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Beasts of Prey #3
Beasts of War
Once a prisoner to Fedu, the vengeful god of death, Koffi has regained her freedom, but she is far from safe. Fedu will stop at nothing to hunt her down and use her power to decimate the mortal world. Koffi knows when Fedu will strike: during the next Bonding, a once-in-a-lifetime celestial event. To survive, Koffi will have to find powerful new allies quickly, and convince them to help her in the terrible battle to come.
Once a warrior-turned-runaway, Ekon has carved out a new life for himself outside Lkossa, but the shadows of his past still haunt him. Now, alongside unexpected friends, Ekon tries to focus on getting Koffi to the Kusonga Plains before the next Bonding. If he fails, Koffi will be consumed, either by her own dangerous power, or the terrible fate Ekon is doing everything he can to prevent. Ekon devotes himself to protecting Koffi, but the lingering threats from his own past are more urgent than he knows.
As Koffi and Ekon race to the Kusonga Plains—and try to garner the help of Eshōza’s ancient gods along the way—they must face a slew of dangerous beasts old and new. In the end, destiny may unite Koffi and Ekon for the last time—or tear them apart for good.
Once a warrior-turned-runaway, Ekon has carved out a new life for himself outside Lkossa, but the shadows of his past still haunt him. Now, alongside unexpected friends, Ekon tries to focus on getting Koffi to the Kusonga Plains before the next Bonding. If he fails, Koffi will be consumed, either by her own dangerous power, or the terrible fate Ekon is doing everything he can to prevent. Ekon devotes himself to protecting Koffi, but the lingering threats from his own past are more urgent than he knows.
As Koffi and Ekon race to the Kusonga Plains—and try to garner the help of Eshōza’s ancient gods along the way—they must face a slew of dangerous beasts old and new. In the end, destiny may unite Koffi and Ekon for the last time—or tear them apart for good.
454 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 16, 2024
65 people are currently reading
6842 people want to read
About the author
Ayana Gray
7 books2,161 followersAyana Gray is a New York Times-bestselling author of speculative fiction. Her works have been translated in eleven languages across five continents. She currently lives in Arkansas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews
December 2, 2025
I know I'm going to miss this series now that I'm done with it. All three books are so good, but book two is my fav. Book three gave us a nice finale, but the ending felt rushed, maybe the page count should've been rounded up to 500 so that the most important events had more time to develop.
Like, the final battle was only a couple of pages long, I think we deserved more than that, considering how long everything's been brewing.
But this one, much like the others, didn't feel long at all, I finished it in no time and was left craving more. I absolutely loved the plot throughout the series and how it all came together, as well as the mythology woven in.
There was a lot of character development, and some romance development too. I actually wanted more on the romance front, as in, seeing how these two got together instead of just telling me that they are at the end.
And the little love triangle/square that really wasn't, was funny, it read more as peer rivalry than anything else, because, like I said, there were no romantic interactions between them.
Another thing is the abundance of plot holes, which I'm willing to forgive because they didn't affect my enjoyment whatsoever, but I ended the book wondering what the point of some of those plots was, if we were never going to see a resolution. Sure, I can use my imagination to fill things in, but that's not the point.
I'd still recommend this trilogy, because it's incredibly underrated, and too creative to be continuously slept on.
Like, the final battle was only a couple of pages long, I think we deserved more than that, considering how long everything's been brewing.
But this one, much like the others, didn't feel long at all, I finished it in no time and was left craving more. I absolutely loved the plot throughout the series and how it all came together, as well as the mythology woven in.
There was a lot of character development, and some romance development too. I actually wanted more on the romance front, as in, seeing how these two got together instead of just telling me that they are at the end.
And the little love triangle/square that really wasn't, was funny, it read more as peer rivalry than anything else, because, like I said, there were no romantic interactions between them.
Another thing is the abundance of plot holes, which I'm willing to forgive because they didn't affect my enjoyment whatsoever, but I ended the book wondering what the point of some of those plots was, if we were never going to see a resolution. Sure, I can use my imagination to fill things in, but that's not the point.
I'd still recommend this trilogy, because it's incredibly underrated, and too creative to be continuously slept on.
February 9, 2024
Full disclosure: I'm 24, so this review may be affected by the fact I'm no longer a "young adult" and probably not necessarily the intended audience.
I felt like the characters across the board this book were EXTREMELY immature, especially the beginning. They all seemed very two dimensional the entire book.
Makena was treated like, and acted like, a young child rather than a teenager. Ekon and Zain acted like they were about 13 years old. The love triangle was super weird and forced and never really got any resolution. Ekon and Koffi never actually talked or had a good conversation, they were just suddenly together in the epilogue despite not having any romantic scenes or conversations (I'm NOT talking about smut or spice, I'm talking about things like holding hands, being close to each other, brushing hands/shoulders, moments of peril where they felt like the other was going to be hurt/die, a hug, etc).
The author shoehorned in a couple pop culture references (Ekon asks, and I quote: "Is this water sanitary? It seems...dubious to me." Which if you're on Instagram reels or TikTok, youve heard the popular sound "is this water sanitary? It seems questionable to me.") There was a reference to a "cranky old man" who is particular/cranky about his cabbages in one of the markets, which is likely a reference to ATLA.
At one point Ekon remarks that it's terrible that some worshippers of Amakoya pay and get special treatment. He asks if Koffi could believe that, and Koffi says some long paragraph about how she could believe people are afforded luxuries based on wealth and class that others can't obtain no matter how hard they try or deserve it (paraphrasing). Which is not wrong, but it felt like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over my head. It just felt like a random social justice statement that didn't fit anywhere within the book or plot whatsoever. No further social justice or political commentary was in the book and then characters don't attempt to change these systems whatsoever, so it really just didn't make sense. If they were looking to topple a corrupt government, maybe this would've fit better. It just served to break immersion.
The plot was an entire mess. Plotholes galore. If I discussed all of them here id be here all night. I feel like nothing actually happened in this book. Every big encounter they had was conveniently saved by someone just jumping in or walking by. Atuno was apparently removed from mortals but just happened to save the gang? How did he know they were there? Ekon talks with Itaashe, but never gets a chance to mention it to Koffi, so when Itaashe shows up Koffi had no idea she was coming but never showed any surprise other than whispering her name. It's never mentioned again, and Ekon never explains it. Fedu was absent the entire book. For a big bad, he didn't do much. He sent the untethered a total of two times and killed a whole village (which is never mentioned by anyone ever again after they tell Koffi when she wakes up!) But overall he mostly just... Doesn't do anything. No run ins during the journey, no build up. He promises to use koffis weakness against her but never does?
Koffi is called a powerful daraja and the most powerful daraja of their time ala Percy Jackson, but she doesn't actually.. do anything with the splendor. She scares herself and everyone else a couple times, makes a shield, passes out, and gets a couple of pock marks (which are never explained). Rinse and repeat three times and that totals the amount of splendor she uses this book. She has no control over the splendor, can't fight with it, and is overall useless. Thus leading the author to have a group of people randomly save the day every time they have a fight because for a group of daraja, they're completely useless.
The ending was rushed and had about as much emotion as a sack of potatoes despite the fact that one of the group literally DIES. No one is shown mourning him, which the author tries to rectify in the epilogue but it falls flat since there's no grief journey. This book felt like a standalone. There was no need for a whole trilogy for this ending. Koffi could've met with badwa a couple times, got the splendor, and had this whole book happen in about 450-500 pages (being generous). This book rendered the first/second book basically useless. It should've been: Start at night zoo, discover/kill the shetani, meet badwa, unlock splendor, go on journey to kusonga plains/gather gods to stop fedu, end. 500 pages max.
I felt like the characters across the board this book were EXTREMELY immature, especially the beginning. They all seemed very two dimensional the entire book.
Makena was treated like, and acted like, a young child rather than a teenager. Ekon and Zain acted like they were about 13 years old. The love triangle was super weird and forced and never really got any resolution. Ekon and Koffi never actually talked or had a good conversation, they were just suddenly together in the epilogue despite not having any romantic scenes or conversations (I'm NOT talking about smut or spice, I'm talking about things like holding hands, being close to each other, brushing hands/shoulders, moments of peril where they felt like the other was going to be hurt/die, a hug, etc).
The author shoehorned in a couple pop culture references (Ekon asks, and I quote: "Is this water sanitary? It seems...dubious to me." Which if you're on Instagram reels or TikTok, youve heard the popular sound "is this water sanitary? It seems questionable to me.") There was a reference to a "cranky old man" who is particular/cranky about his cabbages in one of the markets, which is likely a reference to ATLA.
At one point Ekon remarks that it's terrible that some worshippers of Amakoya pay and get special treatment. He asks if Koffi could believe that, and Koffi says some long paragraph about how she could believe people are afforded luxuries based on wealth and class that others can't obtain no matter how hard they try or deserve it (paraphrasing). Which is not wrong, but it felt like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over my head. It just felt like a random social justice statement that didn't fit anywhere within the book or plot whatsoever. No further social justice or political commentary was in the book and then characters don't attempt to change these systems whatsoever, so it really just didn't make sense. If they were looking to topple a corrupt government, maybe this would've fit better. It just served to break immersion.
The plot was an entire mess. Plotholes galore. If I discussed all of them here id be here all night. I feel like nothing actually happened in this book. Every big encounter they had was conveniently saved by someone just jumping in or walking by. Atuno was apparently removed from mortals but just happened to save the gang? How did he know they were there? Ekon talks with Itaashe, but never gets a chance to mention it to Koffi, so when Itaashe shows up Koffi had no idea she was coming but never showed any surprise other than whispering her name. It's never mentioned again, and Ekon never explains it. Fedu was absent the entire book. For a big bad, he didn't do much. He sent the untethered a total of two times and killed a whole village (which is never mentioned by anyone ever again after they tell Koffi when she wakes up!) But overall he mostly just... Doesn't do anything. No run ins during the journey, no build up. He promises to use koffis weakness against her but never does?
Koffi is called a powerful daraja and the most powerful daraja of their time ala Percy Jackson, but she doesn't actually.. do anything with the splendor. She scares herself and everyone else a couple times, makes a shield, passes out, and gets a couple of pock marks (which are never explained). Rinse and repeat three times and that totals the amount of splendor she uses this book. She has no control over the splendor, can't fight with it, and is overall useless. Thus leading the author to have a group of people randomly save the day every time they have a fight because for a group of daraja, they're completely useless.
The ending was rushed and had about as much emotion as a sack of potatoes despite the fact that one of the group literally DIES. No one is shown mourning him, which the author tries to rectify in the epilogue but it falls flat since there's no grief journey. This book felt like a standalone. There was no need for a whole trilogy for this ending. Koffi could've met with badwa a couple times, got the splendor, and had this whole book happen in about 450-500 pages (being generous). This book rendered the first/second book basically useless. It should've been: Start at night zoo, discover/kill the shetani, meet badwa, unlock splendor, go on journey to kusonga plains/gather gods to stop fedu, end. 500 pages max.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2025
Was it perfect? No. Did I enjoy it? Yes.
I loved this trilogy and almost wish there were 40-50 more pages for the big finale scene. Switching POVs for each chapter is the established format, but it would have been interesting to see the planning of the finale with the friends. I also felt the death of one character was a little rushed. I didn’t understand the “why” there.
Still, I enjoyed this overall. The author’s note was, once again, interesting and informative.
I’ll miss Koffi and Ekron!
I loved this trilogy and almost wish there were 40-50 more pages for the big finale scene. Switching POVs for each chapter is the established format, but it would have been interesting to see the planning of the finale with the friends. I also felt the death of one character was a little rushed. I didn’t understand the “why” there.
Still, I enjoyed this overall. The author’s note was, once again, interesting and informative.
I’ll miss Koffi and Ekron!
April 24, 2023
The title is Beast of War people, I can't be the only one who is excited.
September 1, 2023
I gell in love with Beast of Prey when I read it. And then it got the cover change and I got to see beautiful people that look like me on the cover and I loved it even more. The story was fast paced and I loved all the lore behind everything and I was like wow this is perfect. Then she came back with Beast of Ruin and I was like wow this couldn't possibly top book one, and It absolutely did! Usually sequels don't top the first book and I was pleasantly shocked. Then book 3 comes out and I'm still a little skeptical but I should have trusted Ayana had my back. I'm absolutely in love with book 3! It's everything I wanted and more, the story, the characters I already knew and love grew so much from book one to book 3. I couldn't put it down I needed to know what was going on, did I lose sleep? Yes do I regret even a moment of it? Not at all. Everything Ayana writes is a masterpiece
May 24, 2024
2024 reads: 137/250
in this conclusion to the beasts of prey trilogy, koffi must find powerful allies before fedu strikes during the next bonding, and ekon devotes himself to helping koffi however he can.
this was such a great conclusion! i loved all the action, but i especially loved the relationships that were explored. i’ve loved koffi and ekon since reading beasts of prey, and i really enjoyed this journey with them🫶
i highly recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the first two books!
in this conclusion to the beasts of prey trilogy, koffi must find powerful allies before fedu strikes during the next bonding, and ekon devotes himself to helping koffi however he can.
this was such a great conclusion! i loved all the action, but i especially loved the relationships that were explored. i’ve loved koffi and ekon since reading beasts of prey, and i really enjoyed this journey with them🫶
i highly recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the first two books!
January 18, 2024
"Your strength is in your bones and in your blood, and no one can take that from you."
➳ 4.5✶
TW: abuse, blood, confinement, death, death of a loved one, drug abuse, emotional abuse, grief, injury/injury detail, medical content, mental illness, panic attacks/disorders, terminal illness, violence.
Excuse me while I sit in denial that this trilogy is over.
What a fantastic conclusion!! Beasts of Prey was one of my favorite books the year I read it, partially due to the completely immersive world, but mostly because Koffi and Ekon felt so real to me. I read so much that it's rare for characters to stick with me, but they're both characters that I think of them all the time. Ayana Gray did them both such a service with this book; I truly cannot think of a better way for their story to have ended.
Without going into spoilers or plot-specifics, this was perhaps one of the most fun books I've read in a long time. The mythology, the banter, the setting, Ayana Gray's flawless playlist; they all created such an enjoyable reading experience that led to me flying through this book. Despite my sadness that it's over, I can't help but feel like the story met such a satisfying end.
Beasts of War cemented this as one of my favorite YA trilogies of all time. I will happily continue to recommend it to everyone.
Now, I shall return to anxiously awaiting an announcement for whatever Ayana Gray is working on next because I will - in fact - read everything that woman writes for the rest of time.
➳ 4.5✶
TW: abuse, blood, confinement, death, death of a loved one, drug abuse, emotional abuse, grief, injury/injury detail, medical content, mental illness, panic attacks/disorders, terminal illness, violence.
Excuse me while I sit in denial that this trilogy is over.
What a fantastic conclusion!! Beasts of Prey was one of my favorite books the year I read it, partially due to the completely immersive world, but mostly because Koffi and Ekon felt so real to me. I read so much that it's rare for characters to stick with me, but they're both characters that I think of them all the time. Ayana Gray did them both such a service with this book; I truly cannot think of a better way for their story to have ended.
Without going into spoilers or plot-specifics, this was perhaps one of the most fun books I've read in a long time. The mythology, the banter, the setting, Ayana Gray's flawless playlist; they all created such an enjoyable reading experience that led to me flying through this book. Despite my sadness that it's over, I can't help but feel like the story met such a satisfying end.
Beasts of War cemented this as one of my favorite YA trilogies of all time. I will happily continue to recommend it to everyone.
Now, I shall return to anxiously awaiting an announcement for whatever Ayana Gray is working on next because I will - in fact - read everything that woman writes for the rest of time.
May 9, 2024
What an ending to a great series. I feel like people know of this series, but even more need to get into it. Compare to most, this one is original and has more stakes invovled
January 5, 2025
"Beasts of War" is the final installment in the "Beasts of Prey" series, and what a marvelous conclusion it was. I enjoyed every chapter so much and might have even liked it more than the first book in the series!
Again, we follow Koffi and Ekon on their mission to the Kusonga Plains. But the god Fedu will do anything to get the splendor from Koffi - even if he must hunt them down. In preparation for the final battle, Koffi and Ekon will have to form alliances with the other gods and goddesses. This creates an epic adventure packed with mythological beasts, wonderful landscapes, and mesmerizing temples.
What I probably enjoyed most about this series was the world-building. Ayana Gray knows how to captivate the readers' attention and allows you to really travel inside the pages of the book. I could imagine every detail described and found myself intrigued by the African mythology woven into the story. This is what makes the story so intriguing and fascinating!
Furthermore, I loved the characters! Throughout the first two books, you already met some of them, but in this third book, they really form a strong group of friends. There is so much character development, and I love how each of them is unique. Seeing them working together as a team is not only fascinating but also touching.
Throughout the book, there are some chilling and tension-packed moments. This creates a pleasant rhythm in the story. You can feel how the story slowly builds up to the end battle. When it comes to the ending, I'm pleased with it. My only side note is that I expected the end battle to last a little longer than only a few pages, especially since the whole series works up to this final moment. The ending, therefore, felt a bit rushed. But the epilogue was beautiful regardless.
In general, "Beasts of War" is an amazing conclusion! Prepare yourself for fascinating creatures and unforgettable friendships. It's definitely a series I will remember for a long time. Fans of African mythology should definitely give it a try!
Again, we follow Koffi and Ekon on their mission to the Kusonga Plains. But the god Fedu will do anything to get the splendor from Koffi - even if he must hunt them down. In preparation for the final battle, Koffi and Ekon will have to form alliances with the other gods and goddesses. This creates an epic adventure packed with mythological beasts, wonderful landscapes, and mesmerizing temples.
What I probably enjoyed most about this series was the world-building. Ayana Gray knows how to captivate the readers' attention and allows you to really travel inside the pages of the book. I could imagine every detail described and found myself intrigued by the African mythology woven into the story. This is what makes the story so intriguing and fascinating!
Furthermore, I loved the characters! Throughout the first two books, you already met some of them, but in this third book, they really form a strong group of friends. There is so much character development, and I love how each of them is unique. Seeing them working together as a team is not only fascinating but also touching.
Throughout the book, there are some chilling and tension-packed moments. This creates a pleasant rhythm in the story. You can feel how the story slowly builds up to the end battle. When it comes to the ending, I'm pleased with it. My only side note is that I expected the end battle to last a little longer than only a few pages, especially since the whole series works up to this final moment. The ending, therefore, felt a bit rushed. But the epilogue was beautiful regardless.
In general, "Beasts of War" is an amazing conclusion! Prepare yourself for fascinating creatures and unforgettable friendships. It's definitely a series I will remember for a long time. Fans of African mythology should definitely give it a try!
November 5, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
It was a beautiful conclusion to a trilogy that I will reread definitely. However, the end felt kids rushed for me for some reason. I liked it anyway 🎀
It was a beautiful conclusion to a trilogy that I will reread definitely. However, the end felt kids rushed for me for some reason. I liked it anyway 🎀
April 18, 2024
3ish stars?
I loved parts of this one but overall it was missing something. There's a lot of plot holes and the group is often saved by sudden outside forces. Things are too convenient Koffi is supposed to be super powerful and I get that she cannot use the splendor without risks to herself with how much she is holding within herself but even when she does use it she has so little control. The thing I disliked the most though was the love story and how poorly it is played out. There's no actual resolution, we get the result in the epilogue but none of the how it got there and it just has no feeling to it. There isn't a lot of character growth in general. The Akande chapters while usually interesting, didn't add a ton to the story other than making it longer. He had such a small, albeit important, role to play in the story that all the time spent on his backstory just didn't feel that worthwhile.
The book isn't all bad though. I enjoy the African feel to it and seeing the various gods. The setting and the description of the beasts are the best parts. There is an interesting quest story in there, I just struggled with this book more than I hoped.
I still enjoyed this series overall and appreciate the different mythos. I'm glad I finished the trilogy, but isn't a favourite of mine.
I loved parts of this one but overall it was missing something. There's a lot of plot holes and the group is often saved by sudden outside forces. Things are too convenient Koffi is supposed to be super powerful and I get that she cannot use the splendor without risks to herself with how much she is holding within herself but even when she does use it she has so little control. The thing I disliked the most though was the love story and how poorly it is played out. There's no actual resolution, we get the result in the epilogue but none of the how it got there and it just has no feeling to it. There isn't a lot of character growth in general. The Akande chapters while usually interesting, didn't add a ton to the story other than making it longer. He had such a small, albeit important, role to play in the story that all the time spent on his backstory just didn't feel that worthwhile.
The book isn't all bad though. I enjoy the African feel to it and seeing the various gods. The setting and the description of the beasts are the best parts. There is an interesting quest story in there, I just struggled with this book more than I hoped.
I still enjoyed this series overall and appreciate the different mythos. I'm glad I finished the trilogy, but isn't a favourite of mine.
May 31, 2024
What an wonderful final adventure! Loved this series. It's one of my favorites and I love these characters and this world. This book had me glued to the pages! The ending felt very rushed though, and I was expecting more, but I really like where everything ended up in the epilogue. My heart is also kinda torn from my chest, but I'm not gonna spoil why. If you loved the first 2 books, I highly recommend reading this. Or if you haven't read this series, please do! This series is amazing!
July 5, 2024
Title: Beasts of War
Series: Beasts of Prey
# in series: 3
Author: Ayana Gray
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rep: Black author and characters
Pages: 442
Steam: No door
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Audiobook: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Review: I know this is a YA but Koffi was driving me crazy in this book. I loved the 2 previous books, but I was really struggling with her in this one. I also thought we were going to have a love triangle develop more in this book, but it just didn't and I'm not sure how I feel about that.
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CW: Panic attacks. Death on page. Violence. Terminal illness of a family member. Blood. Fire damage.
Series: Beasts of Prey
# in series: 3
Author: Ayana Gray
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rep: Black author and characters
Pages: 442
Steam: No door
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Audiobook: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Review: I know this is a YA but Koffi was driving me crazy in this book. I loved the 2 previous books, but I was really struggling with her in this one. I also thought we were going to have a love triangle develop more in this book, but it just didn't and I'm not sure how I feel about that.
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CW: Panic attacks. Death on page. Violence. Terminal illness of a family member. Blood. Fire damage.
June 30, 2024
2.3 — I was so exited to get through this book, as the first quarter of the book was off to a good start. But like many of these reviews, this series just falls flat. “I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU” - Tyra (iykyk)
Here are my major issues:
1. The Ekon and Koffi romance… it felt pretty forced and the writing seemed uncommitted. I thought something was happening with Koffi and Zain but Zains personality and character changed a bit throughout this book, but the writer just dropped that development. Safiyah and Ekon? Like what happened?
2. SO MANY plot holes and unresolved storylines— the grandmother situation, Safiyah and Ekon story plot (her fate), etc.
3. Characters didn’t really have a lot of depth to them. There was SO much potential, but fell flat. Overall I feel like so many elements of this book had so much potential to have depth and purpose in them but just didn’t get there.
4. The Bracelet?! Like what was the point? WHAT WAS THE REASON
5. Modern/pop culture references— if I’m reading a fantasy book based in African mythology, I really don’t want to see a mention of the character doing a ‘co-wash’. Maybe this is a minor, but it took me out of the world she was trying to build.
6. Where did the untethered go? Also wasn’t Koffi supposed to go back and release those people into the afterlife? She never went back and we never see that played out…
7. Pacing — the battle with Fedu was like 3 pages… I think the author should have took her time building out that final confrontation with Koffi, Fedu and the gods.
Anyways, if you’re looking for depth in characters, story line and plot, maybe this one isn’t the best choice.
Here are my major issues:
1. The Ekon and Koffi romance… it felt pretty forced and the writing seemed uncommitted. I thought something was happening with Koffi and Zain but Zains personality and character changed a bit throughout this book, but the writer just dropped that development. Safiyah and Ekon? Like what happened?
2. SO MANY plot holes and unresolved storylines— the grandmother situation, Safiyah and Ekon story plot (her fate), etc.
3. Characters didn’t really have a lot of depth to them. There was SO much potential, but fell flat. Overall I feel like so many elements of this book had so much potential to have depth and purpose in them but just didn’t get there.
4. The Bracelet?! Like what was the point? WHAT WAS THE REASON
5. Modern/pop culture references— if I’m reading a fantasy book based in African mythology, I really don’t want to see a mention of the character doing a ‘co-wash’. Maybe this is a minor, but it took me out of the world she was trying to build.
6. Where did the untethered go? Also wasn’t Koffi supposed to go back and release those people into the afterlife? She never went back and we never see that played out…
7. Pacing — the battle with Fedu was like 3 pages… I think the author should have took her time building out that final confrontation with Koffi, Fedu and the gods.
Anyways, if you’re looking for depth in characters, story line and plot, maybe this one isn’t the best choice.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 27, 2024
This was a good ending to a very satisfying YA fantasy trilogy. They need to thwart the plans of the god of death and realize they need help from the other gods. So off Koffi and Ekon go along with their pals to accomplish this before bonding day. The author continues to make good use of African mythology, folklore and names to truly make this a Pan-African story. This is great for teens and up. I’ll miss hanging out with Koffi and Ekon. The only thing I didn’t like was how a death of one of the friends occurred. Was odd to me.
October 8, 2024
The start of this book was amazing! But the last 30% really fell off for me. It felt rushed and Akande was made to feel like a huge deal but I felt like he wasn't needed at all. There wasn't a great wrap up for our characters either and way too many convienet things happening at the end.
March 14, 2024
Loved this series. Also, I love SHORT series. 3 is the magic number. Anything more than that, and you're doing too much. Great characters, great world building, action pack, with a little bit of love, betrayal, and all that jazz. The third book wrapped everything up pretty well. And I loved the ending. I was a little nervous near the end, but I was happy. Solid series. Looking forward to more stories from this author.
January 4, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
4.5/5 STARS
Genre: YA Fantasy
This is the final book in this YA fantasy series filled with African mythology and I’m sad for it to end. In this book, Koffi and Ekon are on a quest to defeat the evil god Fedu. They seek the help of other gods along the way to the bonding ceremony where they know Fedu will be. Without spoiling it, the book comes full circle and I was happy with the ending. There is a dash of romance, but more so it is an adventure series.
The first book Beasts of Prey was my absolute favorite with all the different mythological creatures and the dangerous jungle. This one has a few beasts but is more centered on the journey to finding different gods.
This series is definitely underrated! If you like books with an adventure/quest feel and strong female heroine, you need to check out this series!
Thank you Penguin Teen for the gifted copy! 🐍🦁🦁🦁🦁
4.5/5 STARS
Genre: YA Fantasy
This is the final book in this YA fantasy series filled with African mythology and I’m sad for it to end. In this book, Koffi and Ekon are on a quest to defeat the evil god Fedu. They seek the help of other gods along the way to the bonding ceremony where they know Fedu will be. Without spoiling it, the book comes full circle and I was happy with the ending. There is a dash of romance, but more so it is an adventure series.
The first book Beasts of Prey was my absolute favorite with all the different mythological creatures and the dangerous jungle. This one has a few beasts but is more centered on the journey to finding different gods.
This series is definitely underrated! If you like books with an adventure/quest feel and strong female heroine, you need to check out this series!
Thank you Penguin Teen for the gifted copy! 🐍🦁🦁🦁🦁
February 6, 2024
My biggest problem with this book is that I feel like it dropped a lot of the threads introduced in the previous two volumes of the trilogy, and it therefore didn't bring the story to a satisfying conclusion. This book introduced many new characters, including a new POV character, and sent the main crew on a journey that I feel like was decently exciting, but didn't contribute much to the overall story. What happened to Koffi's training with splendor? How about the social inequality in Eshoza? What eventually happens to the darajas? All of these were left unanswered.
This book felt a bit like the characters were on a haphazard journey where they just stumbled into the next piece of the puzzle, rather than using their unique gifts to outmatch Fedu and his plans. I enjoyed the new beasts that Gray introduces, but this new adventure really took up all the room in the story and didn't allow space to tie up the loose ends from previous novels. Most of all, I feel like the characters were remarkably stagnant and didn't grow themselves or in their relationships. For example, the love quadrangle was resolved in a truly baffling way, and I'm still not exactly sure what to make of Koffi's arc.
I will always appreciate this series, especially for the first volume, but I can't help being a little disappointed in the ending.
This book felt a bit like the characters were on a haphazard journey where they just stumbled into the next piece of the puzzle, rather than using their unique gifts to outmatch Fedu and his plans. I enjoyed the new beasts that Gray introduces, but this new adventure really took up all the room in the story and didn't allow space to tie up the loose ends from previous novels. Most of all, I feel like the characters were remarkably stagnant and didn't grow themselves or in their relationships. For example, the love quadrangle was resolved in a truly baffling way, and I'm still not exactly sure what to make of Koffi's arc.
I will always appreciate this series, especially for the first volume, but I can't help being a little disappointed in the ending.
May 5, 2024
I really enjoyed this series. The magic mixed with old folklore was a lot of fun. This is the third and final book in the series, and it would have been 5 stars if not for the rushed ending.
The majority of the book was about the characters journey to gather help for the final battle to come. It was captivating and a great adventure story. However, I started to get a little nervous as I neared the end of the book and the final conflict hadn't happened yet, especially because I knew this was the last one.
Unfortunately, while I like how the story ended, it was definitely extremely rushed, and therefore somewhat anticlimactic. Some pretty significant events happened within the span of 1-2 pages. Some character arcs were left in a way that felt unfinished and a bit unsatisfying. I wish the author had devoted more of the book length towards the conclusion of the main event. Especially because she did such a great job and building up to it. And I would have liked to hear more about the fates of all the characters. But overall, I did still enjoy it.
I do want to add that both Koffi and Ekon were constantly bouncing back and forth between who could be the most exasperating haha. Love both characters, but man can they be trying 😂 Great series though!
The majority of the book was about the characters journey to gather help for the final battle to come. It was captivating and a great adventure story. However, I started to get a little nervous as I neared the end of the book and the final conflict hadn't happened yet, especially because I knew this was the last one.
Unfortunately, while I like how the story ended, it was definitely extremely rushed, and therefore somewhat anticlimactic. Some pretty significant events happened within the span of 1-2 pages. Some character arcs were left in a way that felt unfinished and a bit unsatisfying. I wish the author had devoted more of the book length towards the conclusion of the main event. Especially because she did such a great job and building up to it. And I would have liked to hear more about the fates of all the characters. But overall, I did still enjoy it.
I do want to add that both Koffi and Ekon were constantly bouncing back and forth between who could be the most exasperating haha. Love both characters, but man can they be trying 😂 Great series though!
February 15, 2024
This was one of the best finales to a series that I have ever read! I hadn't read the other two books in a while and I thought Gray did an excellent job reminding me what happened previously without it feeling like a summary. Gray also always includes a new POV in each book and I sometimes end up liking the new POV more than the original ones! The new POV character in this book was super interesting and I found myself looking forward to his chapters the most.
I liked that this book felt like a quest and had us traveling all over. I utilized the map quite a bit! I do wish that the map had been updated for this book to include all of the little places mentioned along the river. A zoom-in version of the map that focused on the river would have been fun.
I liked meeting all of the gods and experiencing the world more through the characters' travels. There was a great balance of action and emotional moments. I highly recommend this series!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to the publisher for a physical copy of the book.
I liked that this book felt like a quest and had us traveling all over. I utilized the map quite a bit! I do wish that the map had been updated for this book to include all of the little places mentioned along the river. A zoom-in version of the map that focused on the river would have been fun.
I liked meeting all of the gods and experiencing the world more through the characters' travels. There was a great balance of action and emotional moments. I highly recommend this series!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to the publisher for a physical copy of the book.
January 25, 2024
I was really ready to give this book 2 stars until I read the epilogue, which I loved! However, it didn't make up for the monotonous storyline. Or the fact that for 3 books, we have built up to a big battle to save the world from Fedu only for the "battle" to be fewer than 10 pages.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2024
The ending felt a bit anticlimatic for me, and also... Whatever the bracelet was there for? But it was a satisfying ending to the trilogy
More on https://youtu.be/vouXHpec2XE March 13th, 2024
More on https://youtu.be/vouXHpec2XE March 13th, 2024
March 3, 2024
it was cute and i like it. def brought back the memories of reading dystopian books when i was younger
October 22, 2025
I'm sad to say this didn't go anywhere, thoughI was very enthousiastic after the first book. Maybe, I'm being a bit harsh, seeing as this is aimed at an audience much younger than I am, but still, I feel like there are some fundamental flaws in here that are not ok.
The worldbuilding is excellent though and a breath of fresh air in modern Fantasy, which is why I'm so angry the rest of it wasn't held up to the same standard and I can't live off "vibes" alone. I need a good plot and good character development besides a good universe and magic system. I feel like this is where praising to the high heavens unfinished series with good world building like ASOIAF gets us and I don't like it.
The characters were great as ideas, but the character growth was nearly none existent. The two main characters hardly change or learn or even do all that much throughout the story and the side characters might have well been left out all together for how little is done with them or by them. Seriously, there's this big moment where everyone gets this special gift from a God and in the end none of the side characters actually end up using theirs? Just the mains. The side characters were pretty much all one note characters that disappeared for large parts of the book and none of the survivors got a decent resolution in the end.
Also, Gray cannot write grief. Everytime someone dies they are pretty much immediately forgotten and the loss doesn't seem to slow down or affect any of the characters at all. It really takes a big chunk of the emotional resonance out of your story.
The plotting was terrible. I haven't seen such poor overarching story planning since the last Star Wars trilogy. Almost nothing carried through from the first to the last novel, unnecessary flashbacks slowed the whole thing down while serving little to no purpose, despite this being one large story, each book actually has its own mini quest and the three of them do not connect well at all, we spend chapters upon chapters on pointless sidequests that go nowhere, profecies are dangled over our heads that eventually just don't happen, the big bad guy is hardly in the story at all and the way to defeat him in the end was laughable and the amount of set up events and subplots that had no follow up or resolution is ridiculously high. Even the epilogue was terrible because none of it felt earned. Characters were suddenly passionate about things they'd not only shown no previous interest in before but even an active dislike and people are suddenly deeply romanticly involved despite Gray spending no time in developping their relationship in the story.
How this got past an editor, I'll never understand. (once again, it included numorous typo's) How people are giving this 5 stars is even more of a mystery.
I'm sad, the world was great, the idea was great and the characters had potential, but a plot this poorly planned and executed is just something I cannot forgive.
The worldbuilding is excellent though and a breath of fresh air in modern Fantasy, which is why I'm so angry the rest of it wasn't held up to the same standard and I can't live off "vibes" alone. I need a good plot and good character development besides a good universe and magic system. I feel like this is where praising to the high heavens unfinished series with good world building like ASOIAF gets us and I don't like it.
The characters were great as ideas, but the character growth was nearly none existent. The two main characters hardly change or learn or even do all that much throughout the story and the side characters might have well been left out all together for how little is done with them or by them. Seriously, there's this big moment where everyone gets this special gift from a God and in the end none of the side characters actually end up using theirs? Just the mains. The side characters were pretty much all one note characters that disappeared for large parts of the book and none of the survivors got a decent resolution in the end.
Also, Gray cannot write grief. Everytime someone dies they are pretty much immediately forgotten and the loss doesn't seem to slow down or affect any of the characters at all. It really takes a big chunk of the emotional resonance out of your story.
The plotting was terrible. I haven't seen such poor overarching story planning since the last Star Wars trilogy. Almost nothing carried through from the first to the last novel, unnecessary flashbacks slowed the whole thing down while serving little to no purpose, despite this being one large story, each book actually has its own mini quest and the three of them do not connect well at all, we spend chapters upon chapters on pointless sidequests that go nowhere, profecies are dangled over our heads that eventually just don't happen, the big bad guy is hardly in the story at all and the way to defeat him in the end was laughable and the amount of set up events and subplots that had no follow up or resolution is ridiculously high. Even the epilogue was terrible because none of it felt earned. Characters were suddenly passionate about things they'd not only shown no previous interest in before but even an active dislike and people are suddenly deeply romanticly involved despite Gray spending no time in developping their relationship in the story.
How this got past an editor, I'll never understand. (once again, it included numorous typo's) How people are giving this 5 stars is even more of a mystery.
I'm sad, the world was great, the idea was great and the characters had potential, but a plot this poorly planned and executed is just something I cannot forgive.
February 2, 2024
Thank you to Penguin Teen, PRH Audio, and Netgalley for my review copy. All opinions are my own.
Beasts of War was a great finish to the series. It followed the same structure - a quest to reach the goal. Finding friends along the way, with epic challenges in between. So nothing was surprising.
For me, Akande's timeline and story felt unnecessary, and completely made the book feel like a new problem/story.
But I loved the friendships and romance, and the continuation with African Mythology and different Gods. And did like how the end went full circle, and we ended where we began. It brought closure.
Highly recommend this series to YA Fantasy lovers as it will deliver it all - a lush story telling, an interesting world, full of monsters, magic, and Gods that can help or punish. And a cute enemies to lovers story line,
Beasts of War was a great finish to the series. It followed the same structure - a quest to reach the goal. Finding friends along the way, with epic challenges in between. So nothing was surprising.
For me, Akande's timeline and story felt unnecessary, and completely made the book feel like a new problem/story.
But I loved the friendships and romance, and the continuation with African Mythology and different Gods. And did like how the end went full circle, and we ended where we began. It brought closure.
Highly recommend this series to YA Fantasy lovers as it will deliver it all - a lush story telling, an interesting world, full of monsters, magic, and Gods that can help or punish. And a cute enemies to lovers story line,
March 1, 2024
An excellent conclusion to the series! I loved the world these books created and the characters within them! The magic system was so cool and tied together with the folklore really well! My only complaint would be that the ending felt a bit rushed but I'm very happy with how it concluded overall! Also, there were certain parts of the story that I felt were a little disconnected. Like conversations that should have been had but were merely implied or details that were mentioned once and never again. It just made the storyline feel a bit disconnected in some ways, but it was still a really good story!
November 8, 2023
4.5⭐️
Thank you so much Penguin Teen & NetGalley for the ARC!
I started this series a few months ago, and overall it’s been such a great ride. BOW was a great conclusion to the trilogy!
This series is definitely a new favorite fantasy, and I will absolutely be recommending it! I love how unique and diverse it is, but also fast-paced and kept my attention. I love the characters too, and I’m so glad they got their happy ending.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this series, and I hope others enjoy this finale as much as I did!
Thank you so much Penguin Teen & NetGalley for the ARC!
I started this series a few months ago, and overall it’s been such a great ride. BOW was a great conclusion to the trilogy!
This series is definitely a new favorite fantasy, and I will absolutely be recommending it! I love how unique and diverse it is, but also fast-paced and kept my attention. I love the characters too, and I’m so glad they got their happy ending.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this series, and I hope others enjoy this finale as much as I did!
May 18, 2025
All in all it was a solid book. It was the last book in this series so it wrapped up a lot of things that happened in earlier books and in this book. I like how it basically had a happy ending and everything was wrapped up nicely. It was a bit long and some of the little stuff in between, like the other point of view that they switch back and forth too, wasn’t super necessary. But I needed to read this one because I was invested since I read the other two. I think the author did a good job of wrapping up the series with this book though!
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