Beasts of Prey
In this blockbuster fantasy series, perfect for fans of Firekeeper’s Daughter 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.
“The hunt for your next YA fantasy book trilogy obsession has ended.” —Entertainment Weekly
“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.
“The hunt for your next YA fantasy book trilogy obsession has ended.” —Entertainment Weekly
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Community Reviews
Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop
A riveting start to a new series, Beasts of Prey, throws the reader into a mystical jungle following two compelling characters from different tribes.
Effortless
I loved this book; let us start there. Beasts of Prey shifts between two time periods and three different characters, moving effortlessly. However, one of my biggest pet peeves for storytelling is when the writer goes back and forth in time in a clunky way. It takes me out of the story.
Luckily, Gray is an incredible and proficient writer. The story begins with Adiah in a time of magic. If you read the back cover, there is no mention of Adiah being a person of interest, so the reader’s interest is already peaked. Picking up this novel, readers are already engaged, wondering who this mysterious character is.
Moreover, the line of that first chapter is a jaw-dropper. After that, we are introduced to Koffi and Ekon. This is where we begin to understand that Adiah’s story arc occurs in the past, and Koffi and Ekon’s arc occurs in the present. I love how Gray tells the reader this without telling us. She uses setting, culture, language, and world-building to tell this to the reader and give us an indication of when. Gray shows us, she does not tell us and that showing, not telling, is always one of the challenges of being a writer. However, Gray is a talented enough writer that everything comes off effortlessly.
Compelling & Exciting
The characters drive Beasts of Prey’s relentless momentum. Koffi is an indentured slave working off her fathers’ debt at the midnight zoo. However, an incident pushes her to reveal the magic deep inside her, forcing her to bargain for her freedom. Unfortunately, this sends Koffi to the path of Ekon, who failed his initiation to be a warrior, who has decided that her bargain could earn him his place as a warrior.
Koffi and Ekon are from different backgrounds, part of different groups of people. Gray has taken inspiration from her culture and roots to develop the world and the character’s backgrounds. Different beliefs and different backgrounds are, unfortunately, a reason for hate. However, Koffi and Ekon put aside their background and grow beyond it, respecting each other. Koffi is more respectful than many of his other comrades regarding some of his peculiarities.
Ekon has nervous ticks and excels academically. He is a brilliant warrior, but others tend to overlook his brilliance in favor of highlighting his ticks. Koffi is respectful, shrugging at everything others call him odd for.
The way the characters grow and interact with one another draws the reader in. We are drawn to these characters; we connect to them as they drive the plot forward. It makes for a more engaging read. We care about their trials about their struggles, and we want them to persevere.
Final Thoughts
Beasts of Prey is a fantastic novel. We are drawn into the narrative, the rising tension, and the excellent pacing from beginning to end. It is exciting, breathtaking, unique, and a must-read.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
A riveting start to a new series, Beasts of Prey, throws the reader into a mystical jungle following two compelling characters from different tribes.
Effortless
I loved this book; let us start there. Beasts of Prey shifts between two time periods and three different characters, moving effortlessly. However, one of my biggest pet peeves for storytelling is when the writer goes back and forth in time in a clunky way. It takes me out of the story.
Luckily, Gray is an incredible and proficient writer. The story begins with Adiah in a time of magic. If you read the back cover, there is no mention of Adiah being a person of interest, so the reader’s interest is already peaked. Picking up this novel, readers are already engaged, wondering who this mysterious character is.
Moreover, the line of that first chapter is a jaw-dropper. After that, we are introduced to Koffi and Ekon. This is where we begin to understand that Adiah’s story arc occurs in the past, and Koffi and Ekon’s arc occurs in the present. I love how Gray tells the reader this without telling us. She uses setting, culture, language, and world-building to tell this to the reader and give us an indication of when. Gray shows us, she does not tell us and that showing, not telling, is always one of the challenges of being a writer. However, Gray is a talented enough writer that everything comes off effortlessly.
Compelling & Exciting
The characters drive Beasts of Prey’s relentless momentum. Koffi is an indentured slave working off her fathers’ debt at the midnight zoo. However, an incident pushes her to reveal the magic deep inside her, forcing her to bargain for her freedom. Unfortunately, this sends Koffi to the path of Ekon, who failed his initiation to be a warrior, who has decided that her bargain could earn him his place as a warrior.
Koffi and Ekon are from different backgrounds, part of different groups of people. Gray has taken inspiration from her culture and roots to develop the world and the character’s backgrounds. Different beliefs and different backgrounds are, unfortunately, a reason for hate. However, Koffi and Ekon put aside their background and grow beyond it, respecting each other. Koffi is more respectful than many of his other comrades regarding some of his peculiarities.
Ekon has nervous ticks and excels academically. He is a brilliant warrior, but others tend to overlook his brilliance in favor of highlighting his ticks. Koffi is respectful, shrugging at everything others call him odd for.
The way the characters grow and interact with one another draws the reader in. We are drawn to these characters; we connect to them as they drive the plot forward. It makes for a more engaging read. We care about their trials about their struggles, and we want them to persevere.
Final Thoughts
Beasts of Prey is a fantastic novel. We are drawn into the narrative, the rising tension, and the excellent pacing from beginning to end. It is exciting, breathtaking, unique, and a must-read.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one coming out later this year. It started out a little slow, but it builds up to a lot of fun action and adventure with Ekon and Koffi. There is a cliffhanger at the very end, which just adds to my excitement for the next book!
really liked the worldbuilding and setting for this book! sometimes it fell a little flat (the romance notably) and i can't say i'm very attached to the characters yet but the writing style is pleasant and practical. overall a nice fantasy debut and i'll be on the lookout for the next one!
The world building is great. I love the idea of changing the name of magic and the spice like quality of it. It was a bit slow in some parts so I wasn’t as happy with my read but still a good book and can’t wait for the Netflix movie or show
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