Reviews

Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi

tishywishy's review against another edition

4.0

Taj is a sin-eater – also known as an Aki- and a very good one at that. He and others like him are called upon by mages to slay sin beasts that spawn from sinners in the city of Kos. After slaying the sin of the King, Taj is given a very unique proposal – become the King’s personal aki and, in accepting, becomes part of a sinister operation that unfurls with him at the center of it. Taj must now figure out who to trust and stop a mission that will lead to the destruction of Kos. A fun and interesting read but lacked the thoroughness of world building and developing character relationships that I treasure in fantasy novels.

The audiobook was fun to listen to. The narrator was expressive with his gorgeous Nigerian accent.

Also happy I got to knock this book off my ‘Authors I’ve Heard on Panels’ list. I love hearing what inspired the author to write a particular work and the origin/development of the characters before reading it. Adds a level of familiarity to the story.

Rating: 3.5 stars

bookid's review

3.0

I like the world in the book but am saddened by how people view the Aki negatively despite the fact that they are actually helping the people

mrsdriedger's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

erin_henn's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

immoralrite's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Violence, Death, and Murder

mollywetta's review

3.0

Perfectly satisfactory - a fresh concept.

spyderqueen33's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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

jaymoonneyyy's review

3.0

I wanted to like this book more than I did in reality. I thoroughly enjoy African fantasy and folklore/mysticism, but I didn't find this story to be as interesting as it should be. The characters are unassuming and the storytelling makes it even harder to follow the story. I forced myself to finish it off. Probably won't read the next one.

sepptb's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

ddillon154's review

3.0

I found the setting of the book engaging and Tash to be compelling. The slower scenes walking through the markets were beautiful and brought me into the world. But this book is so clearly part of a trilogy that it doesn't stand well alone. The resolution of the book is rushed and leaves much unresolved, presumably so the following book can pick up on them but there isn't a clear sense here if the larger story arc.