Debuts are so difficult to discuss. Actually, books in general are difficult to discuss but I digress. Beasts of Prey is one of the most incredible debuts I’ve ever read. The worldbuilding is expertly entwined with African folklore, the plot is a complex web of shocking twists, and the characters are richly imagined. Like how are people this talented???

Beasts of Prey takes place in a world where magic is gone. Yet, we still see sparks of it everywhere. When Koffi and Ekon go into the Greater Jungle, there are so many creatures based off of African folklore running around. They’re terrifying and unique and I had the greatest time just being scared for Ekon and Koffi*. For example, the grootslang is an elephant and a snake combined, and it’s just such a cool creature that I’ve never really come across in literature before. Truly, this world is so rich and brimming with atmosphere and imagery that I fell in love with the setting almost immediately.

*that’s what some might call immersion but what i like to call getting too attached
The funny thing about these characters is that I wasn’t too sold on them at first. Koffi annoyed me at first, but after experiencing the growth of her character arc she’s at least tolerable to me now. I was nervous about Ekon being a basic male YA lead, but his character arc is actually enthralling. He deals with anxiety and what I think is OCD (never explicitly called that on-page however). His complex relationship with his brother and his feelings towards his father were definitive highlights of the book for me. On the other hand, both characters made some um…questionable decisions at times. You know, the kind of decisions teens in a horror movie make? Where you’re yelling at the screen and simultaneously feeling your soul die? Anyways, I really adored their dynamic together, interesting judgment choices aside. Oh, and we also get a third character perspective occasionally that confused me…until one particular plot twist hit.

Speaking of twists, I am seriously surprised that this is a debut. Ayana Gray has crafted a thrilling, rich story with the talent of a master author. Unfortunately, it can become a bit too easy to predict where a story is going to go. I guessed virtually nothing until the reveal was within 30 pages. The last half of this book becomes a whirlwind of high stakes, shocking character revelations, and tense encounters. Like, I can already tell that this is the set-up for the next big YA series!

Beasts of Prey reminded me a lot of We Hunt The Flame with the jungle, the quest, and the banter. I also love how both are diverse reads that incorporate different real-life cultures into a fantasy world. I would 100% recommend this book for fans of Hafsah Faizal’s duology.

My only major qualm with this book is the romance. I don’t really understand the concept of having the two characters in a romance in the first book of a series. I’d much rather have the characters in a relationship that develops over time, personally.

Overall, this was a really solid debut. While I do think that some moments were a little bit too heavy on the generic YA fantasy train, and the romance was far too rushed for my tastes, I would honestly consider this to be one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s a story that packs a powerful punch, and perfectly satisfies the YA fantasy craving. This is an easy 4.5/5 stars!

This book started out very prose heavy with dense dialogue and scene setting. But. If one can persevere through that, this story is magnificent.
The descriptions of the land, it’s clothing, the culture was so rich and vibrant, it leapt off the page with such beautiful coloring and scenery…I cannot help but marvel at Ms. Gray’s work.
The mysticism and legendary inspiration is so clearly seen here…I cannot wait for the sequel.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Receiving these materials in no way impacted my review.

This was beautifully written. I loved reading about new to me mythology and creatures. I am so excited to continue the series and I can’t wait for everyone else to read this book!

I would like to thank Penguin Teen Canada and NetGalley for the eArc.

This book was one of my anticipated Fall releases so I was ecstatic to read this early. I really liked this book. I was immersed in the story and I fell in love with Ekon and Koffi (the two main characters). I also loved Adiah’s story and liked that the novel had multiple POVs that switched throughout.
I liked the Greater Jungle and learning about the different creatures. I also loved that an author note was included as it gave more insight to all the creatures and myths that were included. I haven't read many YA fantasy books in a while so I was happy to read this. Some parts were predictable and other parts blew me away. The ending was so intense that I am definitely looking forward to the sequel. Ekon and Koffi were so cute and I want to see/read more about them.

I had a hard time getting into this book, I was not sucked in as I had expected but it definitely picked up by the second half of the book. I liked the characters, the world is very, very interesting and so is the magic system. I am definitely looking forward to learning more about the magic and the characters, too.

This book started off a little slow for me, and it took me awhile to connect with the characters. But once I did, I was transported into a vibrant jungle world with unique and terrifying beasts, secret magic, and a quest to save the world from the god of death. The world building and lore is a great strength to this book—honestly everything else pales in comparison. But I would still say the last half of the book is thrilling, with plot twists I did see coming, but somehow still managed to surprise me.. I couldn't read fast enough, and I need the second book right away!

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 3
Overall: 4

Thank you, Penguin and NetGalley, for the ARC!

Told in the perspective of three characters, Beasts of Prey primarily follows Koffi and Ekon, on their quest to find the Shetani — a vicious monster that’s responsible for the death of many in Lkossa. Koffi’s determined to buy her and her mother’s freedom from the Night Zoo, whereas Ekon wants to avenge his father, and to prove he’s worthy of being a Son of the Six.

I don’t even know where to begin with my Beasts of Prey review. To be quite honest, I really struggled with it in the beginning — I’m not the biggest high fantasy reader, and the worldbuilding didn’t really make sense to me until I was a good chunk of the way through the book. Once I did get a grasp of the magic system, I found that I really enjoyed it.

Although the story is a little predictable (and I really didn't find the romance subplot between Koffi and Ekon to be necessary at all), I did enjoy this book overall and would recommend it to readers who like fantasy more than I do!

Indentured to the infamous Night Zoo, Koffi and her mother have worked hard to pay off their debts, only to have their contract of freedom retracted, by the evil zoo master, resulting in Koffi unleashing a threatening power.
              To claim his place within the Sons of Six, Ekon forms an alliance with Koffi, to bring down the terror of Shetani - a mystical beast who has haunted the City of Lkossa for ages. As they dive deep into The Greater Jungle, they encounter a world steeped in magic and dangerous creatures who lurk at every turn, and soon the question arises, are they hunters or the hunted?

Ekon is a sweetheart, he struggles with OCD and anxiety but that's never portrayed as an issue for the compatibility of the protagonists, rather Koffi adjusts well. Overall an incredible story, set in an incredibly well built world, filled with lores and folk tales.

4.5 stars rounded up

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** spoiler alert **

Wowowow this has properly exceeded my expectations!

The plot was substantially richer than I anticipated. If you had asked me what the book was about, I'd have said, "Two teenagers have to hunt a dangerous monster in a haunted forest." Which... yes?

But considering [MILD SPOILER] they don't even get to the forest until 50% through the book, I kept thinking... what the hell is happening, and what is the point of any of this? It was hovering around 3.5 or 4 stars in my head. So yeah, they had us in the first half, I ain't gonna lie. 😂

But, whew! Ms. Ayana really came through with the mythology and the folklore and the politics and the time-hopping and layers of intrigue.

[BIGGER SPOILER] And the revelation in Chapter 28 had me shooketh! Very much an accurate depiction of contemporary strategies for how warlords often control their forces (particularly child soldiers). Sickening and disheartening but very real.

Also, I looooove the portrayal of anxiety! Actually, there were quite a few moving scenes about dealing with trauma and loss and disappointment and getting yourself in a good headspace. Well done.

And that ending! I need to read the final copy cuz I MUST know if some of the words I saw were typos OR a subtle nod to something larger at play in Book 2.

Please be sure to read the Author's Note at the end. I truly appreciate all of the thought and care that went into this book.

Highly recommend, can't wait until it is released!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers for the e-ARC!

I received a copy of this novel as an e-ARC from both NetGalley and Penguin Teen. Any and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Koffi was thrown into the Night Zoo at a young age with her mother, having to pay back the debt of her dead father. Ekon is a warrior in training wanting to follow in his father's footsteps, but now has to prove his worth in a way he never thought possible: hunting down the creature that has tortured his city. The two will have to combine forces to combat a deadly forces and discover things they never thought were possible.

The world-building in this story was phenomenal. There was the main city of Lkossa and the Sons of the Six and the mythology, it was all so beautifully done and weaved throughout the story. I found myself wanting to learn more and more about this world the more I spent in it. I also liked the magic system in this story with the splendor and how it manifests itself. It's something I haven't really seen in recent stories, that has its limits based on the user and what exactly it can do based on the user's emotional state. I can't wait to see more about it in the sequel.

Now in terms of characters, I absolutely loved Ekon! He has OCD and tends to favor things in threes and patterns in threes, and I think it was incorporated pretty well. Its inclusion in the story didn't make Ekon seem any weaker or stronger, but it made him more relatable and a great character to read about. I also related to him a lot when it came to his preferred interest in books and dealing with trauma. I did like Koffi, even though she was too headstrong for my usual liking.

The romance is very slow to start, as the characters don't really meet until about a third of the way through the story, similar to how We Hunt the Flame does it. However, I felt like there could have been some more tense moments between Ekon and Koffi to build the romance up a bit more. It felt a bit rushed, as a result, but I'm hoping that gets adjusted in the sequel and other books.

ALSO that ending absolutely threw me for a loop. My jaw was on the floor for the last few chapters because it was that insane. Things I did not expect but in looking back were built up so well!

Overall, Beasts of Prey is a beautiful, captivating first novel by Ayana Gray and I cannot wait to delve more into her mystical and deadly world.

BEASTS OF PREY is one of those exciting debuts that you know from the first page is going to be incredibly special. There's so much Black girl magic and incredible world-building based on Pan-African cultures that you can't help but be entranced by this one. It has quests, adventure, betrayal and so many magical creatures that very easily keep a reader's attention. Pacing is absolutely fantastic in this book, there are always twists and turns around the corner that keep the story charging forward. I really liked seeing Koffi and Ekon, two characters who are very different yet both have things to prove to themselves and others, and their character developments as they find themselves paired to go into The Greater Jungle to find the Shetani. I love how their quests soon thrust them in the center of a plot to destroy the world they live in, forcing both characters to make difficult choices and sacrifices that push them on. Ayana Gray is a phenomenal storyteller and writer and I can just tell that she has a really incredible career ahead of her. She writes with such a strong voice and I just adored every moment of her prose. This author is definitely one to watch. There is also wonderful mental health representation in this one too. BEASTS OF PREY is perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi and Caraval, a story about how the greater good often requires personal sacrifice.

Thank you to Netgalley & Penguin Teen for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The broken city of Lkossa doesn't have magic, especially not for sixteen year old girls like Koffi. As an indentured worker of the Night Zoo, Koffi and her mother work as animal keepers to pay off their family's debt. When her family is threatened by the Night Zoo's master, Koffi unleashes a power that will have dire consequences.

Ekon has been destined to become an elite warrior as part of the Sons of Six. On the night of his final rite, it's interrupted by a fire. Ekon encounters the Shentani--a mystical beast that has plagued the city and his nightmares--and a young girl who seems able to control it. But he allows her to evade capture and ruins his chances of becoming a warrior.

Desperate to belong, Ekon vows to bring down the Shetani and claim his place within the Sons of Six. Koffi is determined to bring the Shetani to the Night Zoo to pay off her debts. The two cross paths and decide to work together while keeping their true motives hidden from each other. They enter the Greater Jungle and find a world full of magic and dangerous creatures. But are they the hunters or the hunted?

The world of Lkossa was incredible. I loved how detailed the world was, the culture and inhabitants of the world were vibrant and alive. Then there was the Jungle. It was definitely it's own entity and it was quite terrifying. There were so many creatures and monsters that roam the Jungle and I was definitely terrified while reading this. I do not want to go there no thanks. There are too many snakes and snake-creatures for me.

I really loved Koffi, she was such an easy character to relate to and root for. Koffi just wants to save her mother and her friend from the Night Zoo, but she ends up with much more than that. I loved the exploration of magic we get to see from her perspective. I loved how fierce and determined she was. And she gets creative when in sticky situations.

Ekon was a cinnamon roll and I definitely just want to give the poor boy a hug. He needs like 10 at least. Ekon deals with anxiety and OCD throughout the story, but it's never treated as something he must overcome. Koffi accommodates his behavior and I just love seeing characters get the accommodations they need.

This book is one giant quest, so if you're a fan of epic fantasy this book is for you. Especially if you enjoyed Kingdom of Souls or The Good Luck Girls.

Rep: Black/African female MC, Black/African male MC with anxiety and OCD, Black/African female MC, supporting cast of BIPOC characters.

CWs: Blood, death, drug use without consent, fire, injury/injury detail, medical content, mental illness (anxiety/OCD), murder, panic attacks/disorders, violence, xenophobia.

This was such a good read full of action packed adventure and characters who try to do the right thing but don’t know which way to turn, all in a compelling fantasy setting.

This was incredible! The magic, the worldbuilding, the amazing creatures that were there all came together to be a perfect book. I did have some issues with one of the POVs, as I thought it was a bit unnecessary and didn't bring that much to the story, but overall, I really enjoyed this.

First of all, thank you to Penguin Teen for an eARC!

This was an absolutely fantastic debut! Lkossa, the city where the first half of the book takes place, is magic-less, until Koffi, a young girl indentured to the Night Zoo, unleashes a power within her.

Ekon, a young boy fated to follow his family and become an elite warriro, a Son of the Six, a fire breaks out. It's then he meets a strange girl, Koffi. Though she saves him, letting her go would ruin his chance at becoming a Son of the Six, so he follows her to hunt the Shetani and stop its terror.

I loved the magic, although I never fully understood how it worked. I also really enjoyed the Night Zoo, and found the beasts and the magical creatures of the world to be very fascinating. I loved the enemies to lovers trope, and I found all the characters to be well written and complex.

I have been patiently waiting for this book since I saw Ayana at a virtual library event (in the early spring?) with Angie Thomas and I think they’d recently revealed the cover and it was GORGEOUS and she was a delight and that event was wonderful and so here we are.

I didn’t get a chance to finish this before the Penguin Teen interview with her last night, but now that I’ve read it that entire conversation I watched like 🤔 suddenly makes sense 😂.

This book was wonderful. Now, I will say, I am very impatient and this is the first book and there are more coming so this one is setting the story and the scene and the world building and, like I said, I’m impatient, so the beginning was a little slow for me personally, BUT once we got in that jungle we were OFF and speeding along and there were twists and turns and surprises and my brain was figuring things out and also NOT figuring things out and then you have that great scene at the end of a fantasy novel with the big bad some reveals and then the CLIFFHANGER. And it’s a 😦😦😦😦 cliffhanger. And now I gotta wait for this next one in like a year. 😐

I really loved the two main characters, Koffi and Ekon I thought played off each other really well. I loved their personalities and Koffi is such a badass.

I’m really excited to see where this story goes. I’m in, they’ve got me hooked, I’m ready to go along for the ride.

Thank you, Penguin Teen, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Beast of Prey is my most anticipated read of 2021. It did not disappoint. Ayana Gray wrote an incredible debut Pan-African novel with rich history, culture, and characters. Ekon, Koffi, and Adiah are three distinct characters, and the author did a great job creating each character's voice. Beast of Prey is the first book in a trilogy. So I have many unanswered questions, and I cannot wait for the sequel to come out next year. The book was easy to read and get lost in the narrative.

The author includes mythology from different African cultures. I would love to see drawings of the creatures from the book. I think it would make a really interesting companion to the novel.

I think the author had Ekon and Koffi face one too many creatures in the Greater Jungle because some of those conflicts felt like filler episodes because they weren't very developed, and they were quick escapes. I would have read an entire book just about Adiah. She was a great main character, and I wish we saw more from her perspective.

Beast of Prey is a great fantasy book written by a Black author featuring Black characters. It is one of my top reads of 2021. I rate it four and a half stars.

Thank you Penquin for giving me an early copy of Beasts of Prey. I absolutely loved this book! I am so excited to get a hardcover copy on its release date. After that ending, I absolutely cannot wait for the next book to come out!

Beasts of Prey is a dynamic Pan-African fantasy that will be refreshing for readers to dive into. From indentured servitude (basically slavery), zoo-keeping, jock-like warriors, to magical creatures, BOP has it all! It's definitely a journey book over the destination, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Now recently, a lot of YA titles have fallen flat for me, but BOP truly brought back my enjoyment and hype for this age range. I'm so excited for the sequel and more books from Ayana Gray.
Also, I haven't mentioned it yet, but Ayana's writing style is phenomenal, especially due to the fact that this is her debut. I was stunned by the lyrical prose mixed with dynamic fighting scenes. Koffi, Ekon, and Adiah are complicated and ambitious characters. Each of their voices felt fully unique and fleshed out, so it was amazing to flip back and forth between them. Ultimately, their dreams and desires guide their trajectory into a fated web of deceit, chaos, and villainy. I love it!!

"Nightmares hunt like beasts of prey, vanquished in the light of day."

Okay, Google, play Welcome to the Jungle by Guns n’ Roses.

"Baba says only wicked things happen after midnight, but I know better." A heroic adventure into the Greater Jungle! BoP is a Pan-African fantasy novel with themes of betrayal, deception, and sabotage. Sacrifice. Overcoming your fears. Forgiveness. Redemption. Character development and growth is excellent! We’ve got Adiah, a wielder of magic called splendor, Koffi, a beastkeeper at the Night Zoo (Barnum & Baileys level up), and Ekon, a scholar and aspiring warrior of the Son of the Six. Koffi and Ekon strike a deal: he helps her read the map to ‘the Heart of the Jungle’ and she helps him take down the wretched and feared, primordial monster…. The Shetani beast.

For the record, I would NOT venture into the jungle.

Real. Terror. Inducing. Creatures. Koffi and Ekon had the cutest banter/commentary that will have readers smiling and saying, "daw!" The lore, world building, and magic system will keep readers engaged and turning the pages super speed style. Hold up. There's more... THE LAST SENTENCE.

This is not a stand-alone. I repeat. Not a stand alone. Right? ;) A fantastic debut novel from Ayana Gray!

🐍 READ IF YOU LIKE 🐍:
-magic x mayhem
-cat x mouse
-South African mythology/beings x creatures
-OwnVoices x diversity rep
-mental health rep: OCD onset from childhood trauma and PTSD.
-shriek inducing plot twists
-multiple POV: Ekon, Koffi, and Adiah
-past vs. present
-#IsThisAKissingBook: 14+ young adult. It’s a slow-burn. Oh, Ekon. *wink*. He’s hopeless (IYKYK). "…their faces were inches apart now. He could count the eyelashes framing her eyes."

Thank you Penguin Young Readers for an advanced copy!

🎶Song: Jungle by X Ambassadors and Jamie N Commons🎶