Beasts of Prey

 

My Thoughts:

This was a FABULOUS book to start 2022. After a stressful end of 2021, I wanted to start the year with fantasy and magic with grabbing prose action and betrayal. This debut novel by Ayana Gray fit all my wants and desires for a first of the year book. I was hungry for girl magic and danger. This is it. Carve out some time to read it all at once. This Pan-African story with two girl magic queens and lots of back stabbing and intrigue will keep you reading late into the night and into the early morning. And no spoiler alert, but this is a series, so when you get to the end, you are going to want to scream. I mean, don't say that was a spoiler alert. If you know the genre, you know you are going to be frustrated and looking up the publication date of book 2 of 3 (July 26, 2022). 

The strength of this novel is really the strong character development, including characters that are complex enough to break your heart, cry over or want to stab in the eyeballs. I also think the prose itself is aesthetically pleasing to read. The author spends time crafting this world and crafting her words, which is always appreciated. I really think in this time of world upheaval and pandemonium, the rules, even in reading have changed, so I appreciate that this is not another fay/vampire/alien white dominant fantasy. I appreciate that the mythos is decidedly not white-centric. In other words, yes for black girl magic!

Finally, the posters on Amazon are just beautiful so I am including them here. Also, for students who are inspired, Ms. Gray has a very stunning website with curated resources for writers. 

From the Publisher:

In this blockbuster fantasy series, perfect for fans of Kingdom of the Wicked and Iron Widow, fate binds two Black teenagers together as they journey into a magical jungle to hunt down a vicious monster.

“Rich in magic and mythos, Beasts of Prey is a feast for all the senses.” —Renée Ahdieh, New York Times bestselling author of The Beautiful

An Instant New York Times and Indie Bestseller

There’s no such thing as magic in the broken city of Lkossa, especially for sixteen-year-old Koffi, who indentured to the notorious Night Zoo, knows the fearsome creatures in her care and paying off her family's debts to secure their eventual freedom can be her only focus. But the night those she loves are gravely threatened by the Zoo’s cruel master, Koffi unleashes a power she doesn’t fully understand, upending her life completely.
 
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, Ekon encounters not only the Shetani—a vicious monster that has plagued the city for nearly a century and stalks his nightmares—but Koffi who seems to have the power to ward off the beast. Koffi’s power ultimately saves Ekon, but his choice to let her flee dooms his hopes of becoming a warrior.

Desperate to redeem himself, Ekon vows to hunt the Shetani and end its reign of terror, but he can’t do it alone. Koffi and Ekon form a tentative alliance and together enter the Greater Jungle, a world steeped in wild, frightening magic and untold dangers. The hunt begins. But it quickly becomes unclear whether they are the hunters or the hunted.