A plunge into the world of humans and Ajin where emotions run high and fast.

Rangetsu has been assigned the fourth prince, Tenyou's beast servant. In a plot to seek revenge for her murdered twin brother, Rangetsu works with the fourth prince to find the culprit. A lot happens fast, giving readers little time to process what happens before the next event. The mistreatment of Ajin in the story seems excessive without a good explanation. Some points seem thrown in for dramatic effect but do not deliver the desired effect. The relationships develop quickly between the two main characters and many others are introduced in the first three chapters. The illustrations are great and capture the action well. The emotions of scenes and dialogue are well reflected in the manga.

I would be reluctant to recommend this book without seeing how the series progresses. It is very reminiscent of the Dawn of Arcana (same world different country) so it feels like readers will know what is going to happen. Hopefully, the plot has better pacing in the next volume.

As a side note, the bonus story about the Water Dragon Bride was great and gave me all the feels!

The King’s Beast set us up for court intrigue and deadly schemes. Apparently set in the same world as Dawn of the Arcana (which I have not read yet) humans and Ajin live side by side. Ajin, humanoid looking with animal features like ears and tail, number less than humans and so are cast to the lowest rungs into slavery.
When Rangetsu was a child her twin brother and her took a medicine to see if they had any special abilities. When her brother was found to have it he was pulled from her and taken to the palace to serve as a beast servant to Prince Touya, and then was killed not long after. Rangetsu hid her identity as a female and worked her way up to prove herself as a great potential beast servant so she can find out what it is that got her brother killed, who did it, and get revenge. When she is assigned to Prince Touya she is now in the perfect position to start finding out what she needs. So long as she survives, because the court is full of intrigue and schemes and Ajin are less than second class citizens and Rangetsu is very much in danger. It’s going to take her and Prince Touya working together to get to the bottom of what happened to her brother Sogetsu.
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While I usually wait a couple volumes before I have a definitive opinion on a series I can say this definitely has me intrigued so far, enough so to keep picking up the next couple volumes and seeing how the story goes.
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Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have read some of Rei Toma's work before, and her artwork is just beautiful. This series is no exception. Set in a fantasy world, the main character must deal with the prejudices that surrounds her people. Choosing to rise above what is expected of her, the main character becomes the beast servant to a prince. Full of fights, drama, suspense, and a bit of romance.

It was a quick read like most manga but enjoyable. It kept me interested and I wanted to know what would come next. Only upset I don’t have the next book. I will continue to read to see what will happen and if the find the culprit.

What a beautiful story. The art style did a fantastic job with the characters and expressions. I loved how the princ and the beast-servant both understand that they do not understand one another. And I cannot wait to see where this goes. I'm looking forward to the next volume already.

Revenge stories are a cliché narrative – a resentful character who goes out of their way to seek “justice “ or “atonement” by slaying the villain. These stories have an established beat and pattern for a person to expect, so stories of this kind, in my opinion, must have exceptional qualities such as background, world-building, characters, and themes.
The first volume of The King’s Beast adds a layer to the revenge narrative that shows promise and intrigue. While the development of the narrative from its construction of a discriminatory world against Ajin, the beast people of this world, and characters’ motivations can feel slow and tired of a reader who often watches anime with the same “revenge plot,” I did get mild engagement near the end. This title lays the foundations for what this concept can explore in subsequent volumes. It is a breeze to read through, and I am excited to see how mangaka Rei Toma will flesh out plot sequences whether it is through martial arts or the tension between master and servant – Prince Tenyou and Rangetsu respectively.
This is definitely for those who are into the shoujo fantasy genre such as Prince Freya and Yona of the Dawn as well as slightly tapping a niche to the recent trend of donghua (Chinese animated shows/manga) like Mo Dao Zu Shi.

I ended up really enjoying this manga. It has potential to be a favorite as I continue to read it. I had actually never read any of the authors other series but now I really want to and will definitely keep my eye on this one.

This was a super cool manga! I had read the Dawn of Arcana books a good while ago so it's a bit hard to connect those books to this to me as I can't remember too much, but I feel like if I had re-read the books I would have appreciated this one a lot more in how it relates to the other series. I think it is a pretty cool start to the series and I'm sure the other books in the series will be super cool as well!

Having never read any of Toma's other stuff, but hearing awesome things, I thought I'd give this one a try. You've definitely now got a fan, and I'm excited to see more of this, the political intrigue side very interesting on top of some really good characters. I've been reading a lot of different manga lately, and this one calls back to the stuff I loved back in high school, the ones that are still my absolute guilty pleasure series. It also vaguely reminds me of the dynamics in Rising of the Shield Hero, but not in a bad way. I'm curious to see where this goes, and the characters are awesome.

Art is beautiful with good detail, not too much, nothing exceptional but it is appealing. Story is reasonably well written but so full of tropes: revenge, twins, girl masquerading as boy, royal guard. Ok but not great.

The storyline is intriguing and I’m looking forward to volume 2 already. The artwork in this is outstanding!

Rei Toma never disappoints! I always go into her manga knowing I'll get beautiful artwork and an amazing cast of characters. I'm very excited to see where the story goes from here! This will definitely be a day one buy for me!

This is my first manga read that is meant for older readers. (I am an elementary school librarian) I was unable to download on my computer, only on my phone so it made the reading a bit more challenging but worth it. The artwork is amazing. It's a world of harsh class division. You have royalty and the Ajin. Ajin with special abilities become beast-servants to the royalty. Rangetsu and Sogestu are Ajin twins and Sogetsu is sent to serve Prince Tenyou. Sogetsu is murdered and Rangetsu disguises herself as a boy so she can avenge her brother's death. She is assigned to Prince Tenyou and it doesn't take long for her to realize that the Prince is not at all like Rangetsu thought he would be. This is a series so I anticipate deepening of characters and knowledge of their world and its complexities.

This has a very interesting plot line and beautiful artwork! Would and will definitely recommend it to readers who are looking for shoujo content and I will pick up the next volume.

This year has definitely been the year of picking up more Manga’s and seeing what stories there are. I have not read Dawn of the Arcana! So can not compare how Rei Toma previous title compares. What drew me in for The King's Beast was the synopsis and the art style. I really liked the clear lines and that the panels aren’t overcrowded.

I haven’t quite made up my mind about this the story yet, a lot of book one sets up the story and history of how Rangetsu ended up taking her twin-brother’s place as Prince Tenyou beast servant. As the story set up is more thorough, I think it’s really the next instalment that will be the verdict, however this volume has a lot of promise as to how this story could build.

It's easy to look at Rei Toma's art and forget just how dark her stories can get. This one is no exception. Set in the same world as <i>Dawn of the Arcana</i> the story follows Rangetsu, an Ajin (human with animal features, like ears and tails, and superior senses and healing abilities) as she seeks revenge against the human(s) who killed her twin brother years ago. And if you thought things were bad for the Ajin in <i>Dawn of the Arcana</i>, prepare yourself for them to be even worse here in a different nation. Ajin are absolutely second class citizens, with families only allowed one child (excluding multiple births), men and boys conscripted into either the army or as body guards known as Beast-Servants, and women are forced into sex work when they're young and switched over to menial labor when they age out of that. Rangetsu's brother dies in service to the Fourth Prince, and she flees the brothel her mother takes her to, cuts her hair, and learns to fight in order to hunt down his killer. It's brutal, and Toma doesn't shy away from that.

But it also is a good story, one where very few people are what they seem to be, the system of oppression is looking like it might be ripe for being shredded, and change clearly lurks just around the bend. I don't anticipate this being an easy series, but I'm willing to be on it being a good one.

This manga has the makings of all of my favorite storylines: enemies to lovers, imperial families, GORGEOUS drawing style. I’m very intrigued to see what gifts other characters have and who was responsible for her brother’s death. The style of drawing already makes me want to buy other manga by the artist/author!

I really like how this story gives you the background information in an easily understandable way. It sets up the plot fairly quickly and you are immersed in the world very quickly. The art style is also very nice and not too flowery. There are many interesting surprises that await the reader.

I was so excited when I heard we were getting a new Rei Toma title, let alone another one in the world of Dawn of the Arcana.
This chinese inspired story is fantastic. We have a rich political climate, characters that you are rooting for, and an enemies to lovers kind of romantic subplot that I am shipping HARD after this first volume.
I am so excited to see this revenge story unfurl. I am anxiously awaiting volume 2!

I loved this manga and can't wait for the second volume! The art is gorgeous and the story kept me hooked. I'd recommend this to others.