Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Beast Player

Author: Nahoko Uehashi (Cathy Hirano is the translator)

Book Series: The Beast Player (books 1 and 2)

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Japanese based and characters!

Recommended For...: epic fantasy lovers

Publication Date: March 1, 2018

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 14+ (violence, slight gore, terrifying monsters)

Publisher: Pushkin Press

Pages: 512

Synopsis: In epic YA fantasy about a girl with a special power to communicate with magical beasts and the warring kingdom only she can save.

Elin's family has an important responsibility: caring for the fearsome water serpents that form the core of their kingdom's army. So when some of the beasts mysteriously die, Elin's mother is sentenced to death as punishment. With her last breath she manages to send her daughter to safety.

Alone, far from home, Elin soon discovers that she can talk to both the terrifying water serpents and the majestic flying beasts that guard her queen. This skill gives her great powers, but it also involves her in deadly plots that could cost her life. Can she save herself and prevent her beloved beasts from being used as tools of war? Or is there no way of escaping the terrible battles to come?

Review: I really loved this book! The book is a translation and I think that it was well done (but I can’t read the original one so I’ll have to defer that opinion to someone who can compare the two). The book had amazing world building and it was a ride from beginning to end! I loved the characters and the writing was so well done.

The only issue I really had with the book is that the pacing is really slow in spots and it can get a bit wonky at times.

Verdict: Highly recommend!