The Beasts We Bury by D.L. Taylor | Book Review

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The Beasts We Bury by D.L. Taylor
Series: The Broken Citadel #1
Published by Henry Hold and Co. on February 4, 2024
Genres: YA Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 368
Format: Hardback
Source: OwlCrate

Content Warnings: Animal Death, Animal Torture, Death, Murder, Domestic Abuse, Grief, Parental Neglect, Bodily Harm, Child Abuse
Rating:

Will he steal her heart... or her chance at the throne? Daughter and heir to the throne, Mancella Cliff yearns for a life without bloodshed. But as a child, she emerged from the Broken Citadel with the power to summon animals—only after killing them with her bare hands. Her magic is a constant reminder of the horrors her father, the ruler of the realm, has forced upon her to strengthen their power. Silver is a charming thief struggling to survive in a world torn apart by Mancella’s father’s reign. When a mysterious benefactor recruits him for the heist of a lifetime, a chance to rob the castle, Silver relishes the opportunity for a real future—and revenge. But he'll have to manipulate Mance and earn her trust to pull it off. As the deception and carnage mount, Mance must find a way to save her realm without becoming the ruthless monster she's been bred to be. And when Silver discovers that his actions are fueling the violence that Mance wants to prevent, he'll have to choose between his ambition and the girl he’s falling for.

Where to begin. I was an emotional wreck after the first chapter, sure I was going to DNF The Beasts We Bury because I could not handle the heartbreaking description of Mance's fight and ultimate triumph over a very sacred mother jaguar. I love animals so profoundly that I refuse to eat them and perpetuate their mass torture and slaughter. Any animal torture and death is a big turn-off for me, and I was concerned the entire book was going to be filled with more heartbreak, but I am glad I stuck it out.

Mancella, or Mance for short, is gifted with a very unique power-- if she kills an animal, she is able to absorb its spirit and its strength into herself, but only if she kills it with her bare hands, an even fight if you will. While other royal powers are fairly common in other fantasy books, such as blood magic, control over others, etc, I haven't seen anything quite like Mance's. This makes for a truly unique magical system and a damn good time when things hit the fan. I'm not going to lie, it was difficult to reconcile how Mance received her gifts, but it's just as hard on our heroine as it is on the reader. Mance does not want this gift. She hates killing animals, even refusing to eat meat because of it. She doesn't want the throne, her gift, or anything else that comes with being the heir apparent, and I don't blame her.

The story unfolds naturally, with dual perspectives between Mance and an orphan turned rogue, Silver. Silver and his friends are attempting to push back against the throne, not to free the oppressed, but to freely exist themselves. Silver takes on a job to infiltrate the throne and gather information for a mysterious buyer, and meets Mance as a result. It's an "enemies-to-lovers" story arc between Mance and Silver, but it didn't really feel like they were ever true enemies. It was very one-sided hatred that quickly dissolved once they got to know each other.

Their love blossoms very quickly, but it's not surprising considering the traumas both of them have been through. If anything, a great loss causes us to cling to anything and everything the best we can. Despite how short The Beast We Bury is, I fell so in love with both Mance and Silver. They are two children trying to do the best they can in a very cruel world. Both are full of such anger and rage, yet both desperately want to be loved, as any broken child does.

The world-building is not completely fleshed out, but I fully expect this to be reconciled in the next book(s), as this is only the first book. I did not realize this was going to be part of a series until later, which altered my rating a bit. This is an excellent first book, but the follow-up needs to do some serious work to keep the series alive. I think some reviewers failed to recognize this in their own reviews, so take this how you will.

Furthermore, I loved Mance's character development. When the story begins, Mance is naive and disconnected from the world, spending all of her time cruelly sheltered away. Her father is incredibly abusive, not just to Mance but to her mother and sister as well. He even tortures the staff. When it comes to villains, Mance's father takes the cake for the worst father. I absolutely hated the man and could not wait for him to get exactly what he deserved. However, as the story unfolds, Mance's eyes are opened to the cruelty her people are also forced to endure, the endless wars, taxes, stealing of children, false imprisonment, etc. She does everything she can to break the system, knowing in her heart that no one should have to suffer the way she has. I love that the cruelty she faced made her a more generous person, not a spiteful one. Mance's character development is to be applauded.

Finally, the twist at the end was fantastic. I'm not going to say I didn't see it coming, but I certainly didn't see all of it coming the way it did. I cannot wait to see where the story takes us in the next book! The love, political intrigue, the magic system...I am excited to see where Taylor takes us.