Beasts of Prey
#3973.95 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 2021–2024 Reading commitment Medium Ayana Gray Last reviewed 2026-09-05
Overview
Beasts of Prey is a young-adult fantasy trilogy set in a fantastical version of East Africa, following two teenagers, Koffi and Ekon, as they venture into the magical Greater Jungle to hunt the monstrous Shetani. Author Ayana Gray drew on a wide range of African folklore and mythology to build the beasts, magic, and setting that run through all three novels.
Mythic fantasy · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
Beasts of Prey Ayana Gray
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Beasts of Prey | 2021 | 1 | core | 3.93 (10,529 ratings) |
 | Beasts of Ruin | 2022 | 2 | core | 4.06 (2,819 ratings) |
 | Beasts of War | 2024 | 3 | core | 3.92 (1,225 ratings) |
A young-adult trilogy set in a fantastical version of East Africa, following Koffi and Ekon as they hunt a monstrous creature through the magical Greater Jungle. Draws on a range of African folklore and mythology for its beasts and magic system.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Beasts of Prey? Beasts of Prey's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for Beasts of Prey? Publication order, starting with Beasts of Prey. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Beasts of Prey finished? Complete (2021–2024).
- How much reading does Beasts of Prey take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books · ~1,424 pages).
- How is Beasts of Prey ranked? #397 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 14,573 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #397?
Ranked #397 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.95 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (14,573 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 3 rated core books rate within 0.14 of each other.
- Less than 0.01 behind #396, Vita Nostra (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 3 books · Complete · 15k ratings · Ranks #397 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length mythic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- Beasts of Prey (2021)
- Beasts of Ruin (2022)
- Beasts of War (2024)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- No verified awards on record for this trilogy.
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Suggestions computed from what Beasts of Prey and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
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- Legacy of Orisha Epic fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.01
- Legendborn Urban fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.28
- El Ciclo de la Luna Roja Mythic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.19
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.95 across 14,573 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Beasts of Prey (Ayana Gray) accepted 2026-09-05
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Ayana Gray - Wikipedia Tier 2
- Beasts of Prey (novel) - Wikipedia Tier 2
- Beasts of Prey - Penguin Random House Tier 1
Last reviewed: 2026-09-05
Rule: Core Canon is all three novels — Beasts of Prey (2021), Beasts of Ruin (2022), and Beasts of War (2024) — which tell one continuous story with no separate companion or spin-off material published to date.