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amivireads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
5.0
Beats of Prey Review πππππ
Was kindly given an arc the arc by @penguinteen
Before I begin the review, I want to say how much black books matter and how much this story will mean to kids that look like me. I wished I had a book like this as a kid.
Beasts of Prey is an amazing start to a new YA fantasy series. The magic system is unique; the characters have so much depth to them and aren't one dimensional.
We follow three characters in this book, Adiah, Koffi, and Ekon. Ekon was the one I felt the most for. Itβs rare to see a book deal with anxiety and do it right. But with Ekon it felt so real, it made me feel seen. He cares so much for his loved ones and feels like he needs to prove himself. The way he doesnβt feel like he is enough but continues to try, to push himself. It reminds me a lot of myself. All three of them reminded me of myself, and that is what makes a great story in my eyes.
Another thing that makes a book amazing are the twists, and the ones in this left me speechless. I had so much fun trying to guess and theorize what would happen next. And the ending, the ending left me wanting more. I need book 2!
Was kindly given an arc the arc by @penguinteen
Before I begin the review, I want to say how much black books matter and how much this story will mean to kids that look like me. I wished I had a book like this as a kid.
Beasts of Prey is an amazing start to a new YA fantasy series. The magic system is unique; the characters have so much depth to them and aren't one dimensional.
We follow three characters in this book, Adiah, Koffi, and Ekon. Ekon was the one I felt the most for. Itβs rare to see a book deal with anxiety and do it right. But with Ekon it felt so real, it made me feel seen. He cares so much for his loved ones and feels like he needs to prove himself. The way he doesnβt feel like he is enough but continues to try, to push himself. It reminds me a lot of myself. All three of them reminded me of myself, and that is what makes a great story in my eyes.
Another thing that makes a book amazing are the twists, and the ones in this left me speechless. I had so much fun trying to guess and theorize what would happen next. And the ending, the ending left me wanting more. I need book 2!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Drug use, Physical abuse, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
sarahmreads's review against another edition
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: Death, Drug use, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
foreverinastory's review against another edition
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: Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail