Wow! This was so much more than I was expecting! For a debut novel, it was quite well done. There's a review I read that compared it to both The Scorpio Races and The Hunger Games and I think that's right on the mark!

Now in the beginning, I found myself struggling with getting a picture of the world this was set in, and what all of the creatures looked like. There was alot of info and I couldn't quite get a good sense of imagery. As the book went on however, I started to really enjoy the world-building and descriptions. It absolutely got easier to imagine and immerse myself.

I love that this is a competition, I love that the underdog is trying to get a leg up in the world, and I love that we have such fascinating sea creatures! Koral is our main female lead, and all she wants is to to save her sister and give her family a better life. I liked her character, and I liked her younger sister. Would have loved to hear more about her brother but that's ok!

The story itself was actually really neat, and unique enough to keep my interest. There's lots of action, and a bit of romance? Kind of? It's not really central to the plot... but it's there subtly. You'll see what I mean when you read it.

Overall, this was a pretty good read. Definitely good for a debut novel - I look forward to seeing how this author's writing grows and evolves from here. Enjoyable read though!

This beautiful book examines class issues and features the most wonderful animals and settings. Berwah has written a young adult book that is incredibly compelling and enjoyable. The Hunters, the family the main character Koral belongs to, are responsible for capturing the maristag used in deadly races that the elite participate in. Koral goes against tradition to save her family from starvation by entering her own maristag into the Drome race, but in doing so she might just condemn them anyway. I recommend this book to anyone who liked the Hunger Games and Divergent series (although I think this book is better than those were).

Days after reading Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah, I was at a loss for words to describe this book. Read on to find out why.

Monsters Born and Made has splendid worldbuilding. Berwah has created a brutal world where people mask their faces with tattoos to avoid burning their skin from the harsh sunlight.

But wait, this is applicable for only the Renters and Hunters.

The Landers, on the other hand, are the ruling elite and live in luxury underground.

Once Berwah establishes the haves and have-nots of her world, she introduces her readers to the Glory Race, where participants race on chariots attached to maristags, vicious sea creatures.

The one who wins gets all the glory and gold. Those who don’t are lucky to even survive.

This cruel spectacle is witnessed by thousands of Landers with bated breath.

Koral, the protagonist of this story, is a Hunter. Unable to get the last maristag of the year, her family is in dire condition. So, she cheats her way into the Race in the hopes of getting enough gold to bring her family out of poverty and pay for her chronically ill sister’s medicines.

However, things are rarely so easy. Koral’s entry into the Race doesn’t go down well with Landers. They start plotting against her to throw her out of the competition.

The Glory Race is expertly depicted by Berwah. The nail-biting race to the finale in every stage of the Race is fraught with mortal danger. However, Koral, due to her tenacity, skills, and help from her friend and her maristag, survives.

I did have suspicion before reading the finale, however, the twist at the end was shocking, to say the least.

Last but not the least, Stormgold, Koral’s maristag. Ooh, what a regal creature she is.

These creatures are feared and abused because of their monstrous nature and superhuman strength. But it is not them who are the monsters. It is the humans who want to tame them to win the Glory Race for their stupid pastime.

I loved how Stormgold bonded with Koral. It is one of the finest points in this book.

I did have some quibbles with the book. Firstly, it takes time to understand the world of Sollonia.

Secondly, it is implied throughout the book that Dorian, the crowd favorite, and Koral were ex-lovers. I would have liked to see more of their backstory. Those minor glimpses were not enough.

Thirdly, I wanted more insights into the court politics that was going on. As a reader, I was hardly ever let into the conspiracies brewing to thwart Koral. Berwah shows the end result of the conspiracies. However, I would have liked to read more about the scheming and plotting.

Lastly, how did Grandmaster Minos become so powerful. It would have also made a fascinating backstory.

To conclude, while Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah has thrilling and brutal race scenes to captivate the reader, I felt that it just skimmed the surface.

Overall, it is an impressive debut. I hope to see more action and politics in the sequel.

Many thanks to the publisher for my copy of the book.

First, a thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this title - even if it means I’m not gonna be part of the throng of those hand-selling this to everyone they know. 😬 Sorry in advance!

Nothing in this book *did it* for me. I wasn’t immediately interested in the characters or plot. The writing style is juvenile in a way that seems almost like an insult to the YA genre, and I just… I couldn’t with these one-liners.

Maybe in six days some of these quotes will change, it I doubt it.

“My jaw burns like it’s made of metal.” - this reminded me of “no one knows what it means, but it’s provocative, it gets the people GOING”

“He smells of sulfur. He smells of ruin.” - this feels egregiously try-hard to me

“The air in the hall quivers with the silence of a spying predator.” - pass

And the point where I decided to DNF this bad boy:

“You,” my father says, “are going to sign up for the marriage draft and get us that bonus so we can clear off this debt first thing.”

So… yeah, not my thing. Not the *worst* this I’ve ever read, but life is short, and my TBR is too long to spend on mediocre books.

*thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for honest review*

So as far as YA fantasies/dystopians go this was alright. Mediocre.

I liked that it was medium/fast paced and we didnt have to wait til the end of the book to see the race. Im looking at you scorpio races. However there were too many flaws for me to fully enjoy this book.

•the characters weren’t fleshed out properly and came off as one dimensional
•the romantic chemistry was seriously lacking , i just didn’t care about this couple. I felt because they skipped over their first meeting we dont get to see that and it doesnt help the reader understand why the mc feels the way she does
•I actually didn’t care about any of the characters tbh
•the lack of description for pretty much everything. I couldn’t tell you what any of these people or creatures looked like.
•it was entirely too easy for The Mc to “sneak” into the competition. Like ,lets be serious .


Theres more but lets just say it wasn’t my favorite.
Its very clear by the end of the book that this ended abruptly so it will probably have a sequel. I have no interest in reading it though.

An interesting and entertaining take on the YA dystopian genre. The “rules” of society were a bit muddled at times and the main racing plot felt a bit rushed. I liked the character dynamics as well as the human/creature bond. I look forward to the next installment.

In this South Asian-inspired fantasy, we follow 16-year-old Koral, who along with her brother Emrik, has the job of capturing these fantastical, monstrous Maristags. This is an oceanic, cut-throat world with 2 main classes of people in a caste system- the Renters and the Landers. The reason Koral has to catch Maristags is that her family has been indentured as Hunters for the Landers, who use these creatures for their Glory Race. That race is exactly like it sounds like- a Gladiator Chariot-style race for riches and glory that only the Landers can participate in.

When the last Maristag escapes, Koral is forced to infiltrate this Glory Race to compete to save her sickly sister and family. Overall the world felt very unique, I really liked the creatures that were in it, like the Maristags. The Aquabats were also cool, but they did make me think of the band lol. This was a very on-the-nose YA fantasy, and fans of this genre will enjoy it.

There were moments where sentence structure felt a little short and choppy, and while the world was interesting the world-building was a little hit or miss. This story had a lot of moving parts- caste systems, rebellion, fantastical creatures, intense chariot-style races, and a ball! In order for all of these elements to be included, some of them had to be brushed over. I would love a sequel diving deeper into the history of the current caste system and the world, as well as even more creatures. We also spent a lot of time in Koral's head, which served well to build empathy for her character, but also meant at other parts of the story we were told pretty explicitly what was going on versus shown.

I'm hoping for a sequel to add depth to this story but enjoyed a lot of what this novel developed in its own right. Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooksfire for this ARC.

I tried so hard with this book but the main character was terrible and I needed a bit more world building/explanation than what we got. I felt plopped down in the middle of a world that I was just supposed to know about. I will not be finishing this. I made it about 30% in and just couldn't continue.

I had really high expectations for this book but I feel like personally it didn't hit the mark.

The characters felt really bland and underdeveloped. I actually had to go back and check the main character's name before writing this review, despite the fact that I literally finished reading the book this morning. I would have loved to have seen Koral and the others develop more. I wasn't invested in Koral's journey and found myself not caring if she won or not. I understand that the Race was the most important plot point of the story but the characters were lacking personalities outside of this. Also the relationship between Koral and Dorian felt so forced.

There were so many points here that could have been expanded on here like the caste system, the rebellions, and so much more but we barely skimmed the surface. I feel like there is a lot of potential here, but for me, it just didn't deliver. I would have appreciated more world building. I also had troubles envisioning the creatures described throughout the book, even the Maristag which is a key component of the book.

Overall, there is a lot of potential here but personally I won't be continuing this series. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Koral and her brother Emrik risk their lives every day to capture monsters that live in the black seas around their island. It’s their only means of survival. But when one of the monsters escapes and it spells bad trouble for her family, her only solution is to join the Glory Race. And it isn’t an easy race, especially when Koral’s ex is also in the game.

Remnants of “The Hunger Game” come to mind when reading this book. A competition to survive, but instead of people it’s monsters. I really enjoyed the world building, but it also lacked in development. A lot of the storyline was also predictable.

All in all, I really loved the concept the author was going for. The driven main character and the world were very entrancing. I also haven’t read a sci-fi/fantasy book in a while, so it was refreshing getting to read this one.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Monsters Born and Made sounded like a fun concept, but I felt really let down and generally disengaged throughout. Part of it was due to the lack of momentum from my last read and the general funk of my mood of the last couple days, but even passably compelling books manage to pull me out of it.
Unlike others, I don’t mind that it’s derivative; I have never read The Hunger Games and don’t plan to now. Half of the existing YA fantasy (or just fantasy in general) by white authors is derivative of the same sources, so who am I to say a South Asian author can’t have fun with the same setup?
The Indian-inspired worldbuilding, while not super developed, is interesting, and while I have some reservations about other aspects of the book, I do like how this world depicts a version of the caste system. It is a bit restrained, due to the limitations of the POV of the protagonist, but that’s something I’d be open to seeing Berwah explore more.
The characters were perhaps what I felt the most was lacking. Koral is sometimes sympathetic, due to what she has gone through, and she has a right to be angry about the state of her life. But beyond that? The romance in particular was rather uninspiring, especially given how overdramatic it was for such young people (even given how emotional teens can be).
There’s…potential…here, but it misses the mark somewhat in execution. And while I can see it working for other readers, especially those within the target audience, it just didn’t work for me.

This was an okay book it felt too much like other books- Scorpio Races and the Hunger Games. The final 30% just reminded me way too much of the Hunger Games. It was decent enough and well-paced but I didn't love any of the characters and honestly didn't overly care about what was happening.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

This book is 70% The Scorpio Races, 20% Hunger Games and maybe 10% original story. It was entertaining for the most part and the last 20% is really good, but it was distracting how much like the Scorpio Races this book was. Like how did they get away with stealing almost the entire storyline? I’d be a little upset if I was Maggie Stiefvater (author of the Scorpio Races).

Monsters Born and Made is a story about a girl who entered an ‘impossible and deadly’ competition to save her family from debt and to help with her sister’s medication needs. I had high expectations for this book because of its intriguing premise and I’m a huge fan of female protagonists in fantasy novels, unfortunately this one’s an exception.

I enjoyed reading the first part of the book even though the world building was descriptively vague. I liked Koral’s feisty personality towards the antagonists and her reserved softness for her family. I have to admit, however, that her personality wasn’t consistent throughout the book. Her reactions and internal dialogues were all over the place.

The story is a bit slow. But it’s mainly because of the world building, descriptions of monsters/maristags, and back stories. There’s also a hint of lovers-to-enemies trope in the book which I find interesting. What I’m not entirely sure about the book is the time setting, I’m not sure if it’s a mix of contemporary and historical.

Nonetheless, I still enjoyed reading this book. The effort of creating a world combined with cultural references is truly commendable! This may not be for everyone but it is worth a try.

TW: Classism, blood, gore, domestic abuse, parental abuse

This book started really rough for me, there was a ton of information that thrown at me right off the bat that was really hard to digest. A lot of the monstrous animals were hard to picture with the descriptions given and the world building was kind of just thrown in your face and assumed you knew what was going on. (I didn't until much later.) There's Landers...the rich elite people of the island and there are Renters, the poor working class. And in between is the Hunter family. The Hunters, literally hunt these beasts called Meristags (I think they are some type of horned horse/fish type creature), train them and then sell them to the Landers

Koral Hunter is very much the typical hero, doing anything and everything to save her family, including risking her own life. She ends up sneaking her way into being a charioteer in the 150th Glory Race, a trial of several dangerous chariot races (with Meristags) that will declare one person the Champion and they will receive gold and glory. Koral's family is indebted up to their eyeballs and her sister is in need of medical care so she figures the only way to save her sister and her entire family is to enter the Glory Race.

The similarities to the Hunger Games were abound. There's the challenge that's supposed to fix everything in the hero's life, the untrustworthy Landmaster (authority figure), and the rebellion faction interfering in everything. So you might like this if you were a Hunger Games fan. I thought the characters were okay, the little romance gave a bit of Cruel Prince vibes but we are left in limbo on that front with the huge cliffhanger at the end.

Overall this book did not flow well for me, that combined with the hard to imagine creatures and world I slugged through it so I could at least write this review. It never seemed Koral would pull through all of the depressing events that just kept happening to her. My hope was non existent and the way it ended was just as disappointing.

I did receive an audiobook ARC as well and while I appreciated the narrator's emotion while reading this, her tone matched the stagnant and clunky feel of the book and I ended up reading only at about halfway through.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Fire and RB Media for providing me with an eARC and audiobook ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

An intriguing YA dystopia, Monsters Born and Made has been compared to The Hunger Games, and I can see why. I'm not complaining. I love The Hunger Games, and I enjoyed this story! Both books have comparable dystopian elements – the oppressive society, the extreme disparities between castes, the corruption of power, the lack of control among most citizens, the struggle to survive, and so much more. The protagonist, Koral, is a lot like Katniss. She is brave, loyal, sensitive, and determined, and she will risk everything to protect the ones she loves. But as much as the stories seem similar, they are very different.

This story takes place on an island surrounded by an ocean where monstrous creatures lurk. It is an island ravaged by the sun, and the upper elite, or the Landers, live underground. Koral, a hunter of the sea-monsters, is one of the Renters, who live above ground, subjected to the harsh environment, poverty, disease, and vicious predators in the water, air, and on land. It’s a dangerous and brutal backdrop to the story, which takes place during the equally dangerous and deadly Glory Race.

The Glory Race reminds me of a cross between a chariot race, a Star Wars pod race, and the Hunger Games. It is so fast-paced and action-packed, and though it reminded me of a mix of so many other things, it felt unique, and I became really immersed in the story. The buildup is a bit slow, and it took me a bit to become immersed in the story. However, once the games began, I couldn’t put the book down. It was so intense and suspenseful!

Throughout the story, it felt like every time Koral took two steps forward, she was forced to take three steps back, and she could never fully trust anyone. Between the games, the corrupt government, family and relationship conflicts, the underhanded competitors and their allies, and the rebel group threatening to destroy it all, Koral has her hands full! While competing in the games, Koral also has to face a competitor with whom she has a past, conflicts with her brother and best friend, an abusive father, a sick sister, antagonistic nemeses, monster attacks, a corrupt system, and so much more.

There are several relationships in the book that I liked. Koral’s relationships with her brother and sister are fantastic. There is so much love there, and you can tell how deeply they care for each other in all that they do. Koral’s relationship with Dorian is also really interesting. They have this whole exes-to-enemies-to-lovers thing going on, and it was complicated and messy and intriguing. Koral and Dorian have so much in common despite their economic differences, and it was interesting to see their relationship evolve.

Another thing I really liked about the story is that it makes you question who the real monsters are. Are they the people who oppress, abuse, and humiliate others? The animals captured and forced to submit to humans even though it’s against their nature? Is it the desperate girl who will do anything it takes to save her sister? Koral has some thought-provoking revelations about what makes a monster.

Overall, I thought this was a good read. It took me a while to get fully immersed in the story, but the compelling characters, the unique world, and the competition make up for the slow start. And after that ending, I definitely want to read the next book. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

I am clearly in a reading slump, because while I'm really enjoying this book and the world in it, it could not seem to keep my attention. I kept picking up this book and enjoying it in little chunks, and each time I read a new section, I found another reason to like this book. And yet, it still took me so long to finish it. One thing I really like about this book is the discussion of class hierarchy/caste systems, and the benefits and privileges that come with being a part of the higher class, as well as the struggles and disadvantages that come with being a part of the lower class. Koral is a part of the Renters, those subservient to the Landers. And her life as a Renter is down right awful.

One thing I don't like about this book, or in any book, is the unrealistic strength Koral has. The fact that she can and will push through anything to do what she needs to do is admirable, but I want to see some weakness from her. It just felt like every challenge was one that she could push through and I wanted to see her contemplate giving up sometimes. Or to feel defeated a little. Just for her to then pick her head up and move forward.

Besides that, I really enjoyed this book! I love the world and getting to see the differences between the Renters and the Landers. The stress on Koral from Landers as she competes in their competition, as well as from the Renters rebellion that wants to use her defiance as a means for anarchy. Include some monstrous creatures that could kill you in a second, and this book has everything I could want and more!

I sadly DNF'ed this book about 55% into it. I gave it the best chance but I wasn't interested in the story and I felt that it was kind of slow. Based on what I did read, I gave it 2.5 star.s I didn't really find the main character to be much of anything and she was just not for me. Maybe I'll give this author another chance in the future but I'm not sure.

A revival of the YA dystopian fantasy novels we all loved in the 2000’s. Perfect for readers who are looking for a new YA story with the vibes of The Hunger Games and Red Queen. Monsters Born and Made is a splashing debut about a word threatened by monstrous water-dwelling creatures and ravaged by over exposure to the sun. Berwah discusses class disparity, marginalization and scarcity against the backdrop of a terrifying and deadly competition.

I really enjoyed the world building of this story although there are a few points that I wasn’t quite clear on. This didn’t necessarily detract from my reading experience, as I think the gaps in explanation fit the overall design of the story, but did leave me pondering a bit. I loved the way the creatures were introduced and described throughout the book. The exposition felt very natural and authentic to the first-person narration style, there were just some moments where I was wishing for an omniscient narrator to give me a bit more context as to the origins of this world as well as the format of the Glory Race itself.

Berwah throws readers right into the action with an intense opening chapter that grabbed my attention immediately. I love when YA novels are fast paced and plot driven and this one definitely delivered on those points. I also enjoyed how there were multiple layers to this story. I went in expecting a pretty straight forward, basic competition plot and got so much more! The elements were woven together fairly well although I do feel that there were some holes where I would have liked to have more detail or clarification about what was going on. The books also takes place over a surprisingly short amount of time which lent to some situations occurring that felt a bit too convenient for our main characters. I would have liked to see the timeline drawn out a bit more and our characters have to struggle and strategize more to reach the next phase of the story.

The characters fell a little flat for me, with the exception of a few very lovable side characters. I really wanted to see more development of the relationships between the characters to get me more invested. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing if that improves in book two as Berwah matures as a writer and we get to spend more time with these characters.

Overall this was an enjoyable read and a fun step back into a very beloved genre. I will certainly be continuing with the series and recommending this book to anyone who is feeling nostalgic for the dystopian era of YA books.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was a great story! I loved the concept and the execution by Berwah was great. I felt like I knew exactly what Koral was going through. Her pain was palpable and it allowed me to connect with her on a deeper level. I loved this! It did take me a little bit to get into, but once I did, I enjoyed it!