It’s been a long time since we dove into the dark fantasy and horror genre! Tara Sim’s new novel, We Shall Be Monsters, expertly weaves Indian mythology with the classic Frankenstein story. We’re suckers for a dark Gothic tale, so let’s review!
We Shall Be Monsters is the beginning of Tara Sim’s new epic fantasy duology. Our protagonist Kajal stops at nothing to try and resurrect her sister Lasya. But Lasya’s soul turns into a violent, wraith-like spirit called a bhuta, and the only way for Kajal to gain her freedom is by joining the rebel cause. She must revive the kingdom’s late crown prince at any cost.
We Shall Be Monsters by Tara Sim definitely hooked us back into reading dark fantasy. Here are three things we love about it!
Book Overview: We Shall Be Monsters
Content Warnings: death, murder, war, violence, blood, torture, animal death, corpses, decapitation, poisoning, attempted suicide, vomit, mention of cannibalism (Read at your discretion!)
Summary: Kajal knows she is not a good person. If she were, she wouldn’t selfishly be risking her sister’s soul in a dangerous bid to bring her back to life. She would let Lasya rest in peace—but Kajal cannot stand the horror of living without her.
As Kajal prepares for the resurrection, the worst happens: Her sister’s soul warps into a bhuta—a murderous, wraith-like spirit—and Kajal gets sentenced to death for her sister’s rampage. There seems little hope of escape until two strangers offer to free her. The catch: She must resurrect the kingdom’s fallen crown prince to aid a growing rebellion against a tyrannical usurper. Desperate, Kajal rushes to complete her end of the deal . . . only to discover that the boy she’s resurrected, Tav, is not the crown prince.
Now Kajal—prickly, proud, admirer of the scientific method—must team up with Tav—stubborn, reticent, and fonder of swords than of books—to find the real crown prince. With only a scalpel and her undead dog, Kutaa, at her side, Kajal must work fast before her mistake is exposed or Lasya’s bhuta turns its murderous fury on the person truly responsible for her death: Kajal herself.
Indian Mythology
One of the first things we want to point out is how well We Shall Be Monsters incorporated Indian mythology! We had a basic understanding of souls and the cycle of reincarnation, but we learned a lot more after reading this book. Like how there are three planes of existence: the heavenly plane, the mortal plane, and the underworld. And in Hindu mythology, there exist supernatural beings like yakshas and rakshasas, along with the asura and deva. Without the presence of each race, the universe would be imbalanced.
Kajal and Tav’s Hidden Past
We thought it was strange how Kajal had been able to successfully resurrect a dead body twice. Her first successful experiment was on her undead dog Kutaa, though it doesn’t eat or sleep. And her second happened when she revived Tavinder “Tav” Thakar, the crown prince Advaith’s twin brother. Very few know about Tav’s existence since he was hidden his whole life and stood in for Advaith whenever needed. Also, we don’t find out about Kajal’s secret powers or her past life until much later in the book, but it explains a lot.
Gothic Themes
Finally, we love the Gothic, Frankenstein-esque elements in We Shall Be Monsters! Kajal, Tav, and the rebels must search for Advaith’s body, which had been separated into his head, torso, and legs. They stitch him back together and resurrect him into a version of Frankenstein’s monster. But the line between good and evil tends to be blurred in this book. No one can be categorized as one or the other. Our morally gray characters each have different goals, even if it means becoming the so-called villain to achieve it.
Using Indian mythology and the classic Frankenstein, Tara Sim’s We Shall Be Monsters spins a new, intricate myth that has hooked us back into reading dark fantasy!
We Shall Be Monsters by Tara Sim comes out June 25th, and you can preorder a copy of it here!
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