This was a really fascinating story!! I loved the world building and the magical creatures, they were all so unique and exciting to read about, and the South Asian-inspired setting was beautifully depicted. Each character was flawed and imperfect, easy to differentiate and wonderfully interesting – and the questions of whether rebellion and war are worth the pain and poverty they bring, combined with the The Hunger Games style vibes of a brutal, corrupt challenge, were addictive and gripping.

“Where do we fit in, Crane? What about people like you and me? It feels like all we do is fight.”
(This quote may not be in the published version of this novel, it was copied from the advanced reader’s copy.)

I was incredibly invested in the enemies-to-lovers vibes between two of our main characters, though it definitely wasn’t the focus of the book. I wouldn’t have hated a little more of them… but maybe future books! And though I was a little disappointed by the naivety of the main character, I also hope that she’ll continue to develop as the series continues.

All in all, this was a really solid start to the series, and the author has definite potential – the world and characters created were incredible! Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the free copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

This is an author to keep an your radar. Excellent world building and character development. I loved the mythology of it all.

I struggled a little to get in to the story and I thought that it came off as a little juvenile. However, I think it will appeal to a wider audience of YA readers and the concept was so unique that it is still worth reading and I will definitely be recommending to fantasy lovers.

I This was a really unique YA fantasy novel, that I would definitely recommend trying!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

I legit liked this complex ans dangerous world that Tanvi Berwah created in Monsters Born and Made. The world building was good, which was one of my main expectations going into this book based on the description. I liked the characters and was curious to see how their stories would develop. The pacing was a bit slow at times, but this may be because of the descriptive language. Overall, it was a good story.

I really wanted to love monsters born and made, but it just didn't happen. I felt it was the same story we've read before with nothing new or fresh brought to the concept. I enjoyed the characters, but the predictable plot made it really hard to rate this any higher than three

I flew through this book, even though there were a few moments that lulled. I loved the different creatures, and way they interacted with the characters. I would have liked more character development, but it wasn't terrible.
Sign me up for an underdog story, especially when it is someone from poverty going against the suppressive government. Books like The Hunger Games, Red Queen, and Red Rising all have this similar vibe, and I am never disappointed by it. Add in Asian mythology, and you have won me over.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an advanced reader copy of Monsters Born and Made.

I didn't understand enough about what was going on in this and didn't care enough to find out. Weirdly, everything was over detailed but found the world building hard to follow. The MC was just annoying. This just wasn't for me, which is too bad because the artwork was beautiful.

unfortunatly this one wasn't for me. I struggled with the main character Koral, it felt like she very naive. I struggled to like her or most of the characters. What I loved about the book was the creatures, they were so beautifully described. It was a lot of fun to try to imagine. The charrette races where high action and intense.
2.5 stars

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for my review copy

This book was ok. It kind of felt like a Hunger Games wannabe though, and not in a good way. There is an elite group that race monsters caught in the sea every 4 years. Then there is a group of people that are second class citizens that have to fight the elements. Then there is one family that sits between the two groups, the Hunters that go and capture and then raise the monsters from the sea. The main character is from this family and sneaks her way into the big race to try and get money to help save her sister that is sick. This is seen as a rebellion and the rebels want to use her against the elite. But she thinks the rebels are bad and how could they want to do that (even as she is literally rebelling against the elite, but only for her family!). So that’s what annoyed me the most. She is so self centered (or at least her family) that she literally can’t see that she is rebelling in a very public way. I also found the ex-boyfriend storyline to be eyeroll inducing. Overall, not a terrible YA book, but don’t expect too much, except cool monsters, those were neat.

good book and really enjoyed the characters and their journey. I liked the romance.. I enjoyed how the characters grew in the book and what happened.

This was a really interesting story with monsters, hunters, and an epic race. This is a Young Adult Dystopian story with a single point of view from Koral. The writing was ok, some explanations and details were a bit jumbled, and I would have liked a bit more descriptions and world building, especially since it seemed so complex and needed more flushing out for readers. I liked the take on the monsters and the race was very exciting. The romance in this story was lacking but I think if there is a sequel that it might expand more on it. Koral is an interesting main character, with a rough past and a complex family life. She is mostly on her own and she gets blamed for a lot, even when trying to help. Overall, I found this story interesting but lacking in a couple areas, but I think it's a good start.
Trigger warnings: sick child, gore, death
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

Frankly, this could have been a more interesting read if it has a steadier pacing, plot driven with a smooth writting that can make it easier for the reader to understand the whole plot.

○Dystopian World Building
○Caste System
○Tournament

While the plot of Monsters Born and Made is a familiar one, it’s a formula that works well for this story and genre. The author does introduce some new elements, which I appreciated for some slight twists. However, overall I felt the pacing was slower than I would expect from a competition-style plot. I would have loved to see the race come sooner or seen more conflict leading up to the race to hold my interest.

Koral is the protagonist of the book and her character works well. She’s smart, determined, and slightly unpredictable. However, I struggled to connect to the other characters in the story. While Koral felt well-rounded and relatable, her best friends, her family members, and her fellow riders seemed to fall into their distinct tropes and didn’t hold my attention the way I had hoped they would.

The setting of this book is where the story really shines. The author has created a complex, detailed world with a caste system that is easy to understand but still unique to the genre. I also loved learning about the maristags, which felt very new and fresh to me. Similarly, the monsters that are seen as well as the roles these beasts play within the plot and world were well done.

Monsters Born and Made is a great read for those who loved The Hunger Games and similar competition-based YA stories. Koral is a strong protagonist that readers will be able to relate to and the world that author has created is vibrant and exciting. I did struggle with the pacing of the story and the secondary characters but this would still be a great read for those who are fans of the genre.

Rating: 2.5

This started off okay, but too much was happening to follow along. It was boring and hard to care about the characters or the plot.

Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah is not my normal go-to genres. Though I do enjoy a few dystopian books, this was not one of them. I thought I'd give it a try though. I felt Monsters Born and Made was just all over the place and I had a difficult time trying to figure out whats what. I'm still unclear what a maristag is. This book definitely has Hunger Games (which I loved) vibes but in the end, for me, it didn't deliver.

The worldbuilding was lush and vivid, but the characters were lacking. This book was definitely going for plot driven, rather than character driven, which can work if done well, but needed assistance here. I would have liked to see a more in-depth dive into the characters than what we were given.

At first glance, this seemed to be a story about a girl struggling against oppressors to save her family. However, after finishing the entire novel, it is much more. This is a story about defying social conventions, not just between classes, but also between genders.

Koral Hunter is born into a family that is outcast socially. Her brother and her are the main breadwinners for their family through capturing and training maristags for an annual race held by the upper classes, the Glory Race. After her little sister's illness gets worse, Koral has no choice but to compete for the prize money, but she must face deadly competition from not just her fellow racers, but also from others not wanting someone of her class to win. Koral and her maristag Stormgold must work together if they want to get through this race alive.

The entire competition reminded me of the Hunger Games, not just from the similarities between the upper class and the different sectors, but also from the conflicts between the lower and upper classes and between the racers. Koral is very similar to Katniss in that she will do what she must in order to protect her little sister, and she uses every weapon at her disposal to accomplish that. It was a little difficult to understand the world at first, but as the story progresses through Koral's eyes, everything began to take shape. The dynamic between her and Dorian was interesting as well, and I hope to learn more from Dorian's perspective later on. I greatly enjoyed Koral as a narrator, and I will be interested to read the second book when it comes out,

QUICK TAKE: I wanted more world-building and more of a history of how this society came to be. Instead it felt like a bit of a warmed-over version of HUNGER GAMES. The creatures were pretty cool.

A South Asian fantasy unlike any other I've read, MONSTERS BORN AND MADE is inspired by India's caste system. The heroine and her family are surface dwellers of a caste many don't want to associate with, save for their ability to catch rare magical creatures, maristags, for a dangerous race the entire island watches. In order to save her ailing younger sister, the heroine secretly enters the competition---and one of her competitors is an ex-flame from the highest caste. A very exciting world to dive into.