Beast & Crown

Beast & Crown #1

by Joel N. Ross

Sally is tough. Roz is smart. But thirteen-year-old bootboy Ji is sneaky.

And after years of scrubbing at muddy soles and untangling laces, Ji is done with being a servant. He doesn’t want to polish leather, he doesn’t want to bow and scrape. All he wants is freedom-for himself and his friends.

So he risks everything for a chance for them to accompany a young nobleman to the Diadem Rite, a magical ritual that chooses the heir to the Summer Crown. Ji doesn’t care about crowns or ceremonies; but he vows that this expedition will grant them all new lives, far away from stables and boots and servitude.

But Ji doesn’t know that he and his friends have a crucial part to play in the Diadem Rite. One that will change them forever.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Adventure, Chapter Books, Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade Fantasy

369 pages, Hardcover

First published August 22, 2017

About the author

Joel Ross is the author of two World War II thrillers for adults (Double Cross Blind and White Flag Down). The Fog Diver is his tween debut. He lives in Santa Barbara, California, with his wife, Lee Naftali, who is also a full-time writer, and his son, Ben, who is a full-time kid.

Reviews

[Brandy Painter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't a huge fan of Ross' first works. It was a me thing. I've never been super into dystopia, and I was well and truly done with it by the time his first two books came out. This was much more my type of story. It is a quest fantasy with a great cast of characters to love and root for. The heart of this team is Ji, who is a snarky lying thief. (And yes, that is my character weak spot.) There is a great deal of treachery and plot twists. Definitely worth an addition to any MG shelves. I was a bit thrown out of the story due to the world being a weird mix of British manors and California culture, but the target audience is not going to notice that as much.

[Scot Eaton]

This review is for both Beast & Crown and The Ice Queen.

There were a lot of parts of this story that I liked. It has the whimsy of a juvenile fantasy, where not everything is gritty, and not everything has to have a deep lore explanation. The characters are friends, and they act like friends. It is interesting that all of the characters' beast forms have some fundamental mismatch with their personality. Book 2 in particular has excellent pacing.

The series just has one fatal flaw, and that is the flaw that will keep me from actually reading it to my children or recommending it to anyone. The main character kind of... sucks. He's unlikeable, he's prejudiced towards non-human races, he disregards his friends' feelings, he's often just mean, and he lies and steals for the sake of lieing and stealing. The narrative was driving towards his flaws being a major downfall in the end, but they weren't. He wins and saves the day because he lies. I cannot fathom how a juvenile author wouldn't see this as a red flag for his series. As it stands though, this is a juvenile book that should not be read by its target audience.

[Mark Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

My name is Ji. I helped Brace get permission to leave for the city where he's being mentored by Proctor. It was the only way I could think of for Sally, Roz, and me to free Chibo from the tapestry factory. Brace is going to participate in the Diadem Rite, and I'm to be his assistant. The rite is held to select the heir to the Summer Crown, and he will become the holder of all human magic. This person will be the only thing keeping ogres and goblins from invading the realm. I just discovered the identity of the Red Mask, a roof-hopping spy who helped me free Chibo, and it surprised me. However, I wasn't prepared for what happened during the Diadem Rite when I interrupted the ceremony. Now, all of the Summer Queen's soldiers want to kill us, and I'm not sure Brace can still be trusted.


This book will probably not appeal to everyone, but I enjoyed it. Some readers don't have a high tolerance for made-up vocabulary, and this book was full of it. The human characters used it a little bit, but the goblins did it a lot. In essence, they broke normal words into similar sounding word parts, which led to some confusing conversations. The first half of the book was all about saving Chibo, but the focus of the plot changed to the Diadem Rite after that. I don't want to give away what happens during the ceremony, but suffice it to say things dramatically changed for the main characters. I correctly predicted what I thought would happen, but then everything got twisted around. The cast of characters was an interesting mix. Ji was a lying thief, Sally was a brave knight-wannabe with high morals, Roz was the mature young lady, Chibo was the immature little brother, and Nim was the confusing ally. Of them all, Ji was the one who made the hard decisions. He kept saying he didn't care about others, but Sally and Roz kept telling him he was wrong. The banter between Ji and Sally was especially entertaining, as they constantly teased each other. Overall, I really liked the book and may read the sequel, but as I said, it's going to appeal to a select audience of fantasy-lovers.

[Greg Andree · Rating 5 out of 5]

(review by 11yo Novalee, Beast and Crown SUPERFAN, though she has no plans to stalk Joel Ross yet.)

I learned recently that there going to be a sequel (THE ICE WITCH) to the completely amazing book, Beasts & Crown, by Joel Ross, which is probably the best book I have ever read in my entire life (and I’m 11 and read all the Harry Potter books several times each!!!). In fact, I love Beast & Crown so much that I was inspired to read it about 50 times! I had to keep going back to it, and it is for many reasons.

Firstly, I had to go back for the main characters. Ji, Sally, Roz, and Chibo. They all had their own personalities the the reader got to explore. Ji. Sneaky, courageous, kind,and I know that there is more to life than being a servant. Then, Sally. A fighter, brave, kind, and prepared to dive headfirst into danger. Roz. Smart, kind, caring, polite, Roz possesses a keen intellect that hasn’t yet been matched. Finally, Chibo. Reckless, kind, perky, Chibo has the ability to care for everyone in his own way. As you can probably see, these characters feel almost real, and that’s what I love so much.

Next, I love the story plot. The first chapter opens on Ji, the boot boy at Primstone Manor, collecting boots. Later on in the chapter, Ji finds out about the Diadem Rite. It’s a rite the determines the next heir to the throne for the summer realm. (The whole story is fantasy. Magic, mermaids, ogres, goblins, trolls, dragons, and so on.) So, as a possible heir is chosen to train, Ji, Roz, and Sally tag along into the city. The entire story twists into unexpected places, and it is super suspenseful. Once I started it, I couldn’t stop.

Finally, I loved this book because I liked to imagine how Joel Ross invented all of this new creatures, rites, and facts about magical creatures that no one has ever heard of. For example, ant lion colonies. One ant lion is about the size of a thumb, with immense stingers. And, one ant lion is like a finger, or an eye. Not a complete creature. Together, the whole ant lion colony is very intelligent, and can “mind speak”. I won’t say anymore, you’ll find out when you read the book.

Anyway, I really enjoyed reading this book. BUT, the end was a cliffhanger. Joel Ross, please come out with the next book soon <3!!!!

[Rachel E. Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had an interesting blurb, and I liked The Fog Diver by the same author, so I decided to give it a try. As much as I wanted to, I didn't enjoy it as much as his other series.

Ji and his friends were fun characters, but they all seemed a little flat to me. I wanted their characters to have more depth that didn't seem to be there. Ji was the best one. He had a big heart, and that's always nice.

One of the biggest things I didn't like was the world. It didn't seem fully realized. For starters, it was a mix of Asian and Mexican, which was a little weird. I liked all the creatures that he put in it, but I just had a hard time believing the world.

I did like the part about understanding others. At first, Ji thinks that creatures like goblins and ogres are evil. Over the course of the book he comes to understand that all creatures should be treated fairly, human or not.

I give the book 3 1/2 stars. It could have been better, it could have been worse.

[Sharon Craft Viall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ji and his friend want to be free. They are going to the big city to free their friend and a brother of sally his friend. They are going to the Diadem Rite so hopefully their friend Brace will be crowned Prince. They are taken as slaves to help Brace and it all turns out wrong. They are turned into beasts and now everyone is looking for them . Brace needs them so that he can be strong and magical. It's a great story on friendship.

[Nick Pumani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great, and it was such a plot twist when I found out that Ji was not the one with the wings on the cover, I thought that was a result of him getting the summer crown. But that was Chibo, I would have never expected that they would be turned into beasts which is a good thing. I thought that the ogre in the purple dress was Roz even when it was confirmed it was not, just confused me why put something on the cover only to have it around for less of a chapter. Still a good book though

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in a giveaway. I think the cover caught my eye. I mistakenly thought it was a YA novel, when it was actually a children’s book (ages 8-12). In spite of this, I really enjoyed it. It was a fun and easy read. It’s been some time since I last read an adventure/fantasy novel. The ending makes me assume there might be sequel. I hope so. 4.3/5

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid middle grade fantasy novel that's just not as good as the author's previous Fog Diver. Boot boy Ji goes to the big city but finds it's not the ogres that are the real monsters in this society. See my full review here.

[Lucien L · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did like this book as it was like a superhero book. it had lots of hero action and spells that made them half-human and some other type of creature combined. I'd recommend this book to anyone that likes action books.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Asher (12yo) read. "Good book, but not as good as the Fog Diver by the same author. Really liked what Ji turns into after being impaled by the tree."

[Maleesha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely recommend this. A fun fantasy adventure with a lot of heart and great characters.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good and a quick read but there was a lot going on!!

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beast & Crown by Joel Ross is a new fantasy about a quest to save a brother enslaved by a textile factory. Ross, who lives in Santa Barbara, again draws from a familiar landscape, crafting a fantasy kingdom. To anyone who has lived in California or is familiar with the central coast, there is a recognizable mix of influences: Spanish, American, Chinese, Japanese but populated also with ogres, goblins, trolls and the like. If Ankh-Morpork is a multi-decade fantasy London, this is fantasy Moorpark.

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[J.D. Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ross's BEAST & CROWN has the class warfare feel of Sanderson's THE FINAL EMPIRE with clear inspiration from his (current) standalone WARBREAKER. The magic system is softer than Sanderson's, though, and unique. We have the dead/missing parents trope, very common for middle grade, and it does mostly appear to be appropriate for middle grade audiences in terms of complexity and development, and violence, language, etc. In other words, I would have liked to have seen deeper worldbuilding and smoother character development, but I am not the target audience.

Some of it is quite woke, in that it is emphasized multiple times that ogres select their gender upon maturing to adulthood, and keep the pronouns they/them/cub until such time.

Solid book, I might be interested in the next if I'm looking for a lighter read, and I won't stop my kids from reading it if they want.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a HUGE fan of the Fog Diver, but this book was amazing. It started a little slow, but had enough humor and story line to keep you going. By the middle of the story, it really takes off. I am already for the second book, and this one isn't on store shelves yet. lol! I may have my Tween Book Club read this one since most have already read Fog Diver. I am definitely a Joel Ross fan for know on.