We Shall Be Monsters by Alyssa Wees is set in rural Michigan, and weaves a fairy tale that questions just what makes a monster, and what makes a hero. Gemma’s mama has been trying to break a curse for all of Gemma’s life. Gemma doesn’t really know the details because her mother has been trying to hide it from her. But she knows that her mama must find a mirror that reflects your true self. Gemma’s mama and grandmother were both looking for it, but then they disappeared. Now it’s up to Gemma to find the mirror and break the curse. If she doesn’t, she’ll never see her mother again. But that’s not the worst that could happen because there are monsters in the woods, and if the curse isn’t broken, they might not just stay beneath the trees for much longer.
[Note: While I am reviewing this novel independently and honestly, it should be noted that it has been provided to me by Del Rey for the purpose of this review. Warning: My review of We Shall Be Monsters may contain some spoilers!]
Hidden secrets and a forbidden forest dominate We Shall Be Monsters
For as long as Gemma can remember the forest outside her house has been off-limits. Her mama says there are monsters out there. Gemma isn’t so sure though and, like all little girls, she wants to see for herself what’s out there. So she goes into the forest. And she finds amazing things in the forest. But never any monsters.
Or at least she doesn’t think so. Because for Gemma, every trip into the forest is like the first time because her mama steals her memories of the forest. She thinks she’s protecting Gemma. But Gemma just keeps going back, and the monsters keep coming closer. Then Gemma’s mama disappears and there’s nothing to stop her from going into the woods. Unfortunately, there’s nothing to stop the monsters either…
With both her mama and her grandmother missing, Gemma knows it’s up to her to break the curse. She gets away from the monster that’s been masquerading as her mother and heads into the forest. There she meets powerful allies and dangerous enemies. And she grapples with deep concepts about just what exactly monsters and heroes are, and how to tell the difference between the two. As she searches for the mirror that will reflect her true self, Gemma learns a lot about who she really is and what she really wants. Can she take all that knowledge and use it to save her mama, or will they be defeated by the curse?
A story about generational trauma and family dynamics
Sure, We Shall be Monsters is about fairies and monsters, curses and magic. But it also about something bigger. It’s about the baggage that we accumulate in our lives and how we transfer that trauma to our children. In We Shall Be Monsters Gemma’s grandmother is deeply hurt by someone in the woods. Rather than dealing with her feelings she forbids her daughter from going anywhere near the woods. This strict demand without any explanation chaffed Gemma’s mother until she ended up defying her mother. That small act of rebellion led to her getting her heart broken.
To try and save Gemma she too declared the woods off-limits, with only a vague “there are monsters in there” for a reason. Of course, forbidding them only made them more enticing to Gemma. When she defied her mother and went into the woods anyway, her mother magically stole her memories of the woods. Her logic was that if Gemma didn’t remember the woods, she couldn’t be hurt by them. But this was ridiculous, and keeping Gemma ignorant about the woods almost destroys all three women.
If this sounds at all familiar, it’s because we do it all the time. We live through a horrible situation. It hurts us so bad that we never want our children to have to experience that pain. So we forbid certain things. But it almost always backfires. Flat out forbidding something only makes it that much more intriguing. Had Gemma’s mother or grandmother taken the time to say “there is an evil witch in the woods who has threatened to kill our family”, it’s possible that the younger women would have understood the threat and stayed out of the woods.
It’s not a sure fire thing, some people really do have to get burned before they understand that the stove is hot, but when people are given reasons instead of just rules, they do tend to listen better. But no one took the time to talk about the real problem. Most likely because it was such a painful situation that they didn’t want to really think about it. But denial never helps anyone, and in Gemma’s family’s case, it almost kills them all.
Alyssa Wees’ new novel has a lot going on
Having a multigenerational curse ought to be enough for any one book to deal with. But that isn’t all that’s going on in We Shall Be Monsters. Gemma is a very babified girl. Because of their situation, her mother treats her like a little child, and it shows in the way Gemma thinks and acts. You might think that a character like that would have no chance of breaking a curse and freeing her family, but Gemma isn’t an ordinary girl.
There is more to Gemma than meets the eye. For fifteen years she’s been kept away from the woods and her specialness has stayed hidden, biding its time. Now that she’s entered the woods, though, it’s waking up. The longer Gemma stays in the woods, the more the woods change her. Gemma goes through many changes. Not all of them are physical, either. Her perspective on good and bad, right and wrong, fair and unfair, goes through some major changes too while she’s in the woods.
We Shall Be Monsters offers a solid story
Wees’ family drama is a solid story. Gemma is a little immature, but it’s fun watching her grow into a strong young woman during the story. Wees’ style isn’t the most engaging writing ever. Her story is a fun story, but I never felt as close to the characters as I wanted to. I especially found the parts written from Virgina’s (Gemma’s mom) perspective to feel restrained. The writing was too stuffy and stilted for my tastes during those sections. And Gemma’s sections were too babified. I know her mama treated her like a child, but she was still fifteen and her internal voice sounded more like an eight-year-old to me.
On the other hand, the imagery and creativity was great. I think most fantasy readers will enjoy We Shall Be Monsters, especially women who are looking to deal with some generational trauma themselves. Think of it as self-therapy. Gemma’s grandmother and mama might not have made the right decisions, but they did what they thought was right at the time, and that’s all any of us can do.
My Rating: 7/10
We Shall Be Monsters by Alyssa Wees releases wherever books are sold on November 12, 2024. Are you interested in picking up this book? Let us know on social media @mycosmiccircus!
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