Thank you to Penguin Teen for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
We Shall Be Monsters by Tara Sim is an Indian-inspired YA fantasy that will appeal to readers who are tired of the typical European-inspired YA fantasies. The story revolves around Kajal, who has the power of resurrection. She tries to resurrect her sister but accidentally turns her into a monster. Then, she tries to resurrect the crown prince, but accidentally resurrects his twin brother instead. Can Kajal find a way to bring the prince and her sister back to life before her mistakes come back to haunt her?
Here is a magical excerpt from Chapter 1:
"THE WORST DAY of Kajal’s life was the day she broke out of her own
coffin.
It wasn’t even a nice coffin. It was one made to burn, reducing unclean
flesh to ash, allowing the soul to return to nature and be reborn. Traditions
such as this reigned strong in Dharati, especially in the town of Siphar, isolated as it was against the crags of the eastern mountains.
Though tradition did not specify what to do when a girl’s fist broke
through rotting wood, terrifying the humble crowd assembled to witness
the burning."
Overall, We Shall Be Monsters is a YA fantasy that takes aspects of Hindu and Buddhist mythology and then leaps off into the fantasy realm. One highlight of this book is how this book is inspired by Indian culture and religions, which is something that is not often seen in the YA fantasy space. However, as the author wrote at the end of the book, there are things in the book that are inspired by various religions, but this book is strictly fantasy and uses those aspects in a fantastical nature only as opposed to a religious one.
I did take off 1 star because I felt that the book grew more confusing as it went on. It wasn't because of the unfamiliar terminology. I felt that there were a lot of fantasy elements that I didn't understand and then the motivations of the characters became muddled because I didn't understand the fantasy elements. I also found it hard to identify with many of the characters. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA fantasy in general, I recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in June!
We Shall Be Monsters by Tara Sim is an Indian-inspired YA fantasy that will appeal to readers who are tired of the typical European-inspired YA fantasies. The story revolves around Kajal, who has the power of resurrection. She tries to resurrect her sister but accidentally turns her into a monster. Then, she tries to resurrect the crown prince, but accidentally resurrects his twin brother instead. Can Kajal find a way to bring the prince and her sister back to life before her mistakes come back to haunt her?
Here is a magical excerpt from Chapter 1:
"THE WORST DAY of Kajal’s life was the day she broke out of her own
coffin.
It wasn’t even a nice coffin. It was one made to burn, reducing unclean
flesh to ash, allowing the soul to return to nature and be reborn. Traditions
such as this reigned strong in Dharati, especially in the town of Siphar, isolated as it was against the crags of the eastern mountains.
Though tradition did not specify what to do when a girl’s fist broke
through rotting wood, terrifying the humble crowd assembled to witness
the burning."
Overall, We Shall Be Monsters is a YA fantasy that takes aspects of Hindu and Buddhist mythology and then leaps off into the fantasy realm. One highlight of this book is how this book is inspired by Indian culture and religions, which is something that is not often seen in the YA fantasy space. However, as the author wrote at the end of the book, there are things in the book that are inspired by various religions, but this book is strictly fantasy and uses those aspects in a fantastical nature only as opposed to a religious one.
I did take off 1 star because I felt that the book grew more confusing as it went on. It wasn't because of the unfamiliar terminology. I felt that there were a lot of fantasy elements that I didn't understand and then the motivations of the characters became muddled because I didn't understand the fantasy elements. I also found it hard to identify with many of the characters. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA fantasy in general, I recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in June!