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

Definitely an enjoyable read if you were a fan of the Hunger Games series. Set on an island surrounded by terrifying sea creatures Koral's family of hunters is tasked at capturing fearsome animals known as maristags. They are then given to the elite known as Landers. They live in an underground city safe from sea creature attacks and the harsh sun which makes living on the outside nearly unlivable. Those on the outside are known as Renters. They are subject to the whim of the Landers and are beginning to form rebel factions to fight for basic human rights.
When Koral's younger sister becomes sicker from a lifelong illness Koral does the one thing she can think of to save her sister and her family from crushing debt. Find a way to race in the Glory Races. A race that only the Landers compete in for a wealth of gold.
I really loved this book. The setting was unique as I felt it was set in the distant future on a planet colonized by ancient humans from Earth. The creatures where wonderfully fleshed out and like nothing I've ever read.
Highly recommend and definitely will be looking forward to the next book.
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me access to this fantastic book!

Unfortunately, I decided that this book wasn't for me. I will pick it up another time when I am more in the mood to read a fantasy YA novel.

I really tried with this one, multiple times, but could not get into it. The writing felt so clunky to me, I could not get into the flow of reading and understanding the characters and world. It’s just not for me, and this is going to be a DNF.

I enjoyed the fast paced action packed storyline of this book. I thought the character development besides Koral was not really in depth or interesting. And Koral though her motives were well explained was not easy to like. Overall it was interesting. Thank you #NetGalley for my copy.

A extremely interesting book, influenced by south asian culture and elements. The plot was very intriguing and I liked how the author included folk tales and other famous stories into the plot in a subtle manner. The book also gave a very good critique on caste! Overall, and amazing debut!

3.5🌟

"𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙖𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙃𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙬𝙞𝙢 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨; 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪."

🏵 South Asian Inspired Fantasy
✒ Debut Author
🦌 Fascinating Monsters
☠ Deadly Competition
💔 Messy Relationships
🔱 Action-Packed
✊🏾 Fighting Oppression

🌊 MONSTERS BORN AND MADE by Tanvi Berwah is a wild action-packed adventure from start to finish. It follows Koral and her older brother Emrik who are forced to risk their lives each day to capture dangerous maristags that live in the seas around their island. Then breed them to sell to the elite for the Glory Race, a deadly chariot tournament. But when their finances are failing, Koral takes matters into her own hands.

It’s always great to have stories that challenge oppressive social and political systems, while at times I felt the narrative was a bit vague, there were some great moments. Plus I was intrigued by the unique creatures and strong, angsty characters who never quit fighting for their family's survival. After that ending, I'm hoping they'll be a sequel!


CW- Domestic abuse, violence, death

Monsters Born and Made was a bit of a slow start for me. I liked the last half of the book more than the first. For me, the world building was confusing. I found it hard to keep track of all the different tiers of people in the society and how the society came about.

I liked the two main characters and I think they have a lot of promise. I would like to see the author delve deeper into them and their personalities.

I do see a lot of parallels between their society and ours. The book would make a great discussion book for middle grade and YA students, to help them understand injustice.

There were surprising moments and sad moments and the book definitely left space for “what’s going to happen next” moments. I imagine it’s going to be a series of books, or at least we’ll see one more? I’m definitely interested in reading what happens next with the characters. Lots of room for the characters to grow, and I hope we get to see really strong character development.

Monsters Born and Made contains an intensity I haven't read in a while in my books. I often stick to those that are lighthearted or have bouts of humor to break up the seriousness. It was a different experience, and I mostly enjoyed the read.

Koral leads a difficult life in this dystopian fantasy reminiscent of The Hunger Games. With their dependence on capturing maristags to sell, her family's fate hangs in the balance every year. When she and her brother Emrick are unable to catch any, they know the consequences will be dire. With limited options left, Koral enters the Glory Race, determined to win and save her family. Her entrance into a race whose participants have only been upper class leads to dire consequences Koral is not fully prepared to face.

Koral is intense, extremely serious all the time except for when she is with her sister. Her home life is not ideal, especially with a father who angers easily. Her struggle for survival and her anger dominate the story, so it is unexpected when glimpses of a possible past forbidden romance appear. I did not see it as a necessary element, so thankfully it was not a major focus of the story. Koral is not exactly a likeable protagonist, but I admired her tenacity and her reasons for entering the Glory Race. I rooted for her throughout the book.

The story is a generally exciting one. It took me a while to adjust to the tone, but a few things prevented me from giving it 4 stars. The book revolves around maristags, but it was difficult for me to envision what a maristag looked like. It bothered me enough that I tried searching for images of something to work off of. There were also times when I was confused about what was happening in the tournament. Had these been clearer, I may have given it a higher rating. (3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars)

It was difficult for me to rate this book, because I loved the idea of it, and I liked the writing, but at the same time, something about this book just dragged for me and I got really bored- it was struggle to finish. I was also expecting more South Asian mythology, which is part of the reason why I wanted to read this book, but I felt like most of it was just classical mythology with the caste system thrown in. I feel like this book has potential, but it needs more work

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks FIRE for this eARC for review. All thoughts are my own.

Pausing this book at 28%.

I struggled to start and get through this book for some reason. It has a really exciting premise and start, and the potential is there. I'm not sure if there is a disconnect in the way the book is written/the voice/the tone that I just wasn't feeling or wasn't in the mood for (boo mood reading), but every time I would get excited for something that happened, it just felt like the writing was disjointed or disconnect and would jump around. I will probably come back to this book and try to finish it, because it truly is a cool concept and has a lot of promise, I just don't have the focus or the drive to really push through it right now.

Monsters Born and Made is a wild ride set in a vibrant, fantastical world filled with sea monsters and chariot races. Koral is fierce and determined to keep her family safe, no matter the cost--or the monsters standing in her way.

Atmospheric, fast paced, and a stunning story with magnificent monsters.

Koral and Emrik are hunters of maritime beasts. Unfortunately, their last hunt didn't go as planned and now they injured, empty handed, and desperate for money to save their ill sister. Without any other options, Koral makes the insane decision to enter the chariot races of the upperclass. Threatened by this breach of protocol, the riders, spectators, and other contestants will do anything to make sure she doesn't finish, but they don't know desperation like Koral who is willing to sacrifice everything, including her life, for those she she loves.

The atmosphere and setting in this story are so richly crafted, i felt absolutely immersed in this novel. The characters grew and arced but I didn't love all the choices that were made for each character. Specifically Koral, she felt like a heroine that lacked depth but tried to make up for it in guts and determination, which just rang a little caricature for me. Like a Mary Sue superhero.

The pace was breathtaking in the second half in its swift action sequences and socioeconomic drama. I enjoyed the ride and found that it reminded me of The Scorpio Races.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

On Sollonia, an island ruled by a rich elite of Landers, Koral Hunter and her brother Emrik are maristag hunters, and part of the lower-caste Renters. Even though they are the only hunters on their island, it doesn’t bring enough money, and they are indebted because of their younger sister’s need for constant medication. When she is told that she will have to marry in order to erase some of the family’s debt, Koral decides to enroll in the Glory Race instead, no Renter ever entered the race before. Against all odds, Koral manages to enter the race, and being a hunter that caught and raised maristags for most of her life might just be what gives her an edge in this deadly competition.

Overall, the story was predictable but still enjoyable. While I never read the Hunger Games series, I did see the movies and I know what it is about, so I understand why this book might be recommended for fans of the Hunger Games, but it’s not as intense. Sure, it’s a group of teenager racing and competing against each other for glory and riches, but if you are looking for a book that gives Hunger Games vibes, I would recommend All of Us Villains instead. Still, the chariot races were intense and the contestants were pretty ruthless, willing to kill in order to become the champion, or just to get revenge on each other.

The writing is not bad, but there is room for improvement. The first part was full of very intriguing pieces of information, but the pacing was a little jumpy at times. There is also time spent on details or internal monologues, which helped us get a better idea of the setting or the main character, but other events were just vaguely explained, or there were some time jumps that could have been used to build more tension, add relevant details to the plot, or even add more layers to the characters.

Koral is not a bad main character, but I did not particularly like her. She trusts people way too easily, especially considering the dystopian society she lives in, and also the fact that Hunters are outcasts, even among the Renters. Logically, she should not trust anyone besides her family and best friend, but she has a tendency to just roll with it and trust others without asking too many questions. I understand that she felt like she didn’t have a choice at times, but she still felt a little naïve.

The secondary characters like Emrick, but mostly Dorian (the ex) and Crane (the best friend) were shallow and seriously lacked development and depth. They were there to support the main character at one point or the other, or to make the plot move forward, but I do not really care for them because I do not know much about them and they felt hollow and bland. Another aspect that could have been so much more developed is the rebel group known as the Freedom Ark. They are just a rebel group with no known leader, and there is no real explanation about their motivations, beliefs or goals. They are just there to add more complications to Koral’s life and add a “political” aspect to the story.

The world-building of this book is strong at first, there are magical aquatic creatures, different castes of people, and rebels and they live in what seems to be an archipelago-type nation, but then it becomes weak as nothing new is added. There is a strong base, but let’s just say that after the first few chapters that were full of weird creatures and that showed us a dystopian-like civilization, I was expecting a little more for the rest of the book. This book is also described as “South Asian inspired”, but I honestly couldn’t see or feel it at all. It’s not a negative thing, but just don’t go in it expecting a story with strong South-Asian vibes.

I wouldn’t say that there is romance in this book. There is a teeny tiny hint of it since Koral and
Dorian have a secret past together, and it is made clear that they both still have some feelings for each other, they remain rivals until the end because they both want/need to win the competition.

The ending is promising though, and I am curious to see where this is going, so I will probably read the second book when it comes out. While this was not a 5 stars read, it was still entertaining and an easy read that I recommend if you are looking for a fantasy with a dystopian vibe, vicious sea creatures, and deadly chariot races, but don’t mind weaker characters and a somewhat predictable plot.

Compelling from the very beginning, an excellent book with themes on class solidarity, refusing to give in to expectations, and the loneliness in doing so.

Seriously, I couldn't put it down and stayed up far too late to finish.

I hope there's a followup.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for providing and eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Truthfully I am not sure exactly how I feel about this book. However I do suggest going into it knowing as little as possible.

Tanvi Berwah's debut novel Monsters Born and Made is a fast-pace, thrilling fantasy novel that takes readers from the perilous seas to the inside of a battle dome, to ballroom teaming with court politics. This South Asian-inspired fantasy explores the corruption of power, the rule of the elite, how far will one go not only for family but also for glory, and how dangerous it can be to dream of a life better than the one other's deem you worthy of.

While there were many things I liked about this novel there were also things that I disliked. While the writing it fast paced some of the ideas and narratives seemed a bit repetitive with also the same type of scenario/sentiment playing out more than once with no actual plot advancement. That being said I have seen this title compared to The Hunger Games and I can say it brought me the same intrigue and thrill that I had reading that series.

I thought the world was incredibly inventive and did feel like the writing transported me to a cut throat and dangerous fantasy land. The court politics I also really enjoyed and wished perhaps the MC's relationships with others would have been a little more defined and it would have added a whole new layer to the fraught relationship between those lucky to be elite and those unfortunate enough to be lesser.

I wasn't quite sure how to feel about this book going into the last 15% but the final "battle" and the ending actually managed to shock me. I think Monsters Born and Made is a debut Berwah can be proud of and I will be interested in reading the sequel. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

What It’s About: Koral Hunter and her family are Renters, members of a low caste in their society. Koral and her brother support their family by capturing maristags and selling them to members of the elite Lander caste for the Glory Race. The amphibious maristags are ferocious, which makes the work quite treacherous. After a failed hunt, Koral’s family is left virtually penniless, unable to afford life-sustaining medication for her younger sister. In her desperation, Koral sneaks her name into the entries for the upcoming Glory Race. When she’s selected, many of the Landers are angry that the low-caste girl has stolen one of only ten spots in the competition, but Koral is determined to win and save her family.

My Thoughts: The book’s interesting premise and gorgeous cover drew me in. I liked the book; however, it reminded me a lot of The Hunger Games and especially Red Rising with the way the living arrangements for the members of the different social classes were organized. As a big fan of early 2010s middle grade and YA dystopian novels, I felt the plot was rather predictable.

The world Berwah creates in Monsters Born and Made is rich and, at times, frightening. The characters’ culture has clear ties to south Asia. Many of these elements are part of their everyday lives, which makes them stick out less in the narrative. The fantasy elements of the novel and its references to Greek mythology are mentioned more explicitly and thus are likely more noticeable for the reader. This combination plus the dystopian plot makes for a really neat fantasy world that I loved reading about but would never want to inhabit.

This book was heavily plot-driven. I liked the characters, but they all felt a bit flat to me, likely as a result of there being so much focus on the action. Koral sticks out as determined, tenacious, loving, and trusting; however, there’s so much focus on the action that I’m not sure I got to know her enough to care deeply about her. Her backstory with Dorian was interesting, and I would also have liked some more depth there.

The last 10% or so was my favorite part of the novel. I loved how absolutely ruthless Landmaster Minos was. The way the story concludes leaves me curious about where things are headed in the next installment and whether we’ll see Koral and Dorian reunited.

A fast-paced, brutal, and ferocious fantasy, reminiscent of Ashlords, Red Rising, and The Hunger Games. This book pulls you in from the first page, and throws you into a world of violence, brutality, oppression, and rage - at a breakneck page. The characters were compelling, and the story was intriguing, I look forward to more from this author, and more in the series. I liked it a lot!

~ Amazing, Dystopian-Fantasy! ~

I loveddd this book!!!!! The characterization and world building were just sooo good and so much fun to read!!
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The concept of the glory races and the island was just so cool and I loved spending time in this world! It gave me some 2012 dystopian nostalgia, but the plot and fantasy aspect made it so much more fun and intriguing! Also this had a really really amazing and well written battle scene and I don’t know why it really stood out to me, but it did, and I loved it!
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Koral was a great protagonist and I really love when authors create protagonists that are unapologetically human! I really loved how Koral was just trying to survive and make it out alive and it just felt so realistic. Too often in dystopias, characters are focused on sacrificing themselves for others and the greater good at all costs, so it was very refreshing to have a character that only had the headspace for self preservation for her and her family!
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Dorian was a fun side character and I loved the rivalry and history between him and Koral! The other races were fun as well and each added something different to the plot! Crane was a really interesting best friend and I loved her and Koral’s determination to stay friends despite their slowly shifting motivations and loyalties!
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I’m going to need a sequel asap and I highly recommend you pick this one up!! It was sooo good and I looked forward to every free moment I got to pick this one up and read more!!
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CWs - occasional strong language
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***Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with an early e-arc to read and review! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.***
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"The old world will come to an end, the seeds of a new world will shoot out of this monument's broken ground; those they call monsters will be born and made."

Monsters Born and Made is a must-read for any YA fantasy-loving individual. The world-building will suck you in and by the end of the story, you'll be breathless and longing for the next book. The author manages to make the sea not only a setting but almost like its own character. It has clashes of different castes, people on both sides that want to fight for a fairer, better world. There are painful, raw, and difficult familial relations and forbidden love. Plus enough action to keep you on your toes!

In my opinion, this South-Asian inspired book was a hit! I felt lucky to not only receive an advanced copy but to also be a part of the book tour!