Audiobook Review – The Beast Player (The Beast Player, Book 1) by Nahoko Uehashi, Narrated by Caitlin Kelly (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 14 hours and 50 minutes
Publisher:‎ Macmillan Audio
Release Date: March 26, 2019
ASIN: B07P74TPLB
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in The Beast Player duology
Source: Borrowed Audiobook from Library
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

“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 creatures mysteriously die, Elin’s mother is sentenced to death as punishment. With her last breath, she manages to send her daughter to safety.

Alone and far from home, Elin soon discovers that she can communicate with both the terrifying water serpents and the majestic flying beasts that guard her queen. This skill gives her great power, 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 escaping the terrible battles to come?”

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in The Beast Player duology. I borrowed this on audiobook from the library.

Thoughts: I really loved this and thought it was incredibly well written. I enjoyed the characters, the world, and, of course, the Royal Beasts. I am eager to start the second book in this duology.

The book mainly follows Elin. Initially, Elin lives with her mother in a small town where her mother is responsible for caring for the serpent-like beasts (Toda) that they raise there. When disaster strikes, and Elin’s mom is sentenced to death, Elin’s mother saves Elin by sending her off on the back of a serpent. Suddenly Elin is all alone and left to fend for herself. Luckily, she finds a kind old teacher who helps raise her and helps her realize her talent, with not only the serpents, but also the Royal Beasts. As the world discovers Elin’s talent for communicating with all of these “beasts” she quickly gets drawn into dangerous politics.

I really loved this book a lot. I especially loved the beginning where Elin is living with the teacher and learning all about nature and wildlife. I didn’t enjoy the end as much, as Elin gets drawn into the politics of the world. The Royal Beasts are definitely front and center and are one of the things I adored most about this book. My only complaint is I had trouble picturing what both them (the Royal Beasts) and the Toda look like. The Toda are serpent-like creatures. I pictured the Royal Beasts more like griffins or dragons but looking at the cover of the book now it seems like maybe they are something else completely.

I loved the characters in this book. Elin is a quiet but stubborn and patient girl who looks at the world through very different eyes than most people do. This allows her to do things and communicate with the Royal Beasts in ways that other people can’t imagine. I loved watching her learn and loved that she found people who were willing to take a chance on her and work to understand her points of view.

The writing is beautifully done and has a very peaceful, tranquil quality to it (at least for the beginning of the book). The settings are well described and the characters are very engaging. I loved all we learnt about beekeeping in the beginning and really enjoyed watching Elin apply those lessons to the Royal Beasts.

I listened to this on audiobook and really enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend reading this on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks. The narration was very well done.

Just a caution that this does end at a low point and pretty much right in the middle of the story. So make sure you have “The Beast Warrior” on hand if you don’t like cliffhangers.

My Summary (4.5/5): Overall I really enjoyed this book. It’s an intriguing world, with wonderful characters, some adventure and of course amazing beasts. If you enjoy reading about things like dragons or other animals you will probably enjoy this. It is beautifully written and very thoughtful and I really enjoyed it. I am definitely planning on picking up the final book in this duology “The Beast Warrior” soon.