We Shall Be Monsters by Alyssa Wees

Book Fort Rating: 4.5 Stars

Is it building the Book Fort? It's currently picking out the gothic wallpaper that will line the walls.

I have a lot of feelings about this book.

Let me first be clear this was a 4.5 star read that I've rounded to a 5 - that doesn't mean the book was without flaw, but that I found the story and meaning to outweigh some of the smaller execution things that I noticed while reading. That story, by the way, is like if Alice in Wonderland, Coraline, and Brave had a baby that grew up in an 80's dark fantasy world. And I ate it up.

To say that We Shall Be Monsters is simply about the connections between a mother and daughter does not do this book the justice it deserves. The question that Alyssa Wees poses to all of us reading is simple: What does it really mean to be a monster? But the answer to that question changes over and over again within the text, showing our main characters Gemma and Virginia (or Gigi, for short) that monsters can be found everywhere, including inside of ourselves. And being a monster means that even when we don't mean to, even when we don't intend to, we can unfortunately harm those around us - especially those we love the very most.

The writing in this book was, 95% of the time, absolutely gorgeous. I will make mention that it reads much more like a lyrical literary fiction (similar to Donna Tartt's The Secret History) than a general dark fiction or fantasy novel. If that isn't your cup of tea, you will likely feel as lost in this book as Gemma and Virginia do in the woods. I am a big fan of meandering prose, so this book spoke to my tastes, but I can understand why others may not feel the same way.

For my reading taste, the 5% of the time that the writing did not speak to me occurred whenever more modern phrases ended up in the prose - it was jarring to be in the middle of dark lyricism, to suddenly have a character talk about how they don't want children to "ditch school." It didn't occur overly often, but did break the suspension of disbelief I think is necessary to truly immerse yourself in this book.

I felt that the character development throughout this novel was easily its strongest point. Both Gigi and Gemma noticeably grow as both mother/daughter and people throughout the book. This was especially noticeable as Gemma went through and concluded her "coming of age" within the woods, as she took the position of leader, and Gigi was gently pushed to step back and allow her daughter to take care of her, rather than the other way around. I also felt that their relationship developed in a beautiful way throughout the novel, and I think that many mothers and daughters with perhaps less than perfect relationships will feel the same way by the end of reading this.

I also just loved the general aesthetic of this book - it demanded dark, fantastical music as I read, and the lyrical descriptions Wees weaves into the prose really transport you to this sometimes scary, sometimes not place in Michigan. To that end, I've created a playlist full of the perfect creepy fanciful music to read along to - feel free to check it out at the end of this review.

My biggest gripe with this book, honestly, was that I don't think it could ever truly decide if it was an adult or YA novel. This may be because one of the main characters was a full-grown woman in her 30s, and the other was a girl between the ages of 12 and 15, but I often felt like it oscillated between the two genres in a way that was strange. I sometimes felt that Gemma's thought processes were far beyond realistic for a YA character, and simultaneously thought Gigi's sometimes were a little less than I would have expected. I honestly believe this to be a side effect of the writing style and general aesthetic, which I've already pointed out I love, so I can forgive this. Like I mentioned - hefty suspension of disbelief.

That all being said, I would (and will) recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dark fantasy, adventure fiction, lit fic, or just wants to spend some time in some creepy woods with a monster or three. Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House Del Rey for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I can't wait to pick up a copy of this book once it's finally published for my library shelf.

Publication Date: 11/12/2024