Monsters Born And Made is a debut novel by Tanvi Berwah. The premise itself sounded absolutely fantastic, and I was stoked to be approved for an eARC from Netgalley.

Koral and her brother Emrik are part of a Hunter family, raised to hunt maristags to capture and train. Only their family are able to Hunt, however they may be stripped of their title and relegated to Renter status if they don't succeed each hunting season. Renters are lower-caste people and families, struggling daily with enough money, food, water and sun protection to live. Landers are upper-caste people and families, and live comfortable lives. The Glory Race is the Landers' idea of entertainment, pitting contenders and their maristags against each other to compete in gruelling and dangerous tasks for a monetary prize.

Koral's little sister is struggling with her health, and the family are running out of money too quickly to be able to pay for her medication. Koral recklessly cheats her way into entering the Glory Race with a maristag that her family weren't able to sell.

The story itself was fantastic, and the book was engaging. I read it quickly, as I was enraptured by the plot and the characters. I did find it difficult to keep up occasionally, I felt like the book didn't quite flow smoothly. It often jumped from plot point to plot point, and I did find it wasn't overly cohesive.

I would've liked more descriptions of the monsters, and even better some artwork of these characters. Would love to see a special edition with the monster designs inside!!

I loved this book, despite the flaw with the cohesiveness. I am very eager to read the next in the series (there is a next, right?!).

I recommend this to readers of The Hunger Games, Maze , and other similar books. YA Fantasy or dystopian fans, this one is for you!

This was one of my most anticipated reads, I was very much looking forwards to reading it but as much as I did like it I think it fell a little short for me but overall I enjoyed the story and the Glory Race, the ending definitely got extremely intense for the last 20% or so and in looking forwards to reading the sequel as I must know what happens next!

To save her sister’s life and her family from ruin, Koral registers for the Glory Races, the first of her class to dare to do so. But will her decision save her family or spark only violence from the rebels and wealthy alike?

For the first 20% of the book, I wished for clearer, slower world-building. I felt thrown into the deep end and struggled to keep up with the unfolding action while sorting out the class structure of this world, the major players, and the threats (the sun, other people, and monsters). I wanted to see more of the monsters wreaking havoc on the world instead of getting only a name and vague description from time to time. A few early plot details just happened, leaving me asking “how” it was accomplished.

As the story continued, the writing style still felt a little chaotic at times, with sudden jumps forward or backward in time in the same scene. I found this book a little disorienting, especially when trying to figure out Koral’s history with Dorian.

The gladiator/hunger games type action was intense and fun, but the story moved a little too fast for me to deeply connect with the complex/flawed characters. I had trouble trusting and rooting for anyone consistently. I wanted a strong hero to change the world and didn’t get that even by the end.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the eARC.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

I enjoyed this. It moved at a fast pace and was hard to put down. Kind of bummed this one isn't even out yet because I'd like to know where the story goes next! lol.

*3.5 STARS*

Content Warning: violence, illness, abuse

Well, I didn’t expect this to be like the Scorpio Races and Hunger Games combined! This is what worked and didn’t work for me:

+ I thought the world-building was interesting, there are very cool aspects to it. The story takes place on an island and the rich people, Landers, live below ground. Renters are the hardworking people in Sollonia and there is a divide. There are sea monsters in this story also. They have aquabats, capricorns, maristags (which are like monster horses that they race), and so much more.

+ I liked how hard Koral is. She is a survivor and won’t give up. There is a lot of anger in her, her brother Emrik, most of the Renters in Sollonia, in the rebels, so much anger in this book that I could relate because of the world we live in today. Koral is relatable. All she wants is a good life, to care for her family, she wants a chance, she fights daily for this chance and she wants glory but always comes out on the losing end. I definitely sympathized with her anger and frustrations.

+ The ending is kind of bonkers – but the final race is high adrenaline. I was cheering on Koral, but it’s a brutal race. But it doesn’t end after the race…

+~ There is a friends to rivals to maybe lovers thing going on with Koral and one of the wealthiest boys in Sollonia, Dorian. They have history that we know a little about. Presently they are rivals but there is an undercurrent of something like hate and desire. Would have liked more interaction between them. There is barely any romance between them just lots of hard feelings.

~ Though the world-building is fascinating it was confusing as well. I don’t think I have a clear picture of what a maristag looks like in my head. I’m just going off of the book cover and maybe like a horse body? There were just some things about the world-building I couldn’t quite pin down and flesh out in my mind despite the author’s descriptions.

~ The ending is so abrupt – is there a sequel? Because how could it end like that?!

~ I wasn’t sure what parts of the books represented South Asia because the races felt like a Roman inspired race? It had chariots and a dome called a Drome. I’m going to say it was the caste system between the Landers, Renters and Rebels but I wish it was clearer to me.


Why you should read it:
*fascinating world-building, an island surrounded by a sea of monsters
*Koral is a survivor and a fighter, this girl won’t back down
*the final race is pure action

Why you might not want to read it:
*some parts of the world-building while fascinating was also confusing at times – I couldn’t get a good feel of how things looked like a maristag for instance…
*very abrupt ending – is there a sequel?

My Thoughts:

This one has so much potential and I did love the aspect of the Glory Races and people racing these violent creatures called maristags. The races were a pure rush to read! I did wish I could visualize more of the world-building because it’s so fascinating but I needed more details. I thought Koral was the perfect character for a story such as this because she’s a fighter and the feelings of the Renters and rebels were all encapsulated in her character The ending was so climatic and then ended abruptly so I hope there is a sequel. For the most part I had fun reading this book and hope to read more from this author.

I went into this almost certain that I would at the very least enjoy it, but sadly that's not what happened. I didn't find myself connecting to any of the characters or the world being built. The world-building itself felt lacking in places which wasn't great, especially with such a slow-paced book. I was hoping the conflict would get bigger as it felt like that was where it was leading but throughout it was just a reinstatement of the same issues. I was also hoping going into this that there would be more south Asian mythology connections which were mainly found with characters rather than the world itself. It wasn't a terrible book, I found myself enjoying the authors writing style but overall I just don't believe this book was for me. I still have no idea what a maristag looks like.

I do hope others can enjoy and connect with this book in ways that I couldn't.

Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah is another YA fantasy. This one inspired by the author’s South Asian background, featuring a large-scale race in which the elite compete for glory. Koral, the main character, is very much not part of this elite, but circumstances have her sneak her way into the competition and stand against those who have been training their entire lives for this. In some ways, this is reminiscent of a better, more timely version of The Hunger Games – in a good way. I found this an enjoyable read, though I thought that perhaps the ending was a bit too convenient in the last couple of pages. I don’t think this is a standout read of 2022 for me, but it is a solid YA fantasy debut I recommend picking up if you like the sound of it.

Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah is another YA fantasy. This one inspired by the author’s South Asian background, featuring a large-scale race in which the elite compete for glory. Koral, the main character, is very much not part of this elite, but circumstances have her sneak her way into the competition and stand against those who have been training their entire lives for this. In some ways, this is reminiscent of a better, more timely version of The Hunger Games – in a good way. I found this an enjoyable read, though I thought that perhaps the ending was a bit too convenient in the last couple of pages. I don’t think this is a standout read of 2022 for me, but it is a solid YA fantasy debut I recommend picking up if you like the sound of it.

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the premise, I enjoyed the magic system, I enjoyed the world, as it was not something I had seen before in this capacity, and I enjoyed Koral's character.

I would definitely recommend this book and I hope that there will be another one as there were some things left unfinished in my opinion.

3.5 Stars

This book takes place on a dystopian island where the elite live underground safe from the sea and sun while the peasants live above ground to face wild beasts that are so different they almost seem magical. I wouldn’t say that there is any magic in the world, just mutant creatures. The elite live in high tech homes but a lot of the story takes place above ground in the city the poor live in which I pictured to be more like ancient times with huts and stone houses.

I think that the writing style was easy to read and the book moved fairly fast but felt that I might have been a little too old to read this book. The main character is sixteen years old but very rash and naive, so I was unable to relate to her. Additionally, the way the author writes about the main character and her feelings didn’t vibe well with me or make me feel anything other than pity for the main character. I will say that this book moves so fast that it was hard to put it down and I did want to find out what happened next.

I had a really hard time picturing some of the scenes and monsters in this book. Although the book centers around one mythological monster - the maristag, it also introduces the reader to many others as well. It was difficult to picture what these monsters looked like based on the descriptions we were given. I would read about a creature in one part of the book and formulate an image in my mind and then the next time the monster was mentioned, I would realize I was completely wrong in what I pictured the monster to look like. I think this book would be improved if it included a few pages with drawings of the monsters, especially since one of the themes of the story was whether beings are truly monsters by blood or made into monsters.

This book is all about criticizing the caste system that may be prevalent in South Asia. I think it does a pretty good job portraying the struggles and the issues and teaches us how difficult it is to battle the class structure in order to survive. I think this lesson is important but because this book is solely focused on this one theme/lesson the book seemed a little flat for me. I also felt like a few of the other themes in the book never got resolutions or the resolution wasn’t satisfying.

Overall, I don’t think this book was for me and I felt like it was missing an element to make it more dimensional and meaningful of a story. For me it just fell a little flat and I felt a little unsatisfied by the ending - so I although I would rate this read 3.5 stars, I would round it down instead of up. I would recommend this to younger fantasy readers looking for an action packed read or anyone looking to read fantasy books about training and fighting monsters. The scenes can get violent and a little gory but it isn’t anything that is too crazy. I would not recommend this to more seasoned fantasy readers.

Thank you to SourceBooks Fire and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I really struggled with how many stars to give this title for a few reasons. Let me start by saying that I freaking LOVED the premise and the story telling! That was 5 stars all over the place. I enjoyed the characterizations and the world-building, too.

The thing that brings my rating down are that it’s weird to have a created world that still has, like, months, for instance, instead of some created time-keeping. In fact, the water clocks make the remnants of months that much more confusing. Or, like, the clothing. Slacks and shirts and saris and jackets? I dunno. Seems too easy.

However, it ended with a perfect setup for a sequel, so I hope I see that. 💜📚

A cross between Maggie Stiefvater's The Scorpion Races and Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games, Monsters Born and Made is action-packed and fraught with emotional conundrums. Berwah's novel is an imaginative telling of a race for "glory" that will serve to save one family from their poverty fulfills all its promises of action and adventure, with layers of betrayal, back-door dealings, and unresolved romance. I really had a hard time putting this novel down. Koral's family's tenuous grasp on their social status--unbalanced by numerous and varied threats--grows ever more dire as each chapter unfolds, and the story ends on an enormous cliffhanger.

I love the maristag mythos and the Southeast Asian setting, making this story fairly unique despite its recollections of The Scorpion Races and The Hunger Games. The book is well written and engaging, and I highly recommend it.

Genre: fantasy
What an interesting book! A world full of monsters, and people trying to survive.

There are Landers and Renters who despise each other. Koral, our lead protagonist, is a renter who hunts maristags. Many issues arise where she must enter a tournament and win so her family can be free. But that never goes according to plan.

The story was confusing at times, with issues thrown in here and there but ended up making it feel kind of cluttered. I felt that if it was a story of the race only, it would have sufficed.

I loved all the creatures and monsters in this book. I do wish I could have an illustration of them because it is hard for me to picture what a maristag looks like (or the Capricorn). Huge silver crab, easy to visualize and it sounds horrifying.

I rooted for Koral through it all, because you know she is the bottom feeding who is coming up in the world and rise through the ashes like a phoenix. But there were times that she just didn’t seem too bright. She knew the landers hated her, and still trusted that they would just let her win an obscene amount of money and just leave.

All in all, a very unique fantasy story.

Oh, I do like a newly made world, with a well made and thought out history. It does make such a difference to a book, and this author done it in spades.

The creatures are well thought out and described, and to be honest, creeped me the f out. The characters are interesting, and not always what you expect them to be. And while you do have the obvious feeling of a romance trope going on, you find that you dont mind it so much.

A new series (I hope) as I look forward to the second book.

I'm generally on the fence when it comes to dystopian novels. If they feel too attainable within my lifetime, I tend to not want to read them for my own sanity (hah), but if they're on the more fantastical side, like with Monsters Born and Made, I feel able to connect with them in a more balanced way.

Here, our dystopian society centers around these creatures that plague the seas of this planet, our characters survive only by hunting the monsters down and hoping not to die in the process. This novel is undeniably Hunger Games-esque, but I think the setting gives it a bit of an edge (...as a biased person who was not a huge fan of Hunger Games, because Battle Royal will always take the "death games" top tier slot in my mind), Having this planet that's made up of islands and overrun with oceans/seas full of dangerous creatures was just cool, okay? And the Summer Reading Club theme this year for ALA libraries is ocean-themed, so this book felt very relevant as I was reading it.

Sadly, the pitfuls of this book come in the actual interaction between the characters. Dialogue didn't always feel natural, side characters didn't feel fleshed out/real, and even Koral had moments where I didn't quite understand why we were following her story. There are also a lot of references to things in the book that don't make sense with the setting, but as it's a YA book, I guess that's to be expected.

All in all, I think this was a pretty decent start to this series, but I don't know that I'll be picking up the sequel.

From the first pages I was extremely interested in the world, the monsters, the fights, and the life of these characters. I didn’t quite connect with the characters on a personal level but that is on me and in no way took away from my enjoyment of this story.

I loved the mix of monsters, power, the haves and have nots, rights and titles, the engaging scenes, and the fight for and though it all. The mix of fantasy and political moment plus the monsters really made this story sound out and had me wanting more each page. This is a fun read for those looking for adventure, monsters, and heart racing moments.

This has been compared to The Hunger Games, Fable, and The Scorpio Races and while I usually dislike comparing stories (because each story is an individual) I think in this case they are applicable comparisons. If you liked those stories check this out, if you didn’t, I would still recommend this story because while it had those stories elements it also has a wonderful heart and tone of its own.

I received an ARC via NetGalley and Sourcefire Books and I am leaving an honest review.

For more book content, follow me @literaturewithalatte

✨Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah✨

Genre: YA Fantasy
Pages: 352
Pub Date: 09/2022

📚 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, 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 competitors—including her ex-boyfriend—who have no intention of letting a low-caste girl steal their glory. As a rebellion rises, Koral must choose—her life or her sister's—before the whole island burns.

📝 A south-Asian inspired YA fantasy that includes elements from HP Goblet of Fire and The Hunger Games.

Our heroine, Koral, fights to care for her siblings the best way she can. I wasn’t too crazy about her but I appreciated how willing she was to risk herself for her siblings. Her past relationship with Dorian wasn’t really fleshed out. I’d like to have read more flashback scenes.

As for the world-building, I really liked the concept, but I wish it was explained a little more. As a reader, I felt that I got vague descriptions of what could have been an awesome world/culture.

The ending was definitely a cliffhanger. I wonder if this will be a series. Perhaps more will be explained in the sequel!

💫Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebooksfire for my copy💫

I was very excited to read this book but about 20% in I knew it was not going to be for me. I loved the concept of the book seemed like it would be a twist on a hunger games theme. I had to struggle to get into it and it did not pull me in like I wished it would.

The world building did not complete for me and maybe that is part of the reason I could not get I to it. The main character I didn’t like granted she’s a teen but she is hard to like.

With all that I have said do not pass it by because everyone is different and likes
Different things. I appreciate the chance to read it in advance.

This book is set in a fantasy world where the island they live in is in a sea of monsters. Koral, is part of a hunter group, and in order to try and save her family decides to enter the Champions race on a Maristag that her family has bred. From this setup I think it had the potential to be a really interesting and fascinating book. Unfortunately, for me it really fell short.

First, the book felt like it fell into an overtired trope of a dystopian society with different groups. There are the Landers, the Renters, the Hunters, and some fraction which is the Rebels. Each group is given a very brief history, but not enough substance in the storytelling and it doesn’t feel compelling. Second, the world building felt to sparse. It was more explanatory than built on description and experience. I don’t really understand what is going on; one of the main issues seems to be the heat and unrelenting sun, and yet in other parts of the story it feels like this isn’t really an issue. I don’t have a clear sense of how the people live. Along with this, I just get some general confusion about things in the book, like what the Maristags were, how they looked, and what their nature was. I don’t get how they live in the sea, yet are captured to race on land. I definitely don’t get what she tried to create between them having some wild nature, rules of getting riled up, and then in some way having an occasional bond with their handlers. I also don’t understand the nature of the race; the landers who are the ruling class want to send their kids/young adults into a dangerous and potentially life threatening race? Why is it such a big deal? Why would they give so much gold to the winner? Finally, none of the characters were really that powerful. I would have liked a more complete character arc.

While I do see similarities between this book and the Hunger Games, I don’t think this book managed to reach the complexity or emotional intensity the first book of that series did. Still, if you don’t mind it being fairly one dimensional, it is certainly a diverting and easy read.

I’m not sure why but it took me forever to read this. It was interesting but for some reason, I found myself dreading reading it again after putting it down. Maybe it’s because I’ve read this kind of book before, many times. It unfortunately just didn’t hold my interest enough for me to care about the characters or the continuation of the story.