Beasts of Prey
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-01 08:52:41
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ayana Gray
- ISBN：024153254X
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Summary
An unforgettable， New York Times bestselling fantasy adventure for fans of AN EMBER IN THE ASHES， SHADOW AND BONE and THE GILDED ONES。 Soon to be a major Netflix movie。
'The hunt for your next YA fantasy book trilogy obsession has ended' Entertainment Weekly
'The next big thing in YA fantasy 。 。 。 Dazzling' Kirkus
'A fast-paced， rip-roaring ride 。 。 。 A masterpiece of magic' - Namina Forna， New York Times bestselling author of The Gilded Ones
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 mythical creatures to pay off her family's debts。 But when they are threatened by the Zoo's cruel master， Koffi unleashes a power she doesn't fully understand。
As the son of a decorated hero， Ekon destined to become an elite warrior。 Until a fire at the Night Zoo upends his future and， on the brink of his final rite of passage， Ekon is cast out - his reputation left in tatters。
For Koffi and Ekon， the outlook is bleak - unless they can capture the Shetani， the vicious monster that plagues their city。 As Koffi and Ekon enter the Greater Jungle， a world steeped in wild magic and danger， the tentative alliance between them is tested to the extreme。
The hunt begins - but are they the hunters or the hunted？
An extraordinary adventure inspired by Pan-African mythology， from exciting debut author Ayana Gray。
'The hunt for your next YA fantasy book trilogy obsession has ended' Entertainment Weekly
'The next big thing in YA fantasy 。 。 。 Dazzling' Kirkus
'A fast-paced， rip-roaring ride 。 。 。 A masterpiece of magic' - Namina Forna， New York Times bestselling author of The Gilded Ones
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 mythical creatures to pay off her family's debts。 But when they are threatened by the Zoo's cruel master， Koffi unleashes a power she doesn't fully understand。
As the son of a decorated hero， Ekon destined to become an elite warrior。 Until a fire at the Night Zoo upends his future and， on the brink of his final rite of passage， Ekon is cast out - his reputation left in tatters。
For Koffi and Ekon， the outlook is bleak - unless they can capture the Shetani， the vicious monster that plagues their city。 As Koffi and Ekon enter the Greater Jungle， a world steeped in wild magic and danger， the tentative alliance between them is tested to the extreme。
The hunt begins - but are they the hunters or the hunted？
An extraordinary adventure inspired by Pan-African mythology， from exciting debut author Ayana Gray。
Reviews
Sarah
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4。5。 I enjoyed it quite alot。 Very fast read。 Only thing that is a bit jarring is that the author gives the protagonists language that doesn't match the world that well。 The world created is complete fantasy but then the author uses terminology that doesn't fit （co-wash， Shea butter， emotional intelligence， etc）。 Intersect that the author is honoring， in this example the hair care needs of a person with that hair type， but the terms are very real-world， modern and doesn't fit the fantasy warrior 4。5。 I enjoyed it quite alot。 Very fast read。 Only thing that is a bit jarring is that the author gives the protagonists language that doesn't match the world that well。 The world created is complete fantasy but then the author uses terminology that doesn't fit （co-wash， Shea butter， emotional intelligence， etc）。 Intersect that the author is honoring， in this example the hair care needs of a person with that hair type， but the terms are very real-world， modern and doesn't fit the fantasy warrior -culture that she has created。It's not bad-just as a reader it's temporarily throws you out of the world in the book。 。。。more
Paige
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I read this in 2021。 Here at the end of 2021 I am going over what I read throughout the year and writing my lasting impressions of the book。I really liked this book。 With the way that it was written， I felt like I could very clearly see this book play out in my head。 I liked the dynamic between the two main characters。 Even though I know isn't exactly needed for the plot， I would have liked a more thorough look at how the view of magic changed over the timeframe talked about in this book。 I read this in 2021。 Here at the end of 2021 I am going over what I read throughout the year and writing my lasting impressions of the book。I really liked this book。 With the way that it was written， I felt like I could very clearly see this book play out in my head。 I liked the dynamic between the two main characters。 Even though I know isn't exactly needed for the plot， I would have liked a more thorough look at how the view of magic changed over the timeframe talked about in this book。 。。。more
Maddie
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4。5 ⭐️I actually really enjoyed this。 I thought it was going to be good， but I didn’t expect to love it this much。 So good！ Idk what it is about this book， but it was a very cozy read for me oddly enough lol
Miss Naseweis
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Had I already reached my reading goal this year， I would’ve put this book away because it bored me so much。 The plot was basically your generic YA fantasy storyline。 The romance between the two MCs felt kind of forced， just being friends would’ve felt more natural。 Most reveals and twists weren’t that surprising。 And whenever the two MCs encountered a hindrance， for example as they travel through the jungle， it feels like they overcome those way too quick。 Complicated emotions because of their p Had I already reached my reading goal this year， I would’ve put this book away because it bored me so much。 The plot was basically your generic YA fantasy storyline。 The romance between the two MCs felt kind of forced， just being friends would’ve felt more natural。 Most reveals and twists weren’t that surprising。 And whenever the two MCs encountered a hindrance， for example as they travel through the jungle， it feels like they overcome those way too quick。 Complicated emotions because of their parents that they carried with them for years？ Talk about it once and it’ll be alright。The only thing I liked was the Lore， even though I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I wished since I had so many problems with this book。 。。。more
MeganRuth - Alohamora Open a Book
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Solid 4 stars for this action packed strong female high fantasy series。 Fans of The Gilded Ones， War Girls， and Graceling should definitely read Beasts of Prey。 There's magic， I mean splendor， a fantastic storyline， and things that kept me guessing to the very end。 "I can't see it， but I sense it。" "Sometimes things that seem dangerous are just misunderstood。" Solid 4 stars for this action packed strong female high fantasy series。 Fans of The Gilded Ones， War Girls， and Graceling should definitely read Beasts of Prey。 There's magic， I mean splendor， a fantastic storyline， and things that kept me guessing to the very end。 "I can't see it， but I sense it。" "Sometimes things that seem dangerous are just misunderstood。" 。。。more
Lucy
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took me a while to get into it as in it wasn't a fast read but the world building was rich and the characters were interesting， it felt fairly full of surprises/twists tooreally well done took me a while to get into it as in it wasn't a fast read but the world building was rich and the characters were interesting， it felt fairly full of surprises/twists tooreally well done 。。。more
~ a foray in fantasy ~
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Ooh， that was pretty good。 The only thing that kept out from being five stars is the journey part， which was kind of boring。The mythology and world-building are FANTASTIC！ I was so enveloped in the story。I love Ekon and Koffi！ They both have such unique personalities。I also guessed almost all of the plot twists， but I usually do。
Bella
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I just finished reading this book last night and I must say it was amazing！ It’s the perfect mix of fantasy， mystery， and a bit of romance。 I didn’t expect the ending and I look forward to the next book！
Shelvey Swett
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Obsessed w a book set in a jungle！ 2 lovely MCs， excited to see more character development in the rest of the series。 I didn’t love how the 2 timelines came together—I think that could have been better plotted with more wow factor， and the plot was a bit predictable but an amazing & promising debut💜 I’m between 3。5 and 4 stars。
Faith Healy
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I really enjoyed this book！ It has such an interesting mythology and magic system。 I look forward to explore in more books！ The only thing that prevents me from giving it five stars is Ekon's betrayal。 Like it was super bad and hurtful。 I really felt it。 Maybe it is the adult in me， but when he did nothing to help Koffi or make sure she was ok， I stopped rooting for that relationship。 In my opinion， the relationship turned as toxic as poor Adihah's relationship。 I really like Adihah （sorry for m I really enjoyed this book！ It has such an interesting mythology and magic system。 I look forward to explore in more books！ The only thing that prevents me from giving it five stars is Ekon's betrayal。 Like it was super bad and hurtful。 I really felt it。 Maybe it is the adult in me， but when he did nothing to help Koffi or make sure she was ok， I stopped rooting for that relationship。 In my opinion， the relationship turned as toxic as poor Adihah's relationship。 I really like Adihah （sorry for misspelling I listen to book， which I recommend highly。 Three great narrators） I know Koffi and Ekon are end game， but a part of me is hoping for a new better love interest to show up in the next book。 Can't wait to read more！ 。。。more
Danielle
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Oh， the betrayals
Suzanne
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Started a little slow， but， enjoyable， as an audiobook。 Narrators had depth and fit the roles very well。 Looking forward to the next one。
Maryam
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RTC
sri
，
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！ 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！ 。。。more
Ekene
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Nothing I love more than a book that completely goes beyond what you expect。 Very creative and imaginative and original。 Massive props to the author for the way she set up this world
Kara Steele
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I almost DNF’d this book about halfway through。 I was just not interested。 The different plot lines， just -I felt meh about it。 I am so glad I continued on， because this gotI feel like -I also wish we had gotten a conclusion。 I wanted a description of the splendor going back into the earth， or stopping fedu。 I’m left with too many questions for a stand-alone。 Regardless tho- it is worth a read。 I’m glad I read it。Update: I just saw that this is not a stand alone and a second novel is coming- tha I almost DNF’d this book about halfway through。 I was just not interested。 The different plot lines， just -I felt meh about it。 I am so glad I continued on， because this gotI feel like -I also wish we had gotten a conclusion。 I wanted a description of the splendor going back into the earth， or stopping fedu。 I’m left with too many questions for a stand-alone。 Regardless tho- it is worth a read。 I’m glad I read it。Update: I just saw that this is not a stand alone and a second novel is coming- thank goodness because I was very unhappy 😂。 I will probably be picking up the next one due to my never ending questions。 。。。more
Omo
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The Shetani is a monster that has wreaked havoc on Lkossa for as long as its inhabitants can remember。 When Koffi， an indentured servant at a zoo， seeks to get rid of her debt， and Ekon， a disgraced warrior determined to regain his honor， both decide to capture the creature for their own purposes， they team up on a journey through The Greater Jungle to find the Shetani， encountering dangers and uncovering long-buried secrets along the way。I loaned this from my local library。 My library generousl The Shetani is a monster that has wreaked havoc on Lkossa for as long as its inhabitants can remember。 When Koffi， an indentured servant at a zoo， seeks to get rid of her debt， and Ekon， a disgraced warrior determined to regain his honor， both decide to capture the creature for their own purposes， they team up on a journey through The Greater Jungle to find the Shetani， encountering dangers and uncovering long-buried secrets along the way。I loaned this from my local library。 My library generously gives patrons three weeks before the book needs to be returned。 Usually， that's enough， but I had difficulty getting into Beasts of Prey。 Before I knew it， three weeks had passed， and I had barely finished the first part。 I knew that if I put this book down， I would never have any compulsion to pick it back up again， and loathe to DNF a book with potential， I ignored the due date and read most of BoP in one day。 Unfortunately， I incurred the 0。25 fee for nothing—this book fell flat for me。I'll start with what I enjoyed about the novel: its overall theme of history being a fickle， two-sided coin。 This is a topic that I am very much interested in， and it was what mainly drew me to this novel。 For the most part， I enjoyed Gray's execution of it。But I also found it predictable。 The large reveal at the end was more than foreshadowed; it was outright spoken about in the middle sections of the novel。 Gray writes with a kind of condescension that some children's authors unfortunately fall victim to， in that they dumb down the characters as though expecting the reader to be as slow to process。 But the overexplaining sucked excitement and surprise out of things， and quite frankly， it also made this novel longer than it needed to be。What is ironic， however， is that even with the overexplaining， the world-building is woefully shallow。 Gray based her world off "Pan-Africanism"—a concept that I have countless issues with， but this is neither the time nor place—and yet the society featured in Beasts of Prey was still more or less Western。 The ways the people worshipped， the way the government operated， etc。 It very much gave the same-old European-based fantasy， but with dashikis and jollof rice。Furthermore， the sparse world-building was never used。 Peoples that were named were never seen。 Other peoples， the Yaba and the Gede， were said to have a dominant culture/oppressed group relationship， but this never affected anything about the plot。 Places were named once， then never visited or at least given any relevance。 Because The Greater Jungle is the main setting of the novel， I wish Gray had simply dedicated all her world-building to fleshing out this jungle instead of plainly setting up journeys that I assume will happen in books 2 and/or 3， but are irrelevant to this book。Lastly， the characters。 They were my last hope， but they failed me。 Even though I liked Koffi， it was irritating that she suddenly forgot about saving her loved ones halfway through the book， choosing instead to embark on a different mission。 As for Ekon， I don't like him。 At all。 And I dislike everything that happened around him as well。 Please excuse me while I do a spoilers-filled rant。***SPOILERS BEGIN***First of all， Ekon straight up told Badwa that he was here to hunt the Shetani， and she was just like "K。" Sis what happened to you being the protector of all the creatures in The Greater Jungle？？ And then later on， Ekon betrays Koffi in the worst way imaginable。。。 and she forgives him！？ In less than a page， nonetheless！ Even if Koffi is instalove-blind， why would I as the reader forgive him when he had zero character development from the betrayal to the apology？ It was only after seeing that the life that he had dreamt of was a lie that he turned away from it; if he had never discovered the truth， he would have no doubt continued serving the people who planned to hurt Koffi and Adiah。 Speaking of Adiah—how did SHE forgive him？ Again， Koffi I might be able to attribute to instalove stupidity， but Adiah？ After all that she's been through， she still trusts a traitor so easily？ No， it just doesn't make any sense。 And in the end， Ekon didn't even manage to clean up the mess he created—it was Koffi， once again， who was the one somewhat competent character in this novel。 Ekon， you are UTTERLY useless。***SPOILERS END***I'm quite sad that this book did not have a bigger impact on me。 It was one of my most anticipated reads， but I am feeling squarely "meh" about it。 I won't be continuing this series。 。。。more
Kassidy Griffin
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WOW！ This book was so good！It had:// Unique magic “Splendor”// Magical beasts & jungle// Tiny bit of romance （kind of enemies to lovers， but they were not full out enemies） // Plot twistsAyana did such a beautiful job building up this world。 Everything from the descriptions of the jungle to the dark night zoo to the temple was described so well。 I could picture every shadowed nook and hanging leaf so clearly。 Koffi and Ekon， were really interesting characters to mix together。 Well， Ekon may be p WOW！ This book was so good！It had:// Unique magic “Splendor”// Magical beasts & jungle// Tiny bit of romance （kind of enemies to lovers， but they were not full out enemies） // Plot twistsAyana did such a beautiful job building up this world。 Everything from the descriptions of the jungle to the dark night zoo to the temple was described so well。 I could picture every shadowed nook and hanging leaf so clearly。 Koffi and Ekon， were really interesting characters to mix together。 Well， Ekon may be physically stronger than Koffi， he also had very OCD tendencies and is kind of a hot nerd。 Koffi on the other hand， was very outspoken and rash compared to Ekon’s methodically ways。 Since they were so different， they tended to clash a lot。 Which made for a very interesting pot line。The book was a little slow to start， but once they got into the jungle I wasn’t able to put the book down！ The ending of this book had me r e e l i n g。 There was so many unexpected twists that I could never have figured it out！ I recommend you give this a read if you love YA Fantasy books。 I can’t wait to read the second book when it comes out！ 。。。more
Asa Icy
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This was a very neat， entertaining， and thorough story！
Marles Henry
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"On the subject of monsters， those mundane and divine， none is so wretched and feared as the Shetani。"An African mythological magical-fantasy with a hint of romance: "Beasts of Prey" is another interesting read。 We meet Ekon who is attempting to carry the family tradition of becoming a Son of the Six （a Lkossa warriors）。 We also meet Koffi， a prisoner "beastkeeper" in the Night Zoo。 Lkossa used to be a magical city， but many of these magical folk were ostracised during the last magical earthquak "On the subject of monsters， those mundane and divine， none is so wretched and feared as the Shetani。"An African mythological magical-fantasy with a hint of romance: "Beasts of Prey" is another interesting read。 We meet Ekon who is attempting to carry the family tradition of becoming a Son of the Six （a Lkossa warriors）。 We also meet Koffi， a prisoner "beastkeeper" in the Night Zoo。 Lkossa used to be a magical city， but many of these magical folk were ostracised during the last magical earthquake （The Rupture） occurs。 So when something 'magical' happens and a fire starts at the Night Zoo， things are set into motion。 The paths of Ekon and Koffi intersect and their lives change， as they go hunting for the Shetani， the very evil monster they hope will lead to their redemption and give them answers to what is happening throughout their world。 It also introduces them to the path to Adiah。The concept of this book was amazing。 However I was confused through the first half because of the changing points of view， and repetition of these from both main characters。 This was heightened through their inability to steer themselves out of trouble they didn't need to be in。 I also wished there was more detail of the Night Zoo played out - its concept was spectacular but I was left wanting more。 The creatures of the greater jungle were detailed well， like the Anatsou， the Grootslang， the Eloko。 As the pace quickened， so my interest soared in this story。 。。。more
Elizabeth Higgins
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I am genuinely on pins and needles for book 2。 Loved every bit of this story and the characters。 I found myself tapping in threes while reading
Rebecca
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Took me about 100 pages to really absorb how the characters all tied together， but then I couldn’t put the book down。 So rich in atmosphere and description- a lovely， action-packed， mystical read。 Can’t wait for the second one。
Gregory Mehfoud
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At first I thought this book was going to be a bore as reading fantasy isn’t something I’m really into。 After the first 70 pages or so though I really got into the book。 I thought it was a great book and thoroughly enjoyed it。
Austin
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dnf at like 40% the pacing is SO slow and the characters are boring
Katherine Vellenga
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I really enjoyed this！！ The world was so well-developed and interesting and I loved the characters and their development。 I can’t wait for the sequel！
Showering
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✨Beasts of Prey✨5⭐️Buddy read with my girl @kttnwzrd"Nightmares hunt like beasts of prey， vanquished in the light of day。"Have you ever read a book based on pan-African fantasy & night zoo full with adventures & beasts？ Well it is time for you to read it now。 I'm blown away with this book & it is a DEBUT OF AYANA GRAY。 It is so well-written and so addictive！！ What I love❤️ The fact that it is based on pan-African myth is not enough。 If you read the author note you will see how the author inspire ✨Beasts of Prey✨5⭐️Buddy read with my girl @kttnwzrd"Nightmares hunt like beasts of prey， vanquished in the light of day。"Have you ever read a book based on pan-African fantasy & night zoo full with adventures & beasts？ Well it is time for you to read it now。 I'm blown away with this book & it is a DEBUT OF AYANA GRAY。 It is so well-written and so addictive！！ What I love❤️ The fact that it is based on pan-African myth is not enough。 If you read the author note you will see how the author inspired from for the world， languages， mythical creatures， character。 Definitely the best for me （🤌🏻😘） The prominent character is Satao Nkrumah where it is based in a real person， Kwame Nkrumah （a revolutionary man） & from a beautiful elephant named Satao。 ❤️ As I getting deeper in the world building， I must claim that this is one of the best world building I've ever read this year。 Before I started this book， I'm quite anxious thinking this is my first book about pan-African myth and I'm afraid I would be confuse with the world building & magic system。 But the author prove me wrong， surprisingly it is so easy to get into the world building。 I must say the world and magic system are so beautiful and I ❤️ it very much！ ❤️ The plot！ I love the plot of this book， especially the twist though I see it coming but still OMG。 It started off with the two main characters living different kind of lifestyle， one is a night zookeeper while another is training to be one of the sons of six， the warriors。 I love how the incident leads the both of them aim for the same goal but with different motives。 The end of the book is a cliffhanger so now I am thrilled to see what will happen on the second book！❤️ I must admit I do feel a bit confuse with the POV at the beginning。 But it gradually gets better and balanced well。 It requires you a bit of thinking though。 I really love that we have multiple pov tbh， because you can literally know the situations of the main characters so you can understand them better。❤️ Characters development gone amazingly well for Koffi & Ekon。 Koffi was annoying at the beginning & it actually gets on my nerve。 Luckily her character development gradually gets better。 She's also a very easy to read character， fierce and have a strong will。 Her exploration of magic and family history made me falling deeper for her。 Ekon definitely is like a cinnamon roll or marshmallow for me。 He & his OCD can never be separated and seeing how well Koffi adapt with Ekon made my tummy full with butterflies。 There is also a love interest between Koffi & Ekon but it is not the main thing in this book。 However I still root for them！ There is also another character， Adiah where we could read her pov in the book & my heart ache for her so much。In a nutshell， book 2 please hurry up！ I won't regret putting this book as one of my fav read this year because IT IS MY FAV READ THIS YEAR 😳 You guys should read this especially if you need some fresh and unique world， this book is for you！ 。。。more
Melissa Geter
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Review to come once I'm able to put my thoughts together 💛 Review to come once I'm able to put my thoughts together 💛 。。。more
Staci Vought
，
3。75？ There were elements of this story that were SO good， but it fell short in a few ways。 I had a hard time connecting to the characters at first， but the premise was super cool & that pulled me in。 I liked the plot line overall， and I grew more connected to the characters as the story went on…never LOVED any of them。 I don’t understand why Adiah’s perspective was even a part of the story。 It never went anywhere and then was dropped towards the end - sloppy storytelling。 I remained in love wit 3。75？ There were elements of this story that were SO good， but it fell short in a few ways。 I had a hard time connecting to the characters at first， but the premise was super cool & that pulled me in。 I liked the plot line overall， and I grew more connected to the characters as the story went on…never LOVED any of them。 I don’t understand why Adiah’s perspective was even a part of the story。 It never went anywhere and then was dropped towards the end - sloppy storytelling。 I remained in love with the central storyline and loved all the twists。 I also loved the creatures they met along the way， but some of the situations got wrapped up too easily。 Felt middle-grade-ish to me。 。。。more
Jennifer
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Really solid YA fantasy。 Great worldbuilding and strong characters。 I didn't really dig the ending。 I get that everyone wants their fantasy books to be a series， but in this case， I found the cliffhanger annoying。 Would have liked at least SOME loose end wrapped up in a satisfying way。 Really solid YA fantasy。 Great worldbuilding and strong characters。 I didn't really dig the ending。 I get that everyone wants their fantasy books to be a series， but in this case， I found the cliffhanger annoying。 Would have liked at least SOME loose end wrapped up in a satisfying way。 。。。more
shan
，
3。5 stars
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Beasts of Prey
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Beasts of Prey&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Beasts of Prey&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0