The King's Beast, Vol. 1
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-06 13:51:49
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Rei Toma
- ISBN：1974720543
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A smoldering tale of romance and revenge set in the world of the New York Times best seller Dawn of the Arcana！
Legend says that a sacred beast appears in the time of a great king…
Ajin are people who bear the attributes of beasts， and in this kingdom they are forced to serve men in the military and women in the brothels。 The Ajin boys who show signs of special abilities are conscripted to serve in the imperial palace as beast servants—status symbols and shields for their royal masters， to be kept or discarded on a whim。 When Rangetsu’s twin brother Sogetsu showed signs of such abilities， he was ripped from her arms and given to Prince Tenyou as a beast servant， where he quickly fell victim to bloody royal intrigues。 Now in a world that promises only bitterness， Rangetsu’s one hope is to disguise herself as a man and find a way into the palace to avenge her brother！
But Prince Tenyou is not what Rangetsu expected， and the political currents in the palace run deep and strange。 Does Rangetsu have any chance of finding justice for her brother， or will she become just another Ajin casualty in the game of kings？
Legend says that a sacred beast appears in the time of a great king…
Ajin are people who bear the attributes of beasts， and in this kingdom they are forced to serve men in the military and women in the brothels。 The Ajin boys who show signs of special abilities are conscripted to serve in the imperial palace as beast servants—status symbols and shields for their royal masters， to be kept or discarded on a whim。 When Rangetsu’s twin brother Sogetsu showed signs of such abilities， he was ripped from her arms and given to Prince Tenyou as a beast servant， where he quickly fell victim to bloody royal intrigues。 Now in a world that promises only bitterness， Rangetsu’s one hope is to disguise herself as a man and find a way into the palace to avenge her brother！
But Prince Tenyou is not what Rangetsu expected， and the political currents in the palace run deep and strange。 Does Rangetsu have any chance of finding justice for her brother， or will she become just another Ajin casualty in the game of kings？
Reviews
Shsb
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It's so good It's so good 。。。more
Jasmine Wilks
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Another great series from Rei Toma， I love her others works and had no worries that I wouldn’t like this series。 Great first volume can’t wait for more！
Nessa
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TW: Attempted sexual assault and prostitutionThank you Edelweiss and Viz Media for the eARC！ So this was much more of a darker manga than I expected。 It also gave me a tiiiiiny bit of a Mulan vibe with Rangetsu disguising herself as a boy。 There also isn’t too much of a romance aspect as there is revenge， so I’m assuming it’s going to be one hell of a slow burning romance。 The plot about Rangetsu and her brother is so emotional and sad and I was definitely rooting for her to find out what happen TW: Attempted sexual assault and prostitutionThank you Edelweiss and Viz Media for the eARC！ So this was much more of a darker manga than I expected。 It also gave me a tiiiiiny bit of a Mulan vibe with Rangetsu disguising herself as a boy。 There also isn’t too much of a romance aspect as there is revenge， so I’m assuming it’s going to be one hell of a slow burning romance。 The plot about Rangetsu and her brother is so emotional and sad and I was definitely rooting for her to find out what happened to her brother。 One thing I wondered though， and maybe it’s just the art style， but the story says Ajin boys are the ones taken to serve as the Imperial Palace’s beast servants but Youbi， a prince’s beast， looks really feminine。 Other than that this is a very interesting story and I really want to know what happens next。 。。。more
Natalie
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I loved the Dawn of the Arcana series， so it was nice to return to this world。 The first volume was just okay。 Going to read a few more volumes before I decide if I like it or not。
Dana
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Uh oh。。。 I’m in love with the fourth prince。
Evelyn
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Ajin， or Beast-men， live a sub-human existence despite being stronger than humans。 The boys are forced to be soldiers and bodyguards， the girls are forced to be prostitutes and menial servants。 They're only allowed one child; they can't gather in large groups; and they can't attack humans。 Ajin boys with special abilities are highly sought after and Rangetsu's younger twin brother （Sogetsu） got taken away to serve the fourth prince because of this。 Sogetsu was killed not long after entering the Ajin， or Beast-men， live a sub-human existence despite being stronger than humans。 The boys are forced to be soldiers and bodyguards， the girls are forced to be prostitutes and menial servants。 They're only allowed one child; they can't gather in large groups; and they can't attack humans。 Ajin boys with special abilities are highly sought after and Rangetsu's younger twin brother （Sogetsu） got taken away to serve the fourth prince because of this。 Sogetsu was killed not long after entering the palace。Rangetsu vowed revenge for her brother's murder and disguised herself as a boy， gained a reputation on the battlefield， and clawed her way to the position of Beast-Servant for the fourth prince。 However， she quickly found out that the prince had nothing to do with the murder， meaning her hunt for the killer is still ongoing。Overall， the premise of the story is intriguing and I'm curious to see how it plays out， especially with Rangetsu pulling a Mulan。 However， the story seems to move at an extremely fast pace and barely leaves room for character development。 The action scenes are also lackluster， understandable for a shojo， but still disappointing。 This is the first volume， however， and could still improve。 。。。more
aneemez。reads
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EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS <3Really looking forward to the next volume
Dani（elle）
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3。5 I like the intrigue of what's going on。 The forced prostitution of the Ajin was uncomfortable but also it should be。 I haven't read the other series set in this universe but I am interested now。 3。5 I like the intrigue of what's going on。 The forced prostitution of the Ajin was uncomfortable but also it should be。 I haven't read the other series set in this universe but I am interested now。 。。。more
Chelsey
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Rei Toma's work is lovely and oh so dark。 Toma does not shy away from difficult subjects like sex work， slavery， class systems etc。 I was impressed by The King's Beast， such an amazing story born of revenge and wanting to be free。 The political intrigue reminds me of Requiem of the Rose King， but in King's Beast no one is quite what they show themselves to be。 I can see this as an up and coming new series， it's going to be a darker one but what a ride this series will be。 Rei Toma's work is lovely and oh so dark。 Toma does not shy away from difficult subjects like sex work， slavery， class systems etc。 I was impressed by The King's Beast， such an amazing story born of revenge and wanting to be free。 The political intrigue reminds me of Requiem of the Rose King， but in King's Beast no one is quite what they show themselves to be。 I can see this as an up and coming new series， it's going to be a darker one but what a ride this series will be。 。。。more
Susan
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Although I read a lot of comics and graphic novels， I believe this is my very first manga。 I wasn’t sure what to expect and reading in the Japanese manner was interesting and took some concentration on my part not to start at the top right corner of each page。 Once I got the hang of it I started to read quicker and it became more intuitive and easier。 The art was very appealing with the clear black and white drawings。 The style was mostly what I was expecting with the characters being portrayed Although I read a lot of comics and graphic novels， I believe this is my very first manga。 I wasn’t sure what to expect and reading in the Japanese manner was interesting and took some concentration on my part not to start at the top right corner of each page。 Once I got the hang of it I started to read quicker and it became more intuitive and easier。 The art was very appealing with the clear black and white drawings。 The style was mostly what I was expecting with the characters being portrayed either as adorable and cute when young or beautiful and sexy as adults。 The characters are mostly males but gosh they are pretty！ At first， I kept mistaking them for women as they were very feminine。 I’m not sure why Rangetsu felt the need to cut her hair to appear as a male because most of the men have long hair。 I guess it was symbolic of her transformation from girl into male warrior。The story was engaging and a lot darker than I had anticipated。 The treatment of the Ajin race was appalling and so sad。 As a subjugated race the male Ajin serve as beast-servants for royals and I’m assuming those not chosen are just regular slaves。 The female Ajin serve as prostitutes until they get too old and become just servants/slaves。 It’s a very bleak existence and I could fully understand why Rangetsu wanted to break out of this awful system。 Of course， she also wants vengeance for her murdered twin brother and has little regard for her own well being。 She is a character I can cheer for and I sincerely hope that this series ends with the wheel being broken， so to speak。 After my initial confusion， my first foray into manga was a success。 I’m not sure that I totally get all that it was trying to say， and the inclusion of deeper messages surprised me a bit。 I shouldn’t have been surprised by this complexity; manga is hugely popular for good reason。 I enjoyed this introduction， and I am encouraged to keep going in the series and to seek out more manga in the future。I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway but this has not influenced my review in any way。 。。。more
Destiny Henderson
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I read Dawn of the Arcana when I around 16 or 17 （despite Caesar being way too pushy in his introduction， tho he mellows out）， and it is one of my favorite shoujo manga。 I was surprised to hear the series got a spin-off。I feel like things are moving too quickly， but the initial premise is already set up。 I’m not dazzled by anything， but I’ll consider reading a volume two to see if it can capture my interest。SN: There’s a The Water Dragon’s Bride oneshot at the end！
Paranormer Book Corner
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Such a great start to the story！ I hope there is more to it！ I can't wait to see more！ Such a great start to the story！ I hope there is more to it！ I can't wait to see more！ 。。。more
Tomas Bjornstad
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Overall a descent read。 Nothing too unique yet about the characters but for a first book it does have a "hook" - the palace intrigue and murder mystery story line make me want to read the next volume。 A solid 3。5 stars。 Overall a descent read。 Nothing too unique yet about the characters but for a first book it does have a "hook" - the palace intrigue and murder mystery story line make me want to read the next volume。 A solid 3。5 stars。 。。。more
Octavia
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I think I wanted more but right as I thought I'd get some good action and revenge things turned all soft and not what I hoped for。 I'll read the next 2 volumes though because things can always change！ I think I wanted more but right as I thought I'd get some good action and revenge things turned all soft and not what I hoped for。 I'll read the next 2 volumes though because things can always change！ 。。。more
April Gray
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Squee！ This has all the good stuff in it- a young beastkin woman pretending to be a boy to avenge her brother's death， some enemies-to-lovers-ish sparks， a handsome young prince in the Imperial court， with said court full of political intrigue， a harsh world where the Ajin， a beastkin race that are treated like second-class citizens， forced to become slaves to the royals， to give us some ugliness to want to see taken down， and gorgeous， be-still-my-beating-heart artwork！ The story flows along ni Squee！ This has all the good stuff in it- a young beastkin woman pretending to be a boy to avenge her brother's death， some enemies-to-lovers-ish sparks， a handsome young prince in the Imperial court， with said court full of political intrigue， a harsh world where the Ajin， a beastkin race that are treated like second-class citizens， forced to become slaves to the royals， to give us some ugliness to want to see taken down， and gorgeous， be-still-my-beating-heart artwork！ The story flows along nicely， teasing out hints of undercurrents of treachery and deceit。 Volume 2， here I come！#TheKingsBeastVol1 #NetGalley 。。。more
Miranda Coulson
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Interested in the world and author's other work; social commentary is popular these days， which is a big thing。 I sense a romance will be brewing soon， if my guess on these sorts of stories is correct。 Will continue with volume 2 Interested in the world and author's other work; social commentary is popular these days， which is a big thing。 I sense a romance will be brewing soon， if my guess on these sorts of stories is correct。 Will continue with volume 2 。。。more
Alisa
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I absolutely adored this author's previous series， The water dragon's bride， so I was really looking forward to this new one by her。 And I loved it so much！ As was the water dragon's bride， this is very much character driven。 The plot is a murder mystery。 Basically， in this world there are humans and ajin。 Ajin have some animalistic traits， like ears，tails etc。 And they are enslaved by humans。 The ajin men fight in the army， the women work in brothels， and when they get old they become servants I absolutely adored this author's previous series， The water dragon's bride， so I was really looking forward to this new one by her。 And I loved it so much！ As was the water dragon's bride， this is very much character driven。 The plot is a murder mystery。 Basically， in this world there are humans and ajin。 Ajin have some animalistic traits， like ears，tails etc。 And they are enslaved by humans。 The ajin men fight in the army， the women work in brothels， and when they get old they become servants who do manual labor。 It is a tough life filled with despair， pain and humiliation。 The only ajin who are a little bit more lucky than the rest are those who are serving at the palace。 And our heroine's brother Sogetsu was that lucky one。 He was supposed to have a better life。 But then Rangetsu， our heroine， finds out that he was murdered and rumor has it that the murderer is the fourth prince， the one Sogetsu was actually serving。 Rangetsu becomes obsessed with revenge。 She runs away， pretends to be a boy and joins the army。 She has a brutal life of training and murder。 She herself admits that she doesn't even know how many people and ajin she has killed along the way， she lost count a long time ago。 All that for the sole purpose of being noticed by the palace so she could get close to the fourth prince and kill him。 But when she gets close to her intended target she realizes that he didn't kill her brother and that he is the only person apart from her who is grieving his death。 And so the two of them start a proper investigation。 Like i said， the plot itself is a murder mystery， but this is only volume one and there is very little progress of the crime solving。 The main focus here is on the characters。 And I adored them。 Rangetsu is incredible。 She had to endure so much in her life。 I love it that she is physically strong， a great fighter and tactic， she is the one who runs to save people， not the other way around。 The relationship between her and the prince is so sweet， I can't wait for him to find out that she is a girl， that will be something。 There is some darkness here as well， I begin to understand that this is Rei Toma's signature style。 The art is great， as i knew it would be。 This is not a series for everyone， but if you're character driven stories this is a good one to pick up。 Thank you to Edelweiss+ for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jessica Figueroa
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Ajin are basically beastlike humans who are slaves in this world。 If they are gifted with powers they go on to better things or at least better then the other option but they work for royalty as guards。 Rangetsu's twin brother had powers and was taken to prince Tenyou and died shortly after。 Now she's working her way up the ranks as a man to be by Tenyou's side and assassinate him but finds there is more to it。 This was definitely and interesting start of a series。 I loved the characters and get Ajin are basically beastlike humans who are slaves in this world。 If they are gifted with powers they go on to better things or at least better then the other option but they work for royalty as guards。 Rangetsu's twin brother had powers and was taken to prince Tenyou and died shortly after。 Now she's working her way up the ranks as a man to be by Tenyou's side and assassinate him but finds there is more to it。 This was definitely and interesting start of a series。 I loved the characters and getting an idea of what is going on。 I love the mystery aspect of now we gotta figure out who might be behind the death of Rangetsu's brother and the mystery person who keeps coming at her。 There was a couple attempted at the ajins life but its unclear why her instead of the prince shes protecting。 I'm curious to see what's next。 。。。more
Nelly Valentina
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Rei Toma siendo Rei Toma， me gusta el ritmo de la historia， sus diseños son bellísimos， la historia no ha decaído， me gusta un montón esta mangaka！ Original， entretenido y conmovedor。
Sarah Evans
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Action and romance set in an intriguing fantasy world of humans and human-like beasts。 Rangetsu， lost her twin brother Sogetsu when he showed the special abilities valued by the royal family。 But Sogetsu only served Prince Tenyou for a short time before being killed in court intrigue。 Determined to find out the truth about his death， and avoid the terrible fate of female beasts like her， Rangetsu disguises herself a boy and becomes a top Ajin。 Hired to the palace， she finds herself developing re Action and romance set in an intriguing fantasy world of humans and human-like beasts。 Rangetsu， lost her twin brother Sogetsu when he showed the special abilities valued by the royal family。 But Sogetsu only served Prince Tenyou for a short time before being killed in court intrigue。 Determined to find out the truth about his death， and avoid the terrible fate of female beasts like her， Rangetsu disguises herself a boy and becomes a top Ajin。 Hired to the palace， she finds herself developing relationships with her potential enemies。 Enjoyable read for manga fans。 。。。more
Tbirdplanstoread
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This was a quick break from all of the craziness that I've been reading lately。。。 I really enjoyed this one and I can't wait to pick up the next volume when it comes out！ This was a quick break from all of the craziness that I've been reading lately。。。 I really enjoyed this one and I can't wait to pick up the next volume when it comes out！ 。。。more
Hannah
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The artwork in this manga is amazing！ It was beautiful to look at and easily my favorite part of the manga。 The plot， however， was boring and failed to really draw me in。 The story really didn't interest and I preferred just looking at the art。 The artwork in this manga is amazing！ It was beautiful to look at and easily my favorite part of the manga。 The plot， however， was boring and failed to really draw me in。 The story really didn't interest and I preferred just looking at the art。 。。。more
Brandie
，
***Won from a Goodreads giveaway***Rei Toma created an interesting world comprised of the ruling humans and a subservient race called the Ajin。 The Ajin are humans with some animal physical characteristics such as tall pointed ears and tails。 Some Ajin have special powers but not necessarily the same powers。 The story starts with the main character Rangetsu disguising herself as a male in order to， well multiple reasons， escape the horrible fate of female Ajin and to avenger her twin brother's d ***Won from a Goodreads giveaway***Rei Toma created an interesting world comprised of the ruling humans and a subservient race called the Ajin。 The Ajin are humans with some animal physical characteristics such as tall pointed ears and tails。 Some Ajin have special powers but not necessarily the same powers。 The story starts with the main character Rangetsu disguising herself as a male in order to， well multiple reasons， escape the horrible fate of female Ajin and to avenger her twin brother's death at the hands of the fourth prince。 Over time， which is skipped over， Rangetsu distinguishes herself as a mighty warrior and is made the fourth prince's beast-servant。 A favorable position for her to exact her revenge。 But there is more going on in the palace than she ever imagined。 Who killed her brother and why？ She'll do anything to find out and kill those responsible。I enjoyed the artwork and I really like the story。 I will definitely keep an eye out for the next volume when it comes to the USA！There is the hint of a romance to come along with some darker elements to the story。 And does Rangetsu have a secret？ o_0There is a bonus chapter of the author/artist's manga， The Water Dragon's Bride。 I'm intrigued！ 。。。more
KathleenB
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A little light on character but an interesting mystery and secrets with some fantasy notes
Rebecca
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This was an impulse pick at Barnes and Noble and I unexpectedly loved it。 Such a great start to this series with strong characterization， impending intrigue， and beautiful art。
Mckenna
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An interesting and fast read！！！ I love gender bender series' and this is no exception！ I would recommend this book to all who love Manga and want to start a new series about humans and half-human creatures along with fighting and a mystery to solve！！ 10/10 would recommend！！！ An interesting and fast read！！！ I love gender bender series' and this is no exception！ I would recommend this book to all who love Manga and want to start a new series about humans and half-human creatures along with fighting and a mystery to solve！！ 10/10 would recommend！！！ 。。。more
Jillian -always aspiring-
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2021 Read #58I’m a bit lukewarm on this series for now， but I do want to support Rei Toma’s works regardless。
Jackie Soder
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Cute story will definitely be reading more
Geoff
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A bit too melodramatic and over the top in emotion for what I want right now。 Ostensibly a court mystery with a gender-hidden love story and cross-species liberation， it seemed like so much was packed into the initial chapters that the plot and characters didn't have time to breathe。 Everything was at the highest emotional intensity， like a Yu gi oh episode right before or after the commercial break， and the intrigue seemed more about intense looks than rational plotting。**Thanks to the artist， A bit too melodramatic and over the top in emotion for what I want right now。 Ostensibly a court mystery with a gender-hidden love story and cross-species liberation， it seemed like so much was packed into the initial chapters that the plot and characters didn't have time to breathe。 Everything was at the highest emotional intensity， like a Yu gi oh episode right before or after the commercial break， and the intrigue seemed more about intense looks than rational plotting。**Thanks to the artist， publisher， and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Hannah
，
Oh wow。。 I really enjoyed this one！ The art and the story were amazing！ My only big complaint is that the pacing seemed fast。 Like。。 really fast。 I felt like I barely had the chance to settle into each thread of the plot before we were whisked off to the next one。 But it was still good！ And definitely still worth the read！
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The King's Beast, Vol. 1
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The King's Beast, Vol. 1&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft