***Spoilers***
Detailed Summary
The Beast is an Animal by Peternelle van Arsdale focuses on Alys, a seven-year-old girl who encounters a pair of soul eaters who eat the adult souls of Alys' village, Gwenith. Adult souls have fear, which is what attracts the soul eaters. A travelling merchant, Pawl, meets Alys and helps her and the rest of the children of Gwenith go to a neighboring village, called Defaid, where they begin their new lives with new families.
In hearing that Gwenith was attacked by soul eaters, the people of Defaid construct a wooden wall (referred to as "the Gate") around the village and put the Gwenith children in charge of watching for the soul eaters every night. Defaid is a religious village and believes that the soul eaters are related to the Beast, a Devil-like creature. Alys meets the Beast one day when she ventures into the fforest (no, that's not a typo) and is left wondering if she and the Beast are good or bad. The Beast tells her that there is a black hole that has opened up because of the soul eaters' activities, and only Alys can stop them.
As Alys grows up, she starts to realize that she is different and possibly even a soul eater. At the age of fifteen, her life has consisted of staying up all night to watch for soul eaters, sleeping a few hours, and doing chores for her adoptive parents. She and the rest of the Gwenith children are exhausted and start to wander into the fforest because they are drawn by the soul eaters' singing where they are never seen again.
While doing a forbidden errand for her adoptive mother outside of the Gate, Alys is discovered by the High Elder's son and one of the Elders' daughter whom Alys saw making out. During the confrontation, Alys unknowingly activates her power for the first time and almost eats the soul of the daughter. The High Elder's son captures Alys and takes her back to the village where she is treated as a witch and put on trial. With the help of her adoptive father, she escapes and the Beast indirectly helps her find her way to Pawl and his family. She is almost attacked by wolves, but saves herself by eating a wolf's soul, which makes her feel guilty, regretful and like a monster.
While Alys is with Pawl, his wife, Beti, and their adopted son Cian, Defaid catches on fire and is attacked by the soul eaters. Because of this, Pawl decides they should return to his home region, called the Lakes, believing Alys would be safe there. Alys is attracted to Cian from the start and they develop a romantic relationship, causing her to finally admit to him that she is a soul eater. He still loves her and knows she is not a true soul eater because she is unwilling to wield her power.
The beast shows Alys the hole in the mountains that she must close and one of the soul eaters, Benedicta, is already there because she has had enough of eating souls and wants to be at peace. Alys strikes a deal with her that if Benedicta brings Alys to her soul eater sister, Angelica, then Alys will kill Benedicta to bring her peace.
As Alys grows up, she starts to realize that she is different and possibly even a soul eater. At the age of fifteen, her life has consisted of staying up all night to watch for soul eaters, sleeping a few hours, and doing chores for her adoptive parents. She and the rest of the Gwenith children are exhausted and start to wander into the fforest because they are drawn by the soul eaters' singing where they are never seen again.
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While doing a forbidden errand for her adoptive mother outside of the Gate, Alys is discovered by the High Elder's son and one of the Elders' daughter whom Alys saw making out. During the confrontation, Alys unknowingly activates her power for the first time and almost eats the soul of the daughter. The High Elder's son captures Alys and takes her back to the village where she is treated as a witch and put on trial. With the help of her adoptive father, she escapes and the Beast indirectly helps her find her way to Pawl and his family. She is almost attacked by wolves, but saves herself by eating a wolf's soul, which makes her feel guilty, regretful and like a monster.
While Alys is with Pawl, his wife, Beti, and their adopted son Cian, Defaid catches on fire and is attacked by the soul eaters. Because of this, Pawl decides they should return to his home region, called the Lakes, believing Alys would be safe there. Alys is attracted to Cian from the start and they develop a romantic relationship, causing her to finally admit to him that she is a soul eater. He still loves her and knows she is not a true soul eater because she is unwilling to wield her power.
The beast shows Alys the hole in the mountains that she must close and one of the soul eaters, Benedicta, is already there because she has had enough of eating souls and wants to be at peace. Alys strikes a deal with her that if Benedicta brings Alys to her soul eater sister, Angelica, then Alys will kill Benedicta to bring her peace.
Delwyn, a Gwenith child that was turned into a soul eater, has been singing to Alys for several nights to get her to follow him, so he can take her soul. Alys meets him and she is able to make him realize that he is no longer the Delwyn she knew, but a zombie that eats souls. She convinces him to step into the hole in the mountains since he wants to be at peace as well.
When Benedicta and Alys find Angelica, they argue. Angelica wants her sister by her side again and continue being a soul eater while Benedicta is too tired and wants peace. The two sisters fight each other until Angelica takes pity on her sister and they both dissolve into the wind. Alys is transformed and no longer a soul eater, the hole closes and she starts to live her life with her new family of Cian, Pawl, Beti and the Gwenith children who escaped Defaid on the night of the fire.
Story Elements I Liked
Even though the book is written in the third person, I felt like I had a more intimate look at Alys' internal thoughts and struggle with being a soul eater.
I am glad that the author brought Pawl back into the story. I was afraid he would disappear after his meeting with Alys when she's seven.
I am appreciative that there was a happy ending for a large amount of good characters. I get upset when books have sad endings because I feel as though I wasted my time.
Story Elements I Did Not Like
I understand that fantasy stories had exotic names, like the villages being called Defaid, Tarren, and Gwenith, but why was the forest always spelt with two fs? It is the only noun that I remember seeing as being spelt differently, and I don't know why. Did the story take place in a Welsh-based country? The characters used the word "Aye," instead of "Yes," which made me think it was based around a version of Scotland or Wales. But I don't know what the author had in mind, and the double "f" for "fforest" seems unnecessary.
I found this book provided too many questions and did not answer all of them, at least, not in an obvious way:
1. What is the significance of the title?
The Beast is an all-knowing creature who is hardly in the story, so why is Its name in the title rather than that of Alys?
What is the purpose of knowing the Beast is an animal before reading the story? Is it so we know when Alys sees the High Elder 's book that depicts the Beast as a Devil, that the people of Defaid are ignorant of the truth?
The people of Defaid think that the soul eaters are related to the Beast, but readers know that's not true since in the back story portion of the book, the Beast growls at the sisters as they evolve into soul eaters and they hiss back.
However, there was a constant mention of how the sisters were intuitively connected to each other, had a birthmark and had mirroring features. The villagers believe the sisters had the mark of the Beast, but the author never confirms this. We don't know why or how Angelica and Benedicta were born different in such a dramatic way. The mother claims to not be a witch, but not much is said about her background.
I don't know how Alys could be an under-developed soul eater or how Delwyn became a soul eater either. If we apply the same reasoning for the sisters' evolution to Delwyn, that makes sense. The sisters killed Delwyn's parents and years later, took his brothers' souls. The sisters lose their humanity after their mother dies, Delwyn loses both brothers to the sisters and then is made into a soul eater because of his bitterness.
Alys, however, experienced her parents' death thanks to the sisters, but always fought against the inclination to become a soul eater. Then, as Alys explains later, she initiates the soul-eating when she feels hatred towards Cerys and a Defaid village guard, but stops herself from stealing their souls. I don't feel like this is a satisfactory explanation because the sisters are given the birthmark and the mirror image features to make them different. Alys is average compared to everyone else aside from her potential to become a soul eater. Her only quirk as a young child is that she does not want to sleep, but wants to explore the world at night.
If the sisters became soul eaters because they gave into hatred, anyone in the villages could do that as well. And yet, Angelica and Benedicta are the only soul eaters around years before Delwyn becomes one.
Once the sisters have dissolved into nothingness, Alys can suddenly eat regular food while before, everything she ate tasted like ash. I don't understand how the sisters' existence can affect Alys' physiology.
Alys' adopted mother also says she had a way of knowing what was wrong with people, just like Alys could when Alys places her hand on Mary's stomach (a Defaid village woman) and knows there is something wrong inside Mary. Mother, who is a midwife because of this power of hers, is fully aware that the villagers will think she's a witch. But again, why does Mother have this power?
3. What is the connection of the hole's existence to soul-eating?
From the way the hole is described, it is a tear in the fabric of reality. It is a hole of nothingness. The Beast admits to Alys that the soul eaters are making the hole. But how that is possible is never explained. It makes sense that Angelica, Benedicta and Delwyn died when they started eating people's souls. Even their appearances change; they become skeletal and zombie-like. It occurs on an individual level. How could soul-eating affect the reality of their entire world? I also don't know why the hole is located high up in the mountains.
The Climax
I was disappointed with the climax because I found it went too quickly and concluded too easily. For the entirety of the book, Alys struggles. She struggles with:
When Benedicta and Alys find Angelica, they argue. Angelica wants her sister by her side again and continue being a soul eater while Benedicta is too tired and wants peace. The two sisters fight each other until Angelica takes pity on her sister and they both dissolve into the wind. Alys is transformed and no longer a soul eater, the hole closes and she starts to live her life with her new family of Cian, Pawl, Beti and the Gwenith children who escaped Defaid on the night of the fire.
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| Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/lake-moon-kastoria-water-sky-4490068/ |
Story Elements I Liked
The Beast is an Animal has an atmosphere that suits the fall and Halloween time because of the fantasy and pagan aspects.
Because witches are involved, the Defaid people's religion is an obvious version of Christianity. The village people are described as wearing a Puritanical-styled wardrobe and refer to "The Good Shepherd." While I always hate the religious dictatorship that's often present in witch stories, I do like that it was there and the author gave the Puritanical Defaiders their just desserts by having their village burn down.
I like that we are immediately given the back story of how the soul eating sisters came to be. They are the most interesting part of the book since they evolve into wild children and then, elemental beings with leaves in their hair and floating.
Even though the book is written in the third person, I felt like I had a more intimate look at Alys' internal thoughts and struggle with being a soul eater.
I am glad that the author brought Pawl back into the story. I was afraid he would disappear after his meeting with Alys when she's seven.
I am appreciative that there was a happy ending for a large amount of good characters. I get upset when books have sad endings because I feel as though I wasted my time.
Story Elements I Did Not Like
I understand that fantasy stories had exotic names, like the villages being called Defaid, Tarren, and Gwenith, but why was the forest always spelt with two fs? It is the only noun that I remember seeing as being spelt differently, and I don't know why. Did the story take place in a Welsh-based country? The characters used the word "Aye," instead of "Yes," which made me think it was based around a version of Scotland or Wales. But I don't know what the author had in mind, and the double "f" for "fforest" seems unnecessary.
 |
| Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/forest-mist-nature-trees-mystic-931706/ |
I found this book provided too many questions and did not answer all of them, at least, not in an obvious way:
1. What is the significance of the title?
The Beast is an all-knowing creature who is hardly in the story, so why is Its name in the title rather than that of Alys?
What is the purpose of knowing the Beast is an animal before reading the story? Is it so we know when Alys sees the High Elder 's book that depicts the Beast as a Devil, that the people of Defaid are ignorant of the truth?
The people of Defaid think that the soul eaters are related to the Beast, but readers know that's not true since in the back story portion of the book, the Beast growls at the sisters as they evolve into soul eaters and they hiss back.
 |
| Source: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/composing-woman-fantasy-face-2391033/ |
- 2. How did Angelica and Benedicta become soul eaters? How is Alys one of them but never fully evolves? Why is it that Alys becomes fully human once Angelica and Benedicta dissolve out of existence?
However, there was a constant mention of how the sisters were intuitively connected to each other, had a birthmark and had mirroring features. The villagers believe the sisters had the mark of the Beast, but the author never confirms this. We don't know why or how Angelica and Benedicta were born different in such a dramatic way. The mother claims to not be a witch, but not much is said about her background.
I don't know how Alys could be an under-developed soul eater or how Delwyn became a soul eater either. If we apply the same reasoning for the sisters' evolution to Delwyn, that makes sense. The sisters killed Delwyn's parents and years later, took his brothers' souls. The sisters lose their humanity after their mother dies, Delwyn loses both brothers to the sisters and then is made into a soul eater because of his bitterness.
Alys, however, experienced her parents' death thanks to the sisters, but always fought against the inclination to become a soul eater. Then, as Alys explains later, she initiates the soul-eating when she feels hatred towards Cerys and a Defaid village guard, but stops herself from stealing their souls. I don't feel like this is a satisfactory explanation because the sisters are given the birthmark and the mirror image features to make them different. Alys is average compared to everyone else aside from her potential to become a soul eater. Her only quirk as a young child is that she does not want to sleep, but wants to explore the world at night.
If the sisters became soul eaters because they gave into hatred, anyone in the villages could do that as well. And yet, Angelica and Benedicta are the only soul eaters around years before Delwyn becomes one.
Once the sisters have dissolved into nothingness, Alys can suddenly eat regular food while before, everything she ate tasted like ash. I don't understand how the sisters' existence can affect Alys' physiology.
Alys' adopted mother also says she had a way of knowing what was wrong with people, just like Alys could when Alys places her hand on Mary's stomach (a Defaid village woman) and knows there is something wrong inside Mary. Mother, who is a midwife because of this power of hers, is fully aware that the villagers will think she's a witch. But again, why does Mother have this power?
3. What is the connection of the hole's existence to soul-eating?
From the way the hole is described, it is a tear in the fabric of reality. It is a hole of nothingness. The Beast admits to Alys that the soul eaters are making the hole. But how that is possible is never explained. It makes sense that Angelica, Benedicta and Delwyn died when they started eating people's souls. Even their appearances change; they become skeletal and zombie-like. It occurs on an individual level. How could soul-eating affect the reality of their entire world? I also don't know why the hole is located high up in the mountains.
 |
| Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/woman-female-beauty-young-portrait-2316083/ |
The Climax
I was disappointed with the climax because I found it went too quickly and concluded too easily. For the entirety of the book, Alys struggles. She struggles with:
- the death of her parents
- moving to a new town and family
- being a watcher for Defaid
- protecting the Gwenith children
- dealing with Mother's death
- being put on trial for being a witch
- escaping Defaid
- living with Pawl, Beti and Cian while knowing she is a soul eater and the soul eaters are after her
I found that Alys' task was done for her. Even when she and Benedicta confront Angelica, both sisters fight and they decide together to become nothingness by their own power. Alys doesn't do anything. We are shown that she has the same power as the sisters, if not more, but the only intense action that happens is the sisters fighting each other. I find that after all of the suffering Alys went through, she should have had a better climax. Even when Alys promises Benedicta that she will eat her soul once Benedicta fulfills her end of the bargain, Alys admits internally that she will not because she hates that she has that capability and, it wouldn't make any sense because soul-eating, according to the Beast, is the reason for the hole being open.
Overall Feelings
Overall Feelings
While the story is heavily driven by Alys' struggle with living in Defaid and believing she is evil, this book did not contain any angst, which is something I love. I feel neutral about the book since I was not completely absorbed by the story. There were several chapters that made me keep reading, but I neither love it, nor do I hate it. I think I don't hate it because I'm left with too many questions about the logic behind the story. I found that too much was written for readers to just accept. Maybe I missed an explanation somewhere?
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