Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved it!
This was a fantastic story with several plot twists and betrayals. The romance was sweet but didnβt overwhelm the other aspects of the plot. It was told in dual narration but I enjoyed both storytellers performances. Truthfully, I just really like it all immensely and canβt wait for the next one.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Where to begin. I was an emotional wreck after the first chapter, sure I was going to DNF The Beasts We Bury because I could not handle the heartbreaking description of Mance's fight and ultimate triumph over a very sacred mother jaguar. I love animals so profoundly that I refuse to eat them and perpetuate their mass torture and slaughter. Any animal torture and death is a big turn-off for me, and I was concerned the entire book was going to be filled with more heartbreak, but I am glad I stuck it out.
Mancella, or Mance for short, is gifted with a very unique power-- if she kills an animal, she is able to absorb its spirit and its strength into herself, but only if she kills it with her bare hands, an even fight if you will. While other royal powers are fairly common in other fantasy books, such as blood magic, control over others, etc, I haven't seen anything quite like Mance's. This makes for a truly unique magical system and a damn good time when things hit the fan. I'm not going to lie, it was difficult to reconcile how Mance received her gifts, but it's just as hard on our heroine as it is on the reader. Mance does not want this gift. She hates killing animals, even refusing to eat meat because of it. She doesn't want the throne, her gift, or anything else that comes with being the heir apparent, and I don't blame her.
The story unfolds naturally, with dual perspectives between Mance and an orphan turned rogue, Silver. Silver and his friends are attempting to push back against the throne, not to free the oppressed, but to freely exist themselves. Silver takes on a job to infiltrate the throne and gather information for a mysterious buyer, and meets Mance as a result. It's an "enemies-to-lovers" story arc between Mance and Silver, but it didn't really feel like they were ever true enemies. It was very one-sided hatred that quickly dissolved once they got to know each other.
Their love blossoms very quickly, but it's not surprising considering the traumas both of them have been through. If anything, a great loss causes us to cling to anything and everything the best we can. Despite how short The Beast We Bury is, I fell so in love with both Mance and Silver. They are two children trying to do the best they can in a very cruel world. Both are full of such anger and rage, yet both desperately want to be loved, as any broken child does.
The world-building is not completely fleshed out, but I fully expect this to be reconciled in the next book(s), as this is only the first book. I did not realize this was going to be part of a series until later, which altered my rating a bit. This is an excellent first book, but the follow-up needs to do some serious work to keep the series alive. I think some reviewers failed to recognize this in their own reviews, so take this how you will.
Furthermore, I loved Mance's character development. When the story begins, Mance is naive and disconnected from the world, spending all of her time cruelly sheltered away. Her father is incredibly abusive, not just to Mance but to her mother and sister as well. He even tortures the staff. When it comes to villains, Mance's father takes the cake for the worst father. I absolutely hated the man and could not wait for him to get exactly what he deserved. However, as the story unfolds, Mance's eyes are opened to the cruelty her people are also forced to endure, the endless wars, taxes, stealing of children, false imprisonment, etc. She does everything she can to break the system, knowing in her heart that no one should have to suffer the way she has. I love that the cruelty she faced made her a more generous person, not a spiteful one. Mance's character development is to be applauded.
Finally, the twist at the end was fantastic. I'm not going to say I didn't see it coming, but I certainly didn't see all of it coming the way it did. I cannot wait to see where the story takes us in the next book! The love, political intrigue, the magic system...I am excited to see where Taylor takes us.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4 Stars
I really enjoyed listening to this book. It is a fantasy like none other I have read before. Some parts were tough to read (check triggers) but were necessary for what the FMC Mancella's magic was. The story was layered so well and had amazing side characters including several animals. This was a dual narration that I absolutely loved. The narrators were so good and were perfect for this book. I will be recommending this book to friends.
I really enjoyed listening to this book. It is a fantasy like none other I have read before. Some parts were tough to read (check triggers) but were necessary for what the FMC Mancella's magic was. The story was layered so well and had amazing side characters including several animals. This was a dual narration that I absolutely loved. The narrators were so good and were perfect for this book. I will be recommending this book to friends.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow, it felt like it took me a month to finish this book. Not that it was the books fault, I was just busy π
. Ok, for starters, my favorite part about the book was its magic system. I just found it to be so different. Second, was the characters, I enjoyed Mancella and Silver a lot but I could just barely see them as a couple. I liked the battle between the Prime and Mancella and the heist, the most. My biggest issue with the story is that I really wanted more world building. I felt like I kind of knew the characters and the world but I never felt like I was really there. With that said I felt like Alects character wasnβt as impactful for me as some of the others, and I wish there was more time with him. With that I also wish there was more scenes of Mara and Mancella as well, whether it was flashbacks or in the beginning.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
**π¨πΉπͺ πΉπππππ** π»ππ π©πππππ πΎπ π©πππ ππ π«.π³. π»πππππ (π»ππ π©πππππ πͺππππ
ππ, #1)
Release Date: February 4, 2025
3βοΈn/aπΆ
I DNFed this a few chapters in. I wasn't engaged with the characters. The characters seemed rather simple, and the world building was not what I needed it to be. I like the premise of the FMC collecting the souls of the beasts she kills, but I needed more depth to the rest of the story.
Thank you to @netgalley for this ARC read!
Release Date: February 4, 2025
3βοΈn/aπΆ
I DNFed this a few chapters in. I wasn't engaged with the characters. The characters seemed rather simple, and the world building was not what I needed it to be. I like the premise of the FMC collecting the souls of the beasts she kills, but I needed more depth to the rest of the story.
Thank you to @netgalley for this ARC read!
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No