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renee_fae's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Minor: Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
audreylee's review
- 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
3.0
Moderate: Violence
anjasfairylights's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent and Slavery
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Violence
scrubsandbooks's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use
Minor: Animal cruelty
katievallin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
Minor: Abandonment
queer_bookwyrm's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray is book one in the Beasts of Prey trilogy and is a pan-African inspired fantasy. I wasn't so sure about this in the beginning, the pacing was a little weird and I felt like we didn't learn enough about the characters. The last third really brought it up for me.
We have dual povs between Koffi, a Gede girl who inherited her father's debt and discovers she has magic while working in the Night Zoo; and Ekon, a Yaba apprentice to the Sons of the Six a group of warriors. We also get interludes from the perspective of someone called Adiah, where we get a bit more context about the magic they call "splendor" and the social structure and it is the way it is for Koffi and Ekon. They end up working together on a similar goal: find the Shetani, bring it back to Lkossa, and stop the killings that keep happening near the jungle.
Most of my issues with this book are around pacing and character development. I thought we didn't learn enough about the type of person Koffi was before she met Ekon. They seemed pretty one dimensional: Koffi the headstrong one that has to argue about everything, and Ekon the anxious wreck that is constantly trying to prove himself. I thought they spent too much time wandering around the jungle encountering various monsters from myth and legend. They were cool, I guess, but didn't really add anything to the plot. The story around the Shetani is was sold me on it. A classic things are not as they seem message. I also didn't think Koffi and Ekon had much chemistry, but that could just be a me thing.
I love that Gray used so much Swahili and myths and legends from all over Africa. The author's note was really worth the read for further context as to why she made the decisions she did for the book. I'm optimistic that I'll like book two more than this one.
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Violence
book_loving_dragon's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence and Drug use
Minor: Animal cruelty
thatnerdclaire's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent and Violence
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Animal cruelty and Murder
thebakerbookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I loved the world-building in this one—the book starts with two maps so you know it's gonna be good. There's no info-dumping but things are clearly explained, and the magic system was so interesting! I'm constantly impressed by fantasy authors that continue to come up with unique ways for magic to work in their worlds. I also really loved the jungle setting here—I was getting Catching Fire vibes which definitely had me more on the edge of my seat!
The characters were also great. We spend the most time with Koffi and Ekon of course, and they get the development and complexity they're due as main characters, but I'd say it's more plot-focused than character-focused. There are some interesting side characters I would've like to spend more time with, but maybe that'll happen in book two.
The plot, like I said, started out really slow, and I think I felt this way because it just took forever for the characters to actually meet and start their journey in the jungle. There were also some repeated scenes from a different POV that slowed the pace down. But once it picked up, the plot pretty much hit all the points I was expecting from a YA fantasy—which is a good thing!
Overall, definitely a good fantasy story and I'm looking forward to reading book two!
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Slavery and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty and Drug use