I DNF'd this novel at 20%. It is obviously well-written but I am the wrong audience, this is a clear case of "it's not you, it's me". I'm very happy to have been given the chance to read this, and I'm very sorry that it wasn't for me. My rating is based on what I've read and what I think it's worth objectively, regardless of my own tastes.

(4.5) That cover! *heart eyes* The night terror aspect was the only bit that I wished for the author to delve deeper into, but maybe I just have a weird obsession with creepy stuff like that. I found this to be wonderfully atmospheric and fresh feeling.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed reading this. An interesting story with fun characters. Well written.

Written by Mariana Palova, I was really excited to start reading this novel as it sounded dark, intense, and just overall interesting.

However, it was so hard to move through this novel. It had nothing to do with the characters, for they were interesting enough, it was honestly the writing. Both the main character and our 3rd-ish person omniscient being view points were difficult to read. How things were described and the logic behind them was very hard to follow.

Now, the plot line was really interesting, dealing with people that I had no real knowledge of was fantastic. It just was so slow.

The premise of this novel was amazing and when I saw it, I just had to hit that request button. The cover was amazing and it had a relatively high score on Goodreads so I was definitely going to read this regardless of whether it was an advanced reading copy or I waited until its English release date. Going in I was hopeful. Unfortunately, while it was an OK read, I didn't find it to be fantastic.

The main character, Elisse is an androgenous 18 year old who grew up in India but has travelled to New Orleans in order to find his missing father. He was raised in refugee camps and hopes to have a better life. Once arriving in the United States, he meets a Voodoo practitioner who is determined to sway him from his Buddhist ways to her religion. Referencing wereanimals, voodoo, Buddhism, Baron Samedi and various other religious/mythological characters, Nation has some real potential.

While reading through I found the storyline was above average but the way in which is was told was disjointed. To start there are a few chapters of current day and then a random chapter from the past thrown in. Sprinkled throughout are chapters from the viewpoint of an unknown being which seem completely out of place within the timeline of the narrative. Not until the final few chapters is the reader able to discern what and why the entity is involved.

As stated previously, the storyline is one which, had it been better put together (relating to flow) slightly better, could have been amazing. The author explores legends and religions frequently seen in New Orleans, utilising its famous catacombs and Bourbon St to further the tale. The outer reaches of NOLA are used to further the tale, playing residence to Elisse's adopted family while the inner city of New Orleans houses his main home.. I however wish there had have been more description of the scenery - having visited the city, I know it has a personality of its own, one which seemed to be lost within the narrative.

Although it had its low points, the skinwalkers and voodoo practitioners provided a redeeming feature. They were described in such a way that the reader can relate for the most part. I could feel the evil rolling of Baron Samedi at every interaction, the anguish when certain characters perished or went missing.

While not the most fantastic novel, it was still adequate in its pacing and portrayal of its main characters and I am intrigued as to where Elisse's story will be taken in the next instalment

This book was the right mix of magic, mystery and spookiness. Characters and story were well developed.

I was lucky enough to be sent an eARC of this story through NetGalley, for an honest review.

A fast paced mix of folklore and cultures. Dark, raw and filled with the unknown.

I don't think I've ever seen such a mix of New Orleans voodoo, Native American spiritualism coupled and Hinduism. There is so much rich history interwoven into this one story.

I am always fascinated by New Orleans and the atmosphere that it creates. And I've always been interested in Native American beliefs. So I knew that this story of self discovery would really speak to me.

If I had anything negative to say it would be that it can sometimes be confusing as to whose voice you're reading. The story is told from multiple view points but all of them are in first person. Therefore it is a little hard to understand who's viewpoint you're reading from until several pages into a chapter. But this could be down to it being translated from Spanish to English, I'm not 100% sure.

The way it is written could easily be translated to screen and I feel that a TV adaptation would do this fantastic story, justice.

A wild ride from start to finish.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting read. The world was dark, imaginative, coming of age story. It was a really interesting read and very intriguing, however at times it was really slow and it was hard to keep my interest. It took me awhile to read and finish just for the reason I stated before that it was hard to keep my interest.

Palova gives us a creepy and dark horror novel that submerges you in a world of voodoo, beasts, and deals that never seem to be what they seem. Then again nothing is what it seems in Elisse's world. Not only that but she's given us an androgynous character and though there is love and pain and obstacles to cross, this book is no love story and that makes me enjoy it all the more because she promises to extend this world and Elisse so that you're left with a feeling of wanting to read straight on to book 2 once you reach the end, which is of course impossible. The characters are diverse, some are 'gruff' and rough around the edges but many have enough facets to satisfy character driven readers. At some point the character growth does slow but it's necessary to move forward with the plot once certain actions are needed/put in place. The reason this didn't get a higher rating from me was purely because I feel the translator and the translation itself might have lost some of the absolute magic that Mariana has written for us. I am planning on reading this in its native form next, in Spanish and hopefully, that will be soon. This is an exceedingly dark novel, there is violence/blood/gore/death and nightmarish things that go bump in the night. This is not a book for the faint of heart or for those who do not enjoy the things I've just mentioned.

I didn't finish this book. I enjoy the dark aspects of this novel and the book cover is just gorgeous, however I was very thrown off by the chapters from the Gods(???) point of view. The reading from the Gods perspective is odd, as if they were narrating at one of the people in real-time, though they remained completely unaware of their presence. Honestly it came off as predatory and stalker-like which made me uncomfortable. I thought that I had finally figured out who they were talking about/to, but then there was a change in pronouns without any indicator towards a change of focus. It's possible that this character is non-binary, though it legitimately feels like there are several characters getting mixed up in here. I also wouldn't rule out the possibility that this is the result of a translation error. Needless to say I am having a difficult time keeping track of who is doing what, and I'm thoroughly confused and frustrated.

I understand that this was a huge hit when it was published in Spanish a few years ago. It didn't really work for me, and I'm not sure how much of that is how the book is constructed and how much might be attributable to translation. Set in New Orleans, the story involves a white teenage orphan whose father abandoned him at a Buddhist monastery in Tibet as a baby. The orphan, Elisse, grows un in India, and then makes his way to America to search for his father. Once in the US, he's taken in by a Buddhist center in New Orleans, but is quickly pursued by rival forces who are shapeshifters and what the author calls "voodoo" practitioners. Elisse is told that he has shapeshifter-type ancestry, and tries to learn more about this before a loa, or vodun god, comes after him seeking Elisse's death. Along the way there's a slow-burn possible-romance building between Elisse and one of his shapeshifting "brothers." The novel switches POV frequently, and while these different voices make for unique perspectives, it's not always clear why they're used or why the author found them necessary. Elisse's own voice is inconsistent throughout the novel, moving from a formal tone to slang and back again without rhyme or reason. Elisse's backstory about being a blond American kid turned monk/acolyte doesn't seem to be very relevant, and his interactions with the Buddhists who take him in don't seem to matter much either. The use of stereotypical tropes surrounding the treatment of "voodoo" is pretty insensitive, as is the treatment of New Orleans culture. The writing makes it seem as if the author visited NOLA once, during Mardi Gras, did lots of touristy things, and never learned anything else about the city. This is the first in a projected series, so maybe the following books will be better, but I'm not inclined to read them based on this one.

I just finished "Nation of the Beasts". I always find it interesting to read books set in the city in which you live. This story takes place mostly in New Orleans. It is obviously a fictional New Orleans but it still adds a sense of mystic to the experience. We are following Elysse, a wanderer not by choice, as he navigates the world trying to find the clues as to where his father has gone. Elysse has been troubled with horrible nightmares since he was a small child of a creature made of shadows and bone. Escaping to New Orleans has done nothing to dismiss these nightmares. His arrival seems to increase their influence on him even when he is awake. The only solace Elysse has found is in his friendships with Louisa and Tared. A new terror awaits him on the streets of New Orleans and it trying to wake something dark within him. There is ancient magic being used and he must find the means within himself to stand up or be destroyed.

This was a really interesting read. I loved the aspect of the animal spirits and the different types of "wanderers" that Elisse learns about. The visions and voodoo experiences that Elisse has are creepy and horrific, and definitely kept me interested throughout the book! I also really enjoyed the setting, because New Orleans is never not fascinating!

The writing style was a little hard to follow at times. There were quite a few jumpy timelines and jumpy POV's that didn't really make sense as you were reading.

Overall I enjoyed this read and really liked the spookiness of it. The ending was especially good and made me curious to see where the next book takes readers!

Thanks to IBPA and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I've been swithering about finishing this review as I have some mixed feelings about this book and everytime I sit down to write it I procrastinate horribly. So here we go.

This is an interesting book and slightly different from standard YA fare. It follows the story of Elisse, a young man with a mysterious past raised as an orphan in India. Elisse has been haunted his entire life by nightmarish creatures and the only clue to his past is a picture of his father who abandoned him as a baby. He heads to the US to try and discover the truth about his past.

The novel takes place in New Orleans and the description of the city is one of the real strengths of the novel. It is vividly described and the author does a great job of capturing this city’s unique atmosphere whilst incorporating some of its culture and traditions. If you don’t want to go to New Orleans already you probably will after reading this. But really you should anyway because it's super cool.

This novel is genuinely creepy at points and the descriptions of the nightmarish creatures that haunt Elisse are genuinely chilling. It's descriptions of Voodoo practices and the atmosphere of the novel come across really strongly and I really enjoyed these aspects of the story. Aside from a few slightly weird turns of phrase the book seems to have been translated well. Without spoiling anything there are some confusing aspects to how this book has been written that become clearer as things progress but it caught me off guard initially.

My main issues were with the pacing. The story starts well but drags quite a bit in the middle before picking up again for the final cliffhanger. My other main issue was with Elisse. I just found him really annoying and immature for most of the novel and I found the supporting characters much more compelling although we didn't get much of an insight into them as I would have liked. He just didn't feel like an 18 year old streetwise survivor to me.

Overall on the balance of things I did enjoy this book and I'll probably pick up the sequels if they are translated too. The depictions of New Orleans were great but maybe Elisse could be developed a bit more as a character.

I was drawn to this book because it promised a tale of gritty dark magic in New Orleans and as expected, the setting and concept was simply mesmerizing! The characters felt unique and immediate, but also larger than life - everything is steeped in magic. There are voodoo practitioners, there are the powerful beasts in human skin that the protagonist befriends, there are zombies and mythical spirits both benevolent and malevolent. I have never visited New Orleans, but the author succeeded in painting a vivid portrait of the city and visceral atmosphere the story takes place in. The story does not fail to deliver as well - during the latter half I could hardly stop reading and the end felt satisfying and exciting at the same time. I would recommend this to all fantasy lovers looking for something new and different!

Originally published in Spanish, La Nación de las Bestias: El Señor del Sabbath, this book is now available in English. I don’t know Spanish to read and compare, but it appears to be well translated.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It started so strongly, and then dissolves into a whole lot of meh before picking up a bit again for the end. It was so dark and horrifying, I thought I'd found a real winner, but the level of eeriness dropped off and it became quite a slow read. That being said, I still would not like to be in Elisse's shoes - it must be such a traumatising way to live!

Set in New Orleans, the atmosphere built up at the beginning is amazing. We delve into some voodoo and the setup of the main cast is similar to what I think of as Native American (I'm not very familiar with the culture, so apologies if I have this wrong). We also dive straight in and are introduced to the cast of characters within the first couple of chapters - hardly anyone new crops up later.

Elisse is searching for family and a way to fit into this world. From a young age he has been plagued by shadows and monsters, they follow him where he goes but never show themselves in the same place twice. At the age of 18 he has recently arrived in America, after being raised in Tibet and India, in an effort to find his father who fled Tibet leaving him in the care of a Buddhist monk when he was 3 years old. I found him to be extremely childish, behaving more like a 10 year old and lashing out if he didn’t get his own way. I understand this would probably be the characteristics of someone with the upbringing he had, but he definitely isn't a character I overly connected with.

Although the supporting characters certainly appealed to me more and seem like they have such interesting stories, we don’t actually get to see much about them. They more just show up, have some inconsequential chats, and then poof away again for a bit. I'd love to see more of them, and with this being the first in a series I assume we will, but I needed to know a bit more than is given away in this book.

Alongside Elisse, we also read from another perspective. I won’t say much about it as all is revealed later in the book, but I really liked how these scenes were written and the change from first to second person that signalled the shift in perspective. I really hope this would be maintained in the subsequent books.

As I mention, this is the first in a series - the ending is rather abrupt and leaves you on a cliff-hanger just as the book picks up again after the slow middle. It kind of left with a "what on earth is happening now" vibe. I'd definitely be open to reading the next book if I came across it - I just don’t think I'll be actively seeking it out.

Darkly beautiful and unusual. This was a very different read in many respects and I can't quite put my finger on why. Possibly it's that sub consciously the folklore of the author's home country informs the tone of a fantasy novel. Either way this started slowly and then unwound in a way that just pulled you along. The characters were well delineated and it was a thoroughly compelling read. Recommended.

Will post to all links in my profile and my blog tomorrow, 3/7/2019 (including twitter)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07L6RLD9Y/ref=aw_cr_t_digital-text

Four Star Review: Nation of Beasts (Book 1: Lord of the Sabbath) By Mariana Palova

Nation of the Beasts is the first book in a new trilogy by Mariana Palova. Per the publisher, The Mage's Lantern/International Book Publishers Association:

"Originally published in Spanish, La Nación de las Bestias: El Señor del Sabbath enchanted Latin American readers, and now the first book of the Nation of the Beasts series makes its English language debut."

Although classified as sci-fi/fantasy Nation of the Beasts is, in my opinion, more horror with fantasy elements. Truthfully, I say this with a great amount of enthusiasm. I may be just missing out on a whole genre of YA Fiction, but I have rarely come across books I could classify as true horror. However, it became quite clear that the demons chasing Elisse, the main character, were nothing short of terrifying.

"Wobbling from side to side, a mass of bloody flesh driven by protruding arms palmed the ground... It had neither head nor eyes but knew where I hid. I held back a whimper as it passed over the bowl of rice and bathed it with clots of rotted blood. "

Nation of the Beasts will hook you from the beginning and then doesn't let go. Starting with a mysterious flee from a burning monastery, Elisse knows nothing of his parentage and ends up with his tutor at a refugee camp. An American in India. His mother having died in childbirth and just a picture of a father who abandoned him for unknown reasons.

Chased by demons that he doesn't understand his whole life he comforted by one fact. They only come to scare him. They don't touch him, and they only plague his nightmares. That is, until he leaves for New Orleans as a young adult. In search of his father and answers to his troubled existence with these demons that plague him, Elisse moves to a Buddhist monastery.

It is here in New Orleans that Elisse truly grapples with and comes to grip with his plight. He is running from demons that not only he can see but find him by day when they used to only come at night. His excuse of having night terrors when people find him lying in ditches or during unexplained disappearances are no longer working. Yet he has no respite from something only he knows to exist.

"After so many years, I wait for the day when I can finally get used to these beings. But how do I live with the torment of seeing things that no one else can see, and even worse, from which nobody can protect me?"

That is until a stranger shows up and offers to provide Elisse all the answers he seeks. If and only if Elisse will come with him and trust him. Elisse finds this stranger is not alone. He is a part of a larger group that Elisse finds more of a family than any he had known in India or New Orleans; one that may not only understand the demons he fights but can help him conquer them, as well.

Palova wraps Elisse's story around a cast of interesting characters that authentically care for Elisse while bringing New Orleans alive in stunning detail. Additional mysteries are interwoven with disappearing remains of the dead, well-researched utilization of voodoo rapping the horrors of the demons in stunning detail in other mysteries of missing bodies from local graves, dark magic and well-researched use of voodoo and magical forces throughout the story.

The ending leaves a cliffhanger worthy of the start of a trilogy. It sets-up the second book and leaves you with enough questions to want a second book while providing enough answers to secondary stories to not leave you completely hanging.

There were two parts of Nation of the Beasts that were out of place. One might have been due to the translation from Spanish to English. One was not translation based.

First, there were times that the language didn't quite make sense. Word choice seemed off or pronouns hindered the flow or understanding of what was happening. With a couple of rereads of the sentence and/or paragraph you could sort it out, and it was worth the reread. However, it is important to note this as an issue.
Second, the fluidity of transition from first to second person a) without any understanding of how or why was confusing to say the least (especially in the beginning when it was really jarring) and b) without any clue who/what was suddenly narrating the story. This is especially true since it really was more of a what narrating than a who. Being it is more of a mystical/magical being (and it takes time to pick up on it- more of an inference that you must go with).

Having more clarity around the role of this new narrator and why/when/how their point of view comes into play would intensify the impact. Even if the author wants to have a mystique around it at first, provide some clues for us to follow so we aren't completely blindsided.

I got about 25 percent through this and just had to stop. My interest was not held at all. I wasn't connecting with the characters, and the story just didn't grab me.

Even after reading the synopsis, I genuinely had no idea what to expect going into this. The first few chapters don't give a very clear idea of what exactly is going on, but I think that's largely to do with the fact that the concept behind these characters, and the fantastical elements of this world are wholly unique—I've honestly never read anything like this before. 

Because of this confusion and unfamiliarity, I didn't expect to love this as much as I did. And I would say for the first 40% or so I was only liking it, but I wasn't loving it. After that 40% mark though I hit my stride, and found myself really loving the characters and completely invested in the storyline. 

In this, our protagonist, Elisse, is an 18-year-old Buddhist Tibetan refugee who is moving to New Orleans, Louisiana—which is where the story takes place. Perfectly normal backstory—except for the fact that Elisse is White, an orphan as his mother died giving birth to him, and is in the U.S searching for his long-lost father who he has never met or seen. He's also plagued by nightmares and hallucinations of monstrous creatures, which he has been experiencing for most of his life. 

Although Elisse is Buddhist, there isn't a ton about the religion itself in this, so I'm hesitant to say it has Buddhist representation. There's also hinting at a potential M/M relationship, and the main character is described in such a way that it seems like he could be considered genderqueer, but this book is not marketed as LGBTQIAP+—so again, I'm hesitant to necessarily claim that representation.

Aside from the characters, and surprisingly enough, my favorite thing about this was the setting. Even if you have never been to New Orleans, you will feel like you've seen it in person after reading these descriptions. 

And of course because this is set in New Orleans, there is a ton of involvement with Voodoo. There is more information about, and depiction of, Voodoo given than there is Buddhism, so I would say this does represent Voodoo. I appreciated the obvious amount of research the author did into Voodoo and its practices—and that Voodoo is depicted as being used for both "bad" and "good". This definitely doesn't demonize the religion. 

The only thing that felt a bit "off" in this was the writing. This was translated into English from it's original Spanish, so I don't know if it's the writing itself, or the translation—but the sentences tend to feel stilted, and there are some odd word choices used that don't flow very smoothly to an English speaker. 

If you're looking for a dark, urban fantasy with horror elements, look no further. This was a wild ride. And I don't know when or if the second book will be translated, but you can bet I'll read it when it does.