WE SHALL BE MONSTERS by Tara Sim

I love Tara Sim and her books, and have featured her multiple times with The City of Dusk, Ravage the Dark, Scavange the Stars, Chainbreaker and Timekeeper. Her newest novel, WE SHALL BE MONSTERS debuted on June 25, 2024.

After her sister Lasya’s sudden death, Kajal vows to do whatever it takes to bring her back. No cost is too great, even if it means preventing Lasya’s soul from joining the cycle of reincarnation. But as Kajal prepares for the resurrection, her sister’s trapped soul warps into a bhuta—a violent, wraith-like spirit hell-bent on murdering those who wronged it in life. With each kill, the bhuta becomes stronger and fiercer, and Kajal’s chances of resurrecting Lasya with her soul intact grow slimmer.

Blamed for Lasya’s rampage and condemned as a witch, Kajal is locked away with little hope of escape. That is, until two strangers who label themselves rebels arrive and offer to free her. The catch: She must resurrect the kingdom’s fallen crown prince, aiding their coup to overthrow the usurper who sits the throne. Desperate to return to Lasya’s body, Kajal rushes to revive the crown prince . . . only to discover that she’s resurrected another boy entirely.

All her life, Kajal has trusted no one but her sister. But with Lasya dead and rebels ready to turn her over to the usurper’s ruthless soldiers, Kajal is forced to work with the boy she mistakenly revived. Together, they must find the crown prince before the rebels discover her mistake, or the bhuta finally turns its murderous fury on the person truly responsible for Lasya’s death: Kajal.

In our last interview, you said, “Getting to experience life, and do new things, and see people, helps my mind reset and gather information that might be helpful when it comes time to write again.” Where have you traveled recently that has helped you recharge creatively?

Last year I was lucky to see more of Spain outside of Barcelona, which was really great. I love Spanish architecture and cathedrals. I also went to the south of France which was beautiful. Seeing locations like these is nice for recharging, and always has the potential to end up fueling research.

I’ve found that to be true when traveling as well. I love the premise of WE SHALL BE MONSTERS. How did the idea first come to you, and in what ways, if any, did it change while you wrote it?

Several years ago, fellow author Dhonielle Clayton told me that I should write an Indian version of Frankenstein, which immediately grabbed me because I LOVE Frankenstein. It took a few years to figure out how to actually do this–and discovering that the secret was incorporating Indian mythology–so it was a slow process that ended up paying off. I initially thought it would have a bit more science to it, but I leaned harder into the fantasy/magical aspects as I drafted and revised.

So glad the process paid off! At a recent Instagram event with Katy Rose Pool, you discussed the difference between writing the final book in a trilogy versus writing the final book in a duology. Which of the two did you find the most difficult and why?

Oddly enough, duology! I feel like with a trilogy, I have more time to really flesh things out and ramp up the pacing/stakes, versus a duology which is more two halves of a whole. With less time to figure out how to wrap up everything, there’s more pressure to really deliver on that second book.

Ah, that makes sense! Having written and published multiple books, what do you still find most challenging about being an author?

The joke answer: everything. The real answer: the leadup to the book’s release. There’s only so much an author can do to promote their work, and it really falls on the publisher to market them well. Without that support, the author has to work twice as hard–and even with that support, there’s no telling what sort of reviews the book will get, what the reception will be, etc. It’s a very anxiety-inducing time. Also, I had to learn how to use Canva, which is deeply unfortunate.

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