Gemma Cassata lives with her mother in an antiques shop near an enchanted gateway to fairyland. Gemma isn't supposed to go into those woods, but she often defies her mother's commands. Her mother had once gone into those same woods, and a witch cursed her true love just days before Gemma was born. Virginia will do whatever she can to protect her daughter—even if it means stealing Gemma’s memories. When the witch takes Virginia, Gemma must rescue her mother and break the curse.

Virginia had entered the woods long ago and is looking for the means to end her love's curse. She has until Gemma's fifteenth birthday, but the Slit Witch doesn't play fair. Gemma is left to continue on her mother's mission in the second part of the book, saving her father from becoming the monster the Slit Witch wanted him to become. She is on a classic magical quest through the forest, which is now guarded and full of traps. The forest doesn't help her, and the stories she heard from her fairy boy aren't quite true. Her instincts are good, and she has the trust and belief of a teenager trying to save her family. She gives up something in exchange for magic she tries to use; using magic selfishly and without exchange is what led to the Slit Witch.

The magic here is the kind that let's fairies exist, or guardian wolves that speak, trees that drink blood, or venom that keeps bodies alive in perpetuity even when mangled. Within this forest are the deadly creatures of stories, but not all creatures are monsters. Gemma realizes the difference as the story progresses, but she also comes into her own. All the dangling threads are tied up at the end, and I really enjoyed the turns that part three contains. She is a great protagonist, one I enjoyed spending time with.

The plot was interesting, but the writing made the story drag and feel longer than it actually was. I didn't feel connected to any of the characters.

We Shall Be Monsters is a dark fantasy filled with profound loss and hope. It follows a mother and daughter in alternating narration as they seek a way to repair their fractured family, destroyed for generations by a dreaded witch in the woods. The parallels between mother and daughter are unmistakable navigating guy lies and first loves and heartbreaks. Ultimately, this is a tale about the choices and sacrifices we are willing to make for one another. I thought this was a very sweet story, albeit extremely dark. I enjoyed it very much.
Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for this ARC!

The concept is interesting. Three generations of women tangled up in almost violent magic of the woods near their home, but it's just not quite good.

It's a bit clunky with off pacing and at times downright boring. I felt a major disconnect with all of the characters and even between them. I wasn't attached to them and frankly, even though grandmother, mother, and daughter, they didn't seem too attached to each other.

Not quite for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

We Shall Be Monsters follows teen Gemma, who must journey into dark Fae lands to rescue her mother from a witch.

This is one of those books that drew me in like no other. The dual perspectives of Gemma and her mother Virginia were distinct and interesting, each one hooking me just long enough to keep me glued to the page. Wees captures the dark atmosphere of the Fae realm beautifully, with rich settings and even richer characters. I adored the story's exploration of the monstrous, of the gray area that makes up so much darkness, and the way it not only used and twisted fairy tale elements, but ultimately ended up feeling like a (horror-laced) fairy tale itself. It's everything I wanted from an adult fae fantasy and more, and I honestly can't recommend it enough.

We Shall Be Monsters is a lyrical fantasy that follows the intertwined lives of Virginia, a mother who falls in love with a fairy, and her daughter Gemma, who goes on a quest to save her mother from the curse of the Slit Witch. When Virginia unknowingly steals the heart of the witch’s son, the witch transforms him into a beast. To break the curse, Virginia must find a magical mirror before Gemma turns fifteen. But when Virginia is kidnapped by the witch, it’s up to Gemma to go on a quest to save her mother and father.

The writing in this book is absolutely beautiful. The prose is rich and atmospheric, pulling you deep into a world full of magic and danger. It's even a little eerie and spooky at times, very Labyrinth-esque. The author does a fantastic job of building a vivid, immersive setting that feels both enchanting. The relationship between mother and daughter is the heart of the story, exploring themes of love, desire, and the mistakes that get passed down through generations.

That said, the pacing can be a bit of a struggle. While the plot is intriguing and the premise solid, the heavy reliance on description sometimes slows things down. There are moments where the story feels stagnant, and it can be hard to stay engaged when the narrative isn’t moving forward. The lyrical style is gorgeous, but at times, it drags, and I found myself losing interest in certain chapters.

Overall, We Shall Be Monsters is a beautifully written story with a compelling premise, but its slower pace and heavy prose might not be for everyone. If you enjoy lyrical, atmospheric fantasy, it’s definitely worth the read, but be prepared for moments where the story takes its time to unfold.

I appreciate a twist on a fantasy story line. This is not your generic fae fantasy. It covers all the fantasy bases with faeries, witches, an enchanted forest. I enjoyed the POV being shared between Gemma and Virginia. However, there were some gaps in the story line which I wish had been shared in more detail. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would read another by Alyssa Wees.

Before I start my review, I would like to thank NetGalley and publishers for letting me read the phenomenal arc!

5⭐️

I was hooked from the first page! I have never read anything like this before and the idea was executed perfectly! I flew through the book and before I knew it, I finished it. I love the dual POV between the mother and daughter. The way their stories intertwine together is amazing! The puzzle pieces clicked in place as I read on. I loved the stories about the different monsters, places, and items found throughout the enchanted forest! The mother-daughter relationship was amazing how it developed throughout the book and you could see the struggles they faced in their relationship. I have never read a book with this type of dual POV and I absolutely love it. The dangerous quests and the romance put my liking of this book out the roof! This atmospheric, dark, lyrical, and spellbinding fairytale has to be one of my top favorite’s of all time.

This book includes:
dual POV ✌️
romance 💞
adventure ⚔️
mystery 🔍
plot twists ♟️
dark fairy tale 🧚

This was such a delightful surprise! I was immediately captivated by Alyssa Wees' gorgeous prose and was quickly enraptured in this Fae tale. There is so much to explore and love about this book, from the magical setting to all of the different creatures and elements that make it a truly enchanting and somewhat haunting story. I really enjoyed exploring the mother-daughter relationships in this book through our characters and thought it offered some interesting discussions on the topic. This lyrical story absolutely surprised me with how much the writing itself captivated me and by how much I want to read more from Alyssa Wees now! Highly recommended for fantasy fans, especially those who love a lyrical, dark, Fae-tinged tale.

A gothic fairytale about a girl who is marked for death and her journey into the woods to rescue her mother from a vengeful witch all the while the story of her mother's own journey into the woods begins to unfold. Gemma grew up in an isolated antique shop with her mother, near the woods.... a place that concealed an enchanted gateway to fairyland. Gemma grew up being told to stay far away from the woods by her mother, Virginia. Everytime she would go in her mother would erase her memories to try and keep her out... because in the woods lurks a vengeful witch, a cursed monster, and a quest that awaits her. Yet when Virginia is taken by the Slit Witch and Gemma discovers that her father is a cursed monster.... it will be up to her to find a way to save both her parents and go on her own quest in the woods. All the while we are treated to Virginia's own story about how she grew up and came into the woods, how she fell in love... and how she became cursed by the Slit Witch. This was an absolutely enchanting story about family, strength, and courage to face your fears. The alternating POVS and storylines was such a nice touch and well woven into the story. I loved getting to read bout Virginia and Gemma's stories and their love for their family was so well done. I truly had such a good time reading this and would absolutely recommend this for fans of fairytales!

Release Date: November 12,2024

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

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I love getting my hands on a dark fairy tale which explores gloomy, mysterious forests with evil witches, fae, and monsters. This novel reminds me of some of my more favorite authors of the genre, such as Naomi Novik and Kell Woods.

When we first meet Gemma, she is about 12-ish years old who lives in an antique shop with her mom and explores the edge of the woods behind her house when she can. Though the woods are off limits, she feels drawn to them and s curious about the inhabitants, especially a fae prince who has gained her attention and told her stories of The Hunting Beast and his destiny.

We have a dual perspective as the chapters go back and forth between her and her mom, Virginia. One of my biggest wishes, is these two ladies would talk to each other more rather than keeping so many secrets from each other. I feel we could have avoided a lot of heartache and stress had we had better conversations instead of trying to make Gemma forget about the forest in a sort of avoidant manner.

There are definitely some family issues which need to be resolved but the love is strong and the story is good. I would love to see what more this author writes and if we wander into the forest again in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
This was such a great November read! It was a dark fairytale with beautiful writing that was spooky, fantastical, and overall a story about the relationships we have. I really enjoyed this and will be looking forward to more books from this author! I enjoyed the multiple POVs and different timelines. Add this to your TBR!

It’s an old story, isn’t it? Given new life each time it is told.

I think this line, about 80% of the way through the book, really gets to the core of what it’s about. We Shall Be Monsters feels very like you’re reading a fairytale you know by heart. That is not to say that it isn’t original, but that’s something about it feels incredibly familiar.

If I were to compare it to other media, I would say it made me feel like I was watching Jim Henson‘s Labyrinth or The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina or maybe both at the same time.

The writing is beautiful and sad. This story of generational trauma, the diminishment of female desire and agency, and the nature of monstrousness is both highly timely but also woven throughout history.

A very contained story truly only including a few characters total that have speaking roles. It takes place on the edges of our real world, and makes for a combination of hope that there is magic in our world at the same time warning us that it may not be what we expect. Remove all expectations and enjoy the ride.

Another book to add to my list of "books that surprised me." Giving this one a 4 out of 5. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

We Shall Be Monsters follows three generations of women who each have a deep connection to the magic woods that is behind their house. The world building and mythos in this world absolutely drew me in, but as a whole the characters left me falling flat. Gemma reads as exceedingly young emotionally, but then somehow makes all these mature, world-influencing decisions that felt a bit jarring. The Grandmother also plays a deceptively important role in the story, and tbh I will be keeping my eye out for a spin off telling her story.

While categorized as an adult fantasy, the pacing felt more along the lines of a YA, which is fine, but there were times when I wish certain scenes would be expanded on more. There is a lot of potential here, and I feel like the story dug into those first few layers.

I truly enjoyed reading this book and it was such a unique fairytale. I loved this mother and daughter duo, and this story truly shows you how far a mother would go to protect their children. The world building and writing style was beautiful and I would love to read more books from this author. Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an early copy of this book!

Thank you NetGalley, Random House (Del Rey), and Alyssa Wees for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is stunning! The writing is absolutely enchanting, like one long ballad straight from Alyssa Wees’ soul. There are so many quotable sentences in this book, I found myself highlighting on almost every page. It can get sort of tacky at times, but you really have to appreciate and understand the fairytale writing style that Wees manages to pull off with flying colors. It is a dark fairytale with a modern twist- a narrative of the magical and the mundane, of wickedness and beauty, of heroes and monsters. Wees weaves together an intricate web of
complex characters into an amazing story.

The book follows Gemma and her mother Virginia through alternating perspectives, telling the readers a tale that spans generations. At some points it was a little confusing because their stories were so similar, but the parallels between Gemma and her mother made for a great lesson of just how little you can control the fate of your loved ones.

“And it’s terrible, isn’t it? We try so hard to save each other when really we’re doomed from the start.”

A mother can warn her daughter of the dangers of the forest, but someone never really believes something until they see it for themselves. Clarice used fear to control her daughter, but Virginia still went anyway; Virginia, not wanting the same fate for her child, used magic to erase her daughter’s memories, but Gemma still kept going back. The forest was a part of them, no matter how hard they tried to stay away.

I honestly enjoyed Virginia’s story a lot more than Gemma’s. I adored Virginia and Ash’s love story. The truth is revealed to us bit by bit, and I kept trying to guess what was going to happen and the story kept surprising me. The climax had me at the edge of my seat- such a satisfying and thrilling way to play out! A happy fairytale ending, leaving us with just a little bit of terror to sit with after closing the book. By the end we question if there really are such things as heroes and monsters- that maybe they are really just one in the same. Where does a hero end and a monster begin?

Definitely a book I will have to read a second time (and this is something I rarely do, so this is saying a lot)! I will be purchasing a physical copy when they are released. Congrats to the author on their third book! Your imagination is phenomenal.

This was thoroughly enjoyable. It was nice watching the stories slowly fill in between both Virginia and Gemma. In the end it really become a question of what makes a monster and that maybe we all are a little monstrous. I wasn’t prepared for the wreckage the Hunting Beasts story would have on me especially in these turbulent times but it so much more impactful because of it. Everything was concluded without feeling like it was rushed or hastily thrown together. My only real critique was that Gemma more often than not read as a character much younger than 15 even after the time skip. There was not a growth between pre mother and post mother. Otherwise I throughly enjoyed it and will recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Ray Publishing for this ARC! This story was about a mother (Virginia) and daughter (Gemma) who live on the edge of these woods, which contain numerous magical creatures, both friendly and "monster". An evil witch steals Virginia away due to a curse placed on her and her love many years ago, and Gemma must go on a quest in the woods in order to find her mother and break the curse. The book was giving Coraline and Starling House vibes, with a family dynamic relationship a bit like Gilmore Girls between the daughter, mother and grandmother.

I had mixed feelings about this book; ultimately, I do think there were aspects that were done very well, but I just don't think it was entirely for me. The fantastical elements were very interesting and nothing like I have ever read before, and the whole story line with the Slit Witch was super well done, and she was a character that was very easy to hate, which is what I look for in a villain. The plot did keep me engaged, and I did like the dual POV of Gemma and Virginia. Where I think this book fell a little flat for me was that the way that the narrative was written, in sort of a storybook fashion, I did not feel fully engaged with the characters. It felt like there was a bit of a wall between being able to fully feel the emotions of the characters, because of the sort of distanced view of their stories by the author, especially in moments where there was tragedy, such as the ending scenes with the wolf and with her mother. Interestingly enough, the character I felt the most emotion for was Ashe, as I felt with him his guilt for what could have been if their circumstances had been different, and that he missed out on his daughter growing up. The chronology was also a bit hard to follow in some places, especially in Virginia's chapters, so I found myself either having to re-read certain sections, or just roll with the punches and hope that I would understand it later. And like I said, this may just be a me problem, and perhaps we were not the best fit, but there were points that I struggled a bit. I am curious if there will be any sequels, as the book was left sort of open ended with loose ends not entirely tied up the the fairy prince and Gemma's relationship, but I could just as easily see this being a standalone. Overall, I did enjoy the book, and I do think it has a great storyline, and I can see why others who read it rated it so high.

We Shall Be Monsters Book Review

This book was given to me as an ARC read. As always, all opinions are 100% mine and I was not paid for this review. Imagine having a weird Grimm’s Faerie Tales- themed dream, complete with an evil witch and a beast. That’s exactly what reading this book is like. On the positive side, it is unlike any book I’ve ever read. It is imaginative and creative. The POV shifts back and forth between a teen/tween girl and her thirty-something mother. (Thank goodness, because I just couldn’t take another nineteen year old heroine.) The young girl is actually the savior of the story and proves that everything is figure-outable. As the mother of a teenage daughter, I love the multi-generational story about the bonds between girls and their moms. However, I felt that the characters were underdeveloped and I just wasn’t excited to come back to the story each day. I would give this 3.5 stars for creativity of story.

This was an interesting fun little gothic fairytale. I really liked the dual narrative and timelines. I liked the similarities in Virigina’s and Gemma’s Lines and likes how thoughtful Gemma was especially given how young she is. I would have loved to have gotten Ash’s POV as well. His and Gigi’s story was fun and heartfelt I would have loved to see even more of it. I love the take on fairies and the forest. I also loved the Hunting Beast and Slith Witch mythology they were both fun characters and i would have loved to seen even more of their backstory as well.