The Law of Beasts seemed like a promising read; however, the many plot holes made it a confusing and dreadful reading experience.
The Law of Beasts is a fantasy novel that focuses mainly on Alicia, a vampire turned without permission, who has difficulty figuring out who she is. Without guidance, Alicia shows complete disrespect for supernatural laws, which lands her in all kinds of trouble. At 200 years old, Alicia meets the queen of all supernatural beings, Armona, who takes Alicia under her wing. Centuries pass, and several events link Alicia with Khovahsh, one of the ancients.
This book review was first published on Reedsy Discovery.
I chose to read The Law of Beasts because of the promising synopsis and the raving reviews on Amazon (2x verified-purchase reviews). Unfortunately, the story did not live up to the hype. I observed formatting, spelling, and grammatical errors from the start (including the cover). While the odd spelling or grammar mistakes can be overlooked when a story is grip ping, the fact they were recurring throughout the novel made them more noticeable and distracted from the reading experience, as I had to reread certain sentences before they made sense.
The storyline feels rushed; events happen centuries apart, and no imagery is present to help the reader visualise scenes or characters. The plot seems stuck in the beginning phase as characters jump from scene to scene without the events connecting; there is no apparent climax or conclusion. These plot holes become more apparent when a plot twist is introduced toward the end that is missing the groundwork to create that aha moment.
Some chapters describe a character’s background and reasoning for their actions; however, most are not linked to the plot, which is puzzling, to say the least. An example: a wife is telling her husband she plans to leave him. She says, ‘I decided that I’m going to move back with my father. He’s a glassmaker.’ The discussion between husband and wife continues; she eventually says, ‘I’m moving down with my friend Yu-yummy. She has space in her hut just for me.’ These two sentences, which are one page apart, are inconsistent. Also, the fact that the wife’s father is a glassmaker is insignificant and an odd addition to the conversation, as the father is never mentioned again, and you'd expect the husband to be aware of the father's occupation.
I think The Law of Beasts has potential as the author created supernatural beings I haven't seen before. This book could prove an interesting read if the author takes this novel back to the drawing board, checks the plot outline, and gets an editor to flag any remaining plot holes.
In conclusion, I don’t recommend this book.
You can find The Law of Beasts here.
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