Half of the reason I picked up Of Beasts is because of the cover. I mean!!! Look at it!!! It's very striking. I also nabbed the novella because it's horror and gay.

However.

If I had known ahead of time that Dante, the "young man", was underage I never would have downloaded it in the first place. I'm not trying to be rude. This isn't a moral judgment on the author. I simply wasn't prepared for the experience. Of Beasts is described as "forbidden love" but it's actually just illegal? I don't care if Dante is the alleged Antichrist. He's in a teenager's body. Because of that, I'm not rooting for their relationship, I'm wanting Jude to get thrown in the trash. Period.

But I'm torn because, despite my distaste for the abusive relationship, of Jude's unhinged, controlling behavior and gross anger, this wasn't a badly written novella by any means. On the contrary, I'd say it's one of the best short pieces of fiction I've read this year, if not the best. It was incredibly readable. Very snappy.

Jude had SO much to answer for, though. Dante suffered so much. He was hurt when he didn't deserve it. What about Jude??? Idk. I just feel strongly that, by the end, nothing was resolved in a satisfying way (imo). It was difficult for me to buy into the ending after what Jude did. That doesn't make this a bad book or even a mid book. But I'm not entirely sure it's for me.

I'll definitely try Worma again in the future though because hot damn!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I really liked this! Queer, erotic, religious horror is such an interesting genre and this novella captures it perfectly. I read this in nearly one sitting and really love the concept, relationship dynamic, and characters. Really great pacing and the prose had a lovely tone. The choice to have head-hopping narration between Dante and Jude worked well, too.

There were some minor criticisms from me, which kept this from being a 5 star read. Every time Dante was described as 'the teen' (rather than using his name or just with 'he') drew me out of the story more than it should have. I also wish there was a bit more to Dante and Jude's characterisations - I actually found the synopsis more revealing than the actual text! But that's also a sign of a good story for me - the characters were interesting as it stands, I just wish there was more of them because I feel like I could have gone absolutely feral for their dysfunctional dynamic.

I think this works well as a novella, but I think this would have absolutely blown me away as a full sized novel.

OH MY GOD. this quite literally may be the best horror novella of 2026 when it formally releases. there were moments where my jaw absolutely dropped, which i feel like is often an unattainable feat. i found myself going back to reread sections to figure out what the fuck just happened, and the book kept my interest until the very last page. layering in those themes of queer religious guilt alongside evil and sacrifice, it was so successful and kept the pacing throughout. if this is worma's debut, i can't wait to see what they do next.

Edgy and brutal, this novella does not shy away from any of the themes it chooses to tackle.

'“To stop the end of times?” Dante asked, huffing with a bitter smile. “I’d let you destroy me. I’d give any suffering.”'

Worma does a fantastic job of creating an uneasy and eerie atmosphere from the get-go. I was on the edge of my seat from the first chapter.

Jude is a minister and Dante one of his sheep; unfortunately, it turns out Dante is the antichrist and they have a very passionate and very taboo relationship. Both start experiencing dreams, where Dante is told he will bring about the apocalypse and Jude is told he should kill him to start it. Both are being pushed towards ‘a greater good’ for which neither of them wants any part of.

But Jude is brutal and loyal, Dante being his only weakness in his worship of God. Dante is the opposite of what we expect from an Antichrist. He’s a boy who has done nothing wrong except, in the eyes of Christianity, fall for and sleep with Jude. Dante does not want to accept his fate. As the plot progresses, tension starts rising; you're waiting for the characters to make their decisions. What will Dante do? And what will Jude do?

Will they do as God intends? Will they bring about the end of the world?

The prose was beautiful and kept me hooked from the first page, especially important as I wasn’t quite sure if this book was for me. It was lyrical, dark and enticing but very easy to read. I also appreciate how this was a contained story and novella. I think this easily could have been made into a much longer novel but I appreciate the fact it wasn’t, as it works much better as a short story, in my opinion. I think this easily could’ve been dragged out and the tension would have been lost. Massive props as a lot of great authors struggle with short stories and novellas.

I think the opening may turn some people away; it was very graphic but I think sets the tone for the rest of the novella. If you enjoy the opening, you’ll love the rest of the book. I also expected a little more emotion to be invoked from the ending, considering how tense I found the middle of the novel.

A really solid debut, and I’m really looking forward to what else the author releases. A solid 4.5 stars from me! Rounded up to 5!

Thank you to CLASH books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. A wonderful little gem I may not have discovered on my own, all opinions are entirely my own.