Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

With comps like Hunger Games and Scorpio Races, I was already so READY for this book and it did not disappoint. With commentary on the caste system and a slow burn romance I DIED FOR, it was hard to put this one down!! I loved Koral & Dorian so much and NEED more of this story asap!! (Also the maristags???!!! Need I say more?)

🌟 Happy Publication Day to Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah 🌟

Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: 3.75/5

This is Tanvis debut novel and the cover and interior is stunning. The book starts out strong and grips you immediately. It was a quick and easy YA read. I am so sure that many young readers will love this story of strength, family and redemption.

For me, at times it felt like it could have almost fit in a middle grade genre. Or I'm just spoiled by my adult fantasy books and need to stick to my lane. 😂

I also really need character ARCs to help pull everything together and make the story mean something to me. And I felt this was missing in MBAM. The whole story felt a little one noted and it fell flat. I was also disappointed because I needed more South Asian inspiration for the book to be advertised as such!

I read both the ebook and listened to the audiobook. The narrator did a wonderful job!

I will definitely give future works by this author a shot!♥️

#monstersbornandmade
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4.5 Stars

Monsters Born and Made has definite Hunger Games vibes. From the actual Glory Race to daily life, you’ll definitely see similarities. And yet, author Tanvi Berwah’s creation feels unique. Berwah grew up in India and her fictional world draws from that. Her mix of the familiar with the fantastical — particularly the monstrous sea creatures — creates a time and place that at once feels plausible while remaining strange and dangerous.

At the center of the story is Koral, a teenager who lives between two worlds — she’s not quite the lowest caste, nor is she part of the elite. She’s balancing a fine line and one step the wrong way could destroy all she loves forever. Koral is the type of character you want to root for — smart, determined, flawed… Her supporting characters are also strong, but my favorite interactions are those between Koral and her maristag.

Monsters Born and Made is full of action, mystery and adventure. Much like the Hunger Games series, there’s violence and gore. Nothing is overly graphic, but it’s something to keep in mind. The book is fast-moving, and the ending has a great gut-punch. The book stands alone, but it would be a great first novel in a duology or trilogy.

Overall, this book was good. I enjoyed it and found the premise exciting. The world definitely has potential but it did feel underdeveloped.

I assume some of my confusion throughout the book is due to lack of familiarity with South Asian mythology. There were so many different plots going on at the same time that nothing got the chance to be fully explored.

If there is a sequel, I would definitely pick it up in hopes that my 1000 questions got answered.

eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Man, I really wanted to like this more than I did. I had high hopes, but alas I spent a lot of the time just waiting for the story to reach its conclusion.

I think this book was trying to be a mix of The Hunger Games and The Scorpio Races, however, it failed to capture the magic of either.

I went into this thinking we'd get a strong South Asian-inspired fantasy willed with monsters, but quite a few times I was confused as to what mythology the story was pulling from. The story made multiple references to the tale of Icarus, which is Greek mythology. So I was left feeling a bit confused.

I was also not clear on what criteria the societal divisions are made. Dorian, the main love interest, was described as classically handsome, with red hair and I believe fair skin. Whereas Koral and her family are dark-skinned and partly tattooed. So I thought we were dealing with a caste system where the people of color were being oppressed. But then Koral comments multiple times on the fact that the Landmaster wears a sari. A distinctly Indian garment. And since I can't recall a description of her I don't know if she's supposed to be Indian or just appropriating the clothing.

Basically, this book is like if someone gave you all the ingredients to make a cake. The only problem is that they don't give you the order in which to do anything or any proportions to use. So you're winging it, trying to make the best of the chaos but sadly you wind up with a cake that is dense in some places, raw in others and has clumps. While a few pieces do turn out fine, overall it isn't a successful cake.

If only I’d finished my ARC further ahead of time I probably would’ve saved myself some money and skipped on buying the hardcover alas live and learn 🤷🏻‍♀️

MONSTERS BORN AND MADE is a richly told story of sisterly love, rebellion, and perseverance, with Koral bravely defying her parents, the Landers, and the status quo to join the upper-class Glory Races in a bid to save her ill sister and free her family from crushing debt.

There’s some really great world-building in MONSTERS. The sea creatures are the stuff of nightmares (eww aquabats). Even the coveted maristags that pull the chariots in the Glory Races are rather frightening—some sort of fish-lizard-stag amalgamation that can shoot poisonous barbs from its neck.

Throughout the novel, I couldn’t quite figure out who were the greater monsters—the blood-thirsty creatures in the sea or the Landers who subjugate the Renters. The Renter neighborhoods are poetically situated between the water and the Lander’s mountain dwelling, so they are literally surrounded on all sides by those who seek to destroy them, especially when the aquabats take to the air.

The races themselves are nail-bitters, on par with Hunger Games-style competitions. They’re definitely not a straight dash from start to finish.

If you like fast-paced, action-packed novels, enemies to lovers, class warfare, and sea monsters, then you will love this book!

I received a free e-ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Monsters Born and Made was a really cool book and I enjoyed the dystopian feel of the story! It felt like a dystopian version of chariot racing and I enjoyed the danger and the mythical creatures quite a bit. There were times where the worldbuilding did get a little confusing but overall this was a really enjoyable read. It was adventurous but it also was empowering and I really loved how much of a strong main character Koral was. The only thing I really didn't enjoy about this story was how richly steeped in politics it was. That part of it gave the story a Hunger Games vibe that I didn't really enjoy within the storyline. Overall this is an exciting and action filled dystopian read that readers won't want to miss!

3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5) “Everyday people make choices that they think have no impact on their lives. But if you look right instead of left, you don’t know who you’ll meet and who you’ll miss. Choices can mark a turn in fate that we might never get back.”

To make a living, Koral and her brother Emrik fight and capture sea creatures. It’s been in their family for generations and is their only means of providing food and medicine to their family but especially their younger sister. When there is no money for medicine, Koral believes the only way is to win a tournament set only for high-born but with the maristags she knows so well.

“There’s only one Champion, and it has to be me.”

Right off, I loved the relationship between the siblings. Not only Koral and Emrik but how they care for their younger sister also. This was a huge basis of the story. As it continues, we see vast differences in the two classes of people. Medical care is not allowed to lower class and the higher class is allowed many luxuries. The inequality was striking and interesting to take in. While Koral sneaks into the tournament, it becomes evident that she has ulterior motives for winning and not just for her sister.

On the surface the book is exciting and unique but dig a little deeper and it’s apparent that more is needed; more backstory, more character development and more world building. I wanted more backstory of the rebels, Crane (the best friend), and the maristags. I felt there needed to be a previous deep connection with the maristag for it to be believable. Too much was chance. While Koral may have had experience with maristags, it wasn’t enough for me to believe the maristag’s actions toward her.

The end was left very open and I was left feeling very underwhelmed. I wanted to know what happened to multiple characters and felt the story was cut short.
.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for the gifted copy!

The book releases September 6, 2022.

Will Koral's actions help her family and friends or her actions destroy a lot more than her family?
I was intrigued by this book due to the cover, a BIPOC author and the description that this book has elements of South Asian mythology.
I liked the story for its world building. The characters backdrop however is another matter. Lot of the content is confusing and doesn't add up since the development of characters is a bit of hodge podge.
I do not like the comparisons of one book to another because it sets up over expectations and in turn spoils the new book. I think this might be the case for this book. For her debut, the author has done an amazing job and hopefully her second book will have more finesse. A map, glossary of characters and fantasy creatures would be helpful in my opinion.
⚠️Content warning: Abuse, lot of violence⚠️
3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Monsters Born and Made
Author: Tanvi Berwah
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Rating: 4.2 out of 5

Sixteen-year-old Koral and her older brother Emrik risk their lives each day to capture the monstrous maristags that live in the black seas around their island. They have to, or else their family will starve.

In an oceanic world swarming with vicious beasts, the Landers―the ruling elite, have indentured Koral's family to provide the maristags for the Glory Race, a deadly chariot tournament reserved for the upper class. The winning contender receives gold and glory. The others―if they're lucky―survive.

When the last maristag of the year escapes and Koral has no new maristag to sell, her family's financial situation takes a turn for the worse and they can't afford medicine for her chronically ill little sister. Koral's only choice is to do what no one in the world has ever dared: cheat her way into the Glory Race.

But every step of the way is unpredictable as Koral races against contenders―including her ex-boyfriend―who have trained for this their whole lives and who have no intention of letting a low-caste girl steal their glory. When a rebellion rises and rogues attack Koral to try and force her to drop out, she must choose―her life or her sister's―before the whole island burns.

She grew up battling the monsters that live in the black seas, but it couldn't prepare her to face the cunning cruelty of the ruling elite.

I enjoyed this read a lot! The culture this is set in is very dark and depressing—basically hopeless—and Koral’s struggles to save her family were set amidst that darkness. Though dark, the culture is vividly portrayed, with hints at centuries of history that hide many secrets. Of course this story will draw Hungry Games comparisons because of its very nature, but I found it compelling in its own right.

Tanvi Berwah graduated from the university of Delhi. Monters Born and Made is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review.)

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley for a blog tour with Lonely Pages Book Tours in exchange for an honest review**

Monsters Born and Made is a book that throws you right into the mix, introducing a fascinating oceanic world where vicious creatures roam the waters whilst an oppressive caste system rules the land. The story follows Koral, who’s family are the designated Hunters in society - a position that not only exposes them to constant danger as they have to capture and breed the deadly Maristags for the Landers and their Glory Races, but also alienates them from their fellow Renters who look upon their servitude to the elite class with scorn.

When Koral and her brother fail to catch the last Maristag of the season, it’s a massive blow to their family’s financial situation and their capability to afford medication for their younger sister. With the Glory Race around the corner and its winning prize of gold and glory up for grabs, Koral sees the competition as her chance to help her family. Despite it being strictly for Landers and her ex being the favourite, she is determined to get in and to win and won’t let anything or anyone stop her.

Koral is one of those headstrong protagonists that rebels against the system in her own way and following her on this journey, which had her standing up to the machinations and oppression of a classist regime, was as inspiring as it was frustrating. The pacing and timespan overall had a perfect flow to it, with the competition and moments of action having a nice balance with character interactions and the political tensions that are ongoing in the background of the main storyline.

Now I’ll admit that it took some time getting used to the intricacies of the world because there was a lot going on from the beginning. As the story gets rolling you very much get the feeling that we’re only getting a glimpse of this expansive world that Berwah has put so much thought into but the more I read the more engrossed I became. There is definitely a Huger Games vibe to the primary narrative but this story and world are undoubtedly their own, with inspiration from Indian and Greek mythology giving this dystopia a unique edge.

For me what Berwah exceled with the most alongside the highly entertaining action scenes were the character relationships. Despite finding the beginning a little slow it was the relationships that kept me reading particularly the ones between the siblings as well as Koral’s friendship with Crane. With the romance, which surprisingly took a back seat, Berwah did really well at capturing that ex-lovers tension and history that was always buzzing when Koral and Dorian were in a scene together. The bond between Koral and her Maristag, Stormgold was also beautifully developed.

All in all really enjoyable fantasy dystopia debut and I like that the ending leaves the door open for more stories in the future because I would gladly welcome them!
Final Rating - 3.75/5 Stars

Koral has always lived on the outside of society. Not quite a lander not qute a renter due to her family’s hunter status. Charged with hunting the maristag’s that are used in the Glory Race, Koral and her brother are constantly in danger. When Koral’s family falls upon rough times, to save her sisters life Koral takes matters into her own hands and enters herself and her families last maristag into the legendry Glory Race. Never before has a Renter ever raced. Can Koral navigate through dealing with a potential uprising, past secrets, and a sick sister and come out a winner in one of the deadliest races?
Overall, this book is okay. I know this sounds silly and I read a digital copy of this text so I am hoping against all hopes that the physical copy of this book might have an image of a maristag. I know that sounds silly but there are so many descriptions of how poisonous they are and they have darts that shot out of somewhere. Where that somewhere is actually located and how overall a meristag looks I still have zero idea. A picture would have really helped. I also really feel like the relationship between Koral and Stormgold could have been fleshed out a bit more. I understand that there were so many other elements to the story that were so important to focus on, so I see why Stormgold was important but not always highlighted. I still think there was a miss opportunity with that. Also, sometimes the writing just lost me. I would be reading and not remember really what had happened and had to go back and reread it. I did enjoy parts of the book, but the parts that I just zoned out seemed to balance out the parts I liked, hence why I would rate this 3 stars. I will recommend this book if someone is looking for a semi dystopian novel, but I don’t think it will be one of the first books that comes to mind.
Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Monsters Born & Made is a YA novel detailing the main character’s, Koral, and her journey to win the Glory Race. The chariot race is held every 4 years and has traditionally been participated by Landers, the wealthy class of the island. Renters struggle on a daily basis for food and sustenance. Koral is a member of that community. She is forced to enter the race as her sister is chronically ill and the family can’t accord to pay the mounting medical debt.

The book describes many mythical-like creatures, all born off the sea. The title of the book though doesn’t only describe these “monsters’ but of the monsters born and made in life.

The first 40% of the book was okay for me. I kept waiting for something more to happen. The tournament itself reminded me a bit like the Tri-Wizard Tournament meets Hunger Games. The book did pick up by the 2nd phase.

But the end I was left wanting more. I assume there is a book 2 on the horizon.

I’d give this one 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I enjoyed the concept of this novel, as it had a premise that was somewhat familiar, but done in a way I hadn't seen before. I also enjoyed how vivid the writing within the novel was. The story started off very strong and didn't have any issues keeping my attention. The world itself was very compelling.

At the same time, the plot was a little all over the place, It felt like some conflicts kept coming up and not being resolved. I struggled to connect with the characters. They needed a bit more depth and development.

All in all, this book was an entertaining read and had a great ending.

It is really rare that I start a book and don't finish it, I can usually persevere even if it's not completely holding my attention, however, I started this book with high hopes - the cover and blurb seemed intriguing - and just ended up confused by the world and everything in it. Unfortunately, this wasn't for me, but maybe I will try again at a later date.

Thanks to Netgalley, Sourcebooks and RB Media for the ARC and audio ARC of this!

The cover of this is so intriguing, and when I heard for fans of Hunger Games and Fable I was instantly requesting it. This has the lower class treatment with a near sea location of Fable and the fast pace dangerous game of the Hunger Games, so while it wasn’t quite the mashup I was expecting, I do see why those titles were chosen. The main character is treated poorly and just wants to help her family, especially her sickly younger sister, to survive, and so she enters a tournament that none of the ruling class wants to see her in. Think that instead of watching the games those in the Capitol of Panem played a bloody but not necessarily lethal game for glory and money that they don’t need - and that Katniss threw in her own name to try to save Prim from starving instead of from being entered herself. There was plenty of action and fantasy, but I completely missed how it is South Asian inspired. Nothing stuck out to me, but maybe I’m not familiar enough with the culture - I was expecting Poppy War vibes, maybe? Overall, a fast-paced and quick read, with an exciting plot, but maybe don’t expect it to be too much like the comped titles.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Influenced by The Hunger Games and The Scorpio Races, MONSTERS BORN AND MADE doesn't quite meet the lofty goal it set for itself. There's a lot that I enjoyed here, from the world, to the creatures, to Koral and her relationship with her family and with Dorian (I enjoyed that while it was romantic, it was never a romance), however a good amount of things fell flat for me. The world was particularly hard to visualize - especially where the monsters were concerned - and I felt like the narrative was always reaching for more, but never got there. The ending especially felt sudden. Nothing was resolved and the big event that prompted the ending left me feeling nothing.

Similarly, this book marketed itself as being inspired by South Asian cultures and while I cannot judge how well this was incorporated, the main referenced myth was Icarus. It didn't match up with what the book had set itself up to be.

The setting is very intriguing a world where the environment is hostile and the sun scrotching - having to live underground or for the poor survive the harsh weather.

It is a fantasy dystopian. This cover and description made me super intrigue but the prose did not draw me in. I wish it did.

Overall average tale.

She stretched her bare feet in front of her, burying them in the warm sand. The ocean expanded in front of her, its end having no bounds. The air stirred, within it a sense of danger loomed. There were creatures stirring in the sea, ready for an attack. She could feel their predatory hunger, but she had other things to worry about.

Monsters Born and Made is a story about Koral, a young hunter who has entered a race to win prize money to help her family and her very sick sister. But this is not a race her kind usually enters and she’s met with repulsion and anger. The beasts they must race with are not easily tamed, but Koral is determined.

This was a really fun read and I enjoyed the race and the adventurous story. Koral’s character is resilient and brave and I loved being able to root for her. While this story is centered around a series of races, there is so much more within these pages. I thought the ending was a bit rushed and ended abruptly and I hope there are more books coming, because I’d love to keep reading about these characters!

"You swim with monsters; these people cannot scare you." -From Monters Born and Made

3.5 stars

That was a wild ride. I think fans of any sort of deadly competition games will really enjoy this book, or anyone who really likes a fast paced plot. In this ocean dystopain world you don't get a lot of "quiet" moments where you could grow to love the characters. The people and their relationships is really where I struggled to connect to this book. I don't know why Koral is so willing to risk everything for her family, they are trash. I couldn't stand her "best' friend. I'm not usually into YA love interests, but I was really the most invested in their relationship than anyone else. I was super confused at some of the later plot points, and how everything turned out, despite there being a classic evil villian-y sort of speach trying to explain things. It ends in a massive cliffhanger, which makes me want to pick up the next one to see if some of my confusion is addressed.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.