The Beast Is an Animal

by Peternelle van Arsdale

A girl with a secret talent must save her village from the encroaching darkness in this haunting and deeply satisfying tale.

• ISBN10: 1481488414
• ISBN13: 9781481488419
• Publish Date: 28 February 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Margaret K. McElderry Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[Beth C.]

Alys was there when the soul eaters claimed the adults in her village. In fact, she was breaking the rules, and was out wandering when they came. She did not stop them. She survived, along with the other children, and lives in a pious place. As the soul eaters begin to take children as well, Alys has to decide if she will become one of them, or end their stealing of souls.

Alys was an interesting character - one who is not only a blend of good and bad, but who recognizes it and fights with it, and even occasionally loses to that side she fears. And the story makes it very clear that there is a draw to the bad choices humans have - the power one can feel when taking those actions can be enough to compel even the strongest person to commit an act that they find - afterward - to be heinous. I particularly like that this is a child, and then a teenager, who is exploring these depths, because kids are those most likely to see the world in black/white, rather than the shades of gray it most often is.

The world within the story is recognizable, in that vague "it was a long time ago" kind of way. The folks in the town Alys and her friends end up in are sinister in a Scarlet Letter sort of way - those who are pious on the outside, but cruel and often hateful on the inside. Honestly, so much of it seemed appropriate to the current events - not necessarily the soul eaters, but those in power who seek to use their religion as a battering ram against others. I may be slammed for that comment, but it is absolutely a part of the story.

Overall, it's a cautionary tale - about those in power, and those who have power. About standing up for others, and doing the right thing. And above all, about a girl named Alys, who learns that sometimes even those who seek to destroy begin out of love.

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

The Beast Is an Animal is wholly unlike any book I've ever read. I actually thought it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling (and apparently so does whoever put it on a BatB display at Barnes & Noble) until I read the synopsis. Retelling, this is not. The Beast Is an Animal is what I can only think to describe as a horror fantasy.

When Alys was only seven, the soul eaters came for the adults in her village, Gwenith. She didn't stop them as they entered and that fact has haunted her for her entire life. From the age of seven to fifteen she has lived in a new village where she and the other Gwenith children guard a wall to keep the soul eaters and the Beast away, but Alys has a secret - she has met the Beast and the soul eaters, and the Beast wants her help.

Alys is the kind of character it's difficult to truly love because she's so separated from other people. At the same time, I was intrigued by Alys and desperately wanted her to have a happily ever after. I felt myself clinging to any shred of hope right alongside her. There is a tiny bit of romance in the last third of this book. The love interest was perfectly fine, but I didn't feel like there was enough time for me to really fall in love with him. Luckily, the romance was a very minor part of the story. The character I was most interested in was The Beast and I really wish more had been explained about him! I loved the lore introduced, but there was definitely room for a lot more.

Sadly, this book was severely lacking in details. I loved the idea of the Beast and the soul eaters, but where did they come from? How did the soul eaters get that way, exactly? I really wanted to know so much more about the fantastical elements of this world, but there were so many things left unanswered. The ending of the story was also full of unanswered questions and a little anticlimactic after all the buildup. This was definitely an intentional stylistic choice made by the author, but it did leave me wanting.

The area where The Beast Is an Animal really excelled, though, was its atmosphere. The colors on the cover of the book pretty much sum up how the entire reading experience made me feel. Everything about this world was so bleak and haunting, I felt the hope being sapped out of me... but in a good way? I like it when a reading experience can suck me in and make me feel things. This book would probably feel right at home amongst Grimm's Fairy Tales.

I feel like I can't say much more about this book without giving something away, so I'll wrap this up. There's no way around it - The Beast Is an Animal is a strange book and it will not be for everyone. Even without all the details I would've liked, I still couldn't put it down until I knew what happened! Alys is a character who's easy to root for and the Beast is one of the most intriguing characters I've ever encountered. This book will creep you out and probably leave you unsure of what to feel, but I totally recommend picking it up!

[Stephanie]

I loved the premise of the this book, but it was interspersed with so many sluggish parts that the tension of the book never felt fulfilling. However, something kept me reading, and I enjoyed the middle of the book with Alys in the town of Defraid (maybe because it felt very "Crucible"-esque, and I love Salem Witch Trials stuff.)