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pastelren's review against another edition
5.0
The King's Beast, Vol. 1 by Rei Toma is a beautiful manga that tells the story of Rangetsu who disguises herself as a boy to seek revenge on her brothers killer by becoming a beast servent to prince Tenyou.
One of my favorite parts of this novel was the amount of world building that the author did. I felt like the Ajin class was fully explained and also we learned about how much they are discriminated against in daily life. The setting of this manga was so beautiful and it added another level to the story telling to make it more immersive.
I instantly fell in love with both Rangetsu and Prince Tenyou. I think they were both well developed and had interesting personalities. I liked the mystery aspect of this story and also how the characters are working together to solve the murder of Songetsu.
As the first volume in the series I think that it did well to get readers interested in the mystery and to want to continue on. I will definitely be picking up the next installments of this series.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing an arc.
One of my favorite parts of this novel was the amount of world building that the author did. I felt like the Ajin class was fully explained and also we learned about how much they are discriminated against in daily life. The setting of this manga was so beautiful and it added another level to the story telling to make it more immersive.
I instantly fell in love with both Rangetsu and Prince Tenyou. I think they were both well developed and had interesting personalities. I liked the mystery aspect of this story and also how the characters are working together to solve the murder of Songetsu.
As the first volume in the series I think that it did well to get readers interested in the mystery and to want to continue on. I will definitely be picking up the next installments of this series.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing an arc.
nessas_lair's review against another edition
3.0
TW: Attempted sexual assault and prostitution
Thank you Edelweiss and Viz Media for the eARC! So this was much more of a darker manga than I expected. It also gave me a tiiiiiny bit of a Mulan vibe with Rangetsu disguising herself as a boy. There also isn’t too much of a romance aspect as there is revenge, so I’m assuming it’s going to be one hell of a slow burning romance. The plot about Rangetsu and her brother is so emotional and sad and I was definitely rooting for her to find out what happened to her brother. One thing I wondered though, and maybe it’s just the art style, but the story says Ajin boys are the ones taken to serve as the Imperial Palace’s beast servants but Youbi, a prince’s beast, looks really feminine. Other than that this is a very interesting story and I really want to know what happens next.
Thank you Edelweiss and Viz Media for the eARC! So this was much more of a darker manga than I expected. It also gave me a tiiiiiny bit of a Mulan vibe with Rangetsu disguising herself as a boy. There also isn’t too much of a romance aspect as there is revenge, so I’m assuming it’s going to be one hell of a slow burning romance. The plot about Rangetsu and her brother is so emotional and sad and I was definitely rooting for her to find out what happened to her brother. One thing I wondered though, and maybe it’s just the art style, but the story says Ajin boys are the ones taken to serve as the Imperial Palace’s beast servants but Youbi, a prince’s beast, looks really feminine. Other than that this is a very interesting story and I really want to know what happens next.
littledollreads's review against another edition
4.0
ARC provided by NetGalley
Ok, we all have to start by acknowledging that the cover is absolutely gorgeous. The colors, composition, and subject matter are all on point. With such an amazing cover it should then come as no surprise that the art inside is also breathtaking. All of the characters were beautiful and so was the setting.
Speaking of the setting, I loved it. This is set in the type of setting that I usually read in webtoons and I was quite glad that I was also able to find a manga with the same vibes. Imperial palaces are a definite guilty pleasure and I love to indulge in their majesty.
Moving away from the setting I'm sure if you are even a bit familiar with it and its tropes you could guess at the types of characters we encounter. We've got slightly insane royals, cruel royals, loyal servants, and at least one unexpectedly kind person withing the danger of court rules. Our main character is also a person of interest and a well-worn archetype of the setting, a girl masquerading as a boy in order to serve within the palace. There are always different motives for this type of person but in this case, the motive is revenge. Who doesn't love a good revenge story?
Overall this was a great introduction to what's to come. I was immediately engrossed in the story and characters. I need more and I think that others should give this series a fair shot.
Re-read: I feel the need to add onto this review with the fact that I keep coming back to this story. I’ve reread it a couple of times and have loved it every time.
Ok, we all have to start by acknowledging that the cover is absolutely gorgeous. The colors, composition, and subject matter are all on point. With such an amazing cover it should then come as no surprise that the art inside is also breathtaking. All of the characters were beautiful and so was the setting.
Speaking of the setting, I loved it. This is set in the type of setting that I usually read in webtoons and I was quite glad that I was also able to find a manga with the same vibes. Imperial palaces are a definite guilty pleasure and I love to indulge in their majesty.
Moving away from the setting I'm sure if you are even a bit familiar with it and its tropes you could guess at the types of characters we encounter. We've got slightly insane royals, cruel royals, loyal servants, and at least one unexpectedly kind person withing the danger of court rules. Our main character is also a person of interest and a well-worn archetype of the setting, a girl masquerading as a boy in order to serve within the palace. There are always different motives for this type of person but in this case, the motive is revenge. Who doesn't love a good revenge story?
Overall this was a great introduction to what's to come. I was immediately engrossed in the story and characters. I need more and I think that others should give this series a fair shot.
Re-read: I feel the need to add onto this review with the fact that I keep coming back to this story. I’ve reread it a couple of times and have loved it every time.
graypeape's review against another edition
5.0
Squee! This has all the good stuff in it- a young beastkin woman pretending to be a boy to avenge her brother's death, some enemies-to-lovers-ish sparks, a handsome young prince in the Imperial court, with said court full of political intrigue, a harsh world where the Ajin, a beastkin race that are treated like second-class citizens, forced to become slaves to the royals, to give us some ugliness to want to see taken down, and gorgeous, be-still-my-beating-heart artwork! The story flows along nicely, teasing out hints of undercurrents of treachery and deceit. Volume 2, here I come!
#TheKingsBeastVol1 #NetGalley
#TheKingsBeastVol1 #NetGalley
_morgueann's review against another edition
4.0
The King's Beast is a story driven by revenge that results in an alliance (maybe more?) with a perceived foe. Story includes discusses of class, privilege, and masking your identity.
caffeinatedfae's review against another edition
3.0
CW: Slavery, Abuse, Threat of Rape
I'm not so sure what to put here. As many of you know, I've been struggling to read my standard genres, so I've been branching out. When I saw this manga up on NetGalley, the artwork intrigued me. I decided to give this manga a shot.
The concept of the manga was fascinating, and the world was captivating and brutal. I found that the world was a bit excessive in brutality without giving us any real reason (besides us vs. them). I would have liked to know more about the world itself.
The characters were well done though I would have liked to get to know the motivations of Tenyou more. I felt that his character was a bit too cliche and would have liked to know his backstory.
All in all, the artwork is beautiful, and the story was engaging.
I'm not so sure what to put here. As many of you know, I've been struggling to read my standard genres, so I've been branching out. When I saw this manga up on NetGalley, the artwork intrigued me. I decided to give this manga a shot.
The concept of the manga was fascinating, and the world was captivating and brutal. I found that the world was a bit excessive in brutality without giving us any real reason (besides us vs. them). I would have liked to know more about the world itself.
The characters were well done though I would have liked to get to know the motivations of Tenyou more. I felt that his character was a bit too cliche and would have liked to know his backstory.
All in all, the artwork is beautiful, and the story was engaging.
krys_and_books's review against another edition
3.0
The King’s Beast set us up for court intrigue and deadly schemes. Apparently set in the same world as Dawn of the Arcana (which I have not read yet) humans and Ajin live side by side. Ajin, humanoid looking with animal features like ears and tail, number less than humans and so are cast to the lowest rungs into slavery.
When Rangetsu was a child her twin brother and her took a medicine to see if they had any special abilities. When her brother was found to have it he was pulled from her and taken to the palace to serve as a beast servant to Prince Touya, and then was killed not long after. Rangetsu hid her identity as a female and worked her way up to prove herself as a great potential beast servant so she can find out what it is that got her brother killed, who did it, and get revenge. When she is assigned to Prince Touya she is now in the perfect position to start finding out what she needs. So long as she survives, because the court is full of intrigue and schemes and Ajin are less than second class citizens and Rangetsu is very much in danger. It’s going to take her and Prince Touya working together to get to the bottom of what happened to her brother Sogetsu.
***
While I usually wait a couple volumes before I have a definitive opinion on a series I can say this definitely has me intrigued so far, enough so to keep picking up the next couple volumes and seeing how the story goes.
***
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
When Rangetsu was a child her twin brother and her took a medicine to see if they had any special abilities. When her brother was found to have it he was pulled from her and taken to the palace to serve as a beast servant to Prince Touya, and then was killed not long after. Rangetsu hid her identity as a female and worked her way up to prove herself as a great potential beast servant so she can find out what it is that got her brother killed, who did it, and get revenge. When she is assigned to Prince Touya she is now in the perfect position to start finding out what she needs. So long as she survives, because the court is full of intrigue and schemes and Ajin are less than second class citizens and Rangetsu is very much in danger. It’s going to take her and Prince Touya working together to get to the bottom of what happened to her brother Sogetsu.
***
While I usually wait a couple volumes before I have a definitive opinion on a series I can say this definitely has me intrigued so far, enough so to keep picking up the next couple volumes and seeing how the story goes.
***
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
elissamaine's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
moggmogg's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75