Is a unique fairy tale inspired story leading with caution and curiosity. Have the story in the perspective of the mother and daughter shows how mothers may think we are doing the best for our child but it hinders something within them and once the child is free their inner self can come out. The world is well built and has its own fairy world in the regular world and the background of woods is interesting and covered. Virgina and Gemma are a wonderful mother daughter duo. Overall a story worth reading and love the creatures and people that they meet in the woods.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read this e-arc. This is my honest opinion..

I really struggled reading this book. Although I can see it picking up and the world building eventually being worth it, it takes way too long to get to the story in my opinion. It didn't hook me in and I also was so confused on the setting for about 10-15% of the book.

This is an interesting read if you like the darker side to fairy stories. However, this story is more about the strength, the generational trauma, the lies, betrayals, and forgiveness these characters have to go through to make it through a curse. Gemma and her mother Virginia live just outside a magical woods which is a gateway into a fairy realm. Virginia falls in love with one and gets cursed, she tries to hide her daughter from the truth. The way she goes about it is just as monstrous. This story cycles between grandmother, mother, and daughter and shows their fortitude to survive and save each other.

Alyssa Wees always writes the most haunting fairy tales, and I think We Shall Be Monsters is my new favorite. I loved the alternating mother and daughter perspectives; they added so much depth to the narrative. The magical world the main characters enter is lush and beautifully described. It reminded me a little bit of Holly Blacks faerie books.

I love gothic stories and this almost hit for me. It was beautifully lush but didn’t quite lure me in like I’ve experienced before. I love the mother daughter story but don’t feel like the respect between the two was fleshed out like I’d like.

Thanks to Del Rey for the gifted copy!

I was immediately drawn to the cover of this book... and the title, too. Told as a dark and lyrical fantasy, I loved the blend of Fae with fairytales and the mother/daughter dynamic of the book. This was more slower-paced than expected, and I also didn't expect it to be set in the present day, but that's what I get for going off of vibes instead of reading the synopsis. This is a great, darker witchy and fairytale read with lovely worldbuilding and narrative around family.

I struggled with the first 30-ish percent of the story. It felt very clunky trying to get into the meat of the story. But once we got there I absolutely loved Alyssa's way of bringing life into this fairytale. It definitely leans more into the darker nature of how folklore tales are written versus the more sweet versions of fairytales that get told. Which for me is a bonus because I adore folklore.

I felt like this was a let down for me. The writing wasn’t bad but the storytelling wasn’t there. I had high expectations from the way this was marketed.

This was one of the most beautifully written dark fairytales I’ve ever read, it was almost lyrical at times. Throughout this story you visit with themes of love, the bond between mother and daughter, and the age old warnings about what lurks within the shade of the forest. I cannot suggest this enough, especially for this time of year when the air is crisp and even the leaves seem to throw a little more shadow.

Gemma knows she’s not supposed to enter the magical forest behind her house, but the forest calls to her. Despite her mother's warnings about the monsters within, she can’t resist.

Virginia understands her daughter's fascination all too well. Like Gemma, her mother forbade her to enter the woods, but in an act of defiance, she ran into them—and found her true love, Ash.

Unfortunately, they crossed paths with a witch who cursed them, giving Virginia until her unborn child’s 15th birthday to break the curse or face dire consequences. Now, with the clock ticking and Virginia kidnapped, it’s up to Gemma to find her mother and undo the curse or lose everything she loves to the forest.

This dark and magical story evokes the atmosphere of a Brothers Grimm fairytale. In this forest, magic is limitless, and readers should be ready for anything.

At times, the writing is almost lyrical, taking readers on a fast-paced and haunting journey that explores the complex bonds between mothers and their children. While the focus is on mothers and daughters, the deeper messages are relatable to everyone.

Told from both Gemma and Virginia’s perspectives, the story illustrates how generational trauma affects each woman in their family. The author poignantly shows how easily fear can guide parents' decisions, often blinding them to the consequences of their actions.

While I enjoyed the story overall, I struggled with the last 20%. With so much happening throughout the book, the final chapters felt overloaded with loose ends that needed resolution. The ending was satisfying but busy; I may have skimmed the last few pages. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 (Rounded up for NetGalley)

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey publishing for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is written like a fairy tale, or a myth. There are witches, monsters, elves, wolves, and a magical hair brush. It's pretty much impossible to stay out of the woods when you are told to stay out of the woods, it just makes them more interesting and alluring. And so, despite Virginia's best attempts to keep her daughter out of the woods and out of trouble, Gemma goes into the woods. Virginia is already in trouble with a witch that lives in the wood and it falls upon Gemma to save her mother. While this story took a while to build, the writing was beautiful and kept me moving forward. I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes spooky or magical stories. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for my honest opinion.

Honestly, I found this book to be just a little bit too juvenile for my tastes. It was still good, and I’d still recommend it to friends, but it was a little hard to follow for me because I couldn’t really get REALLY into it.

We Shall Be Monsters was the perfect lyrical and atmospheric fall read! In this story, not all fairies are good and not all monsters are bad. No one does dark fairytales like Alyssa Wees, and I was immediately pulled into her world of dark woods, fairytale creatures, curses, and forbidden love.

Above all, this story highlights the defiance of daughters, the fear of mothers, and the lengths we will go to protect those we love from making our same mistakes. I loved the characters, the themes, and the world building! This story is perfect for fans of Ava Reid and Holly Black.

Thank you to Netgalley, Delrey Books, and Random House for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is my second book by her and she’s very much going up on my radar. Perfect fall read with those dark witchy vibes combined with red riding hood. Loved it!🥰

I had high hopes but it fell flat. It felt like more of a YA novel than adult. Very simple themes that lacked substance.

"Where did a hero end and a monster begin?"

We Shall Be Monsters was an enchanting read! It is told through alternating POV by Virginia and her daughter Gemma. They live in a remote area, where Virginia runs an antique shop, with a mysterious woods adjacent to their home. Gemma knows that she is not allowed in the woods, her mother has told her multiple times, but curiosity gets the best of her.

Some of Virginia's POV takes place in the past, we learn she is all too familiar with the lure of the woods, which provides insight as to why she is adamant about keeping Gemma out. There is a curse on someone in their family, which leads Gemma on a quest through the fae lands to find a way to break it.

This was my first time reading a book by the author, I really enjoyed the lyrical writing style. Wees explores multiple topics like what it truly means to be a monster and how far we will go for the ones we love.

A few highlights
•atmospheric read
•dark fairy tale
•mysterious woods
•curses
•multiple POV
•forbidden love
•fae & other mythical beings
•complex family dynamics

Thank you Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Rating: 4⭐
Release date: November 12th 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced reader copy of We Shall Be Monsters!!

This was a really moving story of three generations of women who break all boundaries to protect the ones they love and try to stop the next generation from repeating their mistakes.

Alyssa Wees truly knows her stuff when it comes to flushing out a tale and world building. It wasn’t a challenge at all to see her story in my mind.

I struggled a little with the story itself in the beginning, but I’m glad I pushed through and finished it. It’s one of those stories that stays with you and that you find yourself thinking about late at night. Especially if you have children yourself. And the question, “how far would you go?”

I am such a sucker for curses and dark woods/forests! Paired with generational trauma and magic, this is an incredibly unique book that is perfect for spooky season and the upcoming fall weather. Red Riding Hood meets The Hazel Wood, I can't recommend it enough.

“Where did a hero end and a monster begin?”

We Shall Be Monsters is a dark fantasy set on the edge of a forbidden wood, featuring a coming of age, curse-breaking story. Told in alternating points of view between Virginia and her daughter Gemma, this book kept me hooked from beginning to end.

I enjoyed the magic of the forest and the exploration of what delineates hero from monster. The writing style was incredibly descriptive and the pacing was consistent, keeping me drawn in. This book is the perfect slightly spooky read for fall!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Alyssa Wees for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Stay tuned for the release of We Shall Be Monsters on November 11, 2024!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for this ARC!

We Shall Be Monsters is beautifully written and thought provoking. The dual POV was done wonderfully and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It felt like a long form poem with aspects of Alice in Wonderland, Maleficent, and even Bridge to Terabithia. There were moments I felt wonderment, mystified, and terror. You will enjoy We Shall Be Monsters if you enjoy strong family bonds, questioning your own reality, and fantasy world building.