The Beast Is An Animal by Peternelle Van Arsdale

343 page book Published 2017 Readability age range: 14yrs & up Genres: young adult, fantasy fiction, horror, romance, paranormal fiction, magic When twin girls are born on the outskirts of the poor agrarian village of Gwenith, the villagers think it’s a misfortune for their parents. But as the girls grow, the villagers notice that the rain hasn’t come since they were born, and they blame the drought and famine on the twins. The girls also give a creepy impression because they are mirror images of each other — one is left-handed, one is right-handed and they have identical birthmarks on opposite legs. Fearing dark magic, the villagers force the twins’ father to banish his wife and young daughters to the forest. The father builds them a shelter and visits them every week at first, but then gradually decreases the frequency of his visits and finally stops coming. When the girls are 5 years old, their mother takes the twins back to visit their father, only to discover that he has a new wife.