A thrilling ride I’m not quite sure I completely understood but definitely one I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

“Monsters Born and Made” tests just how far one would go to protect her family as Koral joins the deadly chariot race in order to have the money to help her sisters ailing health but shaking up the competition is the last straw in a long drawn out conflict between those in the region and if Koral isn’t careful she might find herself in the crossfire.

The tie in to Hunger Games was spot on but in a way where if you love that vibe from a series you will fall head over heels for this but still have the freshness of a new story to devour.

As I said above there’s a lot to this story I’m not quite sure I completely got with the first being the structure of the world, for a good portion I was thinking it was more fantasy based which is true but there’s also high tech and almost elitist kind of class structure where those privileged enough have access to more which is fine but it was a bit jarring when it first shows up which also maybe be on purpose given the struggle Koral and her family are going through. The second was that of the maristags I have no idea what those creatures are supposed to look like and though I have built something in my head based on the description I could be completely wrong so I look forward to the fanart.

I really enjoyed Koral as a character she’s tough and selfless while also just determined to do what she came to do and get the heck out which is different than our usual protagonist for this kind of story. I liked the beats of her and her complicated relationships with her family and close allies as well as Dorian who was perfect for the friends to enemies combo we see for him and how that complicated history drives forward their behavior on the race both good and bad.

A very fun read that I’m almost sad I was so early to find since I want to immediately jump to the sequel and see what happens next which is the highest of compliments I can give.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

Thank you Sourcebooks fire and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. My review is my own and not influenced by others.

The beginning of this book started really good and I had difficulty putting this book away and do stuff. However, the further I got in the story, the less I became to like it.

The world building was something I liked a lot, it remind me of The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, which I like a lot. But, to be honest, the world building was also the only thing I liked from this book. The characters felt flat, there was little to no romance even though it was hinted at in the story and the plot was very predictable. Which doesn’t have to be a bad thing, if the wheel is good, why invent something else, but I would like to feel something with the characters or writing style to like it and there wasn’t some of that in this book.

Overall 2* but only for the world building if I’m being honest.

I liked this book, but I didn't /love/ it. To address a couple things first: This book is VERY similar to The Scorpio Races. It differs a lot the further in you get, but it has carnivorous water horses/stags that are rode in races for prize money and the MC wants to do this to keep her family together. Based on concept alone, you could describe either and I might not know the difference. However, the fantasy worlds are very different, as are the eventual structures of the races, so while this book isn't the most unique ever, it's not straight-up plagiarized in my opinion.
Let's talk characters! I didn't think these very very stand-out, but they were definitely good. Koral and Dorian were really interesting to see, especially since they had a past that only Koral could tell the reader about. The book was very action-y, so characters didn't really take priority, but they were still good.
Although romance is very much not the point of this book, we have a lot of complex family dynamics. Koral's father believes that her brother is more capable, even when Koral is the one saving him from certain death. Everyone in the family thinks of Koral as less than him even though she's just trying to help her younger sister survive. It's intriguing to see how their opinions of each other all change the further into the competition Koral gets.
The world-building was both comprehensive and simple. There are two castes, Renters and Landers, the latter being much richer. Koral is a Renter, so people like her much less for it. We also have the maristags, marine stags much like water horses that have venom and a thirst for human blood. It wasn't the most detailed ever, but it showed what it needed to show to understand the Glory Races and the politics around them.
Overall, I'd recommend this book to people who want a slightly higher fantasy version of The Scorpio Races with a more diverse cast. It's not my favorite ever, but I really enjoyed the high stakes and action-packed competition.

There were things about this book I really enjoyed and things I thought were just OK. I loved how this book was written, the writing style was really engaging.I found the fantasy elements to be really inventive and I really liked the monstrous beasts. That being said, I felt like some of the side characters and side conflicts were a little 2D and lacking at times. They advanced the plot but I felt like they were lacking deeper motivation. Honestly though? Looking forward to a sequel.

Monsters Born and Made has an interesting opening- the first chapter details Emrik and Koral hunting for a maristag. As Hunters on the island of Sollonia, their jobs is to hunt these mysterious creatures for the Glory Race. Sollonia has two groups of people- the Landers, who reign supreme, and the Renters, who must work for and submit to the Landers.

When the maristag escapes, Koral decides to cheat her way into the Glory Race (historically, only Landers have ever competed), convinced that a win will bring glory to her family and alleviate all of their debts.

As a reader, it’s impossible not to cheer for Koral. She is reliant and strong, brave and bold enough to do what she needs to do to protect her family. She fights to protect those she loves, and to promote equality in an unfair world.

I love the descriptions of this world. It is fun to imagine what it looks like- so harsh but probably also beautiful with cliffs and the oceans and the dangerous creatures. I imagine the maristags to look unlike anything we have in our world, but likely incredible in an exotic way.

Monsters Born and Made is the perfect book to fall into- a world so different from our own, but containing many of the same difficulties we experience in terms of family, loyalty, human rights.

I also love how perfectly positioned this is for a sequel and I hope to see that come out soon!

Incredible. Fans of Hunger Games will enjoy this fantasy novel that will have you reflecting on the parallels to real life hierarchy systems.

I always love a book that is hard to put down, yet you don’t want it to end. This one definitely fits that bill, and I am hoping that the way things ended keeps it open for book two: Well done!

This book reads like a combination of "The Hunger Games" and "Ben-Hur," taking from the former its plot revolving around a competition between youngsters from ten islands that's so very obviously rigged in favour of the wealthy competitors, and from the latter its deadly chariot race over the waters on sea monsters that reminisces the nail-biter chariot race between Arrius and Messala in the film. With such an attractive mix, it'd have been right for someone like me who enjoyed both very much.

But it turned out to be too light and a bit hollow, unsatisfying to me. Part of it is that "Monsters Born and Made" suffers from derivative syndrome. Meaning, the similarities to "Hunger Games" are so many and ever-present that it becomes a point against instead of an asset. Of course, this can also be appealing, because many will grab this book precisely because of this similarity. However, it commits the sin of many a teen dystopia novel of trying to ape "Hunger Games" too closely, down to the post-apocalyptic caste districts, rebels in the shadows, to the point its protagonist girl, Koral, is a copy of Katniss (unsubtle that even their names start with the same letter) and the boy is basically a Peeta Mellark clone. There's even a sickly sister for Koral to agonise over and protect, just like Prim. It's all so awfully familiar that the predictability factor is off the charts as a result.

There are enough elements to make this book its own different story, such as the fact that this is a Waterworld-style planet, covered by oceans where strange monsters live that the poorest caste, the Renters, hunt and breed and train to sell to the rich castes, the Landers, that use them in spectacular competitions a la Roman Colosseum chariot races; competitions that are voluntary and not a punishment. But these differences aren't that big, more like a collection of smaller differences that cumulatively give the book a distinct flavour and atmosphere, but not one I necessarily find more interesting, because the derivative aspect is stronger.

Anyway, derivative works can be good, too, and this one had its interesting parts, so it was a case of the issues overshadowing the good parts for me. The writing and the dialogue that weren't very good in many parts and sometimes laughably bad exchanges took place, the jumpy and uneven pacing at the start that stayed for most of the book until the last stretch, and above all the so very undeveloped characterisation and unexplained world were the bigger issues that I had and bothered me as I read and took away from my appreciation of the story. Koral lacks a depth to her and is hard to like or understand, because she mostly reacts to what the plot throws at her and there's so little of her inner world, and it's even worse for the secondary characters, who often feel like they simply are and that's all there's to them. And the world? If there are first books that suffer from being too much set-up and exposition, there are other first books that go the other way and refuse to explain much of the world. The water planet is a mystery for now, so little about how it came to exist, how those people survived whatever caused the Apocalypse, how were the island castes established exactly, how Koral can sneak into the competition, how... I imagine there'll be a sequel that'll explain what this first book doesn't, but still the feeling of lack of development and hollowness isn't going away. This also impacts the ability to visualise the world and its creatures, because the maristags, for example, are very hard to visualise. What are they exactly? Big fish with antlers? <i>Enfin!</i> I don't think I'll be picking up the next book, unfortunately.

DNF @ 81%

In another universe, I might have finished this. But I just got an arc of a highly anticipated release and my enjoyment for this one is slowly waning the longer I'm far from it. I haven't picked up a book in days because I felt like I needed to finish this first before starting a new one. But life is too short for that. And so here I am with the fifth DNF of the year. Le sigh.

The start was amazing. I really thought I would end up loving this debut. I was already imagining myself with as many editions of this book I can get my hands on. Unfortunately, the more I read the less amazing it became. The worldbuilding needed more fleshing out. The transition between scenes felt wonky. I was confused at times and when I cared enough, I would go back and reread. Other times I just read on and let the wheels of fate take the reins. And the romance? It was next to non-existent for me to really care.

That's pretty much all I have to say at this moment. Maybe someday I'll get to know what happens in the last 19%.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this ARC!

This book is exactly what a YA Fantasy/Dystopian should be! It delivers everything it promised.

The first half is a slow build-up and a lot of world-building, but as soon as the first race happens, it's non-stop action until the end. There is a romance (rivals to lovers, knife to throat scene, you have been warned), but it's not the main focus, which is rare in YA. The main focus is really on the political/social landscape of the island seen through the main character's eyes. Her family is in the strange position of being marginalized by the people who hold themselves above them (the Landers), as well as by those who are their equals (the Renters).
It's darker than I expected from a YA, especially with that ending, what in the fresh hell was that?? I loved it but also I'm in pain.

One of my only problems with the story is that the two main antagonists don't feel very threatening. We're constantly told how powerful and vicious they are, but I didn't really feel it, even when they did atrocious things, I don't know why honestly.

All this to say that I hope there is a sequel somewhere in the future because it's a new different kind of torture waiting for a sequel to a book that's not even out yet :')

This is The Hunger Games with chariot races meets Noughts and Crosses, in a political system you're not really introduced to except in glimpses.

I wanted to like this book, it had good bones and a beautiful cover. Unfortunately I felt let down by a lot of aspects.
- The plot itself is quite predictable which isn't necessarily a bad thing if you're into Hunger Games style books. Things can be enjoyable without reinventing the wheel. I'm not sure this is one of them.

- The pacing and writing left a bit to be desired. The last bit of the book, after the third race, felt very rushed and everything from the first race until that point felt sped up to get to the third race. Which, again, I felt was rushed as it was.

- None of the characters are enjoyable. Koral, for all she's meant to be, bounces between whiney and Charlie Bucket from the Tim Burton version going on and on about his family. If the Vin Diesel meme was a character in a book, it'd be Koral. Dorian is basically Peeta.

- MAJOR SPOILER! The whole book is Koral hating her father and her mother being a doormat but then when their final scene happens, we're supposed to feel bad for them? An abuser and enabler? I don't...why...I can't even.

- The world is unclear. Sea creatures? Cool no issue there. Caste system needing to be rocked to its core? Also fine, let's do it. What seems like a fantasy location with sea creatures, underground living and intermittent mentions of gods but also there's elevators, sound systems and screen broadcasts in a stadium? I am very confused now. Where are we and what's happening?

On the whole, it feels like something that was a BIG idea that got whittled down until it became this mish-mash of a political story and underdog champion story, but neither side was really hammered out enough to stand on its own strongly. If that's your jam, give this book a go. Just because it wasn't for me for a lot of reasons doesn't mean its not for you.

You know how in superhero movies someone will get hit by a train and then thrown off a skyscraper and then have their leg broken and then have their head cut off for good measure but because they’re the Good Guy they get up with a grunt and maybe a slight limp? Bc that happened a lot in this book. And it annoyed me.

Other than that tho it was great fun

Pretty solid book overall but extremely predictable.

This was basically Hunger Games with chariot races. And as most competition based stories go, this was only unique in the fact that it's South Asian based. I enjoyed the fast pace, the rider/maristag relationship, as well as the rebellion brewing in the background. The story was explosive and I got drawn in every time something happened which was quite frequent.

I thought it could do with a bit better world building. There is enough world building, but it's not easy to follow and more than half the time I didn't understand what was happening in what setting.

As for the rest: the angsty boy/girl relationship, the underdog rising to the top, betrayal--all glaringly obvious from the beginning. I wish there had been a plot twist of some sort to prove me wrong.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourebooks Fire for providing me with an eARC of this book im exchange for my honest review.

<u>Rating: 3 stars. </u>

I requested this because of the beautiful cover and because the concept sounded great, and it didn't let me down. I really liked the worldbuilding and the concept was very unique and unlike anything I've read before. The writing was very vivid and I liked how the story immediately started with an action sequence and that there wasn't any boring introduction or info dumping.

I found some aspects of the world a little confusing, especially concerning some of the creatures and how exactly they were supposed to look like. I sometimes really struggled to picture what the author was telling me, also during some of the more fast-paced scenes.

I also found the plot a little hit or miss at times, some scenes and conflicts were kind of repetitive and not a lot happened until the last quarter of the book. However, the plot really picked up there and I liked the ending and how the story wrapped up.

Overall this was a quick and fun read and definitely entertaining, it wasn't like anything I've read before and I'm definitely not disappointed with the story.

An interesting story about class/elitism. I love how the characters fight against oppression and injustice. The world building is amazing. It's very detailed... perhaps a little too detailed for me but others may enjoy it.... The hardships that the characters have to endure is difficult to read at times and makes me very sad. But it's a very complex and fascinating book and very addictive for me.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

One of the first things I noticed reading this book is that the worldbuilding in first third of the story was a little hard to follow along. I was a little confused with all the terms that Koral, our MC, kept using to describe aspects of her daily life and the worlds she lived in. Slowly, as the book progressed, I was able to piece together what exactly she meant and vision exactly how this world looked, but it did take some time. I do want to give a warning, though, that this book wasn't exactly easy to read in the sense that the hardships that Koral and her family face were really hard to read about. The things they endure as Hunters was written in a really visceral manner and definitely made me feel like I needed to take a break, so please take care when picking this book up! I'd give a major TW for violence, death, gore, domestic abuse, parental abuse, chronic illness, torture, and starvation.

Some Things I Liked
Be still my little half Indian heart, I loved the South Asian vibes in this book. It was so perfectly done. If felt like a clear influence but the world building was utterly unique.
The politics and society. The social structure in this world was so interesting and it led to so many fascinating, complex, and morally grey characters.
The slow burn, enemies to lovers romance. It was everything. I can't wait to read more.

Koral is a strong female main character! I love how bold she is, how she refused to stay put and took matters in her own hands. Yes, she is also hot headed and tend to make decisions by feelings which is not always ideal, but I love her sharp wits and enjoyed her adventure and character development! Also love her brother Emrik and sweet baby sister Liria! And ughhh don't get me started on Dorian Akayan because he has all my yeses.

This was––by far––one of my most anticipated releases of 2022 and it did not disappoint! What a thrilling ride of a book!

Monsters Born and Made was a really unique mixture of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. The setting is an interesting combination of fantasy and dystopian, and while I'm excited to see where it goes next, the plot did leave a little to be desired. The power dynamics among different groups of people on the island weren't explained very well, and I felt there was a lot more nuance that could have been explored. I liked Koral and her relationship with Stormgold; it reminded me a lot of The Scorpio Races, and the political intrigue as well as Koral's personality and situation reminded me of The Hunger Games.

This was a tough one for me.
The world building was awesome but some of the vocabulary used from the region made some things a bit confusing. It’s a little slow to get going but overall it’s a good story, one that I haven’t heard before which was awesome!

Koral and her brother Emrik battle in the ocean everyday to catch Maristags to train and sell to the rich lander riders for the glory races. But this year they have none because of Koral, so the Landmaster will not give them any money or food and their sick sister is getting worse. Seeing this Koral does the only things she can do she signs up for the deadly glory race with the last Maristag in their stable one who often is dangerous and no one else wanted.
This was a wonderful book I got hooked in chapter 1 and wasn’t let go until the very end and even then I wanted to know more. The action was non-stop, and the suspense was thick, this book is a David vs Goliath type story and it was awesomely fun ride to see who makes it to the end.


This will appear on my blog on Sept. 6th.

Thank you Sourcebooks Fire for the eARC of Monsters Born and Made in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this book. It has really good bones -- an interesting story pitch, a cool magic system, and an appealing set of characters. But in almost every way, this book fell short for me.

I wanted to know more about the characters -- they felt almost flat and uninteresting. I wanted more backstory and more involvement from each character, especially her siblings.

I oftentimes thought the two different story lines (the races & the political plotline) didn't mesh well.

The ending for me was a complete miss -- even as a lead in to a second book.

Things I did like:
- I loved the concept of the races, it reminded me deeply of The Hunger Games. While I was reading it, I felt compelled to keep going. I wanted to know what happened next.
- Koral's relationships with her siblings. I would have loved to read more about her family dynamics.

Overall, a 3/5 for me.