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A review by booksbythewindow
The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi
For full review: https://booksbythewindow.wordpress.com/2021/08/04/the-beast-player/
Summary: The Beast Player is told primarily from the perspective of Elin, a young girl whose mother is sentenced to death after the serpent-like creatures she was looking, the Toda, after mysteriously die. Escaping far away from her hometown, Elin grows up and discovers her love for caring for creatures but feels particularly drawn to the Royal Beasts, winged creatures that are the most dangerous in the land. After being given the opportunity to care for wounded Royal Beasts, she realises that she is able to communicate with them using a small harp. Yet this revelation pushes her into the centre of a conspiracy and political power struggle, in which both the Toda and the Royal Beasts play an important role.
Overall Thoughts: One of the aspects of The Beast Player that I really admired was the way that it is paced. It seemed unusual to me, even for a children’s novel, for the inciting incident to happen in the Prologue but this set the pace for the rest of the book. Yet despite the fast pace, the character development and intrigue never feels rushed: even characters with which the reader is given little time, such as Ialu, Shunan, and Seimiya, are depicted clearly so that the reader is aware of their motivations, for better or worse. The world of The Beast Player is vibrant and interesting, with Uehashi slowly revealing more information as the narrative progresses. Overall, I really enjoyed The Beast Player and I think it will appeal to those who enjoy the younger end of Young Adult fantasy, but I also think it could be enjoyed more generally by those who appreciate different fantasy worlds and creatures.
Summary: The Beast Player is told primarily from the perspective of Elin, a young girl whose mother is sentenced to death after the serpent-like creatures she was looking, the Toda, after mysteriously die. Escaping far away from her hometown, Elin grows up and discovers her love for caring for creatures but feels particularly drawn to the Royal Beasts, winged creatures that are the most dangerous in the land. After being given the opportunity to care for wounded Royal Beasts, she realises that she is able to communicate with them using a small harp. Yet this revelation pushes her into the centre of a conspiracy and political power struggle, in which both the Toda and the Royal Beasts play an important role.
Overall Thoughts: One of the aspects of The Beast Player that I really admired was the way that it is paced. It seemed unusual to me, even for a children’s novel, for the inciting incident to happen in the Prologue but this set the pace for the rest of the book. Yet despite the fast pace, the character development and intrigue never feels rushed: even characters with which the reader is given little time, such as Ialu, Shunan, and Seimiya, are depicted clearly so that the reader is aware of their motivations, for better or worse. The world of The Beast Player is vibrant and interesting, with Uehashi slowly revealing more information as the narrative progresses. Overall, I really enjoyed The Beast Player and I think it will appeal to those who enjoy the younger end of Young Adult fantasy, but I also think it could be enjoyed more generally by those who appreciate different fantasy worlds and creatures.