Our main character Alys' entire village was attacked by Soul Eaters, who killed all of the adults, but spared everyone under 15. Those surviving children then were shipped out to a neighboring, Puritan-esque village, who gave them food and shelter, but never quite accepted them. Alys, the only child awake during the attack feels a strange pull (perhaps kinship?) with the Soul Eaters who killed most of her village and to the Beast who everyone regards as the devil the Soul Eaters worship. But does that make her evil? This question is really the heart of the story. 
 This book was a slow burn. Despite the fact that it began with a mob of angry villagers and the running off of potential witches into the woods (which seems pretty exciting and active imo), the book really did take a long time to get going. Many other reviews mentioned it, but this has a very fairy tale-esque setting and writing-style. Things aren't always explained and you'll probably be left with a lot of questions. If you're like me, you'll love that! But there's also a good chance you'll hate it! Aren't books like that fun? 
 I said before that Alys' questioning of her own moral compass is a big part of the story and it really is. Alys is like the Soul Eaters. She has interacted with the Beast and faced him unafraid. But does that make her an inherently evil person? Just because she has the ability to do evil, even if she resists doing it, does that in itself make her evil? Alys struggle with this is what the book is really about and I loved it. 
 For fans of The Thickety: A Path Begins or Uprooted, this one is dark and creepy and so so beautiful.