Review: The King's Beast, Vol. 1

The King's Beast, Vol. 1 by Rei Toma
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Publication Date: 3 March 2021

Publisher's Description

A smoldering tale of romance and revenge set in the world of the New York Times best seller Dawn of the Arcana!

Legend says that a sacred beast appears in the time of a great king…

Ajin are people who bear the attributes of beasts, and in this kingdom they are forced to serve men in the military and women in the brothels. The Ajin boys who show signs of special abilities are conscripted to serve in the imperial palace as beast servants—status symbols and shields for their royal masters, to be kept or discarded on a whim. When Rangetsu’s twin brother Sogetsu showed signs of such abilities, he was ripped from her arms and given to Prince Tenyou as a beast servant, where he quickly fell victim to bloody royal intrigues. Now in a world that promises only bitterness, Rangetsu’s one hope is to disguise herself as a man and find a way into the palace to avenge her brother!

But Prince Tenyou is not what Rangetsu expected, and the political currents in the palace run deep and strange. Does Rangetsu have any chance of finding justice for her brother, or will she become just another Ajin casualty in the game of kings?

 

My Thoughts

I received an eARC courtesy of VIZ Media via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first time reading anything by Rei Toma, but I really enjoyed it. The artwork was vivid and the world-building, while I'm guessing it might be a bit over done for people familiar with this world, was great for newbies.

For Libraries: A minor word of caution for the content. As tends to happen in dystopian worlds, women are not treated very kindly (particularly those in a minority), so you do have some implied (and one minor glimpse) of theme of sex slavery/rape (trigger warning).