What an incredible book. Based on historical events, the author added such an incredible touch of feminism to the book. The rage, the hurt, the betrayl. The realizations that Josephine goes through in this. Her character growth. Top notch.

The family created by shared bonds and trauma. That was so touching and beautiful. Even the sheep.

Even though this is a monster story, the beast is not the monster. The girls who ran and fought back are not the mosters. Silence. Turning a blind eye. Letting atrocities continue. Those are the real monsters.

I will never look at sheep in quite the same way, after having read this book … and this review will contain spoilers for the book

What was the Beast of Gévaudan? In this story, the Beast is vengeance, the vengeance of women and girls tired of submitting to the cruel hands of husbands and fathers, brothers and boys who assume they have a right to that which isn’t theirs, to hit and hurt and injure;a priest speaks of hellfire in the pulpit and too many women are dead at the hands of a mysterious ‘beast’ in the forest. So soldiers are sent, soldiers who eat their food, live in their houses and cause almost as much fear as the beast.

And that’s kind of the problem, for me. The set up was amazing, building up the tension between the girls and the town as they watched other women and girls hide bruises, duck their heads, dully repeat lines like “he’s a good father” with dead eyes. Joséphine watches all of this and hatches a plan to protect a young girl from the father who just murdered her brother — his son — in front of her, only to have to save the girl’s older sister, as well. And then another girl, and still there are more women who need help. I was there for all of it, eager to see how these women would finally stand up for themselves, to see them turn the tables on the men who hurt them.

Unfortunately, that’s not quite what happened. The Beast of Gévaudan isn’t female rage; it isn’t the screams of the oppressed rising up. It’s just a beast who happens to be in the forest (though I did appreciate that the author found a reason as to why the beast would be there.) That’s not to say the Beast is badly done, just that it wasn’t what I wanted out of the story. I wanted more catharsis for all of the tension and stress the characters went through; I wanted … well, I wanted something other than what the book gave me.

However, what the book did give me was an appreciation for sheep. The lambs in this book, and the ewes, were charming and full of life and personality and made for excellent light and comic foils during some of the darker moments in the story. There’s also a strong element of sisterhood as Joséphine, Clara, Charlotte, Helene, Eugenie, and Belle — and Louis, the lone boy of the group — find great strength and comfort in one another. The friendships (and the sheep) are the best parts of this book, and if that’s something you enjoy, you should have a good time with this book.

I want to thank Net Galley and the publisher for granting me an advanced reader copy

4/5 stars
Recommended if you like: historical fiction, feminist stories, girls saving girls, real life mysteries

This review has been posted to Goodreads as of 5/17 and will be posted to my review blog 6/6 and to Instagram 6/11.

This book is about the harm that befalls women at the hands of their so-called protectors, but it's also about women standing up for each other and it's about community. Joséphine and Clara immediately spring to the aid of a battered six-year-old girl, and the number of people they protect only grows from there. But as the number of people they protect grows, so does the number of people stepping up to protect others, and Joséphine and Clara themselves. That being said, there's definitely a lot of telling going on re: the theme of the book. Particularly at the beginning I felt I was being hit over the head with the moral point of the story, though later on it feels developed in a more natural way. I definitely think my rating would've been stronger if it was all showing, but that first 20% or so really isn't strong in that department and brought me out of the story a little.

I enjoyed seeing the relationships develop in this book. Joséphine and Clara are already best friends teetering on the brink of something more, but their circle grows with the more people they help. Some of the friendships they develop are surprising, some are not quite friendships but alliances with surprising strength to them. The connections felt different and I liked seeing the ways they came together and grew.

This is a historical fiction book and so it has some real people mixed in with the fictional ones. That being said, I enjoyed the way certain things are set up to give nods to other 'beast' stories. For instance, one of the characters is named Belle and one of the (very obnoxious) hunters makes his entrance with a loud gunshot à la Gaston. Likewise, I also got some Little Red Riding Hood vibes at times with Joséphine especially, but I also kind of think Charlotte fits that vibe as well.

The Beast of Gévaudan was a real series of events that took place in France at the time and to this day there's speculation about what the beast roaming the French countryside actually was. National Geographic actually did an article on it in one of their recent History magazines. I wasn't sure what direction Griffis was going to go in for the beast, or if the beast was even going to be fully shown at all or just the aftermath. I was actually kind of wary to see what would happen with the beast, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked the direction Griffis took. Historically it makes a lot of sense, but it also serves very well with the theme of the novel (there's that nice showing) and I really enjoyed seeing how she connected this very real series of events to the fictional story she told in the book.

Joséphine is more than a little reckless when it comes to saving people or things she cares about. Our intro to her in the book is essentially her throwing herself over a cliffside to save one of her baby lambs that wandered off the side. While reckless, it's clear she has a big heart and is more than willing to stick her neck on the line for what she believes in and those she loves. That being said, Joséphine also carries trauma from her childhood and some of that reckless-savior-behavior comes from feeling like she needs to be more than enough to keep her loved ones around. Overcoming that and realizing that other people want to help if she'll open up and let them is one of her biggest struggles in this book. She can also be a bit blind to others at times.

Clara is a good balancing influence to Joséphine's recklessness and provides a more level head for planning. She's a healer and secret-keeper for those of the village, and knows enough of it's goings-on that she's immediately on board with Joséphine, but wants to be more strategic about things. I liked Clara's steadfastness and calmer brand of doing things.

One minor pet peeve: Joséphine says "Not today Satan" within the first two minutes of the book. Please, I am begging authors not to use modern slang and meme culture in historical fiction books, particularly not ones set in the 1760s. In France. Frankly, I don't want modern slang or meme culture in any of my fiction, even fiction set in modern day, because it 1) dates the book and 2) always feels forced to me. But especially don't include it in historical fiction.

Overall this is an entertaining book with a feminist storyline. The characters develop strong relationships with one another, sometimes in surprising places, and that is the core of the story. The 'telling' of the theme is a bit much in the beginning of the story, but it does even out later on.

I am a huge fan of the premise of this book, and I think there is a lot of love about this book! Though, I found that the writing style just wasn't for me. Because of this, I felt a bit thrown off by a couple elements. Though, this is solely because of my personal preference, not a fault of the book at all!

A very good novel. Even though it's labeled YA I enjoyed it very much and kept me interested. Highly recommend.

Absolutely amazing read.. This book I could not put down. The plot the twist were chefs kiss. I’m recommending this book to everyone!

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

The beautiful cover is what first made me request an ARC of this book, and I went into the story fairly blind to what it was about.

If you're a fan of YA fantasy and/or horror, this is a book you will want to read. Set in the late 1700's, Gigi Griffis's latest release is a retelling of a classic (somewhat true) story of the beast of Gevaudan in France. Usually monster stories are about creatures trying to eat children, but this story centered around the idea that a monster isn't an easy thing to define and sometimes the scariest things amongst us can be our salvation. It was a fast paced, thought provoking read.


I truly loved this book and can't wait to buy a copy when it releases. I think my son will really enjoy it, too, and I'm looking forward to being able to discuss it with him.

Thank you NetGalley and Delacorte Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review!

this book takes inspiration from a historical event taking place in 1760s france known as the beast of Gévaudan. this event swept across the world through news articles as everyone watched bespectacled at the demise of young shepherdesses being demolished by the unknown.

which begs the question: who are the real beasts? a creature stalking the night, a man, a witch, or a young girl?

this book was a wonderful experience, very beautifully written. the characters all felt flushed out. the themes of early feminism portrayed wonderfully, josephine and clara were such lovable and beautiful characters. this book does a wonderful job of portraying the hysterics that swept through the land as such an outlandish event occurred, as well as the class systems of france.

the found family aspect really tugged at my heartstrings, and i hope this book will teach young women to stand up for what you believe is right, hold your ground, and love who you so dearly love.

my one and only qualm was the mentioning of racism taking place within the town without flushing out the full aspects of it, especially with clara. i feel like it was thrown in as a sort of “and look how bad the town is, it’s not enough that they hate women” but truly, if the author didn’t feel equipped to write about those social issues then i applaud them for not playing into stereotypes at the very least.

all the opinions expressed here are my own, please take the time to read We Are the Beasts by Gigi Griffis set to be released December 10th 2024!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ We are the Beast by Gigi Griffis is set to be released December 10, 2024. Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse publishing
for the advanced reader copy in exchange for a review.

Who are the real beasts? Is it an unknown beast, men, or is it a witch posing as a young girl?
This book is based loosely on the beast of Gevaudan, who terrorized France in the 1760s. This book was really interesting and really leaned into ideals of feminism. I truly appreciated the independence the women presented throughout the story. Throughout the book you see how mass hysteria, and bystander effect can really affect every day people. This is a story of found family, friendships, and finding it in yourself to stand up for what’s right! Also, fun spoiler: The story is really reminiscent of the current social media trend, where women are saying they would rather be around a bear versus a man. Implying that animals are more predictable than men, which I found similar in this story.

My only real dislike was I did not love that there were random French words thrown in and out. Some made sense, but some, seemed unnecessary. The opinions expressed here are my own.

If I had to describe this in one word: powerful. This book was based at least in part on a historical event, which I did not know until I read the note at the end of the story. It shocked me to know that this was loosely based off of something that was true. It awed me. There was so much to love and adore and take away from this. The strong bond between the girls, all of them, but most of all between Clara and Joséphine, and of Louis's love for Pascal, of the sheep's love for their shepherdesses. The twist at the end was a classic case of mother protecting her babies, but the "beast" itself was actually an animal, and a twist I didn't see coming at all. A very clever twist at that. But the true beast, was the men, and I think it was really important to see girls who bite back, who have each other's backs.

Look at this thrilling cover and intriguing plotline: girls who have suffered abuse, harassment, abandonment, and starvation unite to fight against a beast no more dangerous than the real beasts - the abusive men of the town hiding in human clothing.

The most captivating aspect of this book, among its themes of girl power and feminism, is its basis on true events in Gevaudan, France, where the region was plagued by a wolf-like animal attacking shepherds and villagers. Europe’s first cross-border stories attracted King Louis XV’s attention, prompting him to send his best hunters, like Duhamel and the d’Ennevals in the novel, to lead the search for the beast.

In this feminist retelling, the imprisoned girls of the town, suffering from hunger and mistreatment at the hands of the men, begin to blame their violence on the beast, taking control of their fate to escape. However, their escape leads them into even more danger, not from the beast, but from the men determined to control their lives with harsh punishments. They even kill the only decent man in town, the priest, replacing him with a new predator posing as a righteous figure.

Josephine, who lost her entire family and was saved by her true love Clara and her grandmother Meme, finds herself in a town filled with pain, poverty, loss, anger, and hatred. When a beast begins lurking and a young boy dies, Josephine realizes the town’s men are trying to cover up a murder. She decides to help the boy’s sisters and, with Clara’s help, fakes their deaths to take them out of the town.

But their good intentions are tested when they face both the dangerous beast and the vindictive church leader, who believes the girls’ actions have cursed the town. As long as the girls stay, they face threats from both sides.

Who is the real beast? Is it a shapeshifter, an evil incarnation, a witch, or something else entirely? And are the town’s men or the king’s hunters even scarier? How will the girls survive?

Overall, this book is intriguing, fast-paced, and impactful, with a great conclusion that I highly recommend to YA horror and thriller readers.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press for sharing this thrilling book’s digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Who are the real beasts? Is it the unknown animals hiding in the woods? Is it the men of the village who abuse their daughters and sisters? Or is it the young girls who take it upon themselves to protect each other from the abusive men? The story of this book was sparked from an interesting historical bit that the author explains in a note at the end, or at least provides some theories of what the beasts on the woods around this French village were thought to be. But this novel takes those stories and hands them to a pair of protagonists that do something heroic with the lore, protecting the girls of the village who noone else would save. They may pose as the beast, but the real beasts of the story should rightly be the abusers. This is a story of friendships, found families, and finding power within oneself. The writing was easy to follow except the occasional single French words in the middle of a dialogue--I get the setting is a French village but throwing in a "mon Dieu!" between the English conversation did not make the story more French for me. The plot development and character interactions work for a young adult audience. The majority of central characters are teens and interact with each other with teenage behavior. I also suspect an older audience would want a bit more suspense drawn out before any reveal of a mysterious beast. This is a good read for teens looking for empowerment stories, and even a bit of LGBTQ representation.
I received advanced access to this book thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher, Random House Children's -Delacorte Press) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
There was a lot to love about this book. I am a huge fan of any story where the wild/fierce/teeth and claws of girls can be highlighted. I liked the small elements of found family and friendship. I also always appreciate a good mysterious beast.
The things that brought the rating down a bit for me were as follows:
- there were a few instances of very modern slang creeping its way into the historical time period (16th century). This just took me out of the story.
- I would have liked to up the suspense & drag out the charade a little longer. For me, this ended really quickly and didn’t build to a big confrontation in the same way I thought it would.
- It does the thing where it throws in a few French words so that we know it’s in France, but it doesn’t flow in a real way & seems stilted.

Overall, I would recommend it if you’re interested in the synopsis. It delivers on what it promises! Would be good for a teen audience