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sarahmreads's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I received a copy of this novel as an e-ARC from both NetGalley and Penguin Teen. Any and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Koffi was thrown into the Night Zoo at a young age with her mother, having to pay back the debt of her dead father. Ekon is a warrior in training wanting to follow in his father's footsteps, but now has to prove his worth in a way he never thought possible: hunting down the creature that has tortured his city. The two will have to combine forces to combat a deadly forces and discover things they never thought were possible.
The world-building in this story was phenomenal. There was the main city of Lkossa and the Sons of the Six and the mythology, it was all so beautifully done and weaved throughout the story. I found myself wanting to learn more and more about this world the more I spent in it. I also liked the magic system in this story with the splendor and how it manifests itself. It's something I haven't really seen in recent stories, that has its limits based on the user and what exactly it can do based on the user's emotional state. I can't wait to see more about it in the sequel.
Now in terms of characters, I absolutely loved Ekon! He has OCD and tends to favor things in threes and patterns in threes, and I think it was incorporated pretty well. Its inclusion in the story didn't make Ekon seem any weaker or stronger, but it made him more relatable and a great character to read about. I also related to him a lot when it came to his preferred interest in books and dealing with trauma. I did like Koffi, even though she was too headstrong for my usual liking.
The romance is very slow to start, as the characters don't really meet until about a third of the way through the story, similar to how We Hunt the Flame does it. However, I felt like there could have been some more tense moments between Ekon and Koffi to build the romance up a bit more. It felt a bit rushed, as a result, but I'm hoping that gets adjusted in the sequel and other books.
ALSO that ending absolutely threw me for a loop. My jaw was on the floor for the last few chapters because it was that insane. Things I did not expect but in looking back were built up so well!
Overall, Beasts of Prey is a beautiful, captivating first novel by Ayana Gray and I cannot wait to delve more into her mystical and deadly world.
Koffi was thrown into the Night Zoo at a young age with her mother, having to pay back the debt of her dead father. Ekon is a warrior in training wanting to follow in his father's footsteps, but now has to prove his worth in a way he never thought possible: hunting down the creature that has tortured his city. The two will have to combine forces to combat a deadly forces and discover things they never thought were possible.
The world-building in this story was phenomenal. There was the main city of Lkossa and the Sons of the Six and the mythology, it was all so beautifully done and weaved throughout the story. I found myself wanting to learn more and more about this world the more I spent in it. I also liked the magic system in this story with the splendor and how it manifests itself. It's something I haven't really seen in recent stories, that has its limits based on the user and what exactly it can do based on the user's emotional state. I can't wait to see more about it in the sequel.
Now in terms of characters, I absolutely loved Ekon! He has OCD and tends to favor things in threes and patterns in threes, and I think it was incorporated pretty well. Its inclusion in the story didn't make Ekon seem any weaker or stronger, but it made him more relatable and a great character to read about. I also related to him a lot when it came to his preferred interest in books and dealing with trauma. I did like Koffi, even though she was too headstrong for my usual liking.
The romance is very slow to start, as the characters don't really meet until about a third of the way through the story, similar to how We Hunt the Flame does it. However, I felt like there could have been some more tense moments between Ekon and Koffi to build the romance up a bit more. It felt a bit rushed, as a result, but I'm hoping that gets adjusted in the sequel and other books.
ALSO that ending absolutely threw me for a loop. My jaw was on the floor for the last few chapters because it was that insane. Things I did not expect but in looking back were built up so well!
Overall, Beasts of Prey is a beautiful, captivating first novel by Ayana Gray and I cannot wait to delve more into her mystical and deadly world.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Murder
foreverinastory's review
adventurous
tense
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
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley & Penguin Teen for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Rep: Black/African female MC, Black/african male MC with anxiety and OCD (or possibly autistic?), Black/African female MC, supporting cast of BIPOC characters.
CWs: Blood, death, drug use without consent, fire, injury/injury detail, medical content, mental illness (anxiety/OCD), murder, panic attacks/disorders, violence, xenophobia.
Rep: Black/African female MC, Black/african male MC with anxiety and OCD (or possibly autistic?), Black/African female MC, supporting cast of BIPOC characters.
CWs: Blood, death, drug use without consent, fire, injury/injury detail, medical content, mental illness (anxiety/OCD), murder, panic attacks/disorders, violence, xenophobia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Xenophobia
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