A fantastic story that was brilliantly written and I would recommend to fans of the genre. Great writing and a thoroughly enjoyable read. Beautifully written and the characters are completely loveable. Also what a cover!!!

This is a seriously unique concept, and great execution. The characters are easy to care for. It kept me hooked til the end.

Man, I wanted to love this book as much as I love Nnedi Okorafor's Akata Witch series, but it's not in the same realm of quality. The storytelling is uneven and the plot momentum herky-jerky. The concept is so excellent (sin-eaters! cool tattoos!), but the execution is flawed. Still enjoyable, just not of enduring quality.

WHAT DID I THINK OF BEASTS MADE OF NIGHT BY TOCHI ONYEBUCHI?
Beasts Made Of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi is actually a pretty intriguing audiobook based upon a fantastic premise. Basically it stars Taj who is an aki meaning he eats sins and gets paid for it. It is his goal to be able to support his family through this endeavor. It sounds easy enough right? Wrong. So, if you eat a sin, your skin becomes tattooed as a result and you have to live through the sin in your mind. It is a process that drives many to madness. Taj wants to help his family though and he’s young and thinks that he is invisible. Unfortunately, he is about to get caught up in some treachery involving the Royals and his land of Kos and the girl he loves.

Well, the world building in Beasts Made Of Night is excellent. I thought the concept of sin eating was very well done. It is magic with consequences — which is something I enjoy when reading fantasy books. I really felt a strong sense of place and magic while reading this book.

As for the romance, I’ll admit I was not very invested. I cared more about Taj and his family dynamic. And it did seem like it took awhile to get to the point with the royals, the princess, and the romance. But yeah, I am old and boring so maybe that is why I cared about the family more.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
The audiobook of Beasts Made Of Night is narrated by Prentice Onayemi. It is nine hours and seventeen minutes long. It goes by quick though. I thought Onayemi really brings the story and Kos to life. The audiobook made Onyebuchi’s debut feel like a much more immersive experience. I especially liked the accent Onayemi added. It felt quite authentic. In all, if you’re going to read this story, go for the audiobook version.

Hi!

I am very very sorry for responding late. I have been on hiatus for a long time that I haven't checked the books granted to me here on Netgalley. I am hoping for your kind considerations. Thank you.

Bea

I was immediatly attracted to the unique worldsetting in this book. I loved the whole concept of sins, tattoos and sineaters but unfortunatelly - even though I like low burning reads too - it was simply too unpaced. The plot was build poorly and I found myself bored most of the time however much I appriceated the fantasy setting. Seriously nothing happened most of the time and even in the low percentage when actually something did, it was still written oddly for my taste. I just couldn't connect with this book which I feel sorry about because I wanted to.

I am in love with the premise, the Nigerian influences, and the wonderful world building. Taj, the lightbringer and sin-eater  is hired to fight and consume the sin of a royal family member. He then gets caught up in intrigue, betrayal and a woven intricate plot between armies, a princess and excitement. 
After finishing the book, I was glad to see that this was the first of a series. The plot seemed to take a while to build once the world was created, and then we got to the end and it stopped quickly, beyond wanting more answers at the end of the novel, my only issue was with the princess. Some of the behaviors are questionable but perhaps we'll learn more in the following books. 
I will admit that I wanted to read this based on the cover alone and it's well worth the read.

A fantastic novel rich in culture and emotional depth. I absolutely adored this book, and have bought it for my media center!

I wanted to love this book, but didn't. The premise is amazing-- I'm always interested in worlds that have physical manifestations of sin. The storytelling was okay, but so meandering that I was often bored and had to struggle to keep my attention on what was actually happening in the book instead of what I wished would happen. Taj's relationships felt absolutely unrealistic and had little buildup or emotional resonance, so I didn't care when he acquired or lost friends or love interests. The whole time, I kept waiting for it to become exciting, but it never really did.

This was a fun fantasy book. I enjoyed the writing style and the character, I thought they showed a lot of growth and I enjoyed them more for it. This cover is still one of my favorites from 2017.

Tochi Onyebuchis Leben ist ein Spagat zwischen seinem Beruf als Anwalt für Bürgerrecht und seinen Bemühungen als Autor. Beide Karrierezweige verfolgt der US-Amerikaner nigerianischer Herkunft mit beeindruckender Professionalität. Er verfügt über Abschlüsse aus Yale, der Columbia Law School und der NYU. Seine Kurzgeschichten und Novellen erschienen in „Asimov’s Science Fiction“, im „Nowhere Magazine“ und in der Anthologie „Panverse Three“. „Beasts Made of Night“ ist sein Debütroman, ein Traum, den er sich nach 15 Jahren harter Arbeit erfüllte und der Gerüchten zufolge der Auftakt einer umfangreichen, gleichnamigen Saga sein wird.

Der 17-jährige Taj ist ein Aki, ein Sündenfresser. Sein Körper ist übersäht mit Tattoos, die beweisen, wie viele Sünden-Bestien er erschlug. Diese Manifestationen der Sünde, hervorgerufen durch einen Magier, können zwar getötet werden, erscheinen anschließend jedoch auf der Haut des Aki, während die Schuld der Tat auf den Sündenfresser übergeht. Die meisten Aki verfallen eines Tages dem Wahnsinn. Taj weiß, dass er irgendwann den Preis für sein Talent bezahlen muss, doch noch gilt er als der beste Aki in ganz Kos. Leider ist seine Reputation wertlos, da seinesgleichen als verdorben geächtet werden. Niemand möchte zugeben, die Dienste eines Sündenfressers zu benötigen, schon gar nicht die königliche Familie. Als Taj in den Palast bestellt wird, um den König selbst von einer Sünde zu befreien, ahnt er nicht, dass er in eine abscheuliche Intrige hineingezogen wird, die nicht nur die Beseitigung aller Aki zum Ziel hat, sondern auch Kos zerstören soll. Taj muss handeln. Kann er den Wahnsinn, der bereits in ihm wütet, lange genug zurückhalten, um seine Freunde und ganz Kos zu retten?

Ich finde Tochi Onyebuchi sehr sympathisch. Ich bewundere sein Engagement im sozialen Bereich und seinen Ehrgeiz, parallel zu seinem fordernden Beruf eine Karriere als Autor anzustreben. Ich weiß, dass er mit einer Bipolar-II-Störung lebt und seine Alkoholsucht überwand. Deshalb bedauere ich die folgenden Worte von Herzen: „Beasts Made of Night“ ist eine Katastrophe. Nach der Lektüre war ich völlig geschockt, ich fragte mich ernstlich, ob in meinem Rezensionsexemplar vielleicht Teile fehlten, denn die Geschichte dieses Reihenauftakts fühlte sich dermaßen unvollständig und fragmentarisch an, dass ich ihr nicht einmal folgen konnte. So etwas habe ich noch nie erlebt. Onyebuchi konnte sich offenbar überhaupt nicht in seine Leser_innen hineinversetzen. Er beschreibt nichts, er erklärt nichts, er schubste mich in dieses löchrige Gebilde hinein und erwartete, dass ich mich ohne seine Hilfe darin zurechtfand, während er munter riesige Gedankensprünge vollzog und keinen einzigen Aspekt verlässlich ausarbeitete. Ich stürzte im freien Fall durch die Löcher in Handlung, Chronologie, Worldbuilding und Charakterkonstruktion und konnte zuschauen, wie mir „Beasts Made of Night“ rasant egal wurde, weil ich es nicht begriff. Diese Entwicklung betrübt mich, denn ich ahne, welche Geschichte Onyebuchi eigentlich erzählen wollte und wie sie sich in seinem Kopf abspielte. Er konnte seine Fantasie wohl nicht auf Papier bannen. In einem Interview erwähnte er, dass das Setting Kos von der nigerianischen Stadt Lagos inspiriert sei. Diesen Eindruck teilte ich nicht, mir erschien die ummauerte Stadt wie eine krude Version des antiken Roms, erweitert durch einen wilden Mix östlicher Kulturen und Gebräuche. Was hinter Kos‘ Mauern liegt – keine Ahnung. Da sind Bäume. Mehr weiß ich nicht. Die Gesellschaft, die dieses inkonsistente Bild bevölkert, erschloss sich mir ebenfalls nicht. Hat die königliche Familie nun Macht oder wird Kos in Wahrheit von Magiern regiert? Ich weiß es nicht. Ebenso fehlte mir eine Begründung, wieso die Aki verabscheut werden, obwohl ihr Wert unschätzbar ist. Sie erweisen den Menschen einen unverzichtbaren Dienst, da Sünden nicht nur ideologisch abgelehnt werden, sondern auch „krank machen“. Inwiefern und wieso – ich weiß es nicht. Da sie nun schon als Bodensatz der Gesellschaft gelten, läge es nahe, ihre Tattoos, die sie offen brandmarken, zu verstecken. Tun sie nicht. Warum – ihr ahnt es – weiß ich nicht. Gern hätte ich mich in diesem verwirrenden Ansturm bruchstückhafter Informationen zumindest am Protagonisten Taj festgeklammert, ja, ich wäre bereit gewesen, ihn emotional in einem Todesgriff zu halten, um mich durch „Beasts Made of Night“ hindurchzubringen. Es ging nicht. Ich kann ihn nicht leiden. Er ist arrogant und aggressiv, kein bisschen empathisch und kurz gesagt ein Widerling, der viel zu große Stücke darauf hält, bisher nicht verrückt geworden zu sein. Tolle Leistung. Applaus. Kurz vor Schluss versucht Tochi Onyebuchi dann, die Handlung dieses Schweizer Käses durch eine überraschende Wendung aufregend und unvorhersehbar zu gestalten. Unglücklicherweise war dieser Dreh inhaltlich vollkommen unlogisch. Das fällt allerdings nur marginal ins Gewicht, weil das Vorspiel kaum glaubwürdiger ist.

Es tut mir sehr leid, dass mir „Beasts Made of Night“ nicht gefiel. Ich glaube fest daran, dass Tochi Onyebuchi ein toller Mensch ist, freundlich und hilfsbereit. Seine Pläne, ein erfolgreicher Autor zu werden, würde ich an seiner Stelle jedoch noch ein paar Jahre auf Eis legen. Was diesen Reihenauftakt betrifft, kann ich leider nur einen möglichen Rat aussprechen: ab damit in den Papierkorb und noch einmal ganz von vorn anfangen. In ihrer aktuellen Form hat die Geschichte meiner Ansicht nach nicht einmal Potential, da sie zu viele offene Baustellen aufweist. Ich begreife nicht, wieso das Manuskript überhaupt von einem Verlag angenommen wurde. Aufgrund mehrerer Rezensionen, die ich gelesen habe, weiß ich, dass ich nicht die einzige bin, die so empfindet. Man hätte Onyebuchi vor diesen Negativmeinungen bewahren müssen. Niemand sollte erleben müssen, wie der eigene Debütroman von den Leser_innen in Stücke gerissen wird.

Vielen Dank an Netgalley und den Verlag Razorbill für die Bereitstellung dieses Rezensionsexemplars im Austausch für eine ehrliche Rezension!

This fantasy in another world/universe has roots in some Terran myths & traditions, and I was fascinated by the concept. I kept starting it and being there for the ride, but putting it down and coming back to it. The first 100 pages seemed episodic without really deepening my understanding or empathy for the main character. I ended up not finishing it before it expired, but I would recommend it for fans of Nnedi Okorafor or Renee Adieyah.

I read a few pages of this book, but found that it wasn't really the right book for me. It wasn't bad; I just wasn't clicking with it. DNF.

I loved the storyline and premise of this book. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

I had trouble caring about this book or its characters. The story fell flat, and I didn't enjoy most of it.

Thanks to the publisher for access to this title.

The concept of sin eaters in this tale was interesting, but I really can't say I enjoyed reading this book. I pushed through to call it finished, but I didn't relate to any characters or find that I liked the book any more than I originally thought I would.

Some may enjoy this, but this just wasn't for me.

This is a really difficult book for me to rate and review. On the one hand, there are many things that I liked about the book, on the other, I struggled with the pacing, and found some things confusing.

The world itself was very interesting, it felt vivid, and you can tell that the author has a good idea of how everything works, but it doesn’t always translate well onto the page. This caused me some confusion from time to time. I just wish there had been more time dedicated to world building somehow.

The magic system/mythology is where this book shines. It’s a very unique, interesting concept and it’s described in a very visual way. The magic system, and the questions surrounding it was one of my favourite things about this book, and it definitely kept me reading. Although I wanted to know more about the Mages, and what exactly they do.

The main character is full of personality, and while he is interesting, I sometimes found him to be unpredictable and a little inconsistent. He is an aki, and because of that, he is shunned by society, and is treated as unwanted, despite the fact that his sin eating ability is used to keep the upper class “pure” from sin. Aki have a powerful ability to absorb sin, which can heal, but they are kept in poverty by the Mages, who treat them as disposable. Throughout the book, Taj goes through a lot of character development as he learns more about the mages and royal family.

I found the pacing of this book a little bit off somehow. It was fast paced, but in a way where I felt certain development just happened. I struggled to tell how much time was passing at certain points. What i read as a couple of days was treated as much longer by some characters. I also feel like most of the side characters were under-developed, and felt no connection to the whatsoever, even when they supposedly meant a lot to the main character.

There was a slight romance plot line, and I really struggled to feel the chemistry. The main character suddenly realised he was in love, but there was hardly any interactions between the two characters before that so it felt like too much telling and not enough showing.

Overall, I just wanted a bit more from this book. The main character was very dynamic, but I struggled with the other characters falling very flat. The world and magic system were very interesting, and possibly my favourite things about this book. My other issue with this book was the ending, it felt very rushed and incomplete. I’m actually wondering whether there are any plans for a sequel, because there are a lot of loose ends at the end of this book. I really wanted to like this book, but it left me with a lot of questions, I can’t  give it more than 2.5 stars.

Loved the imagery in this book.  I had a hard time staying engaged with the plot—parts kept my attention, while other parts were less interesting for me.  This plot is unique and should finger a wide readership among teens looking for something out of the ordinary.

Sin-Eating and Cliffhangers in Tochi Onyebuchi’s Beasts Made of Night

Verdict:

It’s always disappointing when a diverse read’s future hangs in the balance, especially when it ends on an equally disappointing cliffhanger. I didn’t DNF it because I did like it. But, no sequel has yet been announced for Beasts Made of Night, unusual for a book that has received this much attention and hype. And I can see from a business point of view why. The Goodreads score is low and the reviews lean towards negative as opposed to positive.

I’m afraid that mine is no different.

Beasts Made of Night follows Taj as he struggles with being the only sin-eater who’s sins do not fade from his skin. When a sin-eater eats a sin, it appears on his skin in the form of an animal (the sin also appears as an animal) like a sort of tattoo and fades away slowly. But Taj’s sins do not fade and he is left with almost no visible “skin”, only tattoos. Because he is unique in this sense and also highly-skilled and trained, he is called upon by the royal family to serve as teacher to new sin eaters. But of course, there are more malicious reasons than simply training young ones. There is also a plot against the royal family and a massive twist that no one sees coming. 

Beasts Made of Night made lofty promises: diverse, Nigerian-inspired, sin-eaters! It’s everything that a YA fantasy needs to fulfil these days and I was excited when I received the ARC. I’ll admit, I didn’t know what sin-eating was and only found out later that it is an actual belief and practice rooted deeply in many cultures. And Beasts Made of Night brought this spiritual practice to life. 

The general plot was interesting enough that I kept on reading despite it being one that’s overdone. You know, “servant” boy falls in love with princess and she loves him back.  

The landscape that Tochi Onyebuchi crafts is striking and intriguing, bringing to mind settings like that of The Wrath and the Dawn and The Star-Touched Queen (both are Indian inspired so, it seems similar and not the same. Don’t get me wrong). It is also evocative and it really makes you feel like you’re right there alongside Taj. 

And, I love the sin-eating and politics and culture surrounding the practice. The worldbuilding is absolutely beautiful. It’s worth to pick up Beasts Made of Night only to read how the author has taken sin-eating and turned it into a way of life. It is surrounded by so much politics and societal norms, kind of what our world is like today. For example, sin-eaters are called upon by the royal family to purge them of their sins as the royal family is supposed to be “pure” and “untouched”, essentially guiltless and clean. And so, they remain pure and clean in the eyes of their nation.

But, in the end, it failed to deliver. 

It rode too hard on it being a diverse read and its Nigerian influence. Beasts Made of Night couldn’t decide what it wanted to be. It lacked a plot structure, jumping from one twist to another. It lacked proper flow. The plot twists while taking my breath away also left me incredibly confused. There was no prelude, no warning. Just wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am. 

Plus, the romance between Taj and the princess seemed incredibly forced and had no purpose at all being there. Firstly, it popped out of nowhere. One moment I’m reading about Taj and sin-eating and the next, he is madly in love with the princess and dreaming about her. The princess is also madly in love with him! It made absolutely no sense and it left a sour taste in my mouth. I hope this isn’t a fault of the ARC but poor editing. 

Not to mention, the princess had absolutely no personality. Who is she? What is she? What does she like? Nothing. I can’t even remember her name cause she’s that forgettable. 

And suddenly, Taj is “dying”. No warning, whatsoever. But the sins are on the verge of consuming his body and “eating” him alive aka Taj has burnout. 

The pacing was also incredibly slow. I was 70% into the book and Taj was still moping about. 

Note: Taj is always moping and lamenting about his life. While I get that it’s because sin-eaters are seen as trash in Kos, it lends an extremely somber tone to the entire book.

Perhaps the worst crime Beasts Made of Night could commit is that it.didn’t.end.the.book. The cliffhanger wasn’t even a fucking cliffhanger. It’s like someone took a knife to the book and sliced it in half. It’s exactly how ebooks end when they want you to purchase the next book in the series. It’s despicable, especially coming from a reputed publisher such as Random House. 

But all is not lost!

The plot twist that comes at the end (finally thank you oh great book lords!) sets the pace for the rest of the series. A government overthrow and rebellion. Plus, I absolutely love Taj’s scholar friend, Aliya. She’s such a gem and I would love to see more of her. She’s blunt and honest and needs a little more tact but she’s got such a heart of gold and she’s so intelligent. I would definitely love to see more of her!

Conclusion:

Beasts Made of Night definitely falls into the trap of the Order of the Debuts and Order of the Firsts. If you can put up with all the negatives, I promise you, it’s worth it. It was engaging and interesting even though it forced me to keep up because of all the plot changes and it’s slow pacing. Plus, Aliya is such a gem. All hail Aliya.