The Beast P{ayer is a world rich with fantastic beasts and magical worldbuilding. Elin is the daughter of the clan's beast doctor, who takes care of the fearsome Toda, the wild serpents that the people of the clan ride into battles. After a massive incident happens with the Toda, Elin's mother is used as a scapegoat and Elin is thrown from the life she knew. This first volume does a good job of getting you hooked and explaining some of the premise of the story. I found myself very interested in some of the elements of what I assume will become political intrigue later on. I don't want to spoil it, so I won't go into details. But it ends so abruptly, that it feels like it wasn't even meant to end there. It's not even a cliffhanger, it's almost as if the final chapter got its last half removed. The story shows you how Elin is flung from her life and how she comes to survive the aftermath, but the pace slows to a snail's crawl after the first few chapters. I am still extremely interested, so I will be seeking out more volumes!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!