"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.

Monsters Born and Made has some incredible world building, following a desperate maristag Hunter, Koral, who enlists in an elite competition after a hunt goes wrong and puts her family in jeopardy.

I wasn't too keen on a lot of the characters in the book, since they fell a bit flat. However, the action was superbly written and for much of it I felt like I was there. Absolutely loved the writing style!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this book from SOURCEBOOKS Fire and Netgalley.

So this book totally wasn't my vibe. It's interesting because there were some parts that I was totally into but a lot of it felt very flat to me.

I quite enjoyed the world building. Some of it made me think of a watery Hunger Games.

The depictions of classism worked for me, too.

I think the problem was the main character Koral, who seemed to react to things rather than be a character.

A cross between Hunger Games and The Scorpio Races, the mostly stands up due to the successful world building. When Koral and her brother fail to capture a maristag (sea monster) for this upcoming Glory Race, they face complete ruin, with the likely result being they get stripped of their social status. In desperation Koral attempts to enter the Race, something that her family's status normally wont allow , she faces opposition, both vocal and physical, from friends and enemies and even family.
The novel takes a little while to get going, but the second half, once the world has been created, moves at a great pace.

There is so much I want to say about this book! Monsters Born and Made has been on my radar for a while based on the cover and title alone. When I read the blurb for it, I was officially bought in when it gave comparisons to The Hunger Games. This book is a YA Dystopian/Sci-Fi Fantasy debut by Tanvi Berwah, and let me tell you, it is EXCELLENT!

In this book, our main character, Koral, comes from a family of Hunters. For generations, the Hunters have braved the vicious black seas to capture, raise, and train these creatures called maristags.

"...living nightmares that move as fast on land as they do in water. The lithesome creatures are bipedal. Their front limbs are short. Stronger. Clawed. Made to grab prey and to tear their muscles. Enormous antlers crown their heads. Their scales are luminescent and their blood green."

The Hunters sell the maristags to the upper-caste Landers, to compete in a competition called The Glory Race, a deadly chariot tournament. The winner receives glory, fame, and fortune, while the others---if lucky---survive.

"The Glory Race is the island's single biggest event...Ten Landers risk their lives charioteering with ruthless maristags that hold their lives between their jaws. And one of those Landers becomes a Champion with more gold than they'd ever need in one lifetime. That kind of victory can change a family's fortune for generations."

When a hunting trip goes wrong and the last maristag of the season gets away, Koral and her family find themselves in a financially desperate situation. Koral is then faced to do what no Renter has dared to do before: enter the Glory Race.

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

------

This book had me hooked from the beginning. It was fast-paced, full of action and adventure, and there wasn't a moment I could put it down! The setting was so vivid and beautiful in description, yet you could also envision just how dangerous this world is with its deadly seas and monstrous creatures.

The author also provided so much depth to the characters, particularly in the family dynamics. Koral's relationship to her the members of her family was complex and layered and messy, and I loved that. It felt real. (I'll insert a TW here: this book does deal with domestic abuse. I do want readers to be very mindful of that.)

Some of the subtle themes in this book blew me away. In this book, we confront anxiety. We face past hurts that have been passed down by our parents. We defy social constructs. And we are humbled by the vastness and immensity of the sea, and the larger world around us.

There really are a lot of similarities to The Hunger Games, which excited me. I would say this book is like a mix of THG and the Tri-Wizard Tournament from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. So, if you like both of those things, this book is definitely for you!

My only slight disappointment is that we didn't get more of a romance between Dorian and Koral. I love a redeeming/second-chance romance and there was so much build up and not enough pay off (in this book at least, hopefully there will be more to come!) Also, I don't know how to cope with the ending. That's not really a disappointment. I just don't know what to do with my life now. haha

I highlight recommend this book. You're not going to want to miss this one when it releases on September 6th! Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an ARC of Monsters Born and Made in exchange for my honest review!

This book was terrific Yes, it had some Hunger Gamesesque feels to it, but there is enough difference in the 'tournament' part of this story that it doesn't feel like you are reading the same book. The characters feel fresh and interesting to follow their stories through Koral's eyes. I really enjoyed the lovers to exes to rivals romantic plot, though if you are looking for a HEA you will not find it in this book. It will be interesting to see if it pops up again in future books because I found the chemistry between Koral and Dorian to be believable. I honestly found the weakest part of this story to be anything to do with the rebels, though this makes sense when you are looking back at the story because you are seeing this all from the perspective of one character who actually keeps herself away from the rebels.

Overall, I enjoyed Monsters Born and Made so much. The cliffhanger ending caught me hard as I was not ready to let the book just end. So I am definitely going to need more of this series.

“We hunt when the world sleeps. A risk that could kill us. A risk forced on us”
“Choices can mark a turn in fate that we might never get back”
“And no matter where I go, the sea will always be my home”
I finished reading this book … and I need the sequel already !!!!
This story, this plot, this characters … a magical south-Asian inspired fantasy perfect for fans of “We Hunt the Flames”, “The priory of the Orange tree” and “the hunger games” !!!!
A beautiful mix of freedom and slavery, survival, betrayal and fights where you’re on your own to try and save the people you love most!!
Koral is an amazing main character and what she experiences during this book … I love every second of it!!
The struggle, the poverty, the love for her family and friends and the determination and ambition in proving other people that she can do anything !!!
I loved the reference to the Latin and Greek games of the chariots and the way that scenarios is explored here!
And don’t let me even start on the friends to enemies to lovers trope !!!!!
I’m obsessed !!!
This first book is not out yet and I already need book two !!!
“There are so many things I’d like to do to you … One day, I might”
“Not this one, my star”
“I’ve tried to hurt you and failed. I’ve tried to hate you and failed”

🌟🌟🌟🌟

This book was very Hunger Games meets Scorpio Races and it hooked me from the beginning. The world and character building were fantastic and it never really dragged. If I had a complaint at all, it would be that the ending had way too much packed into it and nothing felt resolved. I would definitely love to see more from this world to where else the story can go!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this ARC in exchange for a honest review! I really REALLY enjoyed this, more so than I was expecting to (personally not a fan of The Hunger Games). The world building was vivid and colorful, and the characters were interesting and made the reader feel even more invested in the story. Will be highly recommending.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC!

I was immediately sucked into this book because the world building is absolutely fantastic. It was an immersive read that had lots and lots of thrilling twists and turns.
You’ll be hooked.
Definitely recommend it if you, like me, spent your teenage years reading every dystopian book under the sun.

Incredible world building. An immersive read. A completely new and fascinating setting for this story sets it apart from others. Engrossing from the start this book will keep you hooked until the last page .

I had such high hopes for this book but it really let me down. It sounded like an Asian inspired Hunger Games but the similarities were a little too similar which made this book so predictable. I wanted so much more from the plot, character development, backstory, etc and was ultimately left disappointed. I feel like this book had such potential but the world building and creatures needed a little more development as well. It was incredibly difficult to imagine what the creature or areas of the world looked like. I also found some of the action scenes to be hard to follow. The logistics didn’t always make sense. There were a few parts that felt uniquely written and were great but there weren’t enough of these moments to mask the problems with this book. Man, I am really sad I didn’t enjoy this as much as I had hoped.

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Fire and the author for an advanced copy of this book for my honest review.

The violent urge to pet a maristag.
Would I lose my arm in the process ? It's highly probable. But I don't have a good survival instinct, like a lot of the characters in the book.