THE BEAST IS AN ANIMAL has officially been crowned as “Nina’s First Five Stars of 2017”.

 

Yes, that is a thing. (Or at least, now it is. Shhh.)

 

It’s been quite a long time since I’ve loved a book this much.

 

A very, VERY long time. Really. The last 5 stars I gave before this one was Crooked Kingdom, and I read that in November.

 

IN. NOVEMBER.

 

What is this. This is unacceptable.

 

As you can probably imagine, my relief at finally finding a fabulous book (look at that alliteration. I’M ON A ROLL) worthy of shoving into friends’ faces is enormous. Enormous, I say.

 

I mean, really. How could I not give this all the stars? It’s everything I wanted it to be. Everything.

 

More elaboration, you ask? Coming right up. Via a list. That’s just how I roll.

 

– The writing style is delightfully poetic. And I simply adore poetic styles. Lines are quotable. Action scenes flow. Descriptions are vivid. Van Arsdale’s writing style reminds me of Marie Rutkoski, (and everyone knows how much I love Rutkoski), and that’s saying something BIG.
If I was the type to highlight lines I like in books, know that THE BEAST IS AN ANIMAL would have resembled my college textbooks.

 

–The subject matter is daaark. I mean, soul-eaters? YES PLEASE. (to read about, mind you, not be killed by *shudders*) The synopsis is creepy. The setting is creepy. Even the cover is creepy. I love this, I do. BRING ON THE CREEPINESS, PLEASE.

 

–The pace, though admittedly slow, is captivating. No, this isn’t fast-paced. At all. And please, do be aware of this, because if you’re expecting epic fight scenes and action sequences, they aint coming. This is not that kind of book. The slow-mo pace builds up the suspense though, so the finale is, indeed, epic. It’s a ‘wait for it’ kind of story. So wait for it. You won’t be disappointed.

 

–The atmosphere feels almost like a fairytale. It starts off with the birth of two twin sisters, Angelica and Benedicta, who are -you guessed it- soul eaters. And they scare people. And suck their souls. And continue on their way. I cannot stress how enjoyable their story is. Really, I cannot. WHERE HAS THIS BOOK BEEN ALL MY LIFE?

 

So, all in all? Can you tell how much I loved it? YOU SHOULD. This was amazing. Amazing. Dark and gritty, magical and captivating, THE BEAST IS AN ANIMAL will simultaneously thrill you, excite you, and most importantly, SCARE THE HELL OUT OF YOU (I’m here for this last part, and I hope you are too).

 

Thank you, Simon and Schuster, for sending me an ARC!