ajaegs 's review for:

Kill the Beast by Serra Swift

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

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My honest review was provided in exchange for an ALC on NetGalley. Thank you, Macmillan Audio, for giving me this ARC! And apologies for any character names I may have misheard and/or misspelled.

5/5

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Lyssa lost her brother to the Beast 13 years ago, and has dedicated the rest of her life to vengeance. Alderic is a wealthy fool, willing to pay far too much money to see the Beast slain. Much to her chagrin, Lyssa will need Alderic’s help to take care of the Beast once and for all. But he’s a silly, lavish man that will only drag her down, and Lyssa wishes she could just complete this journey on her own…

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WOW! What a beautiful and heart-wrenching story! I loved it!

Serra Swift’s world is gorgeous, dark, and atmospheric. Her story balances action and character development really well, and she intertwines humor and grief masterfully. Moreover, her characters’ traumas run deep, and she explores their histories with kindness, care, and vulnerability. Moira Quirk’s narration was especially powerful here, as her voice added so much depth to each character. I think a substantial part of my enjoyment derived from Quirk’s stylistic decisions, and I’m happy I got to this listen to this instead of just reading outright. 

I adored Swift’s characters! Lyssa is a firecracker, and I love that she doesn’t suffer fools or adhere to stereotypes of feminine virtue. Lyssa and Enoria’s history was just perfection, and I lived for their toxic lovers-to-enemies dynamic. Alderic, in all his contradictions, was a gem. The foolish peacock is a delightful foil to Lyssa’s gruff practicality, and I loved watching their relationship unfold. Lyssa’s found family was so sweet, and it broke my heart to see her pull away so as  to protect her heart. Her growth into an individual who accepts love from those who care about her was one of the best elements of the story!

Which ties into my favorite part of the story; that the focus of Lyssa and Alderic’s relationship was on building a friendship. Given Lyssa’s history and distrusting heart, it added a touch of realism to their dynamic. That doesn’t preclude romantic love from becoming a feature of their story, or from reading the seeds of romantic love into their relationship. But it was refreshing that friendship was their driving motivation, as well as the catalyst for much of their character development. 

Overall, this book was magnificent, thanks in part to Quirk’s narration! I loved it from beginning to end. This is a stellar debut, and I’m genuinely excited to see what Swift comes up with next! If you like badass heroines with complex backstories - like Ciri from the Witcher or Kissen from Godkiller - you’ll love Lyssa and the story she brings.