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Ayana Gray

Ayana Gray

Ayana Gray is an Atlanta-born speculative-fiction author whose work draws on Pan-African history and myth, moral ambiguity, and the emotional lives of young people confronting grief and inherited obligations. Her Beasts of Prey trilogy follows Black teenagers through a richly imagined world of monsters and magic, while her expanding bibliography includes young-adult and adult fiction.

Photo: Photography by Jason Masters © 2024 · Source: About — Ayana Gray ↗

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Years covered2021

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Cover of Beasts of Prey

Beasts of Prey

2021 · Fantasy

2 editions: Print · 2021 | eBook · 2022

About this work & edition details

In this blockbuster fantasy series, perfect for fans of Firekeeper’s Daughter and Iron Widow , fate binds two Black teenagers together as they journey into a magical jungle to hunt down a vicious monster. “Rich in magic and mythos, Beasts of Prey is a feast for all the senses.” —Renée Ahdieh, New York Times bestselling author of The Beautiful An Instant New York Times and Indie Bestseller There’s no such thing as magic in the broken city of Lkossa, especially for sixteen-year-old Koffi, who indentured to the notorious Night Zoo, knows the fearsome creatures in her care and paying off her family's debts to secure their eventual freedom can be her only focus. But the night those she loves are gravely threatened by the Zoo’s cruel master, Koffi unleashes a power she doesn’t fully understand, upending her life completely. As the second son of a decorated hero, Ekon is all but destined to become a Son of the Six—an elite warrior—and uphold a family legacy. But on the night of his final rite of passage, Ekon encounters not only the Shetani—a vicious monster that has plagued the city for nearly a century and stalks his nightmares—but Koffi who seems to have the power to ward off the beast. Koffi’s power ultimately saves Ekon, but his choice to let her flee dooms his hopes of becoming a warrior. Desperate to redeem himself, Ekon vows to hunt the Shetani and end its reign of terror, but he can’t do it alone. Koffi and Ekon form a tentative alliance and together enter the Greater Jungle, a world steeped in wild, frightening magic and untold dangers. The hunt begins. But it quickly becomes unclear whether they are the hunters or the hunted. “The hunt for your next YA fantasy book trilogy obsession has ended.” — Entertainment Weekly

Print · Penguin · 2021 · English

eBook · Penguin · 2022 · English

Podcasts & Discussion (7)

News & Coverage (1)

More About Ayana Gray

Ayana Gray is a New York Times-bestselling author of speculative fiction. Born and raised in Atlanta, she moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, at thirteen and now lives and writes in Arkansas. She first told stories through drawings, then began adding words so that other people could follow the narratives she had assembled.

Gray's path to Beasts of Prey joined academic inquiry with lived experience. A college course on political violence sharpened her interest in moral ambiguity and in the power behind labels such as hero and villain. During a study program in Ghana, she examined the transatlantic slave trade, decolonization, and Pan-Africanism while traveling through varied cities and communities. She later described wanting to build a fantasy world that carried some of the scale and wonder she encountered there.

Beasts of Prey begins a Pan-African-inspired young-adult fantasy trilogy about Black teenagers Koffi and Ekon, whose dangerous alliance sends them into a magical jungle to hunt the monster menacing their city. Gray has also framed the novel as an inquiry into grief, trauma, inherited obligation, and the internal monsters people must eventually face. Her official bibliography now spans the complete Beasts trilogy, Hawk & Sparrow, and the adult novel I, Medusa.

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  1. Home — Ayana Gray ↗
  2. About — Ayana Gray ↗
  3. Books — Ayana Gray ↗
  4. Ayana Gray — Penguin Teen ↗
  5. Beasts of Prey — Penguin Random House ↗
  6. Ayana Gray Takes Teens on an Epic Journey — Kirkus Reviews ↗
  7. Ayana Gray — First Draft With Sarah Enni ↗
  8. An Interview with the Author of BEASTS OF PREY! — Penguin Random House International Sales ↗
  9. Ayana Gray talks about debut novel, ‘Beasts of Prey’ — ABC News ↗
  10. I, Medusa: An Interview with Ayana Gray ↗
  11. I, Medusa by Ayana Gray ↗
  12. S4 E7 - Trapping Ayana Gray: Cheese, a loaf of bread, and a ticket to a wildlife trust in Kenya. ↗
  13. Was Medusa Ever the Villain? — Ayana Gray on I, Medusa ↗
  14. Ayana Gray Creates New Worlds ↗
  15. The antidote to climate anxiety ↗
  16. I, Medusa by Ayana Gray ↗