Sample-chapter showdown: Young adult fantasy

Beasts of War by Ayana Gray (G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers)
The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh (G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers)
Children of Anguish and Anarchy by Tomi Adeyemi (Henry Holt and Co.)

It's time for a sample-chapter showdown! These samplers are all from YA fantasy novels.

In another time and another place, things are coming to a head: in Beasts of War, Akande is resorting to desperate tactics to earn the money he needs for marriage—with devastating results, as the sort of power he has is not the sort of power he can control. Meanwhile, Koffi is learning something about her own power that she's not sure she likes...and she may have to learn to use it sooner rather than later.

These samples chapters are for the final installment in the Beasts of Prey trilogy. It's obvious that the characters—Koffi in particular—have some serious history behind them, and though at least from the initial chapters it's easy to follow the events as though this were a standalone, it's also clear that this is best served as a book read after the other two books in the trilogy. There's rich worldbuilding here, and magic and power and the sound of battle on the horizon. This has all the promise of a trilogy conclusion that won't disappoint.

A new life in New Orleans takes a sinister turn in The Beautiful. Celine has only recently landed in the city, tasked with working at a convent until she can find a husband—and determined not to let slip the secret of why she had to flee Paris. But there's a darkness in the city, and if there's anything Celine is drawn to, it's the dark...

These sample chapters flew by. There's an extent to which this feels like Another Sexy Vampire Story, but I love the details of late-1800s New Orleans and the twist of Celine landing in a convent. There's a hint that all might not be quite as it seems at the convent, which pleases me, as it means that there may be more details of partial convent life forthcoming. Celine isn't one to shrink back into the shadows—she's one to dive headfirst into those shadows, fists at the ready. A book for readers who want a far deeper, bloodier part of the night than twilight. I could probably do without the shades of romance that are visible even early on (though I'm very curious about the convent-sanctioned husband-hunting), but this feels promisingly dramatic.

As Children of Anguish and Anarchy opens, Zélie is trapped—locked in a cell in a ship's brig. She does not have access to her magic, she's been separated from her loved ones, and there is little reason to think that she can escape. But escape she must—and not only for her own well-being.

This is book three in the Orisha series, and it starts with a bang. You'll definitely be better off reading the first two books before diving into this one, as the book jumps right in without filling in the backstory, but I love that the world is based on West Africa (very underrepresented in fantasy) and clearly does some wrestling with race and class and, if I'm not reading too much into this, colonialism. Looks like a promising conclusion for readers of the series, and a promising series for those looking for a bit of action and adventure.

The verdict: I've never been a huge fantasy reader, so it's nice to be able to dip my toes in without diving in deep. The setting of Children of Anguish and Anarchy interests me most, but as a teen, I'd have been most likely to pick up The Beautiful. And perhaps my reading tastes haven't changed so much after all...

Thanks to the authors and publishers for providing these samples through NetGalley.