releasing February 27, 2024 from Margaret K. McElderry Books
I despise milk. That’s a random way to start a review, but this book is full of milk. The local creepy legend is named the Milk Man. It was horrifying.
Otherwise, Tender Beasts is a wonderful YA horror novel.
I was excited to read this one because I loved Sambury’s last horror, Delicious Monsters, so much.
Sunny’s younger brother, Dom, is accused of murder. She wants to clear his name, but she’s not sure he’s innocent.
It gets very weird from there. There’s a bit of dark academia, some cult action, a smattering of folk horror vibes, and some scenes that feel very slasher movie.
I love Liselle Sambury’s gruesome world-building. This book is so strange and creepy, and the characters feel like real, not always likeable people. She weaves in issues of race and class, and looks at how we shape our identities and how the people in our lives perceive us.
I really loved this one. The young adult horror genre is on fire these days and I am here for it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
Thank you to Netgalley and Margaret K. McElderry Books for my review copy of this book.
Leanne Olson 
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