by D.L. Taylor
ASIN/ISBN: 9781250853080
Publication: April 29, 2025
Series: The Broken Citadel #1

**I received a copy of the book through NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed it. All opinions are my own.**

I started this one a while ago, but I kept jumping to different books with my different moods. I finally had a chance to finish it a while back but then writing a review was another story.

I’m used to fast-paced novels, and the first half of The Beasts We Bury was a little slower than I wanted it to be. It likely felt slow because it took a while for me to warm up to Silver. Silver is loyal to his friends and willing to take risks to ensure their well-being along with his. Lies and thievery are his modus operandi and yet neither bothered me as much as his arrogance. He reminded me of Flynn from Tangled. He ultimately became more tolerable as I saw him through Mancella’s eyes, but it took a while.

Mancella, on the other hand, was someone I immediately liked. It’s hard for me not to root for tortured heroes, and she fits this archetype well. The most painful part of her story is that her father is the person continually inflicting the pain. How could I not feel for her when, despite her vast experience with her father’s duplicity, she keeps hoping maybe this time, this task will finally be enough for him to love her? It’s heart wrenching to watch him continually break her down.

Once I was able to manage my ill-feelings about Silver, it was easy enough to immerse myself in the novel. The book addresses so many important topics like toxic relationships, accepting/loving oneself, and the difficulties that may arise when they become inextricably linked. Disentangling the two is a difficult process. The world is interesting, and the magic can be brutal. I almost could not put it down once things started to pick up about halfway. While Taylor takes a while to set everything up, getting to the end was worth it. I am looking forward to the next book.