This was a surprising debut. Not only is it a very long book which I wasn't expecting, almost 500 pages for a single YA novel, but it's very descriptive and well-written. I felt like I was in Lkossa, in the Night Zoo, in the Greater Jungle, seeing these fantastical creatures right in front of me. The creatures were so vivid and unique, I loved it! Koffi was a great female lead and I really enjoyed her character development. And Ekon's character development! I grew really attached to them and even with the long book I didn't want it to end. One of the characters is alluded to either have OCD or maybe on the austim spectrum and has stimming behaviors/techniques. I love that the author herself posted a Goodreads review with CW/TW:
Physical/Verbal Abuse (Minor)
Blood (Minor)
Bodies/Corpses (On Page)
Bones
Death/Dying (Referenced; On Page)
Drug Use (Referenced; On Page)
Forced Captivity/Kidnapping
Murder (Referenced)
Sexism/Misogyny/Toxic Masculinity
Sexual Content (Mild)
Slavery/Indentured Servitude
Spiders
Violence (Mild)
I will definitely be on the lookout for Ayana Gray's next novel.
Physical/Verbal Abuse (Minor)
Blood (Minor)
Bodies/Corpses (On Page)
Bones
Death/Dying (Referenced; On Page)
Drug Use (Referenced; On Page)
Forced Captivity/Kidnapping
Murder (Referenced)
Sexism/Misogyny/Toxic Masculinity
Sexual Content (Mild)
Slavery/Indentured Servitude
Spiders
Violence (Mild)
I will definitely be on the lookout for Ayana Gray's next novel.