Review: Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray

I wasn’t sure what to expect with Beasts of Prey. Like the name you’d imagine that the book would be full of magical beasts. And while it is, it’s also a story about learning the truth and sacrifice. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.

Summary

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.

Review

(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

Magical creatures full of dangers, misunderstanding, and found in stories. Not going to lie, that was my main motivation for reading – who doesn’t want to read about more magical creatures?? But what ended up my favorite element had to be the characters of Koffi and Ekon. In their world of injustices and stories which are passed down to us, Koffi and Ekon embark on a dangerous journey.

One which unravels secrets that were buried. It questions the paths of destiny and forces Koffi and Ekon to examine what is important to them. While they may seem like opposites – Koffi’s impulsive nature and Ekon’s reliance on calculated choices – they both have to learn that what we’ve been told isn’t always true. That we need to acknowledge our feelings and our past. To process what haunts us, so that we can continue to move forwards – honoring and acknowledging the past.

Good foils for each other, Koffi and Ekon swept me up not only in their interactions together, but their individual journeys. How we have to decide, at the end of the day, what is truly important to us. What we will give up and who we will betray for what we want. Beasts of Prey is a fabulous series starter which examines the pressure points of a person and plenty of intrigue for the next book.

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Find Beasts of Prey on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.

Discussion

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