Revenge, Monsters and Consequences

Rating 5/5

This month’s choice was a hard one. Originally my intention was to review Mark A. Latham’s The Last Vigilant (2025). However, over this past month I’ve found myself being drawn to Michelle Wong’s debut novel, House of The Beast (2025). In the end I decided to go with the latter though I do hope to write a review for The Last Vigilant at some point as it too deserves some recognition.

So here we are delving into another dark fantasy that despite my initial thoughts defied my expectations completely, providing an invigorating, well-paced story with beautiful artwork and characters that will never leave its readers.  

Set in the world of Kugara, House of The Beast follows Alma, a young woman who seeks vengeance upon her father and his house after the death of her ailing mother. Helping her in her quest is The Dread Beast (or Aster as he prefers her to call him), the very deity her father’s house worship and he has big plans for not just Kugara but for his own home world, The Umbral Plane.

A few examples to entice you

To start this review, I wanted to address how beautiful this book is. All the illustrations are done by Wong herself, offering an elegant collaboration to its storytelling that really emphasised the fantastical wonderment I felt while reading House of The Beast. Wong’s Kugara is a world clearly influenced by Asian elements and mythology. However, there are these infusions of Victorian-style steampunk laced within it, which I really liked. Even though the reader doesn’t spend too much time in the Umbral Plane it draws them in, blending elements of fantasy and eldritch horror, placing it and it’s Bloodborne-inspired monsters and gods in an air of mystery.

Asides from illustrations, the other element I admired in House of The Beast the  well-balanced pacing of the story.  It does not spend too much time boring readers with the practicalities of Alma’s training, incorporating flashbacks to cover these areas. Essentially it cuts out the chaff and gets straight to the point, telling the story from Alma’s perspective, leading to a fast-paced final with some pretty intense moments.

As you may already know, I am a sucker for feminine rage. Especially when it involves revenge. While probably not on par with say characters like Monza Murcatto from Joe Abercrombie’s Best Served Cold (2009), I did like how Alma was portrayed as this troubled individual, whose trauma and grief; both conveyed through her journey and mirrored through Aster himself, has driven her to this path of destruction. She is not indestructible, challenged at times both physically and emotionally, leading to a payoff that hits readers hard. A bit of a spoiler here but I also liked how Alma and her father’s relationship is never repaired. It was a very unexpected turn of events which I thought worked well for this type of revenge story.  

Out of all the characters, Aster was my favourite. There is a certain charm about him for which the readers can’t help but fall, however, they should keep their wits about this deity. He is unpredictably complex. One second, he can be a cheeky flirt, next a bloodthirsty terror. Which is why when you discover his goal in all of this, readers can’t help but feel sympathetic to his cause. Both he and Alma are truly two sides of the same coin.

Considering the direction it took. I do wonder if Wong intends to write a sequel to House of The Beast. Despite the bittersweet ending, there are hints to suggest such. However, I am content should she desire to keep it a standalone.

A story filled with fantastical characters and settings, House of The Beast entices readers with unexpected moments they won’t forget, offering a refreshing, fast-paced dark fantasy for all to enjoy.