juliav's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
nelli_lakatos's review
2.0
This book was a huge letdown.
The cover is gorgeous and it could be a wonderful book but unfortunately it wasn't. I felt like the author is wanted to write a lot of things in this but it just ended be a huge chaos. The world was unclear I didn't feel like it was explained well. There was a lot of creature in this without really any explanation.
I didn't mind the narrator that much but it was terrible.
Maybe with a different author this could be a good book.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The cover is gorgeous and it could be a wonderful book but unfortunately it wasn't. I felt like the author is wanted to write a lot of things in this but it just ended be a huge chaos. The world was unclear I didn't feel like it was explained well. There was a lot of creature in this without really any explanation.
I didn't mind the narrator that much but it was terrible.
Maybe with a different author this could be a good book.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
ethannku's review
3.0
2.5 stars. thank you to sourcebooksfire for an advanced copy of this book. all opinions are my own.
i really wanted to love this book. south asian inspired fantasy/dystopia??? hell yeah!!
unfortunately, i did not enjoy this book. i almost DNFed at several points, but i stuck it out because i wanted to give this book a fair shot at redeeming itself. spoiler: it didn’t.
let’s start with the positives though:
1. i liked the prose in some parts. there were some lines that were very well written.
… that’s it.
now onto stuff i didn’t like:
1. the world building. i have no clue what any of the creatures look like. idk what the drome looks like. idk why the glory race exists, and not because there wasn’t an explanation; there was. the explanation just sucked. this book is very obviously hunger games-inspired, with the glory race being what the “landers” (the upper classes) use to entertain themselves. my questions are: why would they send their own people to fight in this? why would they rely on “renters” (the lower classes) to supply maristags for the race? what the hell is the advantage of winning this thing, if the upper classes are already rich? like i get that the landers are supposed to be these superficial people that are focused on glory (hence the race being literally called the glory race) but like. why?? maybe it makes sense to other people, but not me.
2. liria, koral’s younger sister, is rue and prim from the hunger games. that’s her only purpose. koral wants to win so she can pay off liria’s medical bills, and liria is of course so pure and innocent and makes koral hate the rest of the world because how could they hate such a pure innocent child!!! it’s a cliche i’ve seen a million times that could’ve been moving, except that it was so unsubtle
3. the “”””enemies to lovers”””” romance. i have no idea why koral and dorian hate each other. apparently they were friends/lovers/???? when they were younger and then had a falling out that is never explained to the reader. koral just says “i thought he was better than the rest of the landers!!!” but we have no clue what dorian actually did to make liria hate him. there is no chemistry between them, there is no reason to root for them, koral just hates him for some reason and then doesn’t hate him for another reason.
3.5 also she contradicts herself a lot with regards to him?? like the book draws pretty obvious parallels between the relationship of koral and her dad + dorian and his dad, and sometimes koral understands that dorian acts the way he does bc of his father’s abuse, but other times, full blames dorian. i thought that inconsistency was really horrible, actually, since it discredited dorian’s abuse and essentially victim blamed him. so that was not great.
4. the plot was boring. koral doesn’t do anything of importance other than join the race. after that, the plot happens to her. really major plot points happen entirely off screen, while other plot points that don’t matter at all are given wayyy too much screen time. the book dragged because of that. also some plot points just didn’t make sense? connections were happening that i didn’t see coming, and not in a clever way, but in a “literally how did that happen” way.
[10/18 edit: point 5 was removed bc i realized that i had misread the book and was perpetuating insensitive views about casteism as its portrayed in this book. thank you to user mridul for pointing this out to me in the comments.]
there are other things that i disliked in this book, but honestly i just want to forget that i read it. the book ends on a cliffhanger kind of?? but i will not be reading the sequel because i just do not care about this story or its characters.
i really wanted to love this book. south asian inspired fantasy/dystopia??? hell yeah!!
unfortunately, i did not enjoy this book. i almost DNFed at several points, but i stuck it out because i wanted to give this book a fair shot at redeeming itself. spoiler: it didn’t.
let’s start with the positives though:
1. i liked the prose in some parts. there were some lines that were very well written.
… that’s it.
now onto stuff i didn’t like:
1. the world building. i have no clue what any of the creatures look like. idk what the drome looks like. idk why the glory race exists, and not because there wasn’t an explanation; there was. the explanation just sucked. this book is very obviously hunger games-inspired, with the glory race being what the “landers” (the upper classes) use to entertain themselves. my questions are: why would they send their own people to fight in this? why would they rely on “renters” (the lower classes) to supply maristags for the race? what the hell is the advantage of winning this thing, if the upper classes are already rich? like i get that the landers are supposed to be these superficial people that are focused on glory (hence the race being literally called the glory race) but like. why?? maybe it makes sense to other people, but not me.
2. liria, koral’s younger sister, is rue and prim from the hunger games. that’s her only purpose. koral wants to win so she can pay off liria’s medical bills, and liria is of course so pure and innocent and makes koral hate the rest of the world because how could they hate such a pure innocent child!!! it’s a cliche i’ve seen a million times that could’ve been moving, except that it was so unsubtle
3. the “”””enemies to lovers”””” romance. i have no idea why koral and dorian hate each other. apparently they were friends/lovers/???? when they were younger and then had a falling out that is never explained to the reader. koral just says “i thought he was better than the rest of the landers!!!” but we have no clue what dorian actually did to make liria hate him. there is no chemistry between them, there is no reason to root for them, koral just hates him for some reason and then doesn’t hate him for another reason.
3.5 also she contradicts herself a lot with regards to him?? like the book draws pretty obvious parallels between the relationship of koral and her dad + dorian and his dad, and sometimes koral understands that dorian acts the way he does bc of his father’s abuse, but other times, full blames dorian. i thought that inconsistency was really horrible, actually, since it discredited dorian’s abuse and essentially victim blamed him. so that was not great.
4. the plot was boring. koral doesn’t do anything of importance other than join the race. after that, the plot happens to her. really major plot points happen entirely off screen, while other plot points that don’t matter at all are given wayyy too much screen time. the book dragged because of that. also some plot points just didn’t make sense? connections were happening that i didn’t see coming, and not in a clever way, but in a “literally how did that happen” way.
[10/18 edit: point 5 was removed bc i realized that i had misread the book and was perpetuating insensitive views about casteism as its portrayed in this book. thank you to user mridul for pointing this out to me in the comments.]
there are other things that i disliked in this book, but honestly i just want to forget that i read it. the book ends on a cliffhanger kind of?? but i will not be reading the sequel because i just do not care about this story or its characters.
tandewrites's review against another edition
dnf @ 60%
content warnings:
i usually wouldn't review books i didn't finish, but i received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and i feel like i've read enough to form a solid opinion on this book so far and why i don't feel the urge to continue.
this book is described as perfect for the fans of the hunger games and fable, and a few readers have drawn some comparisons to the scorpio races and the tri wizard tournament. i read the description and thought that i would fall in love with this book but... i didn't.
the main character makes a lot of impulsive and questionable decisions that i would describe as out of character if i even had the slightest grasp on what her character was supposed to be. i’m not clear on what her intentions are—protecting her sister? having power? inflicting pain on people?
the world building felt two dimensional and the only thing i can tell you about it is that some of the people live underground. why? not sure, there are mentions of needing sun protection but it’s not very consistent. the descriptions don’t really hint at where in the world or when in history this book is supposed to take place (the book description says south asian inspired) but there are rewritten greek myths that feel out of place and characters named after greek figures.
the pace feels incredibly slow to the point where i was skim reading to catch a glimpse of action or just straight up closing the book and reading something more captivating after each page. when there is action, it feels low stakes and insignificant.
i’m admitting defeat now but there’s a chance i’ll come back to this in the future just because the title still intrigued me. i might also come back to write a more articulate review for a video but this gets across what i’m trying to say for now.
content warnings:
Spoiler
blood depiction, death [animal, parent], chronic illness of a child, parental abuse, fire destruction, panic attack depiction, undiagnosed mental illness depiction, riots/police violence, social violencei usually wouldn't review books i didn't finish, but i received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and i feel like i've read enough to form a solid opinion on this book so far and why i don't feel the urge to continue.
this book is described as perfect for the fans of the hunger games and fable, and a few readers have drawn some comparisons to the scorpio races and the tri wizard tournament. i read the description and thought that i would fall in love with this book but... i didn't.
the main character makes a lot of impulsive and questionable decisions that i would describe as out of character if i even had the slightest grasp on what her character was supposed to be. i’m not clear on what her intentions are—protecting her sister? having power? inflicting pain on people?
the world building felt two dimensional and the only thing i can tell you about it is that some of the people live underground. why? not sure, there are mentions of needing sun protection but it’s not very consistent. the descriptions don’t really hint at where in the world or when in history this book is supposed to take place (the book description says south asian inspired) but there are rewritten greek myths that feel out of place and characters named after greek figures.
the pace feels incredibly slow to the point where i was skim reading to catch a glimpse of action or just straight up closing the book and reading something more captivating after each page. when there is action, it feels low stakes and insignificant.
i’m admitting defeat now but there’s a chance i’ll come back to this in the future just because the title still intrigued me. i might also come back to write a more articulate review for a video but this gets across what i’m trying to say for now.
girlreading's review
4.0
4.5* Okay, so I LOVED this??? Comparisons to The Hunger Games always make me both excited and terrified because they so often fall flat but this 100% came through on its promise to give me THG vibes.
With high stakes, non-stop action and deadly races that had my jaw clenching with tension, this was a truly addictive read and one I honestly didn't want to end. Koral, with her courage, determination, vulnerability and 'take no shit' attitude was a fantastic character to follow and one I instantly found myself rooting for. Although I do wish the relationships had been developed a little more, I loved how the romance took a back seat to the action and intensity of the trials themselves.
The world and its history definitely could have been expanded upon/explained further but after a while I just kind of gave into the fact that I didn't know too much about the world and lost myself in its fast paced, deadly, stressful and highly entertaining plot.
I could happily have continued reading this for a good hundred more pages and was gutted to find that a book two isn't currently in the pipeline. However, I also think this stands really well on its own as a standalone and is one that'll definitely stick in my mind for a while to come. I can't wait to read whatever Tanvi has in store for us next because reason this was a blast.
TW: parental abuse (physical and mental)
With high stakes, non-stop action and deadly races that had my jaw clenching with tension, this was a truly addictive read and one I honestly didn't want to end. Koral, with her courage, determination, vulnerability and 'take no shit' attitude was a fantastic character to follow and one I instantly found myself rooting for. Although I do wish the relationships had been developed a little more, I loved how the romance took a back seat to the action and intensity of the trials themselves.
The world and its history definitely could have been expanded upon/explained further but after a while I just kind of gave into the fact that I didn't know too much about the world and lost myself in its fast paced, deadly, stressful and highly entertaining plot.
I could happily have continued reading this for a good hundred more pages and was gutted to find that a book two isn't currently in the pipeline. However, I also think this stands really well on its own as a standalone and is one that'll definitely stick in my mind for a while to come. I can't wait to read whatever Tanvi has in store for us next because reason this was a blast.
TW: parental abuse (physical and mental)
wrensreadingroom's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Gun violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, Animal death, Abandonment, Child abuse, Mental illness, Police brutality, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Classism, Death, Deportation, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
cortanasreadingnook's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thanks to Tanvi Berwah and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an ARC of this debut novel through Netgalley! It doesn’t affect my review in any way.
Koral of Sollonia is a Hunter of Maristags. And her family of Hunters have always held the official title of capturing such beautiful and deadly creatures for the Glory Race, which is only held every four years. But to unforeseen events, Koral and her older brother Emrik have failed to catch one in time for the 150th event. And in an extremely oppressive, elite society, the odds are always stacked against the poor. So that’s when Koral decides to participate in this year’s race. This book promises an exhilarating story of rallying against oppression and prejudice and what it means to survive despite all setbacks.
This book is set in a dystopian society created based off of South Asian foklore. I liked the author’s fast-paced writing with the little element of romance between Koral and Dorian. I applaud how realistically Monsters Born and Made tackles social injustice against the underclasses and how the hatred and discrimination by people with wealth and privilege can power a government to incur unjust authority. And this is experienced by everyone, especially minority communities around the world and I really like how Tanvi Berwah navigates her writing in this standalone. The best I could give this book would be my current rating of 3 ⭐️ simply because I didn’t enjoy it enough. It was inevitably left to the reader’s interpretation on how they think the story truly concludes, but I believe there should’ve been more to Koral and Stormgold’s end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Violence, Death of parent, and Chronic illness
1kelsey_jw's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
frederique's review
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
Quite good for a debut novel and love all the fantastic sea animals
I enjoyed reading this. It didn't bring much news to the genre, it felt a bit like the Capitol from the Hunger Games hosting the Triwizard Tournament mixed with Scorpio Races, but it was a good fast paced read and I would like to read more about the island and the different sea creatures.
I enjoyed reading this. It didn't bring much news to the genre, it felt a bit like the Capitol from the Hunger Games hosting the Triwizard Tournament mixed with Scorpio Races, but it was a good fast paced read and I would like to read more about the island and the different sea creatures.