As I get older I am becoming more and more of a boring English teacher, because I read this whole book wondering what it was trying to say. Not every book needs to add to the conversation - but I think this one wanted to. In the end I wasn’t sure who the good guys were - surely not just our heroine but also maybe just our heroine. I also wish we’d learned more about the creatures in the book.

Koral and her family risk their lives to capture creatures that their society uses for sport, a glory race that promises the winner unimaginable fortune and fame. The danger is intense and the action is intense but the characters and magic were a little confusing. It wrapped up nicely but wasn't the heart stopping adventure it started out to be.

I'm thankful to lonely pages booktours for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. This young adult fantasy book is set in a dystopian world where the elite and low class individuals are constantly in a fight- one for supremacy and other for daily living.Koral , our main character belongs to a family of maristag ( monster)hunters and is on the verge of not meeting daily needs and her sisters medical needs since the last maristag has escaped. She must now cheat her way into the glory race to save her sister.
This debut fantasy has a savage heroine, page turning narrative and a brilliant storyline.The tale brims with adventure and explores different family relationships, a forsaken romance , betrayals and class differences in the society. This parallel world is quite action packed and has harrowing monsters , ravaging seas and edge of the seat moments,
The other characters are also memorable , especially Koral's sister and her friend. This adrenaline surging adventure Is bound to keep the readers glued to the book .the climax of the book was unexpected and there's a scope for a duology. The author has proved beyond doubt that she is a masterful storyteller.
T/w: gore/ violence/chronic illness
Rating: 3.5/5

I just couldn't get into this book. The premise sounded like something I would really enjoy, and I can't quite put my finger on why it didn't work for me. I tried the print first and even tried the audiobook. I think too much was happening and too many characters were introduced right away, before the world-building was established. Who knows - I may give it another try eventually!

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for a free copy of Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah. All opinions are my own.

I tried to read this before publishing date and put it down, then tried to read again over half a year later and it’s still not doing it for me! Going to give up on this one.

What first cought my attention was the cover , which is what made me want to read it, second was the concept of the story ,that also cought my attention, as well as the tournament aspect of it , because in the past I've read books that have that concept and actually liked them , and this is one of those times I did so . The author writen is spectacular and she pulls you into the characters lives, their dreams, their struggles as well as the world they live in.

MY REVIEW: 2 Stars

I love the book cover, but unfortunately I didn’t love the book. I’m not really into books with tournaments etc any more. The book seemed a little more juvenile or something I can’t quite put my finger on. Either way, I’m sure some others will love it.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for a digital copy of the book

Hunger Games vibes with this one! The writing is spectacular and you really get sucked into Koral’s life and struggles. I love getting lost in the world building and creating maps of these beautiful places in my mind. A must read!

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Monsters Born and Made is a book with a very interesting premise and action-packed tension from the get-go. Berwah effectively establishes the stakes and the tension that Coral has to face in the competition for gold and glory. The world-building was interesting and the description of the monsters in this book also hooked me from start to finish. While I admit some of the plotlines could be a bit tighter, this is nonetheless an interesting read perfect for lovers of fantasy

I really wanted to enjoy this story, the premise was very interesting. Koral was trying to figure out what she is really trying to achieve throughout the book. The characters were confusing. The world-building didn't flow into my head as well as I would have enjoyed. The premise of the story was something I really wanted to focus on in the book. I think the editing needed to be a bit better on this book to tighten the storyline and the characters. The worlds that the author has in mind are an amazing place.

Koral and Emrik have the dangerous job of combing the sea for vicious creatures, maristags, to train and sell for The Glory Race participants. The survival of their family depends on it. The Glory Race is a tournament geared for the elite to become even more elite. Koral and Emrik are faced with a dire situation when their last maristag bolts. With an ailing sister and a family in distress, Koral does the unthinkable and finds a way to enter the race. She finds herself and the ones she loves in extreme jeopardy, but winning is the only thing that can save her now. An exciting and captivating read!

This book gripped me from the first page and had me rooting for Coral and her family, maybe not so much her father for how he treated them but man, so much heartache! I truly enjoyed the worldbuilding in this novel although some terms that were used and not really explained confused me initially. I enjoyed the monster descriptions at the end of the book but wish I would've found them sooner!
This book really really reminded me of the hunger games and the fight for resources and the extreme inequality only reinforced that. I would love to see a sequel to this book, but at the same time can't imagine any scenario where this world could change within Coral's lifetime with how it was described which makes me sad. I loved everything about this book minus the conditions the renters had to live in - of course they also made the story one that I was more invested in on the flipside. Excellent debut novel!

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for a copy of Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah.

"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."

If you're looking for a book with world building, slow burn romance, friendships that make you want yours to step up their game and a yearning for a sequel? Check out Monsters Born and Made!

Fantasy is really hit or miss for me. And, sadly, Monsters Born and Made was a miss. I can see the appeal for those who truly enjoy fantasy, however it’s just a no for me unfortunately

4 stars. I am sadly writing this review a while after having read the book. With that being said, I don't remember a lot of the in depth details but I remember enough to know that I enjoyed the book while I was reading it. It's a classic underdog rising up and going against society story but there are these demonic overgrown seahorse type creatures used for races and out main characters family catches and breeds them. The ending was the part that set this book apart from all the others like this that I have read.

DNF'd. Overall this book just failed to keep my attention. I have started and stopped multiple times, but I cannot get invested in Koral's story. Might try again in the future, but for now I am officially giving up.

With an intricate, original setting and a protagonist just trying to survive in a world where just about everyone is against her, MONSTERS BORN ANAD MADE is an incredible debut! This book is such a rollercoaster of emotion, and I couldn't put it down.

Koral of Sollonia is a maristag hunter, capturing dangerous maristags from the ocean and raising them for the rich Landers who race them in the Glory Race. But when there are no more maristags to sell and there is no more money to buy the medicine her sister needs to survive, Koral enters the Glory Race herself. No Renter has ever entered the Glory Race, so she faces stiff opposition from the start, and people will go to any lengths to keep her from winning. To make matters worse, as a Hunter, Koral and her family are hated by other Renters, who resent them for working with Landers and not joining the rebellion. Koral faces deadly consequences from being caught between both sides, and that's not even considering the dangers in the Glory Race itself.

Koral's POV is so compelling, and the fury I felt at the way she was being treated felt so real and believable to me that in the moments when she does triumph, the payoff feels that much more satisfying. Without any spoilers, I'm really hoping for a sequel, because with that ending I simply *need* to know more about if and how Koral gets herself out of this one. The story is full of twists and turns, and I couldn't predict how it would end.

Koral and her brother, Emrik have the responsibility of taking care of the maristags they capture each year. The actual act of capture is life-threatening and a harrowing experience. When they fail to capture any one year, it could mean the end of their family- no money for food or for the life-saving medicine needed for their little sister. Emrik is seriously injured in the attempt to capture and Koral decides there's only one thing to do- gain a spot in the upcoming Glory Race and win the tournament with their last maristag.

What is the Glory Race? Good question. I only mostly know what it is after reading this book. It's a multiple-day challenge with each day being different. Sometimes held in the colosseum, sometimes through the city streets. Sometimes the colosseum magically changes to make it harder for those racing.

So much to learn in this book. I felt the learning curve was steep to figure out what was happening and who the good guys were, who was bad, and what the actual desired outcome was. A whole lot of suspended belief about how quickly Koral could learn to pull a chariot behind a maristag, let alone sort of tame it? It does remind me a little bit of Hunger Games, so I can see how it was suggested for those that liked that story. I will admit though, by the end I was actually curious to see where the series would go. Not sure if I'll continue the series, but it was left on a pretty good cliffhanger.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Koral has no choice but to join the Glory Race, if she doesn't her family will die. So the Glory Race it is. But will she even stand a chance? At the beginning there is a sense of structure and direction but as the book progress multiple plot lines are introduced and it starts to get messy. This over layering takes away from Koral and the central plot line.