The world building here was really interesting but felt very hastily explained which might leave some readers confused. Additionally, there wasn’t enough relationship development for readers to be invested in any of the relationships (family, friends, or romantic). That being said, it’s an interesting premise and fans of The Hunger Games or The Scorpio Races will enjoy.

There were elements of this book that I really liked. The mythical creatures and the connection to the sea was really interesting, and I liked that Koral wanted to fight for her family so much. However, the romance didn't really feel compelling for me; I didn't really root for them, and it didn't feel like a fully integrated part of the story. I think the story overall didn't feel very cohesive to me. There were a lot of moving pieces, and I struggled to stay invested in all of those pieces. I think the premise is very cool, but ultimately I didn't end up loving the book the way I'd hoped to.

Review
This book was amazing!!!!! An amazing account of a post-apocalyptic story of a lower class citizen trying to become an upper class citizen for the sake of (and at the end of the day, the detriment of) her family.
Koral just needs money to pay for her sisters meds. When her and her brother fail to catch a Maristag on the last chance of the season Koral knows her family won’t survive the winter.
She decides to take their only maristag in the stable and enter the glory race to get the money her sister needs for treatment. But what she doesn’t realize is that the races aren’t built for her class and nothing happens without the land masters say so, something she refuses to believe...until it’s too late!

This was an extremely enjoyable read and I can’t wait for the next instalment!!!

This was a good book. Great plot, excellent worldbuilding, awesome characters...something just felt off to me. The action was well executed and needed whenever it happened, but I feel like the pacing of the scenes was too inconsistent to really hold my attention well.

I would like to thank Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the chance to read "Monsters Born and Made" by Tanvi Berwah in exchange for an honest review.

Koral and her family are Hunters. It is both their name and profession. They hunt maristags, creatures from the sea that are prized on land by the ruling class known as the Landers. These creatures are extremely dangerous, so much so that the ability to hunt them is only granted to specific families and is often hereditary.

Let me back up a bit first. This story is set on an island that is besieged by monsters from the sea and the air. But the Landers, the ruling class, live deep underground, and are thus protected from any attacks. But the Renters, well they are stuck eking out a living and shelter above ground. And the Hunters are stuck between the two groups - they are definitely Renters, but Renters feel they've sold out to the Landers. It makes for an interesting dynamic. Since the maristags are captured to be bred, as wild ones are too difficult to train, one or two bad seasons can spell disaster for the Hunters. Without those domesticated maristags to sell for the Landers' Glory Race, Koral's family is in dire straits.

Koral is fiercely loyal to her family, especially her brother Emrik with whom she hunts, and her younger sister Liria. But she's a bit blind about her parents, kind of a typical teen, not looking past the surface. She is stubborn and keeps trying to fix the family's financial woes, only to deepen the existing problems. All because she needs money for the medication to help Liria survive the unknown illness she has suffered from most of her life.

Ultimately Koral decides she will enter the Glory Race - the first Renter or Hunter to ever do so. This decision leads to numerous unusual situations as the story progresses, and introduces several new characters. As much as I enjoyed the other characters in this story, I do wish some had been developed a bit more fully. At times it felt as if they would appear to push the plot further and then just go into stasis until needed again. Otherwise I enjoyed the pacing of the story quite a bit, and would not be averse to returning to Koral's story in another book. Which is saying something given my ambivalent feelings about the ending.

Amazing, amazing, amazing!!! What a phenomenal read! I was hooked from the beginning. It's a unique fantasy story that I couldn't put down. Koral is a sixteen-year-old girl that you can't help but root for from the beginning. Her adventures in the Glory Race keep you on the edge of your seat. This is a must-read for the fall.

4.5 stars

What a debut this was! I immediately hooked by monster hunter Koral and her journey to save her family. The creatures in this were so interesting and we got a taste of this world and I need more. The pacing is great and all the action made it easy to fall into the story.

Koral lives a tough life. Her family have been tasked to hunt creatures called maristags and breed them for the wealthy to race. It's a dangerous business and her connection with the upper class (Landers) ostracizes her from her community (Renters), putting her family at even higher risk. The class division is stark, but also reflective of current society. The majority of people are one step away from homelessness and cannot afford the level of healthcare the wealthy receive. I got pretty worked up reading this at times and could identify with the rebels who wanted change.

There's a tiny hint of romance, but it's more of a spark that could grow into a bigger flame in the future. I liked that it was there, but not yet a main part of the story. Instead we focus on Koral's relationship with her family and the lengths she would go to for them. There's also a great friendship between Koral and Crane, who's a badass, that I enjoyed. Strong women unite!

I really hope this has a sequel since a lot of things are left unresolved. I also hope we get more worldbuilding in the next book because I have some questions....

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the copy.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! ⠀
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I had high hopes for this book. The south asian inspired was one of the reasons I picked it up, aside from saying that this book is a cross between The Hunger Games and These Violent Delights, and I was also invested in the main character, but it did not turn out to be what I expected.⠀
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This book desperately needs to be reedited because the pace is quite erratic. The world building is actually promising; however, the author's approach made me tired and confused because it is dense with information 😭 I felt disconnected from the characters, and the way Koral participates in The Glory Race, while I liked the concept and the monsters here, struck me as a bit ridiculous.

Dnf @45%

Am sorry y'all, I tried. It's simply not for me. The book starts off well. The first 12% had me curious. But then it just dragged on and on about the same issues. The book is slow paced. At first I thought it was possibly because the author is setting up the stage, but it kept getting slower.

The dystopian world building is mediocre. I think it had a lot of potential, but the author could not execute it well enough. I am still confused about the maristags, there's very little clarity. It gets way too descriptive at times, and the inner monologues never seem to end.

The FMC seems cold and shallow- there's no emotion to her. The author tries to present situations where the FMC is supposedly highly sensitive about, but it comes off as bland. Her persona is dull and lazy.

Cause the publishers and authors are presenting it in similar limelight to the Hunger Games, it's only fair for me to point out Katniss Everdeen was anything but bland. Katniss was actually full of energy and motivation, she was focused and despite the conditions she knew how to hold herself up. The FMC (I can't even remember her name) in this book is simply a sob story, and there's a point when it becomes frustrating for the reader. The world building in the Hunger Games is presented brilliantly and clearly. This one is all over the place.

I'm not sure if I want to read any other books by this author in this future but for now, there's a long way for her to go and I wish her the best.

eARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.

#monstersbornandmade #netgalley

This was a great story to read. I loved the storyline and the characters, definitely recommend this book!

Wow, what a bold and exciting debut! This story really takes you to a whole new world! The protagonist is reminiscent of heroines like Katniss, Rin, and Zetian from their own respective stories, but she is also uniquely herself. The writing in this book is straightforward and does a good job of splitting between the plot and the character driven stuff. I would recommend this to sci-if lovers as much or more than to fantasy lovers. Definitely check this one out as soon as possible!

Monsters Born and Made is an interesting book with an entertaining concept that worked most of the time. What I truly liked was the action scenes, with the battles against monsters and the races being portrayed in the most thrilling way, with breathtaking pace and luscious scenes following one another. The story was indeed interesting, with well-crafted plot that, sure, was not that original, easily compared to the Hunger Games, a similarity that gave a lot away when it came to the twists, but the overall result was entertaining and had the element of a page-turner.

Unfortunately, there were some things that I didn't enjoy that much. First of all, Koral was an okay character, headstrong and willing to do anything to survive, without really caring about any rebellion or changing the world, which was refreshing, as there are too many self-righteous heroes out there already. However, she was also an annoying character when it came to her interaction with other characters, especially her brother and her best friend. Like, at one point, the friend was trying to help her, but Koran would not have it, and was quick to point out that her friend had it easy with her father paying for her living expenses. And that is right after the friend had gotten her out of a dangerous situation with that money. That is just an example of how reckless and self-centered Koral could be at times, which made it hard for me to really like her.

But, Koral's behavior can be excused, as she was only sixteen I believe. An age that, for me, should have been like eighteen in order for the romance to work. I mean, it wasn't easy to believe that fourteen-year-olds had that great of a love story.

On the other hand, the world build was a problem I can't ignore. It has too many elements that don't come naturally together. The whole world isn't actually well explained, and the reader is thrown in with a few things known: that the world is covered with water, except for a few islands, that the sun is deadly, but only the rich cast, the Landers, are allowed to live protected underground, that the sea produces monsters that terrorize those living on the ground, but the Hunters, a family appointed by the governor of the land, capture them, tame them and sell them to be used in an Olympic games style game in the form of a chariot race.

Was that world the product of a great disaster that happened to this world? There were too many elements that point out to that conclusion, like the greek names and myths, the asian cultural touches and the Roman system. But that is not clearly stated in the book. So, most of the time, and especially in the first half, it was confusing and not easy to follow the story and the concept.

So, overall, 2.5 stars.

Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy!!

"I am a Hunter.
I have grown up in the sea.
I will win this, no matter the odds."

I loved this! The Hunger Games meets the The Scorpio Races in the best way possible.

Monsters Born and Made focuses on Koral, a 16 year old girl from a family of Maristag hunters, horse-like ocean creatures who are used in the The Glory Race that takes place every four years. Only Landers (the elite, ruling class) have ever been allowed to participate in the grueling and deadly chariot racing tournament. Until Koral, a lowly Renter, decides to enter and race to claim the glory and gold to help save her little sister from dying of disease and save her family from financial ruin.

"You can fight it, but is it a fight you'll win? And what if you win, what happens then?
I rise. I rise, against everyone's wishes. Against everyone who will see me trampled and begging."

Koral was a great MC! She was stubborn and determined and everything she did, she did for her family. Her and Stormgold's bond was beautiful and I enjoyed how we saw the progression of trust between them. The worldbuilding was fantastic and filled with monsters and mayhem without becoming t0o overbearing.

"This is the ocean, and you're a Hunter. You swim with monsters; these people cannot scare you."

I highly recommend this book and can't wait until the next one releases, I am dying to know how Koral's story will continue.

Give me a book about competitions, danger, and strong heroines, and I am ready!!!! Unfortunately this book didn’t really live up to the image the blurb created :(

<i>thanks netgalley and sourcebooks fire for the arc in exchange for a review! and now, it's time to actually do that.</i>

so, i'll start this off with the fact that this book isn't bad -- it's just not as great as i wanted it to be. like, aapi rep! fantasy! freaking sea monster chariot races! it could be so! much! yet it was not meant to be for me.

with the purely technical stuff, it's really not a bad book at all. yes, the pacing of the romance was a bit weird for me, and it felt like the "message" of the story (i.e. violence is human, revolution is impossible without solidarity) was banging me over the head sometimes, but look -- i can admit i'm not the target audience for these books anymore. i read ya just to escape the horrors of the adult world (like taxes and rent and responsibilities), so i can overlook writing that feels like it was written for younger audiences. and the racing scenes are quite good! very tense; lots of nail-biting -- probably the main reason i read to the end.

but i really can't bring myself to rate this book any higher than 3 stars because of everything it represents. first off: i really admire that the book isn't specifically asian-inspired. asian authors don't have to write asian-inspired fiction anymore, and i love that the publishing industry has expanded beyond that constricting stereotype. second: i <i>love</i> the description that koral's "born in anger" -- feels extremely timely with how people have been tone-policing various historically and currently marginalized communities without understanding the lasting effects of generational trauma. but, that does bring me to my third point and the reason why i can't like this book too much (which is a bit of a spoiler -- sorry y'all!). <spoiler>i am just so tired of reading books where people who were abused are allowed to abuse others. did damian kill koral? no. did he try to? yes. did he pull away at the last second? sure, but that doesn't absolve him of the fact that he actively tried to push her into a wall of fire. did he do it because his father asked him to? yes, but his father didn't make him do anything. the only person responsible for your actions is you, and anything less is just shirking your responsibility. as a survivor myself, it pisses me off when male characters get to justify their violence by saying they were abused. that doesn't mean anything! being kind is and should be the radical choice (thanks bestie waymond <3). even with koral, it was just tiring to read about how her anger at her father was fueling everything. like, i get it, i really do. and maybe this is again because i'm just too old for these books, but i don't really want to read about how her anger at her abuser can drive so much of her personality to the point where it consumes her (as damian says to her). that just isn't a compelling storyline anymore.</spoiler>

anyway, this is not at all a "don't read this book" -- it really is a good book, and the fact that it's a bit cliché (as some reviews have mentioned) doesn't make it bad at all. more just my opinions in written form so that i don't forget everything i ever thought about this book in around two days.

Thanks to Netgally and Sourcebooks Fire for a copy of this book.

Sixteen year old Koral and her brother, Emrik are maristag hunters, a dangerous job, but they do it to help feed their family and get medicine for their little sister. The ruling elite in this dystopian fantasy, the Landers hold a dangerous competition every year, the Glory race. The prize is gold and glory, but not all survive.

Koral cheats her way into the competition as her family need to the money to survive. The stakes are high as a rebellion rises.

I wanted to love this book, as I loved the Hunger Games-esque premise. Unfortunately, I found the world building, scene setting and characterisation seriously lacking, as it's all action, action, action. Therefore I was unable to care about the characters or the plot and just found it boring

Excellent telling of a trying to rise up against your oppressive landers. Koral is amazing character and the novel is vivid in this unique ocean based world.

4.5 - I don't want to spoil too much but basically if The Scorpio Races and The Hunger Games had a baby.... it would be Monsters Born and Made. I absolutely loved the world Tanvi created. Very reminiscent of how I imagined District 4 living, only this is worse and with bigger monsters(all around).

Amazing world building and such intense action on the pages. I love the writing style. The characters took some time to relate to but it gets better!

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC of this book that most folks will not see until September. My opinions are unbiased and entirely my own.

I have to give kudos to the amazing imagination of this author for her detailed YA dystopian world-building - not just the island Sollonia and its history, but the amazing and fierce creatures that live in the ocean waters surrounding it. The people are divided into landers, who are the ruling class and live safely in deep underground homes, and renters, who are the lower class living crowded at ground level and always struggling for enough food and money. Our main character, sixteen year old Koral Hunter, is not quite either one, because she is a Hunter, but actually more of one of the renters, it seems. She and her brother Emrik hunt huge monsters in the sea, called maristags, and then breed and sell them to the upper class landers who want to use them for the traditional chariot Glory Race held every four years. If Koral and Emrik don't capture maristags, their family doesn't eat or buy medicine for their little sister.

These are some basics of the tale, which I found to be rather confusing, exhausting, and complicated. There is, of course, a rebel faction among the renters who plan to rise up and destroy the ruling landers and be free. Sound familiar? It should, if you read Hunger Games or some other YA favorites. There's a corrupt authority figure, a rebel faction, a bit of a love interest, and a deadly competition which, of course, our heroine figures out a way to enter..
There is a lot of fighting in this book, with descriptions of physical fights that take place, it seems, every few pages. It made me tired and hungry just reading the details of various bloody fights over and over.

The last 25% of the story is devoted to the three parts of the Glory Race that Koral enters by way of cheating. More fights during the race (of course, and by now I would expect nothing else).
I did not expect the ending at all. It was definitely not what I thought might happen. It was not fully satisfying, but I am glad to report that there is a real ending and that this is definitely not a book that ends in a cliffhanger. However, there is absolutely an opening here for a sequel.

I did enjoy parts of this tale, but not all parts, and not enough to give it four stars. I doubt very much I will pick up the sequel when it does come out. I felt that too much was unexplained and left for the reader to figure out as things progressed. I have loved some fantasy dystopian books, but sadly, not this one.