*I received a physical copy from Penguin Teen via Colored Pages Book Tours. All reviews are my own.
Imagine Frankenstein meeting Indian Mythology in a unique retelling. That's exactly what Tara Sims offers in her book, We Shall Become Monsters. The story revolves around a sister's attempt to resurrect her sibling's malevolent spirit, which requires her to raise a crown prince to reclaim his Kingdom's throne. Is it a tale of resurrection or redemption? The blend of these two distinct elements is sure to pique your interest.
"After her sister Lasya’s sudden death, Kajal vows to do whatever it takes to bring her back. No cost is too great, even if it means preventing Lasya’s soul from joining the cycle of reincarnation. But as Kajal prepares for the resurrection, her sister’s trapped soul warps into a bhuta—a violent, wraith-like spirit hell-bent on murdering those who wronged it in life. With each kill, the bhuta becomes stronger and fiercer, and Kajal’s chances of resurrecting Lasya with her soul intact grow slimmer.
Blamed for Lasya’s rampage and condemned as a witch, Kajal is locked away with little hope of escape. That is, until two strangers who label themselves rebels arrive and offer to free her. The catch: She must resurrect the kingdom’s fallen crown prince, aiding their coup to overthrow the usurper who sits the throne. Desperate to return to Lasya’s body, Kajal rushes to revive the crown prince . . . only to discover that she’s resurrected another boy entirely.
All her life, Kajal has trusted no one but her sister. But with Lasya dead and rebels ready to turn her over to the usurper’s ruthless soldiers, Kajal is forced to work with the boy she mistakenly revived. Together, they must find the crown prince before the rebels discover her mistake, or the bhuta finally turns its murderous fury on the person truly responsible for Lasya’s death: Kajal."
I ended up DFNing this book at 69%. It wasn't for me. Even though I was very excited about the story's premise, I had difficulty connecting with it. I spent more time researching words, phrases, and lores than just reading and enjoying the story. I did end up switching my reading formats from digital to audio, but the narrator, Deepti Gupta, could only get me so far. The pacing was slow, and Gupta's acting skills can only create two kinds of voices: Her own and a deeper version of the male perspective. It left no imagination for other character personalities.
The book starts with a bang, immediately grabbing your attention and forcing you to focus on the unfolding events. It's like the moment when all the zombies burst out from the ground in Michael Jackson's Thriller video or the intense scene in Birdbox where the man forces the old woman's eyes open to witness the unspeakable horrors. The action scenes in the novel follow the same gripping formula. However, the rest of the story is a slow-paced journey that I found difficult to endure.
Overall, I rated this book 3-stars. If I knew Indian Mythology better, this probably would've been a hit for me. The book's slowness had me looking longingly at my TBR, and I decided to call it. 69% is a good amount of story to understand the gist of it, and I didn't see the need to go any further. On to the next!
We Shall Be Monsters is available now
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