The Beast is an Animal Peternelle Van Arsdale
Kindle Edition, 352 pages
Published February 28th 2017 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
A girl with a secret talent must save her village from the encroaching darkness in this haunting and deeply satisfying tale.
Alys was seven when the soul eaters came to her village.
These soul eaters, twin sisters who were abandoned by their father and slowly morphed into something not quite human, devour human souls. Alys, and all the other children, were spared—and they were sent to live in a neighboring village. There the devout people created a strict world where good and evil are as fundamental as the nursery rhymes children sing. Fear of the soul eaters—and of the Beast they believe guides them—rule village life. But the Beast is not what they think it is. And neither is Alys.
Inside, Alys feels connected to the soul eaters, and maybe even to the Beast itself. As she grows from a child to a teenager, she longs for the freedom of the forest. And she has a gift she can tell no one, for fear they will call her a witch. When disaster strikes, Alys finds herself on a journey to heal herself and her world. A journey that will take her through the darkest parts of the forest, where danger threatens her from the outside—and from within her own heart and soul.
Alys was seven when the soul eaters came to her village.
These soul eaters, twin sisters who were abandoned by their father and slowly morphed into something not quite human, devour human souls. Alys, and all the other children, were spared—and they were sent to live in a neighboring village. There the devout people created a strict world where good and evil are as fundamental as the nursery rhymes children sing. Fear of the soul eaters—and of the Beast they believe guides them—rule village life. But the Beast is not what they think it is. And neither is Alys.
Inside, Alys feels connected to the soul eaters, and maybe even to the Beast itself. As she grows from a child to a teenager, she longs for the freedom of the forest. And she has a gift she can tell no one, for fear they will call her a witch. When disaster strikes, Alys finds herself on a journey to heal herself and her world. A journey that will take her through the darkest parts of the forest, where danger threatens her from the outside—and from within her own heart and soul.
Plot: I actually enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. It has a folklore feel to it and I found that kind of soothing. The pace is slow but I didn't find that I minded to much! I've never read a book about soul eaters so I don't really have much to compare to but I found it a decent story!
Characters: I really liked the main protagonist Alys. You get to watch her grow up and become a brave young women. She goes through a lot and struggles with the reality of what she is and over all, was a very nice character to read through.
At its best: The way the book is written was my favorite thing. That and also the way the story has a "The Village" feel to it. Also, there were some scenes that managed to pull my heartstrings. They made me get really emotional!
At its worst: The ending was anti-climatic in my opinion. I wish they're had been more to it!
Read again: I'm not sure. Maybe one day.
Continue series: Not a series! A stand alone!
Final thoughts: It was a good read! I had a good time reading it! Its stuck with me enough that I sometimes still think about it! If you like that folklore feel to your stories then you'll like this one!
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Characters: I really liked the main protagonist Alys. You get to watch her grow up and become a brave young women. She goes through a lot and struggles with the reality of what she is and over all, was a very nice character to read through.
At its best: The way the book is written was my favorite thing. That and also the way the story has a "The Village" feel to it. Also, there were some scenes that managed to pull my heartstrings. They made me get really emotional!
At its worst: The ending was anti-climatic in my opinion. I wish they're had been more to it!
Read again: I'm not sure. Maybe one day.
Continue series: Not a series! A stand alone!
Final thoughts: It was a good read! I had a good time reading it! Its stuck with me enough that I sometimes still think about it! If you like that folklore feel to your stories then you'll like this one!
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
