I didn’t know what to expect! I heard many reviews that actually like this book but this put me on a whole epic zoo adventure that I ended up loving! Love the characters and the journey they’re on! Which makes me dying to read the whole trilogy and I will! The supernatural elements were well balanced along with the story pacing! The ending was a little dragged even with the cliffhanger but still a solid read

This book is not outstanding, but I overall enjoyed the vibe of it!
I loved to learn some Pan-African folklore (don't skip the Author's note - she explains things in more detail there). the characters definitely felt like teenagers and I appreciated that they weren't too tough and had both family issues.
The writing style fitted the story. However, some sentences were repeated a lot throughout the story.
I was immediately hooked in, but the real plot aka the hunt unfortunately only started around the 40 to 45% mark and everything after that felt really quick. The "hunt" itself wasn't really a hunt and I feel like the summary is misleading. they need to find the beast, yes, but it's not a classic hunt like you'd expect. they encounter others beasts (which were creepy, loved that!) and then everything was kinda gifted to them. i wish the author would have dragged out the hunt some more and cut out some stuff at the end and put it in the second more. or maybe lengthened the book itself, so it didn't feel so fast.

Despite that, this book is still good for anyone that wants to learn more about African myths!

I appreciate PenguinTeen releasing this book again on Netgalley after it's already been out. I enjoyed reading it. Ayana Gray has a brilliant mind. I love long books, and this was a great one to dive into. I really got drawn into the story and found myself interested in Kofi and Ekon's magic and alliance. I can't wait to read the next book!

I will always be a sucker for mythology and magic especially when they are done as well as they were in this novel. The writing, the world, the characters and everything else was so beautiful that I can't wait to read more from Ayana Gray.

This is my second fantasy read ever I am normally a romance reader. I think I might hyperfixate on this genre if they are anything like what I have read so far. Ayana took great time and detail unfoiling the different stories and the plot. It came together beautifully. It read like a creation story from an African Mythology that I loved. I now have to catch up on the other parts because of the cliff hanger at the end. Thank you net galley for the read.

This was a wonderful story with beautiful mythology and amazing magic. I can't wait to read the rest of the series. It's written so beautifully.

Ayana Gray is a mastermind, and “Beasts of Prey” is a beautiful, gripping testament to her inimitable talent.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Amazing debut and first in a series! The world building is so good, the characters are great, I'm so intrigued by where the story is going. Great fantasy.

I thoroughly enjoyed the writing and the way this story was developed. Gray made you feel for the characters in a way that I did not expect. I found the plot extremely interesting and worthwhile. This was truly a solid young adult novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for access to this e-book. I received it in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good book. If you like rich, detailed stories with rich, complex characters, this is for you. Now, I’ll admit, I had a hard time at first remembering all of the characters because there are quite a few. And we get chapters for them. Which was great because I loved getting to know them.

From the start the story was gripping and I wanted to know more about the world and the magic especially. I’m so used to seeing magic being treated with happiness in most books that for this to not be that way, it was a little fresh for me.

It’s a long read and sometimes the pacing was just a little jumpy for me. I couldn’t really keep going, just sometimes I found myself bored. But when the book picked up I was hooked back in and couldn’t put it down.

It’s the first in a series so if you’re looking for a new one to pick up, I highly recommend this one.

for me it gets 4/5 stars.

Thank you to netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Nancy Paulsen Books for allowing me to read this book. Once again Gray knocked it out the park. This was definitely a must read.

I was excited to read Beasts of Prey but it's not holding my attention. I keep putting it down to read other things so I'm tapping out. I started reading it at the beginning of the month and have only made it to 5% mark.

I actually enjoyed this much more than I expected to. It is a book that has been on my radar for a while but I never got around to reading. I loved the main characters and the different perspectives. I found the world-building to be very intriguing and immersive. I love all the different magical creatures. It was super easy to get into and understand the politics and magic system. I thought it was fully developed in all aspects, including character arcs and plotting. It’s a fun, quick, easy read that I think most YA fantasy readers would enjoy. It isn’t necessarily anything new or fresh for the genre, it’s fairly standard. But I liked the characters and story world. It’s a very solid YA fantasy book and the writing style is perfect for someone who wants something that isn’t too dense. I don’t think it is a series that I will continue with, but I definitely still recommend it.

This may just be my new favorite YA story of all time. Ekon and Koffi are such complex and complicated characters that Ayana breathes life into and allows the reader a glimpse into this well-crafted world.

It’s a mix of fantasy, magic, and unique creatures that keep your heart pumping fast as you turn the page to see what happens next. I couldn’t stop reading this one and definitely read it faster than most books.

I love how Ekon and Koffi go from enemies to something slightly more than friends in this as they both struggle with their own identities and so many things that they thought they knew are questioned and challenged in ways that would have most people reeling for days. Yet these two struggle forward and fight through the roadblocks thrown their way.

A great start to a new YA fantasy trilogy featuring two Black teens. Full of mythos and magic, adventure and a bit of romance too. This is perfect for fans of authors like Liselle Sambury or Tracey Deonn. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review! I'm looking forward to reading more in this series!

Beasts of Prey is the first book in this new YA magical fantasy series by Ayana Gray.
This was incredibly well-written. I was captured by this book from page one, pulled into this fascinating fantastical world of Lkossa. Gray’s strong writing and beautiful imagery transported me into an utterly captivating fantasy world.
The character development and depth were amazing.
Both main characters are loveable, real, strong and independent.
Our main characters Koffi, Ekon, and Adiah were very well developed, and the multiple POVs added so much depth to the story.
A spellbinding YA fantasy book trilogy and I can’t wait to start book two Beasts of Ruin!

Thank You NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray is a one helluva journey into fantasy, magic, mythological animals, Gods, and Goddesses.

Koffi, Ekon, and Adiah are the three main characters of this story. They are young and have their own demons that they are dealing with. They embark on a quest that I am not going to reveal (could be a spoiler) for their own reasons. There's a twist that completely changes the arc of this book.

The characters are jaded, a little gray, and courageous at the same time. This book is the first book in the series, and the third book will be released soon. I enjoyed this young adult fantasy a lot. The wonderful world of African mythology is just stunning, and I will be reading the second one soon.

Thank you, Penguin Group and Putnam books for this book.

CW: Manipulation, slavery, and some violence.

Beasts of Prey focuses on Koffi and Ekon who are hunting a Shetani. Koffi to pay her debt at the night circus and Ekon to win favor with the Son of the Six. Even though they work well together, each having different strengths they don’t completely trust each other.

My one real complaint are the Adiah chapters. I kept trying to find a connection to the main characters and by the time I was halfway through the book I was getting frustrated. Thankfully it all makes complete sense but it takes almost the whole book before that reveal.

I like Koffi and Ekon. There were raised completely different but both their experiences leave them wise for their age. Beasts of Prey ends leading right into book two. I did think Beasts of Prey was good overall. Everything came together nicely but I wasn’t dying to find out what happened next.


I received a copy of Beasts of Prey via NetGalley.

Loved everything about this book from the magic system to the diverse characters. I need to catch up on the rest of the series before the final book comes out.

Absolutely loved this one. Great world-building, mystery, and storytelling. I guessed one major plot point correctly, but was shocked by the other. Excited to read the other books in this trilogy!