Beasts of Prey

This story was a challenge to get through. We are first introduced to a young woman who is grappling with her burgeoning control of “splendor.” The story quickly introduces a second storyline about a warrior in training and a third storyline about an indentured zookeeper. While I generally appreciate parallel character storylines, the point of view constantly shifting without notice was disruptive to the general reading flow. Also, as the storylines converged, the chapters would backtrack to repeat scenes from a different point of view. This made it difficult to find a rhythm and time was wasted on repeating scenes versus building the story arc.

The main characters had some backstory but it was unclear how or why the specific individuals were significant to the overall purpose of the story. Without clear direction, there wasn’t the suspense or anticipation for the reader. What should have been pivotal reveals fell flat and any opposition was resolved within a paragraph or two. By the end, I was not sure why the characters needed to go on this journey, what they were working towards, or ultimately, what this story was about.