We Shall Be Monsters

By Alyssa Wees

Book Overview

A girl marked for death ventures into the wooded realm of the fairies to rescue her mother in this dark, lyrical fantasy about vengeful witches, beastly fathers, and the stories mothers tell to keep their daughters safe--from the author of Nocturne.

Gemma Cassata lives with her mother in an isolated antiques shop in Michigan, near a seductive patch of woods concealing an enchanted gateway to fairyland. Gemma knows she's not supposed to go into the woods--her mother, Virginia, has warned her multiple times about the monsters that lurk there--and yet she can't resist.

Virginia understands her daughter's defiance. She knows the allure of the woods all too well. Her own mother warned her about the monsters, and Virginia also did not listen--until a witch cursed her true love just days before their child's birth. So Virginia will do whatever she can to protect her daughter--even if it means stealing Gemma's memories.

But everything changes when Gemma gets too close to the truth, and the witch takes Virginia . Now it is up to Gemma to venture deep into the mysterious woods to rescue her mother and break the curse.

Told in the alternating viewpoints of Gemma and Virginia, this novel is not only a tale of a girl's fantastical quest through a darkly magical fairyland but also an exploration of the complex bonds between children and their parents.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593357523
• ISBN13: 9780593357521
• Release Date: November 2024
• Publisher: Del Rey Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Cool Fairytale

This was an interesting fairy tale. It weaved together both wonderous and dark things that came from the woods and brought up a good question about who the monsters are and who are the heroes, or whether there are heroes at all. Due to the actions of her mother (with her quest and meeting of a strange boy in the woods after being warned by her mother), Gemma ends up with a quest of her own, to both save her mom and find a special mirror. I really liked Gemma as a character. She is strong and determined and not put off by the strange things that happen when she enters the woods. There are many interesting characters like the woman in the tree, the wolf, and even the Slit witch (her history is fascinating!). It had dark bits more akin to Grimm fairytales and that worked well to balance the wonderous magic bits (like using a rib as a sword). I enjoyed reading this story and finding out what Gemma is capable of and how stories may not have the ending of what was dreamed, it can still be happy.