In this blockbuster fantasy series, perfect for fans of Firekeeper’s Daughter and Iron Widow, fate binds two Black teenagers together as they journey into a magical jungle to hunt down a vicious monster.

“Rich in magic and mythos, Beasts of Prey is a feast for all the senses.” —Renée Ahdieh, New York Times bestselling author of The Beautiful

An Instant New York Times and Indie Bestseller

There’s no such thing as magic in the broken city of Lkossa, especially for sixteen-year-old Koffi, who indentured to the notorious Night Zoo, knows the fearsome creatures in her care and paying off her family's debts to secure their eventual freedom can be her only focus. But the night those she loves are gravely threatened by the Zoo’s cruel master, Koffi unleashes a power she doesn’t fully understand, upending her life completely.

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, Ekon encounters not only the Shetani—a vicious monster that has plagued the city for nearly a century and stalks his nightmares—but Koffi who seems to have the power to ward off the beast. Koffi’s power ultimately saves Ekon, but his choice to let her flee dooms his hopes of becoming a warrior.

Desperate to redeem himself, Ekon vows to hunt the Shetani and end its reign of terror, but he can’t do it alone. Koffi and Ekon form a tentative alliance and together enter the Greater Jungle, a world steeped in wild, frightening magic and untold dangers. The hunt begins. But it quickly becomes unclear whether they are the hunters or the hunted.

“The hunt for your next YA fantasy book trilogy obsession has ended.” —Entertainment Weekly

In this much-anticipated series opener, two Black teenagers must trek into a magical jungle to hunt down the ancient creature menacing their home-before they become the hunted.

Sixteen-year-old Koffi is a beastkeeper at the Night Zoo, a menagerie of Eshozan's most fearsome and magical creatures. The job is dangerous but as an indentured servant, Koffi has little other choice if she hopes to one day pay off her family's debt and earn their freedom.

Seventeen-year-old Ekon is the second son of the wealthy and well-respected Okojo family. Born to succeed, he is all-but guaranteed a spot on the prestigious Yaba warrior group alongside his older brother.

But on the night of Ekon's final rites of passage for warriorship the Night Zoo erupts into flames, and both Koffi's and Ekon's lives are sent into a tailspin. Seeing Koffi escape the Zoo and her contract, Ekon sets off to stop her when they both come face to face with the Shetani-a vicious demon-like monster that has plagued the city for decades. Neither expects what happens next. Koffi's hidden fire magic emerges causing the Shetani to flee, leaving Ekon stunned as Koffi flees next.

Disgraced for his inability to capture Koffi and desperate to prove himself by an act of valor that will allow him to finally join the Yaba warriors, Ekon has one choice-to find Koffi and with her fire magic, hunt down the Shetani. And Koffi-to capture the Shetani for the Zoo, thereby absolving her debt and freeing her family from their indentured servitude.

With neither telling the other the truth, two find each other once more to strike a tenuous alliance and set off into the forbidden jungle where the Shetani lives but the longer they search, the less clear it becomes whether they're hunting, or being hunted.

147072517