This book was absolutely incredible. I love the idea of having these beasts inside while also not wanting to give in to a more "beastly" nature. I loved the two main characters and their narrators were amazing. Mancella's narrator had me on the edge of my seat during the more intense portions and it had me sitting in my car just a little bit longer just so I know what happened. The plotline was fantastic and the pacing was brilliant. The ending had me reeling with how thought-provoking it was - caging the darker parts of yourself so they don't have free reign. Overall, this was a thrilling read and I loved every moment of it.

For me, a three star review has met the following qualifications:
• The book has a clear beginning, middle, and end.
• I didn’t hate reading/listening.

That’s basically it.
It’s just kinda - meh.
Was it bad? No. But was it good? Also, no.
Will I recommend it to others? Maybe?? If you’re looking for a very specific trope or vibe, some people might enjoy it. I’m just not one of those.

Honestly, this book kind of confused me on who the intended audience is supposed to be. It reads veryyy YA. The romance is basically two barely adults having their first crush and some sloppy making out at the end. That’s it.
However, this book deals with some pretty heavy themes.

***TRIGGER WARNING:
Animal suffering/harm/death ON PAGE.
Parental psychological/emotional abuse of a child ON PAGE
Physical abuse of a child ON PAGE

***SPOILER WARNING***
The FMC is tasked with mindlessly killing animals practically her entire life. Her father forces her to kill animals because she’s able to absorb their essence/powers into her own magic. She starts by being conditioned to kill tiny insects as a very young child - her father rewards her with cupcakes for killing bugs. This gradually grows to rodents, birds, then A KITTEN, and eventually large predators like a bear, jaguar, and wolves.
For a lot of people, death and harm of animals is a major trigger. Had I known it was a main theme of this book, I probably would have skipped it.

Then there’s the child abuse/grooming/conditioning aspect of this plot that basically gets no real attention in the story. FMC loves her father despite all of the horrible things he’s done and has made her do. There’s no real exploration into how this has affected her long term or any healing from a literal life time of trauma. Ick.

There’s also an orphanage/school where children are literally tortured. Literally. They have secret torture chambers hidden away where they strap children down and do gods know what until the children are screaming in pain and submission. They’re also forced to strap rocks and boulders to their ankles and walk around 24/7 as punishment for disobeying or talking back. The older children are even tasked with assigning these punishments to the younger children. It’s really f’d up.

So yeah, maybe you see why I have a hard time believing this is YA or even New Adult. It’s dark. It’s mentally hard to digest.

The loose, fluffy plot of saving the realm just isn’t really worth all of the icky dark triggers to me.

The Beasts We Bury is a YA (dark?) fantasy that tells the story of Mancella and Silver. I enjoyed this book as it was a fun, yet, somewhat dark story. I say somewhat dark because it still felt appropriately YA!

I really enjoyed the dual narration between Mancella and Silver, and I especially love the way the audiobook narrators narrated their respective chapters. However, this book fell a bit flat to me. While I understood the characters and their actions, I felt like there was something lacking in character depth.

I think that this is a fun and quick read overall if you want a story with a cool magic system that can also be a bit gory.

3.5 ☆
•(Y)oung (A)dult
•Romantasy
-
Umm, this is wildly good and a little different. Mancella is the daughter and heir to the throne, who has the power to summon animals—only after killing them with her bare hands. Her magic is a constant reminder of the horrors her father, the ruler of the realm, has forced upon her to strengthen their power. From that premise alone, this story had me interested and invested. Midway through the book, it kind of dragged a little and I was a little bored. The male character, Silver, is a charming thief struggling to survive in a world torn apart by Mancella’s father’s reign.

The audiobook was good. The narrators did a good job telling the story. They were easy to listen to. I highly recommend the audiobook.

Thank you, Netgellay, and MacmillanAudio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

The heir to the throne thinks she’s working to prevent war by aiding a young man, who’s posing as a servant in her father’s castle.

The young man is doing what he can to protect himself and his friends, performing multiple jobs that will add up to a major heist for a man he’s not entirely sure he can trust.

She’s filled with an army’s worth of animals, a spirit for each and every animal she has (unwillingly) killed with her own two hands, but all she wants is peace.

He wants revenge against her father, but the more he gets to know her, the more he wonders if more violence is really the answer.

This dual POV, YA fantasy novel is full of secrets, the fierce loyalty of found family, feelings of betrayal, moral dilemmas, and a hint at the blush of young love.

Brenda Scott Wlazlo and Jake Chronister do an excellent job of capturing the youthfulness of the characters in their audiobook narration.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own.

This was an okay book. It was interesting how everyone that got magic had different magic. But the FMCs magic, while interesting, was also a little off putting (trigger warnings for animal cruelty, even though she desperately didn’t want to, there’s still descriptions that could be hard for people). I liked the dynamic between Silver and his friends, but hated how he was lying to Mance like the whole book. And her dad was the literal worst. Great villain writing. It was okay. Not sure I’d recommend it though. Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC!
Review up on Goodreads

I am definitely going to be the outlier here but I didn't really care for this book and I hate saying that. The story isn't bad and I think it has a lot to offer, but I could not get into it. I think the magic system was very unique and I definitely see the appeal but I kept drifting off and having to rewind the audio. This has nothing to do with the narrators as I think they did a great job.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners for access to the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up

A page-turner of a YA romantasy with deception, betrayal, family trauma, high stakes, and surprising twists! This was a very pleasant surprise and the audio narration was EXCELLENT! The performances really heightened the experience for me.

Animal lovers be aware- the magic of the main character relies on her being forced to kill them in order to gain power. She doesn't want to and is being forced by her father, but some scenes are difficult to read.

Mancella is the powerful heir to the throne, but people don't know that behind the vicious facade is a hurting and abused young woman. And at the start of the story, she isn't aware of how oppressive her father's policies are on the people they govern.

Silver is a thief and con artist tasked with gaining Mance's trust for specific reasons. But he finds that she isn't the monster he thought she was. And sparks begin to fly between the two of them...

This was a gripping narrative with high stakes and I was genuinely scared for the characters at points. The ending is wild and I need to know what happens next! This is a fantastic debut and I look forward to seeing more from the author. I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Okay this was not a bad book it just wasn’t for me. I have been trying to branch out my romance and/or murder genres so that was why I requested this book. With that being said I will definitely be able to recommend this book to students and I think they’ll genuinely enjoy it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

I got the ARC of this book and LOVED it, so when I saw the audiobook available - I used it as an excuse to listen to it too. This book was a nice romantasy. The characters were well written and the plot was amazing! There were a lot of twists and turns that got me hooked into the story and I couldn't stop reading. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what happens in the next book!

The audible to this book was good, as far as narration goes. I enjoyed it. I feel the narrator did an excellent job of bringing the characters and story to life. I would like to read the book and see if that makes me feel differently about the book at all.

I felt like it was a bit dark but unique and interesting. Mance doesn't want to be the monster that her father has trained and honed her to be. She longs to reign with peace. But as in every good story of empires and heirs we find out that the world looks different from the other side Power, things are not as great as her father made them appear. She wants to save her realm, but others just want to survive. And the boy she is falling for - well he was sent to bring down her father's power. And his actions may be fueling the problem that pushes Mance to become the monster she never wanted to become in the first place.

I felt like this was a good book.

On a side note: the artwork on the cover is beautiful.

"And that, just like he can never stomp the flowers out fully, I won’t let that spark of goodness in me die completely either."

very well written. i loved the characters and how well developed they were so quickly. I love that it was a quick paced book and not drawn out like some fantasy books are.

I really enjoyed the magic in the story as well as the premise of the story.

Great job!!

So far am LOVING this listen. The narrator is amazing. The only thing I dislike is the trigger warnings for animal cruelty - I understand why it is needed in this read but it was hard to listen to! Overall would recommend this story

2.5 Stars ✨

“One thing that I have learned is that ash makes excellent fertilizer,” “Is that so?” “Yes, once you’ve burned everything down, it’s the perfect time to help new things grow.”

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced audio copy of The Beasts we Bury, in exchange for an honest review.**

Audio 🎧 Narration 5/5 ✨

Mance, heir to the throne, longs for a reign and life without bloodshed but ever since she was young, she emerged from the arena with the power to summon animals- but only after killing them with her bare hands. Her magic is a constant reminder of the horrors her father (the Prime) has forced upon her for power. She lives every day in fear of what he will make her do next.

Silver is a thief struggling to make ends meet in the world torn apart by Mances father. One day a man full of intrigue, presents him with a job that could change his life, and also a chance to bring down the Prime and his castle. But first he will have to manipulate his daughter Mance the heir.

Mance must find a way to save her realm without becoming the ruthless monster she's been bred to be. And when Silver discovers that his actions are fueling the violence that Mance wants to prevent, he'll have to choose between his ambition and the girl he’s falling for.

This was an ok read. It started off kinda dark with some animal brutally, I wasn’t sure I would finish it. It wasn’t over the top or anything- just I love animals and I didn’t like the way this magic system was presented. It did get better the more I read- but I wasn’t excited about it. The characters were just ok and nothing truly ever got me invested in them. I also felt like there were a good bit of holes throughout the book- and things seemed a bit hollow. The romance was weird and not fully fleshed out. I also thought the ending was super confusing- especially if this ends up being a standalone. The narrator did a great job on it though. Except for the beginning just hitting me in my feels with the animal violence- this was a clean read- but unfortunately because I didn’t really enjoy it - I won’t be recommending it.

I absolutely loved this book. I usually am it super into ya as I prefer more spice but this was perfect. I did the audiobook as a got an advance copy of the audiobook and the two narrators were absolutely perfect and brought the story to life so beautifully. And let me just say I absolutely was routing for the fmc and mmc !

I can't really seem to get into the audio. Not sure if it's the narration or the storyline honestly. I'm hoping to pick this up on kindle and traditionally read and provide a review then.

I absolutely loved this book. I had a hard time putting it down. It was an epic YA fantasy that took you to a new world with dark magic and a sweet romance. I enjoyed the characters so much, especially Mance and Silver. The story was well written, and I loved the twists and turns. The beasts and the raw power of Mance and hidden magic of others made this so fascinating. I admit that I was shocked at the end, and I am looking forward to more from this author. I recommend this novel, even if you aren't YA. It is worth your time, and you won't regret it. It is an amazing book.

Thank you Net Galley ARC and MacMillian

This was really good! It starts off with a bang (with a lot of triggers so be weary). I loved our characters, it's a quick paced book which is what I look for in a fantasy, there was always something happening in the plot. The plot itself was good, I enjoyed the premise of the story and the magic system was well done.

I might have to dive more into some daker fantasies in the future!

the narrators were both great, I think this story really did well having two different narrators!

*The Beasts We Bury* is a darkly compelling romantic fantasy that follows Mancella, an heir with deadly powers, and Silver, a thief with a vendetta against her family. Their chemistry is charged as they navigate betrayal and unexpected affection, with each struggling to reconcile personal ambitions with their budding connection. The narrators, Brenda Scott Wlazlo and Jake Chronister, bring depth to these complex characters, making the tension between duty, vengeance, and love feel vivid and real. the audiobook's immersive world-building and strong performances make it a gripping experience for YA fantasy fans.

I really enjoyed this. It felt like the kind of YA that I used to read and love. Lately the market seems saturated with the same types of stories and I felt like these characters were well crafted, unique, the magic system was unique especially with Mancella's powers. I liked how this focused on the relationship Mancella has with her father, her sister, and her people rather than just a standard fantasy romance. It holds more than that and that's what I like to read in YA fantasy. I took away only one star because, well it does deal with animal death a lot, and then during the big climax I got confused as to where certain characters were to the point where I thought the main love interested died for a second and I thought oh is this how she discovers her animal ability works on humans? haha, but he was okay folks! I'm very intrigued as to how this duology will conclude now with how things turned out.