We Are The Beasts by Gigi Griffis

15+

Honestly this was great! I wasn’t expecting this at all, and I may say that before but this one was a read I don’t think I will ever forget.

Set in a medieval (or perhaps colonial times? It’s tricky to pin down exactly!) French village, the Beast is a unknown power that roams the hills and kills shepherdesses, growing a reputation as something supernatural. Our two main characters discover the victim of one of the beasts hunts and a survivor of a little girl hiding in the trees and from there they decide to use the beasts murders as a cover to get the girls of the village away from the abusive men. However as the king sends soldiers to hunt down the beast, the beast itself roams closer and everyone teeters on the verge of famine, it has become far more complicated than they could have ever imagined. But it is their only chance of getting out.

I genuinely am not sure how this one has not become a booktok obsession because it is dark and twisty and teeters on the edge of the supernatural – honestly this is going to be a best read of 2025 I know it!

Plot – 5/5 – perfection.

Characters – 10000/5 – so so so good, I honestly cannot describe how great these characters are. From the insolent soldiers to the scared girls all seeking a way out to the Beast itself roaming the woods hunting its prey they are just all so complex and intriguing.

Romance – NA – there is no romance, a hint of it perhaps between the main two girls but it might just be a very close friendship. Especially with how dark it is and how they are constantly in high stress tension ruled scenarios I cant tell.

World – 1000/5 – dark and historically inspired??? Sign me up, I loved it!

Romance Rating: NA

Violence Rating: Level 5

Content Warnings: Domestic violence (a lot, but not described explicitly on page), sexual violence (hinted at, and discussed in the past, one attempt by a priest is stopped), child death.