"The beauty and power of the natural world is at the core of this intriguing fantasy, whose abrupt ending guarantees a sequel." —Kirkus Reviews on The Beast Player

This Japanese novel in translation will appeal to anime and manga fans but also to anyone who loves epic fantasy and fantastical beasts. Before Elin’s mother is killed by vicious sea serpents, she saves Elin’s life with a mysterious whistling song and makes Elin swear to never repeat it because the act is a mortal sin. Elin spends many years wondering what her mother could have possibly meant, especially after she realizes that she can communicate with beasts herself. Elin has to uncover the mysteries of her heritage and discover why they believe that communication with the beasts is wrong and will lead to disaster—and then she must decide whether or not to stop. I loved the questions of identity that Elin wrestled with, and I absolutely adored her bond with the Royal Beast that she comes to love. The relationship is complicated and dangerous because her beloved beast is never a pet, always wild. A major theme of the book is our relationship with wildlife and our responsibilities toward them. I loved the way the mysteries of the past were unraveled, and I even ended up liking the political aspects of the book (which is unusual for me). And even though this book gave us a satisfying ending I’m eager to read the next book in the duology (which takes us ten years into the future) to find out what happens next with Elin.

***Disclosure: I received these books from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

As a result of my various committee appointments and commitments I am unable to disclose my personal thoughts on this title at this time. Please see my star rating for a general overview of how I felt about this title. Additionally, you may check my GoodReads for additional information on what thoughts I’m able to share publicly. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this and any other titles you are in charge of.

I loved this! There are some interesting story structure elements that I really appreciated. I don't know if it'd because it's a translation but regardless, I enjoyed it. It is full of political intrigue but at first you don't necessarily see that. It starts as a magical coming of age story for a young girl with a tragic past. I loved that we got to spend so much time with her as she grows up and I even really liked that we jumped through so many years of her life. Overall just absolutely loved this and cannot wait to pick up the sequel.

4.5 *received for free from netgalley for honest review* Really good book, was interesting, liked the characters and interesting story :)

3.5, almost 4 stars.
I really liked the idea and premise of this book. I just feel like every single thing was dragged out and took a lot longer to explain than necessary.
I was a little confused at the beginning, but I began to really love Elin and was horrified when the Toda killed her mom and she was taken away from her village. I think my favorite part of the book was when she was living with Joeun. They just had the most adorable relationship. I love how Elin was described especially during this part. She was a child, but was so interested in everything, and wanted to know everything and independent. She was just a great character, and so was Joeun. I love how Elin's change sighting of the Royal Beasts in the wild lead to the rest of the story.
While I did enjoy Elin's time at Kazalumu school, I felt the pacing was super weird. It took chapters and chapters and chapters to describe how she tried to get Leelan to eat and want to go outside, but then suddenly it was 4 years later and she was done school.
After this part, the book got rather political and religious and it lost my interest a little bit. The people of the Yojeh and Aluhan were introduced in a weird place in the book and threw out a lot of foreign names and places and it took me several more parts based around them (which were not often at the time) to remember who was who and who was on which side.
Like I said, I loved Elin and Joeun, but not many of the other characters caught my attention. I did like the Yojeh and Ialu was ok, but everyone else was kind of bland.
The pacing of the end was kind of weird too, it felt very rushed after other things were so drawn out. It also ended at a really weird place and nothing really felt tied up. It felt like the end of a chapter, not the end of a book. I am interested to see what happens in the sequel.

Quietly beautiful, almost meditative to read. I have recommended this book to our school library for purchase.

**I was provided an electronic ARC post-publication by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Actual rating: 4.5

Cathy Hirano translates into English the work of Nahoko Uehashi with The Beast Player. Readers follow Elin from childhood to adulthood as she pursues the path of being a beast doctor. The magical beasts of the royal family and the giant water serpents associated with the warring peoples are politicized by years of tales surrounding the favor of the gods. Elin is a child of mixed heritage, and her mother carries the secrets of her people. When Elin's mother dies, Elin must find for herself what secrets are worth learning or keeping and at what cost.

The Beast Player is beautifully written and developed. Uehashi takes their time with telling the story of Elin, how she grows, and how she becomes the woman that she is. Elin is forced to grow by circumstance and by her choices, and must represent herself, both of her peoples, and the beasts she cares for so very much. Uehashi tells the story with patience, grace, and deliberation and in a manner uncommon to popular Western YA novels. As such, I can see where this story may not appeal to some Western readers, but I had no such difficulties.

The Beast Player is a story that puts forth a modern spin on a style of writing that is reminiscent of classical mythology and is absolutely a joy to consume. Those who enjoy mythical beasts will quickly become invested in the raising of the royal beasts and the toda.

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who has multicultural interests, enjoys anime or manga, or has interest in exploring a story of man and beast. I look forward to future works to be translated from this author.

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!

10-year-old, Elin’s mother is a beast doctor charged with caring for Toda, battle serpents. When a Toda mysteriously dies, Elin’s mother is sentenced to death. Elin manages to escape to the mountains where she meets a beekeeper who takes her in. When she reaches adulthood, she discovers that she has inherited her mother’s ability and begins making friends with them. However, there is a lot of civil unrest in the kingdom and the royals start using the creatures in their battles. Will Elin find a way to save the majestic creatures amidst the conflict? Is it right to use one’s gifts to influence a war? The relationship between Elin and the other beasts is realistic, engaging, and draws the reader into the story. The plot is intriguing and will appeal to those who like Studio Ghibli. However, the world-building could be better, the political aspects felt forced, and the translation felt rough in parts. Overall, worth the read for those who enjoy manga, novels translated from Japanese, fantasy, and adventure.

Please Note: A copy of this book was given to us by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are our own. No financial compensation was received.

Japanese YA drama that contains a strong heroine, magic, and lots of mythology references. Heavy dialogue can make it a struggle in the beginning, but it is worth sticking through.

DNF @ 6 hours

I tried reading this, but it was long and slow to read, so I actually attempted to listen to the audiobook when that came out. I had more luck with that, but not much more. I finally had to DNF it after I'd gone a week without listening to it and realized I had no desire at all to return to it.

The narrator was fantastic, so I highly recommend her. The story, though? Eh. I wanted to love it. I still might come back to it. It’s just so all over the place. I mean, there was something like 20 – 30 minutes spent talking about the care and maintenance of bees! It felt so unnecessary. Then it started jumping between different characters, different settings, and I kept getting lost and having to rewind.

I might give it a try later with listening to the audio combined with following along with the ebook (which I did end up purchasing). I think this is one for people who can really do with a long, slow burn sort of a story. I want something with a bit more action. I do love the idea of it and the way the world and situation is set up. It was just far too slow for me.

Elin's family has always cared for the water serpents that made up the backbone of the kingdom's army. When some mysteriously die, her mother is put to death. Her mother sends her away to save her life, and that is when Elin learns she can talk to not only water serpents, but the flying beasts that guard the queen. This ability makes her incredibly important, but also embroils her in deadly plots.

Both the water serpents known as the Toda and the Royal Beasts are animals that were taken in infant stages and raised by humans for specific purposes with in the twin sides of the kingdom. The Aluhan side is more militarized and does the "dirty" work to keep everyone in both halves safe, and the other is the "holy" populace that seek to protect the Yojeh, the holy woman that is the spiritual heart of the country. The populace immediately around her are spiritual but poorer, and get tributes from the militarized part of the land. On top of that are the mysterious Ahlyo, who aren't part of either kingdom and uphold a Code of secrecy along with their well known healing skills. The wild beasts are different from those raised by humans, such that the Toda are larger but sterile and used for war, and the Royal Beasts don't fly.

Elin is so concerned with learning, understanding and ultimately healing that she has no time or interest in romantic entanglements. She is actually disgusted when Damiya flirts with her and tries to initiate a sexual liaison. Her main concern is being part of the school and then in caring for the Royal Beast cub in her own way; because she never learned the "proper" way of doing it, Elin essentially raises the cub as she had seen the wild ones do. This had never been seen before in captivity, and is the secret that has to be kept. Aluhan wants to take over the Yojen's half of the country and fuse it into one, and she has no army in her territory.

This novel is heavily influenced by East Asian cultures. It's in the way honor is so important to the people, education and influence determine and are determined by class, the landscapes, the names, and even the animals that are so spiritually important to the people. The story is told with a lot of detail and nuance, and it is through those details that the plot advances. It's not until the final quarter that you discover the treachery that was hidden within the innermost circles of the royalty, because Elin wasn't exposed to them until a little before that time. From the first, Elin's only thought was for the safety and wellbeing of the Royal Beasts, and this love of life and understanding is the bridge by which she tries to save the kingdom.

The nuance and detail in this novel is amazing, and it really is a quiet character study that is worth the attention you have to to pay to it.

I love when books that I read for pleasure perfectly align with some philosophical concept I'm grappling with. Recently, I've spent a lot of time thinking about the place designated for animals, and this novel deftly challenges the way that we analyze the human/animal binary. The fact that the book does this with a generous dosage of Miyazaki-esque worldbuilding left me anxiously awaiting the next book in the series! I highly recommend this book for those who like animals, Miyazaki films, or good stories in general.

I had no idea how good this story would be until I finished it and immediately picked up the ARC for the next one. This is a wonderful fantasy with, within my purview, is an original storyline with diverse and well-developed characters. Elin is one of my favorite young adult fiction characters now, from her tenacity to consider the lives of those who others believe are monsters (the Toda) to her sheer intelligence in her observational skills as a healer and student. She has no grudge against anyone and only fears for the safety of Leelan and the other Royal Beasts. This is a great read for fans of the How to Train Your Dragon movies or the Eragon series.

DNF. I have been trying to read this book for several weeks now, but it's just not clicking for me. I feel no attachment to Elin or any other character, except maybe Joeun, but he wasn't around very long. The idea is interesting, as is the idea of the Toda and the Royal Beasts, but, for me at least, the story doesn't live up to the description. It just drags. I have 113 pages left, but can't make myself keep reading it, when there are other books that also deserve my time. I will not be posting this review to other sites, as I don't feel it's fair to review for the general public a book I did not finish.

This book really surprised me! I have not read much Asian inspired fantasy and I thought that this was done well. I am not of Asian decent so I can not speak to the representation but I thought that this book was respectful to Asian cultures.

I found the characters of this story very entertaining. I think that they are all fleshed out and you definitely have those that feel very real.

I thought that the overall plot was interesting but I feel like this book sometimes dragged.

I think for the audience that this book is meant for it could be a really interesting and fun adventure into Asian fantasy.

The Beast Player is a beautiful, thrilling, heartbreaking story about Elin, the titular Beast Player, Elin and her family take care of the Toda, mythical water beasts that have been subdued and wrestled into working as animals of war. When several animals under Elin's mother's care die suddenly, Elin is forced to watch as her mother is put to horrible, violent death. With her dying breath, Elin's mother sends her fleeing for her life into the unknown.. In this story steeped in Japanese myth and lore, Uehashi paints a beautiful, frightening world where Elin must fight to use her talents with the royal beasts for good rather than sentencing them to a life in captivity forced to make war on the rest of the world.

I understand that this book was first released in Japanese as a series of manga or graphic novels. The Beast Player is a novel withou illustrations, but Uehashi paints such vivid portraits of the animals and people and has built such an amazing, fantastical world that you can easily picture it all for yourself.

A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Incredible story about the life of a young woman who just wanted to understand the animals around her. Elin's story begins as a young girl who is forced to watch her mother die and taken away from the only family she knows. As her knowledge grows, her place in her community becomes more complex causing her to be put in a difficult place between the beasts and the humans. I absolutely loved how pure Elin's relationship was with the animals in her care. Even as her home and caregivers change, her drive to learn from the animals and care for them seems to increase.

I will absolutely be getting a copy to keep in my classroom to share with students.