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A review by bookishbasma
Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray
5.0
WOW. This book. What a debut.
The cover and the title are a fantastic indication of the kind of story you're in for. This book was a whirlwind of an adventure with some of the coolest worldbuilding. It's a Pan-African fantasy, and I fell immediately in love. If you read the author's note, it details where the inspiration for the world/languages came from and seeing the intricacy and the thoughts behind the worldbuilding was a definite highlight for me.
Our main characters (Koffi, Ekon, and Adiah) were well developed, and the multiple POVs (as well as timelines) were balanced really well! I did partially call one of the twists from early on, but even then, the full story behind the plot twist was still surprising. I truly loved the dynamic during the jungle adventure and it took everything not to read ahead during my buddy read. This was an absolutely incredible read, and I cannot recommend it enough! Now, I just need book two IMMEDIATELY because that ending was insane.
Content warnings from the author: Physical/Verbal Abuse (Minor)
Blood (Minor)
Bodies/Corpses (On Page)
Bones
Death/Dying (Referenced; On Page)
Drug Use (Referenced; On Page)
Forced Captivity/Kidnapping
Murder (Referenced)
Sexism/Misogyny/Toxic Masculinity
Sexual Content (Mild)
Slavery/Indentured Servitude
Spiders
Violence (Mild)
I received an e-arc of this title from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The cover and the title are a fantastic indication of the kind of story you're in for. This book was a whirlwind of an adventure with some of the coolest worldbuilding. It's a Pan-African fantasy, and I fell immediately in love. If you read the author's note, it details where the inspiration for the world/languages came from and seeing the intricacy and the thoughts behind the worldbuilding was a definite highlight for me.
Our main characters (Koffi, Ekon, and Adiah) were well developed, and the multiple POVs (as well as timelines) were balanced really well! I did partially call one of the twists from early on, but even then, the full story behind the plot twist was still surprising. I truly loved the dynamic during the jungle adventure and it took everything not to read ahead during my buddy read. This was an absolutely incredible read, and I cannot recommend it enough! Now, I just need book two IMMEDIATELY because that ending was insane.
Content warnings from the author: Physical/Verbal Abuse (Minor)
Blood (Minor)
Bodies/Corpses (On Page)
Bones
Death/Dying (Referenced; On Page)
Drug Use (Referenced; On Page)
Forced Captivity/Kidnapping
Murder (Referenced)
Sexism/Misogyny/Toxic Masculinity
Sexual Content (Mild)
Slavery/Indentured Servitude
Spiders
Violence (Mild)
I received an e-arc of this title from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.