The Beast Is an Animal Audiobook

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.

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“Narrator Candace Thaxton’s raspy timbre is perfect for Van Arsdale’s spirited prose. With calm, measured pacing and a mix of brusqueness and warmth, Thaxton’s delivery engages listeners with a complex and unnerving coming-of-age tale…Thaxton’s characterizations expertly reflect the resilience of Alys and her young friends, the casual malevolence of the devout villagers, and the humanity in beings that others regard only as monsters.”

— AudioFile