Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray

25 reviews

vaniavela's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

Koffi and Ekon's lives intertwine after Koffi accidentally sets a fire at the Night Zoo. Now the two must work together to hunt down the Shetani, a ferocious beast that has been killing the citizens of Lkossa for years.

 Positives Aspects:

1. The characters were well written and I found them likable, being that Koffi, Ekon and Adiah had complex personalities.  I enjoyed reading the perspectives of all of them, giving us a different view of the kingdom and the story. 
2. The world of Lkossa was amazing, full of cultural details and vibrant descriptions.  I would have loved to see more scenes in more interesting locations, such as the night zoo or the jungle. 

Negative Aspects:

1. It was slow paced, not much happens in the first hundred pages.  Also, before reading the book I thought the animals would have a bigger part in the story. I expected more of that. 

 
rep: Black/African female MC, Black/African male MC with anxiety and OCD, Black/African female MC, supporting cast of BIPOC characters. 

cw: Blood, death, drug use, fire, injury detail, medical content, mental illness (anxiety/OCD), murder, panic attacks/disorders, violence, xenophobia. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, and Murder

Moderate: Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death

cemeterygay's review against another edition

adventurous emotional

• 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

5.0

I adored this book so deeply and in a way I didn't expect it. The worldbuilding is so detailed, well-integrated, and rich. The other aspect I adored was both of the main characters, their growth and their interactions. It is incredibly rare where I enjoy both point of characters but I really did in this book. I also thought the flashbacks were incredibly well-done. I also loved the different explorations of trauma and indoctrination. 

It was just a phenomenal fantasy that I cannot recommend enough if you're looking for interesting worldbuilding with even better protagonists.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Drug use, Physical abuse, Death, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, and Murder

CW: Non-consensual drug use and abuse, Anxiety, Manipulation, Manipulative relationship

queergoth_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.75

This book was so well crafted! It was an amazing read. The world was beautiful and the characters had so much to them. The plot kept me guessing throughout. 

I did find it a little slow to begin with but it didn't take long to pick up the pace and draw me in. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Death of parent, and Death

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Confinement, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Police brutality

haylzno's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.75

MISS AYANA GRAY 

Phenomenal, amazing, adventurous, a wild ride all around. I absolutely LOVED this novel. 
I'm not one to binge a larger book like this but I devoured it in no time. Unlike some reviews, I found the pacing to be perfect. I loved the multiPOVs and the jumping timelines. And while each chapter gave you clues here and there that guided you to these plot guesses, nothing was overtly obvious or random. There were plenty of plot twists that had me saying "oh daaayummm!!". And when I tell you my heart BROKE in two when I hit the end of the book - I mean...talk about a cliffhanger. I cannot wait for the second book. 
Additionally, I really loved the authors note, which educated the readers on where her inspiration of the characters, creatures, and world building came from. I had just as much fun reading the authors note as I had reading the novel! 
This will absolutely be one I reread in the future, especially once Beasts of Ruin comes out! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Death of parent, Death, Child death, Xenophobia, Drug use, Blood, Animal death, Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Torture, Mental illness, Gore, Genocide, and Drug abuse

ali_k0's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Mental illness

hollyjbyrne's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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? No

5.0

I really enjoyed this book, the characters were likeable and the plot was good. I didn't see any of the plot twists and was kept on the edge of my seat. I can't wait for the next book in this trilogy. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Death, Murder, and Drug use

Minor: Animal cruelty

_savannahreads_'s review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

• 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Violence, Slavery, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Death, and Confinement

thenovelbookshelf's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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

4.75

Beasts of Prey is a Pan-African fantasy novel that brings you to a world of magic, beasts, warriors, myth, and the heat of the jungle.
  
When the Night Zoo goes up in flames, Koffi and her mum run away from their indentation at the zoo, if it wasn't for the mythological beast, the Shetani, Ekon, an upcoming warrior would have caught them. Instead Ekon realises Koffi can communicate with the Shetani.
  
When Ekon comes back empty-handed, his life as a warrior is over. He's determined to save his name by capturing the Shetani, that kills anything in its path. Ekon realises that he'll need Koffi to do this. 
  
Together they must make their way through the terrifying Greater Jungle filled with the unknown.
  
BoP is a fast paced novel which will draw you into the story. The only thing that annoyed me about this book, was that just as the chapter builds suspense, the next chapter starts and changes characters. Ayana, we NEED the next book now!!!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Murder, Slavery, and Violence

kbairbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was… a challenging read for me. I really only liked the last 150 pages or so but by the end I didn’t want it to be over. The way the author wrapped things up left so much up in the air for a possible book two and I just… ugh. For something that was so tough for me to get through I do wanna know what happens. The cause of the murders genuinely surprised me, as did a few other things, which was nice but too much of it wasn’t amazing for it to be a higher star rating.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Torture, War, and Violence

tine9625's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Slavery, and Violence