriller by Kelsea Yu, ended up being one of my favorite reads of the summer, so maybe I should be looking at this genre more often!). I really loved the idea of this book: young women escape from their abusive home lives by faking their own deaths, using the Beast's attacks as a cover.

In general, I enjoyed the historical and geographical setting, despite a few hiccups (I'd think young Mendoises would imagine escaping "to the South" meaning Nimes, Montpellier, Arles, even Stes. Maries de la Mer, but the characters plan on heading to Nice... this city was a part of Italy in the 1700s, and much farther away from Mende than you'd think!). The legend of the Bet of Gevaudan was well-researched and -integrated. I also appreciated the feminist themes and age-appropriate romance.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

We Are The Beasts is historical fiction and horror novel inspired by the mystery of the the Beast of Gévaudan. Knowledge of the Beast of Gévaudan initially drew me to this book, but it was the feminist themes and the compelling story that maintained my interest.

Set in eighteenth century France, We Are The Beasts provides a sobering portrayal of the village of Mende and the perilous existences its inhabitants-mostly women-are forced to live. Close to starvation, often-expendable and easily-scapegoated, the unorthadox decision for shepherdesses Joséphine and her best friend Clara to fake the deaths of other village girls who have been victimized by the men around them is an understandable one.

The callous indifference of the village inhabitants, the means by which religion is ultiized to oppress others and the ease by which girls and women are expected to shoulder suffering at the hands of not only other villagers, but also outsiders in the form of hunters and soldiers sent to slay the beast, are all presented in a way that is painfully relatable.

I appreciated the relationship between Joséphine and Clara, which is not free from flaws due to the trauma that Joséphine still struggles with, as well as compassion shown to the other girls in their efforts to aid them. The diverse nature of the characters was a pleasant surprise, as I was unaware of the history involving Ethiopian immigrants in France and it is interesting to see queer relationships presented as well.

Unfortunately, the use of modern colloquialisms, statements and the repetition of French phrases when the characters are meant to always be speaking French did break story immersion repeatedly. I also felt that the novel is more of a mystery than a horror novel, which didn’t take away from my enjoyment, but I was more dreading the consequences of human behavior than fearing the stalking beast. Though the resolution of that particular mystery is satisfying and reasonable.

Thank you to Random House Children’s, Delacorte Press and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this one a lot more than I did. The themes and the plot were great. If you told me about this book, I’d want to read it. Unfortunately the execution wasn’t there for me. The characters were just okay and the writing didn’t work. There were too many phrases that broke the immersion. Too many one off lines in French (if I read “Mon dieu” one more time…) and things that felt too modern. Such a shame because the bones are great!

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy. This book follows two shepherdess' as they fake the deaths of some of the girls in the small village. They use the beast that has been taking girls from around the area. Soldiers come to hunt the beast down and claim the reward from the King of France.
This book is full of tension. Between the beast lurking and the possibility of discovery the girls have their hands full.
The message of the book is clear, it's right in the title. Between the way the men of the village treat the women and girls. The way the villagers often look the other way. Escape definitely seems like the only option even though it is full of its own perils.
Sadly, this book is very relevant to today's world. As unfortunately the way people treat others and turn a blind eye has not changed much since the period of time this book takes place.

This was a book I was looking forward to, and I really wish I liked it more! While I did enjoy the themes present in the book like women supporting women and feminine rage, and I love mysteries and historical fiction, this story didn’t really feel like it fully fit into any specific genre.

The modern language threw me out of the story sometimes, and while there were French words sprinkled throughout, it wasn’t enough to make the story actually feel like it was in a historical French setting.

While this wasn’t much of a horror story like it was marketing as, I do like the message that the true “beasts” are often those people around us who are abusers, or the people who support and protect them.