Review: Beasts of Prey (Beasts of Prey #1)

Beasts of Prey (Beasts of Prey #1)
By Ayana Gray

Published By: Penguin
Publication Date: September 28, 2021
Date Read: May 8, 2022
Genre: YA – Fantasy
Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Pages: 496

From Goodreads:
Magic doesn’t exist in the broken city of Lkossa anymore, especially for girls like sixteen-year-old Koffi. Indentured to the notorious Night Zoo, she cares for its fearsome and magical creatures to pay off her family’s debts and secure their eventual freedom. But the night her loved ones’ own safety is threatened by the Zoo’s cruel master, Koffi unleashes a power she doesn’t fully understand–and the consequences are dire.

As the second son of a decorated hero, Ekon is all but destined to become a Son of the Six–an elite warrior–and uphold a family legacy. But on the night of his final rite of passage, a fire upends his plans. In its midst, Ekon not only encounters the Shetani–a vicious monster that has plagued the city and his nightmares for nearly a century–but a curious girl who seems to have the power to ward off the beast. Koffi’s power ultimately saves Ekon’s life, but his choice to let her flee dooms his hopes of becoming a warrior.

Desperate to redeem himself, Ekon vows to hunt the Shetani down and end its reign of terror, but he can’t do it alone. Meanwhile, Koffi believes finding the Shetani and selling it for a profit could be the key to solving her own problems. Koffi and Ekon–each keeping their true motives secret from the other–form a tentative alliance and enter into the unknowns of the Greater Jungle, a world steeped in wild magic and untold dangers. The hunt begins. But it quickly becomes unclear whether they are the hunters or the hunted.

In this much-anticipated series opener, fate binds two Black teenagers together as they strike a dangerous alliance to hunt down the ancient creature menacing their home–and discover much more than they bargained for.

Beasts of Prey is a book I’ve had on my TBR for quite a while. I first discovered this through Fairyloot, when it was one of the books that they featured. When I heard that the author was going to be at this years YALC in July, I knew I just had to read it before I went. I am so, so glad that I finally picked this one up. I really, really enjoyed Beasts of Prey. It is such a unique and compelling new fantasy.

Beasts of Prey had me hooked right from the start. While it is kind of slow to start with, I was still intrigued by all of the magical beasts that we were being introduced to right from the get go. This book is filled with mythological elements, and it’s based on African mythology, which is a type of mythology that I don’t really have any knowledge of. So in addition to being sucked into this phenomenal tale, I was really loving seeing all these new myths. It was such a beautifully told story and I really really enjoyed it.

Beasts of Prey is filled to the brim with new magical creatures that will take your breath away, probably kill you… and definitely give you nightmares. I freaking loved every moment. The world building that Ayana has done in this book is so mystical and incredible, I honestly have no words that will do justice to her world building. The character development that went on was amazing. I loved our main characters Koffi and Ekon right from the start, and I adored seeing them grow throughout the duration of the book. It really is such a magical journey.

I did find Beasts of Prey a little predictable. I guessed most of the twists pretty early on. But as we got towards the books ending, there was one in particular that shocked me and left me reeling. I am so excited to get my hands on the second book in this series and see what happens. This was such a fantastic journey, and I will definitely be looking out for more of Ayana’s work in the future. I highly recommend this fantastic novel to any fantasy lover.

“Maybe there’s a beauty in the scars. Because they’re a reminder of what’s been faced, and what’s been survived.”

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