The apocalypse is here, and it's mysterious monsters that appeared from nowhere. As society collapses, 13-year-old Abdi must protect his little sister from both the literal monsters and the monsters that people become when there's no laws. They cross the country, trying to make it to the port city that can take them to the island their father is on.
It's a very solid thriller for children. It deals with the hard topics really well. It's scary without being gory, despite multiple people being consumed by monsters on page. It's also suitably heavy, and gives Abdi space to deal with his emotions. It's a good survival tale.

From the very beginning the story starts off with the siblings Abdi and Alva running from these mysterious beasts. I loved the details of the beasts. I love that despite the siblings being of young age are able to stay together and try to survive. It was short. I wished there had been more at the end. It was scary, it was exciting and I had anxiety for the characters. But overall I enjoyed it and it definitely deserves four out of five stars.

This was an easy read. Simplistic writing and structure. Beasts has an interesting plot that holds enough suspense throughout the novella. However, I felt detached from the overall situation and the two main characters. I do think the concept of this novella is captivating and intriguing and I appreciate that.

Thank you Netgally and the publisher for letting me read this story in exchange for an honest review.

Scary and tense YA creature feature. Very lean, bit a ton of character to development by design, this is a story that is based on suspense and forward momentum. At each stop for rest we learn a little more about the initial appearance of the beasts and just how bleak it seems that anyone is going to survive. Maybe just a little too short, the characters veer more into archetypes then individuals, which takes a little of the emotion out of it, but it is still a well written and tense little novella.

It's actually impossible for me to walk by a horror novella without at least looking twice, so of course "Beasts" by Ingvild Bjerkeland caught my interest as well. The premise of two young children surviving in a world overrun by beasts is intriguing for sure and I think that the given comparison to "A Quiet Place" is quite fitting. Other things that come to mind are "Bird Box" or even the early seasons of "The Walking Dead", basically any kind of media that is about an apocalyptic scenario but mainly focusses on a family or small group surviving. And I think that is also the strongest part of this book. The sibling relationship was portrayed well and their journey was interesting to follow, because they were in a constant cycle of finding shelter and getting in danger again.

The writing style was simple, the sentences and chapters short. You might call it straight to the point and maybe it was fitting for a story like this, but for me the writing was really lacking descriptions of, well, everything. Hardly anything was described in a detailed way, from the characters to the beasts to the environment. The story was set in Norway for instance, but that did not make a difference at all – it could have been anywhere with a forest, really. Most missed potential was with the beasts though, because the few times they were described were actually terrifying. They are tall and slender creatures with short black fur, claws and hooves, but I think they walk on their hind legs and show strangely human behavior at times. Sadly the book wasn't heavy on the horror and so it didn't lean into that part. (But that's fine considering the book is mainly aimed at a YA audience. The gory and violent descriptions I usually want would have been inappropriate here.)

Overall I did enjoy reading this book, but I also think it could have been much better with more descriptions and a deeper exploration of the characters and the apocalyptic scenario as a whole.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Levine Querido for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

5 ⭐️. Do you ever wonder what the end of the world was like from the view of a middle schooler? Look no further. I LOVED this novella. The reader is immediately thrown into a world where mysterious "beasts" have invaded Earth and two kids are left wondering how to survive. As a child who devoured
"The Road" at an age that was (probably developmentally) inappropriate, this story scratched the itch I had of a dystopian end-of-world thriller.

thank you to Levine Querido and NetGalley for an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Levine Quierdo Publishing for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Beasts is a YA horror translated from Norwegian. It follows Abdi and Alva, a brother and sister who are on the run from beasts that have arrived suddenly and are attacking all major cities. Their mother dead, their father in another country they are fighting to survive in their new reality.

At 128 pages long this book is short and sweet. It keeps the reader interested with it's fast paced action and evolving story. Some parts of the apocalyptic narrative feels quite reminiscent of the COVID-19 pandemic... Particularly the selfishness and cruelty of individuals and the isolationism.

My main issues with this book is whilst the story is fast paced, parts of the plot feel quite underdeveloped. This is potentially a translation issue but I feel like that is not the case due to having some quite large gaps. I feel like this story could have been better served expanded into a full length novel. It is never explained what the beasts are or why they're there... There are also a few hanging plot threads and repeated sentences and points that don't go anywhere. The story itself ends quite abruptly.

I still found this as quite an enjoyable read and for anyone who enjoys horror and wants a quick read may enjoy this.

Short and on point. I loved this. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was very excited to get to review Beasts by Ingvild Bjerkeland as my first NetGalley ARC! The synopsis captured my attention as it seemed like a suspenseful, action filled novella. Just what I love!

Overall, I enjoyed this quick read at less than 150 pages! Vivid descriptions really pulled me into the story and allowed me to visualise the terror of the characters as they were hunted down by the beasts. At times, even as I read cosily in bed, I felt unsettled at the thought of being stalked by these terrifying beasts.

The author has a particular talent in building suspense and causing the reader to be suspicious of every new character that was introduced. I felt like screaming 'DON'T TRUST THEM!' as the characters took chances that I would have steered away from! I would have loved to see what direction the story could have taken if one particular character had had different intentions.

The only real criticism I have is that the ending fell a little flat for me. I can imagine it could have hit harder if I had read the book in one sitting, but personally I think the ending would have been more impactful if it had been a little more developed... it left me with so many unanswered questions and felt a little unsatisfying.

All things considered, I rated this book 4 stars.

If you’ve ever wondered what The Road would look like with a middle-grade makeover and a side of cryptic monsters, Beasts by Ingvild Bjerkeland is here to answer that question. The story follows 13-year-old Abdi and his five-year-old sister, Alva, as they flee across a ravaged Norway after mysterious, human-hunting creatures kill their mother. Their goal? Reach the sea and reunite with their father, who’s conveniently stranded on a remote island.

The writing is crisp, light, and easy to follow. It should appeal to younger readers or anyone who wants their apocalypse served without too much grit. The story is tense, fast-paced, and filled with cliffhangers that make it hard to put down. The beasts themselves are suitably terrifying. And, because no post-apocalyptic story is complete without some human nastiness, the siblings quickly learn that the real danger isn’t always four-legged and fanged.

But here’s the thing—this novella isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel. If you’ve read The Road, watched A Quiet Place, or seen Monsters, you’ll probably experience some serious déjà vu. It hits all the familiar beats: scavenging for food, meeting sketchy strangers, fleeting moments of safety before disaster strikes again. For seasoned fans of the genre, it might feel like “Post-Apocalypse 101.” That said, it’s a great gateway book for younger readers or anyone new to this kind of story.

The relationship between Abdi and Alva makes the story engaging. Watching Abdi step into a protector role in a crumbling world is genuinely touching. But the plot has holes big enough for a beast to slip through—like, how exactly do these creatures work? Why does the plan to reach Dad feel so undercooked? And the ending, while poignant, leaves a lot of questions dangling.

Overall, Beasts is an engaging, atmospheric read with plenty of thrills and heart. Just don’t expect it to break new ground or tie up every loose end. Perfect for young adventurers or anyone craving a quick, eerie survival tale.

As someone who loves a good thriller or horror book this is something I would 100% pick up in a bookstore. I didn’t realise it was YA till I started reading but it didn’t put me off. Short novella which is perfect, read in an afternoon so didn’t feel like I had spent much time at all sat reading the book.

I didn’t think I would like it as it followed two young children however I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.

Thank you!

In a world suddenly overrun with beasts that one day just appeared, thirteen year old Abdi and his five year old sister Alva are on their own. It is a journey of survival to get to the sea where the beasts have supposedly not inhabited. We follow the siblings as they navigate through the treacherous country, avoiding not only the beasts, but the bad men who would do them harm. It poses the question of who is the bigger threat? Man or beast?

This short novel packs a lot into its pages. We immediately follow the children on the run. It's heart-breaking in how fast humanity falls and turns against one another. While there is violent topics in this story, most of it is off-page making it a good introductory story for middle grade kiddos wanting to dip there toes in the horror genre. I really enjoyed this story and felt it was a good representation of man's downfall if something like this would actually happen. The pacing is fast, making this a really quick read.

-2.5 stars-

Honestly, I found nothing incredibly special or exciting
about “Beasts”

In all reality this book is pretty derivative of thousands of novels and films that came before it. Part “Bird Box”, part “A Quiet Place” and part contrived plot about orphans bonding during a crisis, Everything that “Beasts” presents has been done before and done better, right up to the ambiguous ending.

The characters are simplistic, the story is pretty basic, and even the writing is unremarkable. Could it be part of something being lost in translation? I suppose that’s totally possible, since, as I said, “Beasts” isn’t a book originally penned in English, but even so, for a book that was so widely praised in its original country of Norway, I’m left wondering what I missed. I do understand that as a book intended for younger readers I’m not the target audience with this one, so I’m willing to cut it a bit of slack for being just relatively average. And in this day and age where books are being questioned for their content over their quality, “Beasts” thankfully avoids being controversial (unless woefully under-described monsters can be considered as such).

I guess, overall, this novel is perfectly fine for a 9-10 year old readers (which, hey, let’s get more kids reading, please!), and even some adults will probably find this to be a decent read but don’t go in expecting anything life changing.

Beasts by Ingvild Bjerkeland is a chilling horror novella about two siblings, Abdi and Alva, surviving Norway in its advanced state of collapse, while beasts are lurking around hunting for people. Having witnessed their mom die in the hands of the beasts, their next step to survival is to go to an island in the hopes of reuniting with their dad. 

This novella is told like a dark fairytale, almost reminiscent of books written by the Brothers Grimm, and for that reason I enjoyed it. It is creepy and eerie, and I find myself rooting for the kids. The writing is simple, yet it worked for me because I don't want my horror to be full of purple prose. However, the lack of information about the beasts is something I want to know and wish to have answers to. Like, what even are they? or where did they come from? And how did it all start? Those are just a few questions I have whilst reading it. Also, the ending is ambiguous and I'm not too sure if I like it that way or not.

Overall, it is still a pretty solid horror novella, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to try and read horror for the first time. 

Thank you Netgalley for providing a free advance copy of this novella.

Horror that pulls on your heartstrings. Imagine the world is falling apart around you, it's just your Mom, your sister, and you, a 13yo boy in the country side of Norway. Beasts have appeared and are just terrorizing and killing without discrimination. Although you don't have many things, but you have each other. That changes fast when out of nowhere else a beast attacks. Now is just you in charge of the survival only of yourself, but of your too little to deal with all of these trauma baby sister. It's just ya'll against the beasts, the world, and sometimes even the beasts might be better chance to take. It was a fast read, a thrilling, heartbreaking horror.

The monsters were not the only monster in the woods.

Just wanted to reach in and hold Abdi and Alva and tell them everything is going to be ok. It's labeled YA or children horror, this would be more towards the 13+ as some younger kids might be a little too young for this one. I truly enjoyed this read, and I want to thank NetGalley for opportunity to read and review this e-book ARC.

4.5☆

beasts was a pleasant, albeit simple, read. i wouldn't describe beasts as thrilling or page-turning, despite the horror elements. it's moreso character driven, giving us insight into the feelings and motivations of siblings abdi and alva. i would've preferred more of a deep dive into their psyche, but i recognize that i'm not the target audience and this would be a good starting point for middle grade readers.

This book was addicting. At just under 130 pages it packs a punch full of horror and self reflection. The author makes you question yourself and humanity. How would YOU behave if the Beasts came to your house?
Would you defend those you know?
Would you run and leave your neighbors to die?
Would you help the helpless?
This was the perfect YA horror short story I’ve been craving & I loved that it is a translated Nordic story.

✨ Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this e-ARC ✨

Beasts by Ingvild Bjerkeland plunges readers into a world ravaged by terrifying, unknown creatures. Society has crumbled—power grids have failed, highways are littered with abandoned cars, and the few survivors live in constant fear, not just of the beasts but of one another. Thirteen-year-old Abdi and his five-year-old sister Alva are on the run, their hope resting on escaping through the forest to the sea. As they reflect on the events leading up to the beast's arrival, they must navigate who they can trust and what it takes to survive.

This YA horror novel is fast-paced, gripping, and filled with tension. Although I don't typically gravitate toward YA, a friend suggested I try this book, and I'm glad I did. The pacing is impeccable, keeping the story moving while maintaining suspense. The plot is well-crafted, seamlessly blending action and emotional depth.

Beasts left a strong impression, and I am eager to explore more from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Levine Querido for providing me with an e-book ARC in exchange for my honest review.

fun concept but I ultimately wasn't crazy about it. also didn't realize it was YA until I was already a quarter through so maybe that impacted by experience as well. i liked the setting/plot but just didn't really care for the characters or the writing.

Very interesting concept.
Brutal at points, but also dry at times.
Not my favorite but I've read worse.
Pretty decent.