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rae_bookmarkchronicles's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.25
Slow start but once things get going it's a fun time. Thought I had the twist figured out but I was wrong
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Murder
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
4.5
This was so good!! Loved the multiple povs as they were pretty distinct and didn't slow down or confuse the flow of the story. I thoroughly enjoyed all the characters and will def be reading the sequel. I listened to the audio and the narrators were also great (I will have to look and see if they narrate other books because their voices were easy to listen to at 2x+ speeds. I typically like to speed up my audiobooks whenever I can, and some narrators I can't do that with. but all three for this book I could, and I appreciate it)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
anjasfairylights's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
What a debut novel! Love the Pan-African, mythology-inspired fantasy. I can‘t speak for accuracy or representation, but as a white European person I really enjoyed diving into this book and being led by the author and her detailed, enthralling descriptions of characters and storylines. I look forward to reading the second volume, the plot twist at the end was well put and definitely does its job.
Content Warnings
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
adventurous
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
3.5
Great world-building, a bit on the predictable side with a cliffhanger ending. Gripping enough that I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel eventually. It's pretty enjoyable, though not mind-blowing IMO, and the African lore was intriguing and great to read. If there are YA tropes that grate your nerves like miscommunication, you might cringe through some parts like I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use
Minor: Animal cruelty
katievallin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
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
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.5 ⭐ CW: violence, indentured servitude, animal cruelty, death of a parent
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Violence
julierambaeck's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.0
This was a very long fantasy book. I was rather confused about the multiple pov's, but in the end I understood why the author had chosen to do so. Will I continue on in the series, no. Was it a solid YA, yes. I think it had such a cool concept but it just did not live up to my expectations.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Drug abuse
kat_rowlen's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
An easy fantasy read with Alice in Wonderland vibes! The author created a captivating world and, a story that kept the pages turning. I can’t wait to read the sequel
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
meghansarmiento97's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Drug use, Grief, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Trafficking
chrilovyl's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use and Drug abuse