Published: 2021
Series: Beasts of Prey
Author: Ayana Gray
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Mythology, Romance, Magic, Audiobook, Adventure, High Fantasy
Audience (Grade Levels): Grades 9-12
Number of Stars: 4-star
Goodreads Link: Beasts of Prey
Triggers: Physical/Verbal Abuse (Minor), Blood (Minor), Bodies/Corpses (On Page), Bones, Death/Dying (Referenced; On Page), Drug Use (Referenced; On Page), Forced Captivity/Kidnapping, Murder (Referenced), Sexism/Misogyny/Toxic Masculinity, Sexual Content (Mild), Slavery/Indentured Servitude, Spiders, Violence (Mild)
Review By: Heather Kent
Publisher’s Summary:
Magic doesn’t exist in the broken city of Lkossa anymore, especially for girls like sixteen-year-old Koffi. Indentured to the notorious Night Zoo, she cares for its fearsome and magical creatures to pay off her family’s debts and secure their eventual freedom. But the night her loved ones’ own safety is threatened by the Zoo’s cruel master, Koffi unleashes a power she doesn’t fully understand–and the consequences are dire.
As the second son of a decorated hero, Ekon is all but destined to become a Son of the Six–an elite warrior–and uphold a family legacy. But on the night of his final rite of passage, a fire upends his plans. In its midst, Ekon not only encounters the Shetani–a vicious monster that has plagued the city and his nightmares for nearly a century–but a curious girl who seems to have the power to ward off the beast. Koffi’s power ultimately saves Ekon’s life, but his choice to let her flee dooms his hopes of becoming a warrior.
Desperate to redeem himself, Ekon vows to hunt the Shetani down and end its reign of terror, but he can’t do it alone. Meanwhile, Koffi believes finding the Shetani and selling it for a profit could be the key to solving her own problems. Koffi and Ekon–each keeping their true motives secret from the other–form a tentative alliance and enter into the unknowns of the Greater Jungle, a world steeped in wild magic and untold dangers. The hunt begins. But it quickly becomes unclear whether they are the hunters or the hunted.
In this much-anticipated series opener, fate binds two Black teenagers together as they strike a dangerous alliance to hunt down the ancient creature menacing their home–and discover much more than they bargained for.
Review:
Wow this was so fun! Beasts of Prey has been on my radar for a while and I’m very happy to report that it’s exactly as magical and entertaining as I was hoping it would be! Pulling straight from pan-African myth and full of adventure and a lot of heart, I loved every minute spent with this book. Koffi and her mother are indentured workers at the Night Zoo, which houses and displays all kinds of magical creatures from across Eshōza. It’s situated in the city of Lkossa, right on the edge of the Greater Jungle. The jungle is home to many beasts and animals too fearsome for even the Zoo, and none more terrifying than the Shetani. After almost a hundred years of reported deaths at the hands of the Shetani, a recently disgraced candidate for the elite fighting force the Sons of the Six, Ekon, must team up with Koffi. Together they plan to hunt down the Shetani and hopefully free themselves from the difficulties of their current circumstances.
Despite my first impressions, this wasn’t really ‘magic zoo’ focused at all. Instead Beasts of Prey is an adventure story where the heart of the action takes place during a long trek in a strange and dangerous jungle. Though if you’re looking for magical beasts of mythological proportions, then never fear, because this book delivers. Loyalties are tested and each character has to reckon with their own convictions. Beliefs they held all their lives as unshakable truths look suddenly different in new light. Who is deserving of our trust, and what institutions need more scrutiny? As much as this is an epic fantasy full of fun magic and animals, there’s also an exploration of morality and the search for the truth. I’m super excited to see where the story goes from here, as there’s a moderately sized cliffhanger ending in Beasts of Prey. While the immediate danger is gone, there’s still so much left to unpack. I’m very impressed with this debut by Ayana Gray, and look forward to more of her work!
Classroom & Curricular Connections:
- English Language Arts / Creative Writing (World-Building & Sensory Description): The text stands out for its exceptional use of vivid imagery and rich descriptive language. Educators can use this high-fantasy novel to teach secondary students the mechanics of world-building, analyzing how the author employs sensory details to construct the mythical city of Lkossa and the perilous Greater Jungle.
- Social Studies / Folklore & Mythology (African-Inspired Pan-African Lore): The novel offers an engaging gateway into non-Western mythological traditions. Teachers can design lessons mapping the magical creatures and societal structures in the book to real-world Pan-African folklore and history, expanding students’ understanding of mythological archetypes beyond traditional Eurocentric frameworks.
- “Honor vs. Survival” Socratic Seminar: Following the reviewer’s focus on the characters’ structural struggles with family, honor, and life-changing choices, hold a book club discussion or seminar. Students will contrast Ekon’s pressure to fulfill a legendary family warrior legacy against Koffi’s desperate need to survive indentured servitude at the Night Zoo, evaluating how their hidden motives complicate their temporary alliance.
Diversity & Representation:
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Beasts of Prey powerfully advances diversity, equity, and inclusion by placing two complex, dark-skinned Black teenagers at the center of an epic high-fantasy quest. By avoiding common trauma-centered narratives and instead celebrating African-inspired mythology, magic, and royal structures, the novel provides essential “mirror” representation for BIPOC students in a genre historically dominated by white protagonists.
Readalikes:
- Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
- A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown
- Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
- The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
- Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen
