I struggled to read this book, and did not finish. It was pitched as a YA fantasy with South Asian-inspired folklore, but I did not pick up on anything inspired by South Asia or its lore. It felt like a seaside Hunger Games--a poor girl who already provides for her family must enter a deadly competition to save her little sister.

THIS BOOK WAS SOOOO GOODDDDDDDDDD!!!! I was hooked from page 1, the only thing is that I think the pacing got a little slow towards the middle but it picked up again. Highly recommend!!

Monsters Born and Made was perfect for my mood at the time I read it. I can never say no to what is basically the classic horse girl story: when a character enters a high stakes race as the underdog, but bonds with their creature and... well, you can read it and see what happens.

This book had felt like a cross between The Scorpio Races, The Vanishing Deep, and The Hunger Games. While the pacing was sometimes off and I think the writing could be better, I really enjoyed the setting of the story. The creatures were fascinating and kind of creepy.

The ending was fitting but I hope there's a sequel. I want to see how the consequences of the events in the final few chapters unfold.

3.5 stars

Ahhh!!! What a great book! I absolutely love this book and have been recommending it to friends and family. I can’t say enough about Koral. I love her fierceness and determination. She is by far one of my favorite characters ever written. The world building is, well, out of this world. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

This was a really cool premise and super well executed! Can't wait to check out more from Tanvi Berwah in the future!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

I don’t really have a lot to say about this one. I was really interested in it but when it came down to the writing and characters, I just couldn’t get into it. They weren’t super fleshed out, didn’t reach off the page for me.

When it comes to the tone of the book, it’s depressing. It’s a ya dystopian so of course. There’s a sort of cast system but it’s the rich and the poor, like always and the poor continue to get the short end of a crap stick.

Some people say it’s derivative of the hunger games. Of all the issues I have with the book, that isn’t one of them. After all, white authors will write the same story as each other and each one will hit the NYT best sellers list but when an author of color does it, now it’s a problem? No, I didn’t find it to be that much of a problem when compared to the actual meat of the book.

The worldbuilding is off. We’re never really show what these creatures look like for long and the descriptions don’t match up. Plus they’re absolutely huge in a way that doesn’t make a lot of sense. Especially when you learn that people ride these things for sport.

As the story progressed, I can’t lie, I stopped caring. The pacing was off with things happening so fast that it was hard to keep track of it all and yet it felt like things weren’t happening at all.

There’s domestic and child abuse as well. Plus the use of an ablest slur early in the book. If you say slurs of any kind just because you’re angry, it’s kinda hard to root for you.

There’s also the fact that everything is all over the place. Like I said, the pacing is off, it’s hard to tell what’s past and what’s present because there aren’t noticeable breaks and then it’s difficult to get a bead on the motivations of dome characters.

I don’t want to keep dogging on it. I didn’t really enjoy this one. So I’m giving it two (2) stars.

I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to them and the publisher.

This was a "not for me" kind of fantasy story because I recognize the intricacies and often don't have the patience to dive into a world with so many rules to follow. The good part is that it will be so easy to recommend to my teens because while there are deep complexities to the Koral's family's story and their role in getting the maristags for the races and what it means for their family, there's also a kickass cover and phenomenal title that will sell themselves.

I had picked up it up and put it down too many times, so I recognize that I didn't get into the rhythm from the start and therefore made it hard to keep connected as I read.

A fun and excited debut fantasy!

While Monsters Born and Made wasn't my favorite read this month, I enjoyed the world building and plot! I loved the idea of a deadly competition filled with sea monsters but also think that the plot could have been executed better. It's fast paced, filed with action, and characters you can't help but root for.

This book was amazing!! Great world building with interesting characters!! I was so amazed with this book!! I would highly recommend this book to everyone!!

Okay this one started so strong, I was so captivated with the danger of this dystopian world and that burden to do the right thing and will do anything for the family and all the family drama story, but then it start dragging and kinda all over the place and confusing too, there's no divider between the past and the present, so yeah it's pretty confusing and then it's getting interesting again with the deadly race and then back to dragging again until I lost interest all together. I like the harsh world though with all those deadly creatures, the survival that the lower-caste is pretty daunting too, and I like the race, but in the end I didn't connect with the main character and the pace is too slow for me. It's not for me but if you like deadly race in the dystopian world, you might like this one.

Monsters Born & Made is a YA Dystopian Fantasy novel that is reminiscent of all my favorite fantasy novels. I wanted to love this book so much! I read a six chapter excerpt earlier in the year, and I was hooked by the fantastic writing and the dystopian world. The excerpt left me eager to read more!
I read the e-arc and listened to an alc, but unfortunately it got to a point where I was frustrated with the book because story never really took off.

I felt an overwhelming sense of frustration with myself for not getting hooked on this dystopian. The novel contains so many elements that make for exciting fantasy adventures. Perhaps, the utilization of so many elements at once inadvertently overwhelmed my imagination. There’s so much going on in the story that it’s easy to get lost if you aren’t paying attention.

To be fair, I expected to soar through Monsters Born and felt myself tripping over the storyline to keep up with the fast-paced adventure. The book isn’t slow moving. It feels like the first 25 or 30% needs to be condensed a bit more. It’s a a little redundant.

Overall, this is a nice debut. The writing is good in this book. Actually, it’s quite impressive. I can’t wait to see what the author creates next.

Koral hasn’t had the easiest life, and she knows that her failure at this year’s hunt means her family will starve for the next year. The maristags her family hunts and sells only come to shore annually, and the season’s passed. Koral made a split-second decision to save her brother’s life and let the maristag go, and that choice weighs on her. With an injured brother, a younger sister who’s ill, and aging parents, Koral feels responsible to solve their problems. She conspires with her best friend to enter the Glory Race to win the money her family needs to survive, but other forces are rising, and nobody wants a poor Renter in the race, even if they are a Hunter, and are willing to kill to keep Koral from winning.

Title: Monsters Born and Made | Publisher: Sourcebooks | Pub Date: 2022-09-06 | Pages: 352 | ISBN13/ASIN: 978-1728247625 | Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Monster Fiction| Language: English | Source: NetGalley | Unstarred Review


Monsters Born and Made Review
One thing Monsters Born and Made conveys clearly is a societal hierarchy. It’s apparently modeled on the caste system in Asia, but anyone who isn’t part of the rich elite will recognize the split in this world. The poor are exposed, vulnerable to the elements and the monsters. They aren’t given essential information that could prevent illnesses and enable them to thrive. This part of the world building was on point and there was never any doubt in my mind about the gulf between the haves and have-nots in this world.

Monsters Born and Made moves at a fast pace, which at times works for it and against it. This really depends on how much description you need to establish the world and the characters. While there are some long descriptions within, it was hard to visualize this world, and that was complicated by what seemed like conflicting information. At times, everything on the island seemed close together, but then we’re told the island has five capricorns defending it, and each capricorn has a tailfin that’s a hundred meters wide.

That’s 328 feet each. Times five. And the capricorns are spread out, performing the task of keeping the ocean’s monsters where they belong.

And yet early on, Koral has a near miss when a capricorn goes running down the thoroughfare. Now, there’s a sense as she runs to the pharmacy for meds that her home isn’t exactly close by, but a thoroughfare is a path between places. And other descriptions of the island have her seeing her home from shops and buildings. There are also descriptions of winding alleys and narrow passages between homes and other buildings. But then there’s the giant structure where races occur, and it’s clear it’s massive. I mean, it fits a capricorn with ease and has space for 10 competitors to race with chariots pulled by monsters over courses that seem to be several miles long.

It’s fair to say the geography was confusing at times. The Landers, the rich people in this world, live underground, and that was a curious thought. It certainly seemed like there were massive underground installations, but at times the island’s surface seemed small (and easy to run across) and at other times it seemed massive (when referring to a capricorn running down the thoroughfare).

Set the geography aside and just go with the story. The tale of a teenage girl fighting to provide for her family should be an easy one to get behind. However, Koral isn’t always the most likable character. A character doesn’t have to be likable to be interesting, but she wouldn’t listen to anyone. And her arrogance makes her hard to relate to at times. It also complicates relationships with others who have their own agendas. I do wish some of those agendas had been fleshed out more. Her brother felt like he showed up just to provide desired dialogue and give her some grief, but I never really understood his perspective or motives for his actions or inactions. Crane is a bit of a mess as well, floundering from one objective to another. Initially she helps Koral enter the race, but later withdraws support and tells her to pull out. Everyone seems to be keeping secrets but they don’t fully flesh out in a way that gives them a compelling arc.

On that note, it also seemed that the Akayans had some agenda against the Landmaster, but that never really paid off, leaving me wondering about snippets overheard throughout.

One of the big challenges with the book is that Koral’s 16, but we’re supposed to believe she had this intense relationship four years earlier with a Lander who she’s now competing against in the Glory Race. It’s hard to believe two 12 year olds were that hot and heavy, even using very special pet names for each other.

This is a society that has no justice or order. The only people who get punished are poor people, while rich people that outright murder others walk away without consequences. There’s no due process, and it’s hard to believe anyone who’d grown up oppressed could truly believe in justice.

I wish we’d gotten more from the monsters and a real sense of how they impacted the Renters’ lives day to day. That’s part of the worldbuilding I felt could have been stronger.

I also took issue with the use of offensive language in this book. Crane utters an ableist slur early on, and it was completely unnecessary. It didn’t seem to be true to her character or relevant to the situation. She was mad at someone, but there were plenty of other words that could have been chosen. If it had been a consistent characterization for Crane throughout, I would have viewed it as a facet of her character, however unlikable. Since it was only used once and none of her other conduct or words suggest she judges people that way, it was a poor, unnecessary choice that almost prompted me to put the book down then.

By the time I got to the end, I wished I had.

Before I expand on that behind a spoiler tag, I want to note that this was a book that had a lot of potential. It was set up to be an exciting, action-packed story with monsters. The unnecessary inclusion of an ableist slur knocked it down half a star immediately. The ending, for me, brought it down further. I’m giving it 3 stars, and cautiously recommend it to readers who love anything with monsters and action. Lots of potential here, curious to see what the author delivers next.

This is a spoiler that gives away information about the ending:

Ultimately this isn’t a story about a girl overthrowing an unjust system where the poor are oppressed and the rich get richer. It’s a story about a girl who’s pride destroys her. The only character arc involves Koral realizing she was screwed from the start and could never win, even if she won. She destroys her family and there’s nothing in the ending that I found positive. I don’t need a happy ending. Some books work best with ambiguity, and that can be compelling. In this case, the ending took a book that was bordering on 4 stars and dropped my rating down because I didn’t feel it fit the tone of the book or provided satisfactory resolution to the story as presented. You may disagree, and that’s fine, but readers who want a satisfying ending may be very disappointed here.

Monsters Born and Made (Book, 2022) – DoesTheDogDie.com

I really loved Koral. She's a fierce female lead and inspires people to be the best. Dorian is also an intriguing character. Their interaction has us rooting for them both. This is a good example of a worldbuilding novel. If you liked Hunger Games and The Maze, you will likely enjoy this book!

The story had great world building in the beginning and the characters were will fleshed out. There was no character growth throughout the story, which I find important. The book didn't divulge more into explanations of the world, caste and cultures. The story is supposed to be South-Asian inspired but it didn't feel like it came through that much.

The story was predictable but still enjoyable.

On a island where humanity is barely scarping by with monsters in the sea and in their land via the Landers.
3 stars
Themes and feelings :

Caste system
Friends to lovers to enemies to ???
Dysfunctional family
Monster friendship?
Hunger games
Classism
Rebels
Conspiracy theories
Now back to the story...Desperate times call for desperate acts. Koral seems to be the only one with a personality in her family, we even only get a half hearted abusive dad to be the early antagonist then it turns to her childhood romance turned competitor. Honestly their relationship felt really flat as a romantic side piece, they were better as mutual enemies. The only scenes I liked best was when she and him were fighting out airborne monsters, that scene writing was so fascinating (of course it can't end properly but with Koral passing out). Then the final battle was so stale...like she just keeps turning corners and all of a sudden a character out of left field blames her for a family death and will do anything to attack her really threw my interest away.

I really didn't feel much connection with Koral except when she was with her monster, the description is so condoluted I couldn't tell what the anatomy was which is sad.

Really had a good potential for a stand alone but alas it's not.

3.5 upward-leaning stars for this one.
It's fast-paced and action-packed to the point that it feels like things are happening way too fast. I felt instantly connected to what was happening and cared about the race and the maristag, but Koral just feels like the vehicle taking us to different points in the plot. Although maybe that's simplifying things because I do feel like Koral's story is an important element in the story. It's her passion and determination to do everything she can for her family that made me care about what happened during the different challenges, it's just that a lot of non-action scenes felt straight out of every single YA fantasy to come out after or around the time of Hunger Games. I love a good underdog story, but I'd also like to see it presented in a new way.
Overall, I'm really torn on this one because the writing pulled me in and is great when there's action and tension, but left me feeling cold in moments when it was about characters interacting. Unfortunately, I never felt any connection to Koral. It's more of an interest in the tension of the world Berwah created than the main character.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the pulse-pounding read!

Unfortunately, this book ultimately did not connect for me. I was initially interested by the world building based on class differences, with renters and landers, but the book didn't really explore these ideas fully. If there is a set-up where some people seem to be good guys and others are the bad guys, I usually wait to learn more, to see more nuance, or to have complications. This was really simple, but not in the best way.

I also had a hard time connecting with the writing style here. If I'm being totally honest, large sections of this felt like they could have come out of another YA fantasy novel. Not a lot felt specific to these characters and this story. I feel bad saying that, but I just think the book could have used more voice.

Ultimately this book did not quite land for me, but if the idea of a competitive race and a class-based society really appeals to you, then this may be more up your alley.

First of all THAT COVER THO. it's absolutely gorgeous 😍

Monsters Born and Made was a fun, easy read that was a perfect escape to get lost in! I really enjoyed reading this one. Having loved The Hunger Games when I was younger, I did have some of those vibes while reading this one! I thought the characters in this book were great, and you can't help but love and root for Koral.

I definitely recommend this one if you like fantasy romance with dystopian vibes and magical creatures.

Thank you SourceBooks Fire 🔥

It begins very predictably and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that it continues as such. Brother gets injured doing something dumb and the brash protagonist has to save him and the family by doing something incredibly foolish and brave. There are rebel's theoretically fighting on the same side, but who do basically everything in their power to interfere with the protagonist's goals. The wealthy elite are cruel and pretty good stand ins for the rich who control natural resources and leave the poor to fight it out and use products that damage their health to survive. But, one of their son's is hot and mistreated and has a complicated history with the protagonist- can you see where I'm going here? There are, of course, unpredictable twists- though these mostly come from when certain things were going to happen and how exactly the rich people and rebels would screw with the mc.

This book reminded me of Kinder Poison from the deadly races and a woman from a lower "caste" fighting against the system to win. However, this story is inspired by South Asian cultures and is set in an oceanic world rather than a desert, and the race is with chariots powered by deadly creatures called maristags. I'll be honest, I finished the book without really any clue as to what they are/look like except vague flashes of horns.

Overall, I did enjoy reading this book, despite it's predictability. The author painted a deep, rich fantasy world filled with monstrous sea creatures and a criticism of the modern caste system that divides the rich with their resources from the poor who fight for survival. I am still left with a lot of questions- she did a lot of worldbuilding that was sometimes briefly mentioned, but not elaborated on.

For example, we are left with the impression that the sun is dangerous as the rich hid underground and the poor where a sun screen, but we are never explicitly told what the sun would do to them. Like, I suppose we can assume that it would burn their skin badly, but they never fully elaborate.

I would recommend this book to people who liked the Hunger Games, marine biology enthusiasts, race car drivers.

Not at all what I expected unfortunately. Felt like a mixture of different books/stories that have already been done. Nothing new at all when I had had the opposite impression. I didn’t connect with any of the characters either or the story. I had to push myself a bit to get through this one. It wasn’t bad just not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book