It wasn't a bad book but I didn't really care about the characters and I forgot everything that happened after I finishised it

This isn't bad I just think it could have been workshopped a bit more. I don't feel a strong connection to any of the characters and I think the relationships should be built a little more. I hope it gets better in the second book.

I received a book through netgalley.

Definitely more of a 3.5.

CW (from the author): blood depiction, death [animal, parent], past description of starvation, chronic illness of a child, parental abuse, fire destruction, panic attack depiction, undiagnosed mental illness depiction, riots/police violence, social violence

Every time I see a new South Asian fantasy debut announced, my heart sings with joy because yes, this is what I’m here for. I wanna support and promote them as much as I can, which naturally also increases my expectations of the book. I guess that’s what happened here because despite thinking it was a fun book, it felt a bit unsatisfactory.

I have to begin with saying this book isn’t easy going into. The first few chapters take some patience from us readers to navigate this very new world, where we only get bits and pieces of information which we have to piece through to get somewhat of a coherent picture. But it also in a way reflects the fractured kind of world this is - where there is a very rigid caste structure and it’s very obvious that our protagonist (whose pov is the only one we get) doesn’t really know much about the intricacies of the world the Landers (the higher caste) inhabit though they literally live nearby on the same island. While the writing might have taken a while to impress, the book is pretty fast paced and the action once it starts is relentless, which was entertaining. But the best part were definitely the various kinds of sea monsters we get to meet here. The author describes them in gruesome detail and it was this combo of the way the caste system plays out and the monsters become additional tools of oppression did I feel that the book lives up to its name perfectly.

The characters themselves were not all easy to like. Koral is definitely the most developed here and it was easy to sympathize with her because of everything she has suffered and is still going through and we could understand even when she made impulsive decisions. Her anger was justified because it came from a place of extreme pain and felt visceral at many moments. Her developing bond with her maristag through the Glory Race was also a beautiful thing to watch unfold.

But the other relationships is where the book probably stumbles a bit. Her best friend Crane was fleshed out enough but their interactions always felt like a bit of a push and pull, mostly because they seemed to have different opinions about being part of a rebel group. The slight mistrust and tension seemed understandable though. However, it’s her family which I don’t think I liked much. They were critical of her every decision, never supportive except maybe a couple of moments, and considering as the one responsible for their doom which was so harsh considering their life and the problems they were already having.

While the Glory Race itself was very exciting to read about, full of action and chases and fight sequences with Koral’s life on the line, none of her competitors felt fleshed out either. Judas really felt like he had so much potential and it was wasted. Dorian is most probably going to be the love interest which I’m not currently a fan of because despite his own personal demons, he still belongs to the oppressor class and I feel like his character needs to do a lot more before the romance between them feels comfortable. He also kind of embodies the “grumpy and behaves badly towards the girl but cares for her” trope which I hate.

Overall, I can say that I liked the book as it went on, with the action packed Glory Race in the second half and the climax being the most mind blowing parts of it. It was fascinating to see the whole thing come together in an explosive way towards the end. If you are looking for some great gruesome monsters, an intense competition for survival, and a protagonist who uses her anger and pain to try to make her family’s life better, do give this debut a try.

So this was a bit of a struggle. I’m going to be honest and let you know I ended up dnfing this around 40 or 50%. But as it is a review for netgalley I’m giving it a rating. I couldn’t even tell you what was going on in this. It was like as soon as I read it, it was gone and out of my head. Just didn’t catch my attention at all. But since I didn’t finish it I can’t give a full review.

I dnf’d this pretty quickly. The early part, less than 100 pages in, felt very sluggish and the main character wasn’t giving enough depth (felt very bland) to keep me hooked upon the story. I wanted more from this, as the premise sounded good. However, I was let down by a character that couldn’t do more than make me want to fall asleep. Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for honest review

It made a compelling reading but at the same time it was way too similar to The Hunger Games (the actual games were a chariot race with sort of mythical creatures, maristags). I love The Hunger Games but don't want retellings of it which don't bring anything new - same conflict, same love/friendship dynamics, way too similar plot, just a bit different world building.
I also struggled with the description of all the violence and physical suffering the heroine had to endure. It could be a testament to the author's powerful writing but it made hard reading at times.
Fans of YA dysptopian fantasy might enjoy this book more than me but it was the best reading experience for me

CW: violence, death of side characters, gore, detailed description of injuries

This could have been a really good story. Unfortunately the narrative was filled with conflicts I did not understand. It was as if I had begun reading a book in the middle with out knowing what had come before. There was no clear explanation of the difference between the living conditions of the "Landers", who ran the island, and the "Renters". There was no explanation of how the two castes came to be. There were tensions between Dorian, Crane and Koral, who was the heroine, but we were not told the histories that caused them. The world building was not complete, and the ending did not finish the story. If the author wants to write a sequel, she would be better advised to write a prologue that would explain the present book. The races in the Dome were interesting, but I found it difficult to picture arena.

This book was a huge letdown for me. The synopsis sounded really interesting, but once I started reading I didn’t enjoy it. The characters were bland and the story was slow rolling. Although a slow build story is not bad, but this had one that did not have momentum. When I thought the story would pick up it slightly would and then drop back down. I wish this was focused more on the race rather than everything else. It felt like the story got away from the race itself and the purpose of why Koral entered. There was some interesting plot ideas, but they did not feel flushed out or cohesive through the story. I knew there was a plot, but it felt like there wasn’t.

Unfortunately I struggle with books that seem very derivative of others and often review them poorly for that reason. I feel like it's hard to enjoy a book that takes so much from other books that you basically already know what will happen. This was written as for fans of the Hunger Games but it was basically the Hunger Games itself, plus Scorpio Races and Ashlords. Lots of commonalities in terms of characters as well with the main character and her sister. While the author may be talented, it's too difficult for me to look past the other issues.

This is perfect for fans of Hunger games and are interested in some representation. It takes the readers into a very vividly colorful world filled with sea monsters, glory races and separation of privileges based on caste and what not. I liked that it was South Asian inspired but felt the writing could have been better in description of this new world. I like Koral for her rage and her strength in pursuing her dreams. I liked how some important topics like colonialism were inculcated. Also the most action occurs in the last 20% of the book and the pace was choppy until then. Overall, it was an interesting high stakes tournament based read but expecting the next book to be better!

What a wonderful journey into this vivid new world inspired by the Graeco-Indian kingdom. The factor that truly got me hooked was obviously the world-building, as it was filled with brilliant descriptions which were easy (for me) to imagine. Moreover, the themes of family and duties coming along with it may hit close to home for lots of girls, especially eldest daughters. In addition, the nods to oppressive systems of castes and imperialism worked perfectly to create this society and everything that came along with it.

Whether or not you want to call this book "representative enough", I highly recommend you read this piece (https://www.getrevue.co/profile/tanviberwah/issues/newsletter-issue-12-book-trailer-thoughts-on-diverse-worldbuilding-1248520) by the author herself. First of all, I want you to ask yourself if you truly understand what representation means, as it's not just some expectations of how a culture is. Saying it's not representative enough is derisive as everyone has different experiences of their own cultures.

People expecting more of this book do forget that it's actually aimed at young adults, and will not have the same complexity as full-on developed adult fantasies. It is maybe not at the same level as, for instance, the Hunger Games when it comes to social commentary. However, I truly enjoyed the journey I experienced while reading as well as this unique world. Moreover, the main character Koral is a bit unique, as she finds herself not belonging anywhere and hated by both sides. It really reminds us of the many layers of rebellions and institutions.

Overall, I really liked this book. And I am really itching to get my hands on the next book (hopefully), as this book ended with a bang.

Over and out. -Nora<3

A deadly race to win glory, a girl desperate to survive and protect her family, and a world on the brink of war. Sixteen year old Koral is a hunter, her family capture monstrous maristags ( horse like creatures) that are dangerous and poisonous to be tamed and used in the Glory Race ( essentially the Hunger Games). When Koral’s older brother Emrik is injured trying to capture one, it was their last chance to be able to find a way to afford her little sister’s medication... and her abusive father suggest that Koral be sold off to the marriage mart in order to afford medication and to pay off their debts, but Koral comes up with another solution... the Glory Race. In a world where there are Landers and Renters, one group of people living protected underground and another being forced to live in dangerous monster infested land above ground... the Renters have never participated or even allowed to participate in the Glory Race, yet Koral knows if she wins the race she will be able to pay off all her family debts and be able to afford all the medical care that would save her sister’s life. The Glory Race is a dangerous game though with only one winner and contestants who are constantly being killed... with politics thrown into the race the moment Koral enters as the first Renter to enter... things are about to get complicated. Koral will now have to survive not only the race itself but the contestants and rebels who want to kill her and her family. It does not help that Koral is racing against her ex-boyfriend, the one person she knows was made to win and has been training his entire life to win and will do anything to win... including killing her. This definitely DEFINITELY was a mixture of The Scorpio Race meets the Hunger Games. Koral is our Katniss, willing to do anything to save her younger sister, including participating in a race that would get her killed as well as falling for a contestant who she has history with and even her dealings with the Landmaster ( aka this books version of President snow), the one thing I really liked about Koral was that she was so determined to win and determined to protect her family. Dorian on the other hand is our resident Peeta.. except he isn’t as lovable, kind, or well as good as a love interest. Dorian is trained by Koral and they have history... until he leaves her and now is trying to kill her... he’s definitely got daddy issues and as mentioned by Koral the guy has three separate versions of himself that he works with. While this book ends on a cliffhanger, the tension in this book wasn’t ever as high as the Hunger Games, but I did really empathize with Koral’s constant struggles. The politics of this world were kind of overshadowing the race in a way that made the race seem not as important or as high stakes compared to the actual dangers that Koral was constantly facing outside of the race. The romance was very very small but I definitely think there is potential for the second book. I will definitely give the second book a read because I am curious to see where Koral goes next and how the story progresses, I personally really liked Koral. She’s a bit head strong and stubborn but she’s sixteen, she’s living in a world where her family situation is horrible, where people are constantly trying to kill her and put her down, and all she wants is to make it out alive with her family.

*Thanks Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire, Sourcebooks Fire for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Do you adore enemies-to-lover? I'll give you one better. Friends-to-enemies-to-lovers.

It's always something special being approved for an ARC. But it's always more enchanting when the story you read encaptures you within its pages.

What initially caught my attention was the beautiful and clear writing. The flow of the story ran like water droplets through my fingers — unstoppable in its course and irresistible to watch.
Then here came the main protagonist: Koral. Sometimes I have certain problems with protagonists in ya fantasy where their rage and anger and pain are toned down into a dulled blade. The hype the synopsis brings to my attention remains just that, unfair hype that isn't found in the story itself.
But Koral's rage was real. She was angry and her determination to join the Glory Race was felt through the pages. A desperate yearning for a better future, for salvation that the victory would bring for her family, especially her sister. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to finally be recognized as human in the eyes of others, for being a Hunter meant being an outcast among Landers but also among Renters —a curse that was bestowed upon her and her siblings at birth.

Surprisingly, the race wasn’t as focal as I thought it would be. It is there, it's happening but what really snagged my attention was the constant struggle Koral was facing time after time. Her fight against injustice, for her family's survival, to be recognised as an equal. Unfortunately, there are many people who would rather see her gone but her thirst for revenge, to take the very thing rich people coveted the most motivated her to stop bowing her head and bare her teeth instead.

The story focuses on underlining that there isn’t a clear line between good and evil. There is a constant thrum of power among greedy people but even if they are divided by class greed and ambition infect minds all the same. The thirst for power, for being at the top can be found among rich and poor, young and old. That is why I loved the nuanced depiction of rebels — not every rebel has a noble cause and even among rebels wranglers can be found.
This story also showed the amazing strength women wield. From being a mother of three who is abused by her husband, to a daughter who fights every day for her family’s survival to a neighbour who is constantly searching for her son who has been taken away. This fortitude is mostly silent yet it perseveres across time.

Wow this was a bit of a ride, quite literally as the main events in this book are literally a chariot race with sea monsters!
The premise of this book is so good, its said to be good for fans of the Hunger Games and I don't disagree with that, although the games and elimination element are similar, the politics of the world are very different and it holds its own story and history.
Its pretty action packed in the last 60% of the book but the build up is also well done with lots of character context and I really enjoyed that we don't find out everything about or main character in one go, lots of her past unfolds with the story and that kept me reading..

I defiantly could feel the South Asian inspiration for the creatures, I'm not sure it existed much beyond that. Perhaps there is more of the story that links to myths and legends that I'm not aware of but I didn't feel any more of the culture as the story is heavily built on a dystopian world and its politics and the events that take place .
I did find the creatures/monsters of this world pretty fascinating,
I cant wait to see some fan art for this book, it would help the monsters come to life.if anyone here is listening, read this for some big art inspiration!
I also enjoyed the connections between humans, creatures and the sea and how this builds throughout the story.

At times I found the arena, where the races take place, a little tricky to picture and keep up with. I don't know if its my imagination or if it needed a little more depth.
The events that take place are brilliant, exciting and at times suspenseful but I found them turning or bumping into something I hadn't realised would be there or coming in and out of water when I wasn't expecting it, I almost couldn't place where they were so my perception and scale was defiantly off. A reread may help me with this and it didn't seem to stunt my enjoyment of the action.

Im so excited to see where this story goes, although its not a cliffhanger as such there is a lot still to unpack and lots of unanswered questions.
If you like a trial/competition trope, betrayal and mythical creatures I think your in for a treat!
However those who look for a romance in their books may need to wait a little longer, however this book does have some good contenders for a cracking romance!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with a copy of Monsters Born and Made, I did really enjoyed it!

The comparison to both The Hunger Games and Fable immediately made me want to read this book. Unfortunately, it falls prey to trying to create a story that’s already been written. To me it seemed like the story was trying to incorporate too many separate elements from other successful dystopian novels, but was unable to pull them together cohesively to give more than surface level information. I was left wondering about Crane’s motivations, the Landmaster’s, and Solomon’s. Even Leela’s backstory reveal doesn’t give enough information to explain decades of rejection by the Renters.

Things I did enjoy:
- the bond between Koral and Stormgold
- Koral’s love for Liria
- Dorian

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I hate it when a book sounds fantastic, but just ends up falling short of expectations, and sadly this was the case for Monsters Born and Made. The worldbuilding is very lacking, I was confused throughout the whole book as to what is going on, what maristags are, why the Glory Races exist, I don't think anything was ever explained well enough. The main character is not well developed, I couldn't feel any emotional connection to her, let alone any of the side characters. Essentially my problem is that nothing in the book was well fleshed out, even though there was so so much potential to work with. The dialogue was quite stilted, awkward and at times cringeworthy to read, the pacing was very uneven, and while it's pitched as a South Asian fantasy, there wasn't much apart from the names of the characters to distinguish itself as that; instead, it felt very Greco-Roman. The writing took very much a Tell rather than Show approach, and it just doesn't work.

I've seen from other reviews that there's actually meant to be an attempt at a romance in here between Koral and Dorian? But I literally did not pick up on that at all, they have no chemistry whatsoever and I can barely remember a single thing about who he is as a character.

Giving it 2 stars because of the potential, and I think that if the author does develop better writing in the future I would read again from her, because of the potential of the concept, but otherwise, I would have given it 1 star.

A lot of the worldbuilding in this book is great, but overall it just didn't gel with me. I felt like a lot of the plot points I found interesting kept getting dropped or ignored.

For example, the maristags are a really cool creature, and I loved Koral's maristag a lot. I thought the creatures overall were really interesting, and there were a lot of elements of this world I'd have liked to see more of.
But the plot itself felt very similar to the Hunger Games, and it felt like the book kept shying away from these more interesting, new ideas in favor of being like The Hunger Games,

The relationships between characters, too- especially between Crane and Koral, and between Koral and her mother. I loved what was going on there, when we saw it, but I feel like wasn't given enough page time to really be developed. I felt the same way about Koral herself- she has really interesting character traits, her anger especially, but I didn't feel like she had much of an arc.

On the other hand, two of the main things that turned me off of this book might not necessarily be a problem for other readers. The first was that I found myself falling into darkness-induced apathy, because of all the bad things constantly happening to poor Koral. The second was that the rebel group was set up in a way that edged close to one of my least favorite tropes.

If you're a fan of dystopian YA, or a librarian with a lot of dystopian YA readers, I would still say this book is worth a shot! It just wasn't for me.

Despite how much I truly wanted to love this book, I have to say that I was disappointed.

Let's look at the positives first. I think the second half of this story is the strongest. The entire book has very well-written action scenes and good pacing overall which kept me going. Not to mention that it's a shorter book when it comes to the genre and I like that. Speaking of characters, I really liked Koral: her anger, where she came from, her dreams and everything. I think she was mostly a strong mc I could root for. There were many themes in place that I could see reflected from the author's lived experiences as an Indian like colonialism and I think they were beautifully put across.

Unfortunately, I found more things that disrupted my reading experience than those that kept me going. The worldbuilding was overall nice and mostly well written but it was rather heavy-handed in the beginning. A lot of things were dumped on us when we started and I just found myself impatiently waiting for the race, the action part of it all which the blurb made me believe we would be introduced to way sooner.

While some side characters like Crane were built and developed, most others weren't and I couldn't relate to them or understand their role in the story. And throughout the book, a lot of Koral's friends and family were angry at her, criticising her every move but never giving a reason for it or giving her a solution. It was extremely confusing to me. I also didn't get Emrick who seemed to switch from one extreme of a mood to another and left me feeling absolutely clueless as to who he really was.

And I hated the romance that was being hinted at. I'm not talking about the romance in Koral's past but how it seems to be re-emerging in her present. I mean we weren't handed the romance and it was just being heavily hinted at but I honestly saw Dorian as a toxic person for Koral, even though he himself had his fair share of issues to deal with, it still didn't redeem or excuse him for me. There were times when he tried to sort of make assumptions or analyse Koral's situation while coming from an upper class and never having experienced them himself which made me quite angry. I think this was challenged once and I'm not saying it's something that the author shouldn't have written. It just made me dislike the character even more and it would have been great if that's the author's intention. Anyway, yeah I was just scowling every time he was on page.

Lastly, I'm not very clear on the rebel group situation. What is their structure? They're said to have factions with conflict and different aims and some of the members are Landers too. But why? What do the Landers gain from joining a Renters rebel group? It became more confusing towards the end but maybe that's just me.

I did quite enjoy the ending, especially the last 20% of the book. But since the characters and many of the relationships didn't capture me the way I hoped they would it really brought down my experience.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for gifting me an advanced copy. The opinions below are my own honest review.

The Pros: a (mostly) strong female protagonist, neat mythical creatures, a high stakes tournament, a relatively interesting caste system

The Cons: feels a lot like a ripoff of Scorpio Races and Hunger Games, a confusing world - both in setup and in mythology (the mythology feels like a very poorly executed amalgam of too much mythological lore crammed together), a bit predictable, and it took way to long to really understand why so much revolved around maristag hunting (seriously, aren't there other ways to get income?).

Overall, it was a decent book. I didn't love it. I didn't hate it. I'm not sure I liked it that much, so, an average star rating it is. Two and a half stars rounded up. Recommended for patient enjoyers of dystopian YA with lots of mythological influence.

I really enjoy this unique, fast- paced YA fantasy! I really like the main character Koral and how she was willing to do what it takes to help save her sister and family.
The world building was very interesting with all the monsters and ocean creatures! The islands were dangerous and the temperatures were so hot, that most people have to live underground. The races were exciting and had me on the edge of my seat! After the ending though..I can’t wait to see what happens in the sequel!