I really feel like this book had so much potential, as other reviewers have said it’s almost like The Scorpio Races meets The Triwizard Tournament but with more mythology. However, the story is not fully fleshed out, the plot and the main character are very chaotic, there was so much going on but only some things got explained. For example, you are left wondering for the whole book why Koral’s family is so ostracized by both the landers and the renters and you only find out after having read almost 90% of the book. I thought it would play a bigger part once revealed but nope it’s mentioned once and never again.

The world building was good but I really wanted to know more about how the class system got so divided when it sounded like the island was settled by people fleeing for their lives.

I know there are so overarching messages in this book but it’s crushed by chaos of that ending. Why even create a rebel organization if they are not going to somewhat succeed and spur on change. In the end nothing changes and we are left wondering what happens are she rides off into the wind.

Tanvi Berwah is a skilled author whose story sticks with you after the last page.

There's so much about this book I have to compliment, from the characters to the lore to the world. The novel's pace is perfect. It doesn't drag on with exposition, and the action doesn't cause the story to skip corners. It's just the right plot speed to keep Monsters Born and Made a gripping page-turner. Even the slow burn isn't too slow *wink-wink*

Something that stuck with me was Koral's drive to make things better for her family, especially her little sister. She's willing to make waves and risk everything for her sister. It's both impressive and frightening to see the lengths Koral will go to to save her sister's life.

If this is just her debut, I can't wait to see what journey Tanvi takes us, readers, next.

Ended up DNFing this at 25% because I just couldn't bring myself to get invested in the story! I had such high hopes from this one especially due to it being a South Asian fantasy and we have so less of those, so I needed it be absolutely stunning, which is maybe why I felt very underwhelmed while actually reading it.

Fans of the hunger games will enjoy this south Asian inspired fantasy story.
Koral will do anything for her family. Even venture into the Raging restless sea to capture dangerous maristags for the Glory race.

But when all their maristags run off and her family are left with nothing to survive on, her brother needing medicine and her father rejecting her.

Koral offers to enter into the Glory race. And she decides to compete with an untamed maristag.

I loved the lore and fantastical elements of this story. The world building was beautiful and the depiction of the maristags and sea creatures was incredible.
Although the plot felt interesting, I didn't quite enjoy it. The characters didn't excite me to root for.

"Monsters Born and Made" is a dystopian YA science-fiction fantasy novel that follows protagonist Koral as she navigates the treacherous dangers of entering the Glory Race in order to save her sister. As a Hunter, Koral has spent her life catching, training, and selling dangerous maristags, the beasts used to pull chariots in the Glory Race. As the story unfolds, it's clear that the maristags are the least of Koral's worries.

Other reviewers have noted the similarities between this novel and The Hunger Games. Berwah's website mentions that in her youth she blogged about Suzanne Collins's work, so it's unsurprising that those similarities would exist. While there are large archetypal parallels between the two books, there was plenty to set "Monsters Born and Made" apart. Koral is (for better or worse) a more likeable protagonist than Katniss. The sea-monster swarmed world is uniquely it's own or, if anything, more comparable to tales of kaiju. The political intrigue got rolling a bit sooner in this book as well, though I assume it would continue to escalate in any future sequels. The divisions amongst the citizens was very reminiscent of a modern-day caste system, which I found to be more interesting than more geographically based distinctions.

My biggest critique is that I had a more difficult time getting into this story. Once I was past the first few chapters, the story flowed quickly, but there was a lot of world building to establish that threw me for a loop. I think the detail and effort put into the world building was great and the information was worth it, but it did come at the cost of flow in the earlier chapters.

Tanvi Berwah's MONSTERS BORN AND MADE is about a girl from a family of sea-monster trainers who sacrifices everything to be the first of her caste to compete in a monstrous chariot race in an effort to save her sister's life. Monsters Born and Made was impossible to put down. I was blown away by the author’s ability to write such phenomenal scenes. This debut forced me to feel the characters' emotions. The plot was cleverly woven, with each scene leading toward a larger goal. The conclusion answered all the questions the story asked, and resolved the plot. It started and ended strong. The characters each played a vital role in the story. I connected to these characters so deeply that I didn't want their story to end. I was totally invested in them throughout the entire book.

This was a fantastic dystopian/fantasy that was both hard to put down and also very deep and hard to continue at the same time. The world-building was very well done as well.

Man, this was such a fantastic read! The synopsis sounded so intriguing, and it was, once I picked this book up, I couldn't put it down! There was just so much going on that I wanted to know more about, and it was so entertaining!

This island that has maristags surrounding it, I had to know more! We got a bit of background, how they came to this land, and how the race came to be, and this system of Landers and Renters. So that was pretty interesting, and a bit infuriating, to read.

Koral's position is pretty awful. She's a Hunter, the only family to hunt for maristags, so they're elevated above other Renters, but Landers look down upon them, and neither group likes them. That her sister is sick and needs a steady stream of medicine when they don't have their method of income...joining the race was risky, but if she won, the payoff would've been worth it. It was such a compelling and entertianing story!

I really hope that this becomes a series, or we at least more time in this world. Because it's so interesting, and the way things ended, well, they haven't changed yet, but it's coming. And I want to see that, because it needs to be changed!

Loved reading this book, and I'm excited to see what Tanvi Berwah writes next!

The story reminds me of The Hunger Games. Struggling and raw, powerful and uncertain. I loved the writing, the characters, and the way I was sucked into another society so thoroughly.

This book was hard to understand all the elements at first but once I started understanding the world I was hooked. But literally, Koral has the worst luck EVER. Every turn she took something unfortunate was happening to her or her family. She literally could not win…even if she did she would have never won at anything. She was betrayed so much and so many unfortunate events I was frustrated FOR her. I was hoping she would catch a break and finally at the end she did. Man what a roller coaster of a book.

This was a DNF for me - I might come back and try again when I'm more in the mood for this kind of read.

I absolutely loved Monsters Born and Made! I will admit, the story started out a little slow, but not in the “there isn’t anything going on” type way. I jumped immediately into the ocean with Koral and her brother, and get attacked by a maristag. I haven’t been introduced to what a maristag is, or anything about the world, so in the beginning I was a little confused and overwhelmed. This doesn’t mean the story was bad, just that it took a bit for me to get going. Once the story got going, however, it became almost impossible to put down. I think I read it in just a couple of days.

HOLY COW, you guys. This world sounds incredibly dangerous, and absolutely gorgeous at the same time. The details that Tanvi has created to make the world feel real are incredible. For example, The lower caste people have to live on the surface, but despite acclimating to the sun, they still require special sunscreen in order to be out in daylight.

Koral and her brother, Emrick, are also described as having tattoos on their faces, which seem to be maybe sun-related? Monsters Born and Made doesn’t describe them as having to go somewhere to get the tattoos, just that they sort of show up. The small details like this give the world a wonderful depth that I love to see in fantasy books.

Personally, I had a hard time putting the book down after about the first third. Before that, it was tough, because I couldn’t really connect with Koral. She just didn’t seem to really evolve much through the story. I did enjoy reading about her history with one of the other competitors in the Glory Race. I wished that part could have been included in the book itself, instead of in bits and pieces. Hey, maybe Tanvi will write a prequel, just for me? Ya never know.

One of the best parts of Monsters Born and Made were the creatures Tanvi created. She described them in such beautiful detail, and I could almost see them as she’s writing about them.

I did find parts of Monsters Born and Made predictable, but it didn’t affect my enjoyment at all. I find that the more I read, the less I’m surprised by some things. I’ve had to learn over the years how to recognize when I find a book predictable, but I don’t let it affect whether I enjoy the book or not. Monsters Born and Made was an enjoyable read, and even given some of the intense situations it was a light read, and I finished it pretty quickly.

Overall, while Monsters Born and Made was a little predictable, I enjoyed it very much, and I hope the author can ignore the haters and write more stories in this world. I would like that. If you love fantasy stories based around mythical creatures that are literally out of this world, then I encourage you to give Monsters Born and Made a try. I do hope it’s part of a series, because I would love to read more by Tanvi Berwah.

The thought and passion behind the words are unmissable, but the story itself couldn't convey it thoroughly. The plot is interesting enough and the reasons fuelling the character's aim throughout the story is not only understandable but even easy to empathise with. Sadly, the writing under delivers and the story is a little all over the place. The narrative becomes so hyper-focused on all the injustices the main character went through that it doesn't leave space for the present or her future actions to build on the narrative further. An okay-ish debut.

I loved this book! It was so beautifully written and masterfully crafted. I love the rise in monster-girl (or just villain-girl) trope and this book is included in that.

Monsters Born and Made is an action-packed YA dystopian fantasy. It is set in a harsh world with a scorching sun, class systems, rebellion and a glory race where the elite compete. We follow Koral as she cheats her way into the race to forge a better life for her family.

I was HERE for the monsters. Learning about the ferocious creatures that exist in the deep oceans was fascinating, and was one of the best things about this novel. We get an encyclopaedia at the end which was fun to read!

Berwah delves into some heavy topics alongside the main narrative. Koral has both an emotionally and physically abusive father. We don't see the violence on page, but it made my skin crawl to hear her call him the "head of the household". Some of the things he says to Koral and the way he treated his family was awful. I also appreciated the sibling dynamic, and the theme of doing your best to save the ones you love from a terrible fate.

Whilst this book wasn't my favourite, it was definitely entertaining. It never failed to grip me and I enjoyed my time reading. However, I thought a lot of story elements were brushed over with little/to no explanation. Though the world-building was really cool, I felt it lacking any depth. However, at face value this was a fun read with some serious themes at its core. Also, for a YA novel Berwah isn't afraid to make it gritty, bloody and exciting.

I also just wanted to touch upon the marketing of it being South Asian inspired (before anyone comes for me I am from a South Asian background!). I honestly couldn't see why this was even mentioned. The mythology was mainly drawn from European sources, aside from one creature that is in the encyclopaedia at the end. Also, we know a lot of the characters are South Asian but we read nothing about South Asian living except the occasional mention of a Sari. Just some thoughts!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Monsters Born and Made was a good read, it was missing some things that could have made this great for me personally so lets get into it. I loved the creatures for one. There was giant crabs (made me think of Moana) and the maristags made me think of the water kelpies from Scottish folklore in how they were described by their physical features, temperment, and their home in the water. Secondly, the trials were fun to read. I saw someone say the trials were a mix of Hunger Games and the Maze Runner and I 💯 agree with that. I liked that it revolved around family too.

Where it could have been better is the world building or at least the worlds history. I felt like the Landers and Renters and the rebels political strifes and what made them this way wasn't explained as well as it could have been. It made me confused as to the power dynamics a lot. And I felt like her sisters sickness was resolved too quickly. The sister relationship in this reminded me so much of Katniss and Prim being that our MC joined the competition to save her sisters life. Okay now that I'm thinking about it theres a lot of similarities to The Hunger Games. The older sibling having to hunt to provide so they can eat, the competition, the different districts, a secret underground rebel group, contestants dying, a manipulative bad ruler, advanced science for only the higher members of society. It's Hunger Games but with water chariot races and mythical creatures. Not a bad thing per se, but now I can't stop thinking of that comparison.

I love to read debut authors because it helps me determine if this is an author I'd read more from. Based on the ending of this one I'm figure this is just book one in a new series. So I do plan on picking up the next book because I am invested enough to continue.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Sourcebooks for approving this e-arc in return for an honest review.

At the beginning of the book it was a bit slow for me, and the narrative of the characters annoyed me to a point. But as the story progresses we see the story pick up, and a bit more depth added to the characters. I loved the premise of the world, the creatures, the landers vs renters, the idea of the Glory Race. As the story delved further into the politics of the two factions of people, it has many twists, and the Glory Race was some of my favourite parts to read. I think the character that stands out the most was Dorian for me, as he has the most to his character that is fleshed out. I loved seeing his character change from being arrogant to someone that is doing all he can to hold himself higher than what is expected of him.

There are many influences to the story, first the obvious being the caste system, others being inspiration of Greek too, and other south Asian influences the author put in from her own culture. I loved the story, even if the characters are flawed a bit in writing, and the world needs some polishing. It is still a debut novel, and there is much to expand upon in the world for it to become fleshed out. One thing that mainly confused me was whether it was a dystopian world or fantasy, I think it is meant to be a dystopian world, but I am not quite sure and I only wish that had been more mentioned.

Lastly for what struck me the most with the story, that is the history and lore of the Empryean Elders, why the Glory Race started, and the fact that when given power to anyone it can always turn away from the good intentions someone might have wanted it in the first place. No character in this book is perfect, they each have their flaws, and it shows they are human. We see that maybe what we saw as a creature being a danger, when in fact we made them so. The relationship Koral has with the Maristags is something I really loved from this book, and I can't wait to see where the author takes this series.

This is a fantastic book. I definitely get the Hunger Games comparison. I love books that involve challenges or competitions.

Monsters Born and Made follows Koral in a world where monsters are real. Although most of the monsters in this book come from the ocean. Koral and her brother hunt maristags, a kind of oceanic deer monster. The maristags are used for the Glory Race, and Koral’s family capture the maristags so the upper class can use them to race. This year is a bad season and when Koral and her brother lose the last maristag of the season, it puts Koral on a path to joining the Glory Race herself.

I loved the competition aspect of this book. While this is described as a fantasy, it definitely has some dystopian and even sci-fi elements mixed in. I cannot wait to see what happens next, because the ending definitely left me wanting more.

3.75 round-up to 4 stars

"There are so many things I want to do to you. And one day, I might." OH MY GOD, THAT WAS A GOOD LINE.
Exes to Enemies/rivals to begrudging lovers, I like it! It was done so well, honestly; if it were any more hateful and chemistry filled, it would be my perfect idea of enemies to lovers!

I truly loved the complicated and complex characters. Our main character tries only to do good things for their family; they do not think things through enough, but it's because of the seriousness of their family situation and the fact that they are indentured servants (slaves). I wanted to scream a few times to her father and brother, LIKE THE SITUATION MAKES IT ALL SHITTY, and IT AINT HER FAULT!

The mysterious creature makes me want to read more South Asian mythology because I found the creatures fascinating. I did think there would be a lot more influence and mythology/culture in it, but I enjoyed it all the same!

I really hate to say that I did not like this book, because you can tell a lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into this book, but I think Koral wins my award for most annoying main character in a book I read this year. The world building was interesting at the beginning but then it didn't hold. There were too many things happening that all clashed with each other and really made a mess of a book that felt very disjointed.