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All the Beastly Things
Not yet published
Expected 17 Nov 26In a post-apocalyptic matriarchy that has erased men, capitalism, and hierarchy, a devout novitiate destined for a sacred lunar abbey faces a crisis of faith when her best friend begins receiving visions of a forbidden masculine archangel—forcing her to choose between spiritual purity and human desire.
The year is 2171, and the Earth is not what it once was. The natural world once again reigns supreme, wild and ungovernable, after a series of wasting plagues and unmitigated climate disasters, the twin coups of fascism and AI, and a final, catastrophic nuclear fallout. Small monastic communities have emerged from the carnage—self-sufficient, female-only religious utopias governed by a strict codex and surrounded by walls to keep the wilds at bay. The new world is harmonious, and blissfully free from structures of oppression such as hierarchy, capitalism, and time.
Seventeen-year-old Igraine has never known life beyond the cloistered walls of the Field or seen a human male. Brilliant and devout, she spends her days in the gardens and scriptorium beside her closest companion, Ophelia. Their studies will culminate in twin posts at the Lunar Abbey—a gothic cathedral on the Moon reserved for the most venerated Sisters. Their futures fracture when Ophelia begins receiving visions of a mysterious, alluring, and damningly masculine archangel. As doubt spreads and rumors surface about the Order’s darker underpinnings, the girls venture beyond the convent’s walls and into the wilderness—while navigating the volatility of their deepening bond. When Igraine’s formidable mentor, Sister Agathe, takes a romantic interest in her, devotion blurs into jealousy and illicit desire. In the aftermath, Igraine must confront her unraveling faith in a system that demands her complete surrender.
The year is 2171, and the Earth is not what it once was. The natural world once again reigns supreme, wild and ungovernable, after a series of wasting plagues and unmitigated climate disasters, the twin coups of fascism and AI, and a final, catastrophic nuclear fallout. Small monastic communities have emerged from the carnage—self-sufficient, female-only religious utopias governed by a strict codex and surrounded by walls to keep the wilds at bay. The new world is harmonious, and blissfully free from structures of oppression such as hierarchy, capitalism, and time.
Seventeen-year-old Igraine has never known life beyond the cloistered walls of the Field or seen a human male. Brilliant and devout, she spends her days in the gardens and scriptorium beside her closest companion, Ophelia. Their studies will culminate in twin posts at the Lunar Abbey—a gothic cathedral on the Moon reserved for the most venerated Sisters. Their futures fracture when Ophelia begins receiving visions of a mysterious, alluring, and damningly masculine archangel. As doubt spreads and rumors surface about the Order’s darker underpinnings, the girls venture beyond the convent’s walls and into the wilderness—while navigating the volatility of their deepening bond. When Igraine’s formidable mentor, Sister Agathe, takes a romantic interest in her, devotion blurs into jealousy and illicit desire. In the aftermath, Igraine must confront her unraveling faith in a system that demands her complete surrender.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication November 17, 2026
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Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Oh (Wo)man, what a book!
All the Beastly Things tells the story of Igraine, a novice sister of the Order, a post-apocalyptic, matriarchal religion that encourages sublimation of the self in worship of a divine feminine. All Igraine has ever wanted is to ascend to the Lunar Abbey, where the holiest of sisters study and revere the divine on the surface of the moon. She's right on track to do so alongside her best friend and maybe-more, Ophelia, but when Ophelia begins receiving nightly visions of a male Archangel, both of their worlds turn upside down. Ophelia decides not to go to the moon, and Igraine, entirely devastated, turns to her mentor and also maybe-more, Agathe, for comfort. That maybe quickly turns into something real and dangerous, and begins to subsume Igraine's very being.
I was totally engrossed by Igraine's story, and devoured this book in just two sittings. The premise is thrilling on its own, but I loved immersing further via chapter-opening excerpts from various holy texts. I would've liked to know even more about the world, but I really enjoyed its referential nature; all of the works referenced by both the holy texts and the characters add complexity and context. The heavy Christian imagery and theming is vivid and atmospheric, if a bit under-baked, and most of the tense, creepy vibes come from this (there's nothing like Christianity to creep a girl out).
I also ate up the toxic dynamic between Igraine and Agathe. I loved to loathe her, and found it so refreshing and freeing to explore a predatory, exploitative relationship without the lens of heterosexuality/maleness.
I do wish we'd have seen more of the Archangel - the danger of his masculinity is such an interesting idea, and surprisingly not really one the book explores. Despite some throwaway comments about Igraine's own gender, the book ends up being a lot less focused on gender (and whether tendencies to violence and domination are inherent), and much more about being human in general. That's not what I expected based on the blurb, and it's also not what I wanted - the gender stuff is so much more interesting! The
But that I loved the book anyway speaks directly to Eilish Quin's talent. All the Beastly Things is a rich, complex, fascinating triumph, and I'm very excited to read more from Quin.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
All the Beastly Things tells the story of Igraine, a novice sister of the Order, a post-apocalyptic, matriarchal religion that encourages sublimation of the self in worship of a divine feminine. All Igraine has ever wanted is to ascend to the Lunar Abbey, where the holiest of sisters study and revere the divine on the surface of the moon. She's right on track to do so alongside her best friend and maybe-more, Ophelia, but when Ophelia begins receiving nightly visions of a male Archangel, both of their worlds turn upside down. Ophelia decides not to go to the moon, and Igraine, entirely devastated, turns to her mentor and also maybe-more, Agathe, for comfort. That maybe quickly turns into something real and dangerous, and begins to subsume Igraine's very being.
I was totally engrossed by Igraine's story, and devoured this book in just two sittings. The premise is thrilling on its own, but I loved immersing further via chapter-opening excerpts from various holy texts. I would've liked to know even more about the world, but I really enjoyed its referential nature; all of the works referenced by both the holy texts and the characters add complexity and context. The heavy Christian imagery and theming is vivid and atmospheric, if a bit under-baked, and most of the tense, creepy vibes come from this (there's nothing like Christianity to creep a girl out).
I also ate up the toxic dynamic between Igraine and Agathe. I loved to loathe her, and found it so refreshing and freeing to explore a predatory, exploitative relationship without the lens of heterosexuality/maleness.
I do wish we'd have seen more of the Archangel - the danger of his masculinity is such an interesting idea, and surprisingly not really one the book explores. Despite some throwaway comments about Igraine's own gender, the book ends up being a lot less focused on gender (and whether tendencies to violence and domination are inherent), and much more about being human in general. That's not what I expected based on the blurb, and it's also not what I wanted - the gender stuff is so much more interesting! The
But that I loved the book anyway speaks directly to Eilish Quin's talent. All the Beastly Things is a rich, complex, fascinating triumph, and I'm very excited to read more from Quin.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Displaying 1 of 1 review