This book was amazing even if it did take awhile to get through it the translation of the original writing is so well done I really think she conveyed it so well. I really loved the characters especially Elin she is so unique I don't think I have come across many characters like her she does what she believes in and is very interesting to read about she is a bit hard to describe. The beasts as well as the other characters that surround them are interesting every character is well fleshed out there are no one dimensional characters to be seen. The plot was very good it started out with a girl who admired what her mother did only for things to happen and for Elin to end up somewhere else where the plot really takes off the story just gets better from there it was like reading a studio ghibli film this would make an amazing animated film. I loved this book so much I will reading the next one soon.

I tried SO HARD to get through this book and let me tell you, I barely did it. I was so close to DNF-ing. The writing was just so bad!! I get that it’s a translation of a book that wasn’t written in English, but when you translate a book you should make it grammatically correct?? It would change from third person to first person halfway through a paragraph, the punctuation made no sense, and the tenses kept changing randomly. The story was interesting, but the writing was so bad it was a struggle to finish.

Fantastic world building, rich culture(s), and a great plot! The book was engrossing.

4.5 ✨

I don’t understand why this book hasn’t been picked up more widely, as it’s so lovely!

Elin’s story is so rich and wonderful. She is a girl who just wants to do her best for those around her and learn about the creatures she shares the world with. The Royal Beasts in particular were amazing. I love how it showed their softer side but still kept them as a fierce and terrifying creature. But I also love her relationship with the bees, and with the people she comes into contact with.

It many ways it doesn’t read like a YA book - for a start while it follows Elin from 10 to 18, it has two 4 year jumps that are a little jarring. My favourite sections are definitely while she’s beekeeping lol, it’s just really beautiful in that bit and we get to know her so much better.

It also jumps around with perspective when we start seeing bits about the Yojeh. I enjoyed these, but it was a little confusing to follow in places.

All that said, it is really worth it to get a story with a different history and mythology, and for something so well written and translated. I defy anyone to read this and not fall at least a little in love

I don't even know how to start writing a review for this book because I don't have the words to express how it quietly killed me with its beauty. Sometimes when I read books, in addition to the visual imagery that's created by the author, I also associate it with certain sounds. For THE BEAST PLAYER, I was heard soft breezes, the humdrum of bees, and the occasional whistles and shrieks of the Royal Beasts and the Toda. Uehashi's world-building is excellent and I was disappointed when I had to leave. She was able to craft a fantastic universe, rife with creatures and mythology, and did that all in a calm, calculated pace.

The baddies and the big Ahlyo "secret" were anti-climactic and really telegraphed so early on, but that's really the only weak point that I could think of for this novel. I like that the story could've inserted an unnecessary romance, but it held back and didn't. This novel just checked off so many criteria that I seek out in books; such as, finding and making our own family, characters failing but using their smarts and their skills to try again, and people being honest, even though there's a chance that honesty will hurt them. This book affected me deeply and I will be thinking about it for a while.