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jazmynr's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-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
3.5
aharriso21's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
lizthescaredycat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.25
eosin's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It is well written but much too long. Somehow I was bored even though the book takes place in a really cool setting and has interesting mythical creatures.
worldsunlikeourown's review against another edition
4.0
Find this review and more on my blog at Worlds Unlike Our Own.
Thank you to the publisher, Penguin Teen Canada, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Koffi and her mother are indentured to the Night Zoo and they care for the dangerous magical creatures it hosts. But just as they are closer than ever to finally paying off their debts for good, an incident occurs that threatens their safety and Koffi uses a magical power she doesn’t fully understand with severe consequences. Ekon is a warrior in training, going through the rites of passage to become one of Lkossa’s elite Sons of the Six, but the final rite is interrupted when a fire breaks out at the Zoo. Amidst the chaos, Koffi is attempting to escape and as Ekon gives chase, they encounter the Shetani, the monster that has been plaguing and killing people. Koffi’s mysterious power seems to cause the beast to listen to her, and that saves Ekon’s life, but when he lets her get away, he ruins his chances of becoming a warrior. Hunting down the Shetani seems to be the solution to both their problems and when their paths cross again some days later, they form a tentative alliance to travel into the depths of the deadly Greater Jungle. But not only are they hunting a vicious monster in a hostile jungle, they each have motives they are keeping secret from the other.
I absolutely loved the world building in this one! The descriptions of the Night Zoo, Lkossa and the magical Jungle were fantastic and it was great that so much background and lore were included, all in a very gradual manner that never felt like info dumps. Beautifully intertwined with African culture and folklore, the world building alone makes it hard to believe that this was a debut novel. The plot was no less intriguing and it held my attention right until the very last page. The story was narrated from three POVS and it was a little confusing initially – I found it hard to make out when the POVs switched during the narration, though given how far in advance I received my ARC of this book, I suspect the formatting is more to blame than the actual writing.
Koffi and Ekon were both interesting protagonists and their arcs were well developed. I wasn’t very fond of the initial slow pacing (which seems to be becoming something of a trend in this genre of late) and it takes a significant amount of time before things became more exciting. The best part of the story only started once they were actually in the jungle and it was really nice how an alliance of mutual convenience blossomed into a strong friendship as they faced the perils of the jungle together and began to bond. However, one thing that annoyed me were Adiah’s POVs – yes, it becomes clear later on who she is and why exactly she is important to the story, but for nearly 70% there is no connection between her arc and Ekon and Koffi’s, which made it very confusing.
Beasts of Prey ended on an exciting note with a couple of unforeseen last minute twists. They were excellently done and I didn’t suspect anything until much closer to the reveal. I assumed going into this book that it was a standalone and once the pace picked up, it was moving so fast that it was pretty surprising when it turned out to be a series after all. It’ll be interesting to see where this story goes after those twists and I can’t wait for the next book. Beasts of Prey was a marvellous debut and a gripping read. I would highly recommend this book for fantasy fans!
Thank you to the publisher, Penguin Teen Canada, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Koffi and her mother are indentured to the Night Zoo and they care for the dangerous magical creatures it hosts. But just as they are closer than ever to finally paying off their debts for good, an incident occurs that threatens their safety and Koffi uses a magical power she doesn’t fully understand with severe consequences. Ekon is a warrior in training, going through the rites of passage to become one of Lkossa’s elite Sons of the Six, but the final rite is interrupted when a fire breaks out at the Zoo. Amidst the chaos, Koffi is attempting to escape and as Ekon gives chase, they encounter the Shetani, the monster that has been plaguing and killing people. Koffi’s mysterious power seems to cause the beast to listen to her, and that saves Ekon’s life, but when he lets her get away, he ruins his chances of becoming a warrior. Hunting down the Shetani seems to be the solution to both their problems and when their paths cross again some days later, they form a tentative alliance to travel into the depths of the deadly Greater Jungle. But not only are they hunting a vicious monster in a hostile jungle, they each have motives they are keeping secret from the other.
I absolutely loved the world building in this one! The descriptions of the Night Zoo, Lkossa and the magical Jungle were fantastic and it was great that so much background and lore were included, all in a very gradual manner that never felt like info dumps. Beautifully intertwined with African culture and folklore, the world building alone makes it hard to believe that this was a debut novel. The plot was no less intriguing and it held my attention right until the very last page. The story was narrated from three POVS and it was a little confusing initially – I found it hard to make out when the POVs switched during the narration, though given how far in advance I received my ARC of this book, I suspect the formatting is more to blame than the actual writing.
Koffi and Ekon were both interesting protagonists and their arcs were well developed. I wasn’t very fond of the initial slow pacing (which seems to be becoming something of a trend in this genre of late) and it takes a significant amount of time before things became more exciting. The best part of the story only started once they were actually in the jungle and it was really nice how an alliance of mutual convenience blossomed into a strong friendship as they faced the perils of the jungle together and began to bond. However, one thing that annoyed me were Adiah’s POVs – yes, it becomes clear later on who she is and why exactly she is important to the story, but for nearly 70% there is no connection between her arc and Ekon and Koffi’s, which made it very confusing.
Beasts of Prey ended on an exciting note with a couple of unforeseen last minute twists. They were excellently done and I didn’t suspect anything until much closer to the reveal. I assumed going into this book that it was a standalone and once the pace picked up, it was moving so fast that it was pretty surprising when it turned out to be a series after all. It’ll be interesting to see where this story goes after those twists and I can’t wait for the next book. Beasts of Prey was a marvellous debut and a gripping read. I would highly recommend this book for fantasy fans!
erinaraa's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
amethystofblackrose's review against another edition
2.0
I get that characters have flaws and mess up in books and that it can be used as a plot device. However, all the mistakes these characters were making were kind of ridiculous and annoying. I was having trouble liking any of them. This book is not for me.
luhreen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0