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jessicarene263's review against another edition
5.0
Big thanks for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this. ♥️
Where do I start? The unique magic system/world? The slow yet sweet burn? The confidence, kindness, and bravery exhibited by the MFC? The flawed yet lovable MMC? This was such a fun read, from start to finish. There were a few unexpected twists that I genuinely didn’t see coming. Highly recommend adding this to your TBR and pre-ordering it before its February 2025 release!!
Where do I start? The unique magic system/world? The slow yet sweet burn? The confidence, kindness, and bravery exhibited by the MFC? The flawed yet lovable MMC? This was such a fun read, from start to finish. There were a few unexpected twists that I genuinely didn’t see coming. Highly recommend adding this to your TBR and pre-ordering it before its February 2025 release!!
sydnienovareads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
THAT EPILOGUE!!!!!
This was an absolutely fantastic magical YA fantasy!!!! (EXTREME TW if you are an animal lover...)
Mancella has been through so much at the hands of her father all to be named his second and to obtain power under the pretense of "peace" and "protecting the people from impending war" that is a constant threat. In order to obtain her power, she must do unspeakable and horrifyingly violent acts to innocent creatures to obtain their power and drawn them within her. This is an absolutely traumatizing experience for Mancella and as much as she grows to love her animal "companions", she is tormented by what she has done. When plans are put into motion that threaten the realm and her father, the Prime's, position--she teams up with unlikely allies who seem to be part of a resistance movement to ensure peace, something she wants more than anything, and will ensure she can stop using her powers in such a traumatic way.
This book is so hauntingly epic. On one hand, you have a very dark magic system that is violent and traumatizing and there is something to be said about that in a YA fantasy. The characters, however are so cleverly written that you can really feel their emotions, the turmoil, grief, anguish at the way their powers are used and the desperation to find an alternative route to peace. There is great commentary in this book about man's duplicity and the manipulitive way those in power abuse those who don't have it(and how those who don't have it manipulate others so they can obtain it).
It was a really wonderful book, despite being rather sad at times. Also, the romance is SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW Burn.
**Side note: If you get the chance to listen to this on audio, the narration is so well done and the emotion is very clear in the characters/actor's voices.
This was an absolutely fantastic magical YA fantasy!!!! (EXTREME TW if you are an animal lover...)
Mancella has been through so much at the hands of her father all to be named his second and to obtain power under the pretense of "peace" and "protecting the people from impending war" that is a constant threat. In order to obtain her power, she must do unspeakable and horrifyingly violent acts to innocent creatures to obtain their power and drawn them within her. This is an absolutely traumatizing experience for Mancella and as much as she grows to love her animal "companions", she is tormented by what she has done. When plans are put into motion that threaten the realm and her father, the Prime's, position--she teams up with unlikely allies who seem to be part of a resistance movement to ensure peace, something she wants more than anything, and will ensure she can stop using her powers in such a traumatic way.
This book is so hauntingly epic. On one hand, you have a very dark magic system that is violent and traumatizing and there is something to be said about that in a YA fantasy. The characters, however are so cleverly written that you can really feel their emotions, the turmoil, grief, anguish at the way their powers are used and the desperation to find an alternative route to peace. There is great commentary in this book about man's duplicity and the manipulitive way those in power abuse those who don't have it(and how those who don't have it manipulate others so they can obtain it).
It was a really wonderful book, despite being rather sad at times. Also, the romance is SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW Burn.
**Side note: If you get the chance to listen to this on audio, the narration is so well done and the emotion is very clear in the characters/actor's voices.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Violence
Moderate: War
shannonxo's review against another edition
5.0
Personally, if I could summon a magical horse at any moment, I would never shut up about it.
This was excellent. Not for the weak-hearted if you love animals, but the magic system is so fascinating, and how Mancella is abused and manipulated by it was so well done. Her father in particular is a nasty piece of work and I was continually shocked and wondering what would happen next as a result of his political machinations.
I'm not sure why this is pitched as a romantasy, because the romance is very much not the focus of the story and develops as a very slow burn. I loved that too though, and Silver is such an interesting counterpoint to Mancella in this world. Will definitely be reading the sequel!
This was excellent. Not for the weak-hearted if you love animals, but the magic system is so fascinating, and how Mancella is abused and manipulated by it was so well done. Her father in particular is a nasty piece of work and I was continually shocked and wondering what would happen next as a result of his political machinations.
I'm not sure why this is pitched as a romantasy, because the romance is very much not the focus of the story and develops as a very slow burn. I loved that too though, and Silver is such an interesting counterpoint to Mancella in this world. Will definitely be reading the sequel!
kariann_reading_journey's review against another edition
4.0
The Beasts We Bury is a fascinating Dark YA Fantasy. This book grabs you from the opening chapters and refuses to let go until the very end. I was pleasantly surprised by how much of a punch this book packed in from betrayals, twists, difficult family dynamics, to unique yet devastating magic. The plot was relatively fast paced as well. It never felt like there was nothing happening in the story — everything that occurred had a purpose in furthering the plot. The FMC, Mancella, is so well written and richly developed. You can feel her struggles, trauma, and the desire to do better for her people. I also enjoyed the dynamic and chemistry she had with Silver. I read this via audiobook and loved the decision to have separate narrators to voice Mancella and Silver. It added to my overall enjoyment of the story. I thought the narration for Mancella was especially great with bringing forth all the emotions she experienced throughout the story. I would recommend both this book and audiobook, but make sure you check trigger warnings. I also look forward to reading more work by this author in the future.
✨
✨
ALC courtesy of Macmillan Audio and Netgalley
lindag25's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
For me, a three star review has met the following qualifications:
• The book has a clear beginning, middle, and end.
• I didn’t hate reading/listening.
That’s basically it.
It’s just kinda - meh.
Was it bad? No. But was it good? Also, no.
Will I recommend it to others? Maybe?? If you’re looking for a very specific trope or vibe, some people might enjoy it. I’m just not one of those.
Honestly, this book kind of confused me on who the intended audience is supposed to be. It reads veryyy YA. The romance is basically two barely adults having their first crush and some sloppy making out at the end. That’s it.
However, this book deals with some pretty heavy themes.
***TRIGGER WARNING:
Animal suffering/harm/death ON PAGE.
Parental psychological/emotional abuse of a child ON PAGE
Physical abuse of a child ON PAGE
***SPOILER WARNING***
The FMC is tasked with mindlessly killing animals practically her entire life. Her father forces her to kill animals because she’s able to absorb their essence/powers into her own magic. She starts by being conditioned to kill tiny insects as a very young child - her father rewards her with cupcakes for killing bugs. This gradually grows to rodents, birds, then A KITTEN, and eventually large predators like a bear, jaguar, and wolves.
For a lot of people, death and harm of animals is a major trigger. Had I known it was a main theme of this book, I probably would have skipped it.
Then there’s the child abuse/grooming/conditioning aspect of this plot that basically gets no real attention in the story. FMC loves her father despite all of the horrible things he’s done and has made her do. There’s no real exploration into how this has affected her long term or any healing from a literal life time of trauma. Ick.
There’s also an orphanage/school where children are literally tortured. Literally. They have secret torture chambers hidden away where they strap children down and do gods know what until the children are screaming in pain and submission. They’re also forced to strap rocks and boulders to their ankles and walk around 24/7 as punishment for disobeying or talking back. The older children are even tasked with assigning these punishments to the younger children. It’s really f’d up.
So yeah, maybe you see why I have a hard time believing this is YA or even New Adult. It’s dark. It’s mentally hard to digest.
The loose, fluffy plot of saving the realm just isn’t really worth all of the icky dark triggers to me.
• The book has a clear beginning, middle, and end.
• I didn’t hate reading/listening.
That’s basically it.
It’s just kinda - meh.
Was it bad? No. But was it good? Also, no.
Will I recommend it to others? Maybe?? If you’re looking for a very specific trope or vibe, some people might enjoy it. I’m just not one of those.
Honestly, this book kind of confused me on who the intended audience is supposed to be. It reads veryyy YA. The romance is basically two barely adults having their first crush and some sloppy making out at the end. That’s it.
However, this book deals with some pretty heavy themes.
***TRIGGER WARNING:
Animal suffering/harm/death ON PAGE.
Parental psychological/emotional abuse of a child ON PAGE
Physical abuse of a child ON PAGE
***SPOILER WARNING***
The FMC is tasked with mindlessly killing animals practically her entire life. Her father forces her to kill animals because she’s able to absorb their essence/powers into her own magic. She starts by being conditioned to kill tiny insects as a very young child - her father rewards her with cupcakes for killing bugs. This gradually grows to rodents, birds, then A KITTEN, and eventually large predators like a bear, jaguar, and wolves.
For a lot of people, death and harm of animals is a major trigger. Had I known it was a main theme of this book, I probably would have skipped it.
Then there’s the child abuse/grooming/conditioning aspect of this plot that basically gets no real attention in the story. FMC loves her father despite all of the horrible things he’s done and has made her do. There’s no real exploration into how this has affected her long term or any healing from a literal life time of trauma. Ick.
There’s also an orphanage/school where children are literally tortured. Literally. They have secret torture chambers hidden away where they strap children down and do gods know what until the children are screaming in pain and submission. They’re also forced to strap rocks and boulders to their ankles and walk around 24/7 as punishment for disobeying or talking back. The older children are even tasked with assigning these punishments to the younger children. It’s really f’d up.
So yeah, maybe you see why I have a hard time believing this is YA or even New Adult. It’s dark. It’s mentally hard to digest.
The loose, fluffy plot of saving the realm just isn’t really worth all of the icky dark triggers to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
illstoptheworldandreadwithyou's review against another edition
4.0
The heir to the throne thinks she’s working to prevent war by aiding a young man, who’s posing as a servant in her father’s castle.
The young man is doing what he can to protect himself and his friends, performing multiple jobs that will add up to a major heist for a man he’s not entirely sure he can trust.
She’s filled with an army’s worth of animals, a spirit for each and every animal she has (unwillingly) killed with her own two hands, but all she wants is peace.
He wants revenge against her father, but the more he gets to know her, the more he wonders if more violence is really the answer.
This dual POV, YA fantasy novel is full of secrets, the fierce loyalty of found family, feelings of betrayal, moral dilemmas, and a hint at the blush of young love.
Brenda Scott Wlazlo and Jake Chronister do an excellent job of capturing the youthfulness of the characters in their audiobook narration.
I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own.
The young man is doing what he can to protect himself and his friends, performing multiple jobs that will add up to a major heist for a man he’s not entirely sure he can trust.
She’s filled with an army’s worth of animals, a spirit for each and every animal she has (unwillingly) killed with her own two hands, but all she wants is peace.
He wants revenge against her father, but the more he gets to know her, the more he wonders if more violence is really the answer.
This dual POV, YA fantasy novel is full of secrets, the fierce loyalty of found family, feelings of betrayal, moral dilemmas, and a hint at the blush of young love.
Brenda Scott Wlazlo and Jake Chronister do an excellent job of capturing the youthfulness of the characters in their audiobook narration.
I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own.
rhack05's review against another edition
2.75
I am definitely going to be the outlier here but I didn't really care for this book and I hate saying that. The story isn't bad and I think it has a lot to offer, but I could not get into it. I think the magic system was very unique and I definitely see the appeal but I kept drifting off and having to rewind the audio. This has nothing to do with the narrators as I think they did a great job.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners for access to the ALC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners for access to the ALC in exchange for an honest review.
kindlabra's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-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
4.5
yay_korrina's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0