The Beast Is an Animal (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781481488419)

A girl with a secret talent must save her village from the encroaching darkness in this "achingly poetic" (Kirkus Reviews) and deeply satisfying tale.

Alys was seven the first time she saw the soul eaters.

These soul eaters are twin sisters who were abandoned by their father and slowly grew into something not quite human. And they feed off of human souls. When her village was attacked, Alys was spared and sent to live in a neighboring village. There the devout people created a strict world where fear of the soul eaters--and of the Beast they believe guides them--rule village life. But the Beast is not what they think he 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.

Author: Peternelle Van Arsdale
ISBN-10: 1481488414
ISBN-13: 9781481488419
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Language: English
Published: 02/28/2017
Pages: 352
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.50h x 6.00w x 1.20d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/2017
Booklist 01/01/2017 pg. 76
Publishers Weekly 01/30/2017
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 03/01/2017
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2017 pg. 98
School Library Journal 03/01/2017 pg. 139
Voice of Youth Advocates 04/01/2017 - Recommended - Better Than Most