Title: The Beast Is An Animal
Author: Peternelle Van Arsdale
Book: Hardcover, 352 pages
Expected Publication: March 7th 2017
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Goodreads Synopsis
A girl with a secret talent must save her village from the encroaching darkness in this haunting and deeply satisfying tale.
Alys was seven when the soul eaters came to her village.
These soul eaters, twin sisters who were abandoned by their father and slowly morphed into something not quite human, devour human souls. Alys, and all the other children, were spared—and they were sent to live in a neighboring village. There the devout people created a strict world where good and evil are as fundamental as the nursery rhymes children sing. Fear of the soul eaters—and of the Beast they believe guides them—rule village life. But the Beast is not what they think it is. And neither is Alys.
Inside, Alys feels connected to the soul eaters, and maybe even to the Beast itself. As she grows from a child to a teenager, she longs for the freedom of the forest. And she has a gift she can tell no one, for fear they will call her a witch. When disaster strikes, Alys finds herself on a journey to heal herself and her world. A journey that will take her through the darkest parts of the forest, where danger threatens her from the outside—and from within her own heart and soul.
Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at @ Breaking The Spine, which spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.
REASONS
Every once in a while I come across a book whose cover stops me in my tracks & although this cover is STUNNING! it’s the title that caught my attention. After reading the synopsis and getting creepy dark mythological vibes, I was left with a ton of questions. First off, why were Alys and the other children in the village spared? Who is this Beast? how exactly were the twin sisters turned into soul eaters? is there a myth to explain it? last but not least, what lies deep within Alys? I know the title alludes to something & I have a theory, curious to see if i’m on the right track lol. To say that I am deeply intrigued is an understatement. I’m a big sucker for mythology & any stories about Soul Eaters, probably why two of my favorite shows are Supernatural and Grimm. Very tempted to request this book from the publisher but alas, I am practicing self control with my book impulses HAHA! Also, I am really looking forward to this dark fairy tale because the author is a former editor who has worked for a ton of major publishing houses. I’m curious to see the transition from editor to writer in this Indie book & whether I have found a new author to follow for dark fantasy.
What are you wonderful Bookish Peeps waiting on this Wednesday? anyone else heard of The Beast Is An Animal? any of you reading the ARC? i’ve seen a few bloggers reading them & curiosity has me itching to ask if it’s as dark as its vibes *insert excited face*
LairOfBooks 
I am reading it right now…I got an email from Simon & Schuster and they were doing a test campaign. I got The Beast is an Animal and The Diabolic. I blew through The Diabolic (awesome) and I’m reading The Beast is An Animal now.
It’s definitely different. It starts with the main character young, and then we see her as she grows. I’ll write a review as soon as I’m done, but so far so good!
I hope we both like it! 😊👍
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Nice Stephanie! I have an ARC of The Diabolic that i’ve been meaning to pick up soon, I’m so glad that it’s received so much positive feedback. Ooo I love good character development so it should be interesting seeing her grow in the book. I hope it ends well, do you know if it’s a standalone or series? look forward to reading your review 🙂
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It’s a standalone. At least that is how it appears. It’s the first book by a book editor so it’s fascinating in that respect. I’m glad you’ve got The Diabolic! It’s quite a fun read with no way to figure out how it ends! I was surprised to the very last page and I loved it!!
It has been interesting to see her grow. Now I’m waiting for the action. About 30% of the way? It’s hard to tell on iBooks and the campaign doesn’t support Kindle.
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I…want…this…book…now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This sounds like something I would devour in one second..let me add this to my TBR right now! Comes out March 7th? I can deal with that date…I am very intrigued by all this soul eating and twin stuff and the DARKNESS!!!! yes please.
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HAHA! YASSSS! It sounds so deliciously dark, I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Yea the date seems so distant but it really isn’t, March seems like a relatively calm release month for books so I shouldn’t have a problem diving right into this one. The soul eating/twin stuff IS VERY intriguing 🙂
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Agreed, at least Laini’s book comes out in the end of March we have time to read this one =)
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*smiles* @ the mention of Laini 😊 smh I’m such a dork 😂😂😂
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I’m going to give in and give her a chance…I’ll buy the book instead lol
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Lol same😃💕
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Oh you reached out and grabbed my heart at dark fairy tale and the cover! Must own haha. ❤ I too want to read Laini's book 😉
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Haha! That’s how I felt after reading the synopsis lol 🤗🤗🤗
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Ooh it’ll be interesting to see if your theory around Alys is correct when you read the book! I currently have no idea what might be different about her haha 🙈 Hearing that the author is a former big editor makes me even more hopeful that this book will live up to expectations. So excited!
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lol I’m very curious about her character & TAHT title lol! I also have high hopes because of the authors background *fingers crossed* 😃
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This sounds so interesting! The cover is beautiful too. I just added it to my never ending TBR 😅
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I LOVE the cover Lauren! 😍😍😍 gotta love Waiting On Wednesday’s for helping us dig a bigger book hole for us 😂😂😂
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I’m proud of you for not requesting this book from the publisher! You will read it in due time. There’s no need to add unneeded pressure to review it. lol
It does sound super interesting and of course the cover is gorgeous. I’d love to be in that same spot in real life, just to take tons of Bookstagram pics.
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Thanks Naz lol,I will eventually get to this one but in the meantime I’m trying to focus on what I already have. I just found/added you on Bookstagram 😃
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Followed you back!
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Yay! 😆😆😆
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