Nahoko Uehashi

An enthralling and sophisticated fantasy story from one of Japan's most popular writers of teen fiction, which has been turned into a popular anime series Erin's family have an important responsibility: caring for the Toda, fearsome water serpents who form the core of their Lord's army. So when a number of Toda mysteriously die, it is Erin's mother who takes the blame, and the punishment - she is sentenced to death. Before she dies she manages to use an ancient, forbidden power to send Erin to safety - leaving her daughter alone, far from home but with the knowledge that both she and her mother are somehow different. Soon, Erin finds she can talk to both the terrifying Toda and the majestic Royal Beasts, who protect the supreme queen of her realm. This knowledge gives her great power, but it also involves her in deadly plots and political gameplaying that she wants no part of. Can Erin save herself and prevent her beloved beasts from being used as tools of war, or is there no way of avoiding the terrible battles to come?

The Beast Player

A companion to The Beast Player, this is the conclusion of an epic YA fantasy about a girl with a special power to communicate with magical beasts and the warring kingdom only she can save.Ten years after the fateful clash between two opposing sides of the Divine Kingdom of Lyoza, Elin lives a peaceful life with her family. She tries to stay as far away from her past as possible?the girl who communicated with creatures and befriended a Royal Beast wants no part in the power struggles of humans. But when Elin is called upon to investigate a mysterious illness that's stricken the Toda, she uncovers a startling plot?one that could threaten everything she holds dear.In this thrilling sequel to The Beast Player, Elin must confront her destiny and the dire warnings of history. Is a final battle between the Toda and the Royal Beasts inevitable? Or will it mean destruction for all?Godwin Books

The Beast Warrior

A.L.L.

This one did not hold me as tightly as the first, but it was still good. I always appreciate stories where mothers are main characters. There are not enough of them.

A couple spots were very "the plot demands that x happens, so x is happening".

Even with those parts the book is super readable. It keeps your attention and you want to know what happens next the whole way through. Even the parts where you have to actively get past your own sense of "is that really what they are most inclined to be doing? Wouldn't ___ be more in character...?" Or "well that seemed too easy..." It's just a good, fun, easy read. I also enjoyed the very in depth description of all the bees. 

I got the second installment as soon as I finished the first.

Toni Turner

This took me so long to read! Because it was full of so much stuff! So good! And SAD!! And happy??

my_bookalicious

Paige Green

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!

Amber Burwell

What really pulled me into this novel wasn't the main plot, but the absolutely beautiful character interactions and descriptions of each setting in the novel. When reading about Elin and Joeun, I wanted to linger in that quaint setting and just soak in each description of their interactions as they went about their days caring for their beehives. 

The world is so richly detailed and fleshed out, and I feel that's a very important part of this book because the main plot takes a good while to get going. I appreciated that unlike most Western Middle/YA fiction, this novel took its dear sweet time building up your interest and emotional investment in the characters before plunging into the climax of the storyline. 

I'm eagerly looking forward to reading the follow-up book and getting to immerse myself in this world a bit longer!

Nahoko Uehashi's The Beast Player is an 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?

Katerina Thorson

4.5/5
** Thank you to the publisher - Henry Hold and Company - for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

What an absolutely masterful piece of literature. First off Uehashi is a brilliant story teller and I am so grateful that a publishing company picked this title up and translated it to english. Second of all, the translator Cathy Hirano did such an amazing job at interrupting the world that Uehashi had created. I never felt like there was a gap in information or something just didn't fit right. I mean wow. Truly no words.

At first, I did not believe that I would like this novel. I am so used to reading characters that are already in their late teens or twenty-thirties. So to actual be able to watch a character grow from child to adulthood - it was something else. As a reader we get to actually see the developmental shift from when Elani's childhood thoughts are naive, innocent, and curious to her seeing the world through an Adult lenses and losing that childhood innocence. And all you want, while watching this, is for her to stay a child a little while longer. 

Another thing, I am not used to YA Fantasy novel's not throwing in romance. It's like more YA Fantasy thrive off of some romance that takes precedence over the plot. Thank gosh that Uehashi does not fall into this YA pitfall. For once, I loved having no romance and more focus on the character growth and friendships. Especially since Elani is such a young girl. You do see hints of possible crushes but nothing that develops. 

Another thing that is addressed is man vs. nature. Specifically man's need to continuously destroy the things that they discover. Unfortunately it's been ingrained into humans personality to destroy the beautiful things that we discover. It's as if we are afraid someone else will take it away so we destroy it so no one else can have it. Uehashi really delves deep into the ideology and I was just blown away by how well she explained, through this fantasy, the way of man kind. 

The only thing that frustrated me was the random point of view shifts. Some were really helpful and let us see more of the world. There was one point of view thrown in that really made me confused and made no sense to me. However, it didn't soil my thoughts on the book. 

If you have been hesitating to pick this fantasy up, I 100% recommend adding it to your next TBR!

The Beast Player

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