Beasts Made of Night

By: Tochi Onyebuchi

Narrated by: Prentice Onayemi

"...The beginning of a great saga..." —NPR.org

"This compelling Nigerian-influenced fantasy has a wonderfully unique premise and lush, brilliant worldbuilding that will consume you until the last page."—Buzzfeed

"...Unforgettable in its darkness, inequality, and magic." —VOYA, Starred Review

"...A paean to an emerging black legend."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

Black Panther meets Nnedi Okorafor's Akata Witch in Beasts Made of Night, the first book in an epic fantasy duology.

In the walled city of Kos, corrupt mages can magically call forth sin from a sinner in the form of sin-beasts—lethal creatures spawned from feelings of guilt. Taj is the most talented of the aki, young sin-eaters indentured by the mages to slay the sin-beasts. But Taj’s livelihood comes at a terrible cost. When he kills a sin-beast, a tattoo of the beast appears on his skin while the guilt of committing the sin appears on his mind. Most aki are driven mad by the process, but Taj is cocky and desperate to provide for his family.

When Taj is called to eat a sin of a member of the royal family, he’s suddenly thrust into the center of a dark conspiracy to destroy Kos. Now Taj must fight to save the princess that he loves—and his own life.

Debut author Tochi Onyebuchi delivers an unforgettable series opener that powerfully explores the true meaning of justice and guilt. Packed with dark magic and thrilling action, Beasts Made of Night is a gritty Nigerian-influenced fantasy perfect for fans of Paolo Bacigalupi and Nnedi Okorafor.

iBooks Most Anticipated YA Books of the Fall
io9’s All the Science Fiction and Fantasy Books to Keep On Your Radar This Fall
BuzzFeed’s 22 YA Novels You’ll Want To Read From Cover To Cover This Fall
A 2017 BookExpo Buzz Book
A Junior Library Guild Selection

Salaam

I’m a man of few words. This book is Dope! Take the journey & enjoy the ride! Nuff said!

Great story - Fantastic Narrator

This is a really good story. it is so authentic. The author did not just give his characters Nigerian names, he actually fed them Nigerian foods. I finished in one day as the story was so interesting. It was neither predictable nor wandering. I feel as if every scene and chapter expertly blends the storyline and the story's world together without slowing down the pace of the story. I'm starting the second book in this series today.

A genuinely good read.

First and foremost the narrator was outstanding! He added authenticity to the characters that I wouldn't have been able to produce on my own.

This was an exciting read with necessary lows. The author sacrifices action in some instances for very deep character and world building. Some may not like it, but it helps to immerse yourself in the story. Taj was a very understandable character and his interactions and growth reflect his upbringing. I enjoyed the extra attention to detail when describing character physical appearance, giving a vivid representation to black youth. Altogether this was solid, I cant wait to read Crown of Thunder.

Perfection

Everything about this book is amazing and definitely worth a listen/read! It keeps you on your toes and every time you think you have the plot figured out it hits you with a plot twist in the best way! The characters have depth and growth and flaws and strengths in a way that makes them come to life.

Beautiful Narration

If you could sum up Beasts Made of Night in three words, what would they be?

Fantastical, unrepentant, and insightful.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I love the magic being woven into what is really a story about class, trust, and personal growth. There were a couple parts where the story seemed a little disjointed, but I listened to this while incredibly tired while driving for several hours. I do plan to listen to this again. I was expecting to see more struggle for Taj -or maybe hoping Taj would struggle more and not be so perfect at what he does. But maybe the struggle seems less listening instead of reading?

What does Prentice Onayemi bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narration was stunning. I loved hearing the character in the tone and cadence he would naturally speak in. I could hear him slip at the start of a new chapter, but overall quality was really great. I love that this was unapologetically African -from the the speech of narration to the world Tochi built. Praise!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes! I binged this on the 8.5+ hour drive from Sacramento to Portland all night.

Any additional comments?

Overall a great read -good for a one-time binge. Story is beautiful and I'm looking forward to listen to the next book.