Just to keep in mind, this is just an excerpt not the full book so don't expect every chapter being available to you. That being said, I think this is a great start to a twisty, fantasy ya novel. The concept itself is very intriguing. First of all, I have never heard of maristags before but the main character and her brother are forced to catch them. The author used a very interesting creature and I love the creativity. Also, I love reading about competitions and the snobby elite so it's perfect for me. The setting is amazing with the dark and eerily creepy sea, which is perfect for the summer and fall months. I also believe the sibling bond between Emrick and Koral is very apparent already. I'm interested to see how their dynamic continues over the course of the book with Emrick being hurt and Koral caring so much about him and of course their younger sister. Overall I think this story is extremely intriguing and I'm very excited to finish reading this novel.

Thank you for this sample! This is a really interesting excerpt with a lot of potential. It's a unique premise and I'd like to learn more about the characters and world! I might pick this one up in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this EXCERPT.

I’ve always enjoyed reading these to a better ideal of what the book will be. This one was just okay for me. I feel like, with the rest of the story, it could go either way. I enjoyed the beginning and was excited to see what would happen. Then it started to feel a bit like Scorpio Races. I can’t say what it’ll turn into since I only had the partial story. The characters were interesting at least, so that’s always promising.!

From the first sentence of this excerpt, I knew I had to preorder this book.

The Hunger Games meets Scorpio Races. And I'm not just saying that. Those are truly the vibes. This 50-page preview sets up the story amazingly, steeped in conflict, high stakes, and hints of painful memories for our main character, Koral. Thank you NetGalley and Source Books Fire.

This is an excerpt, so it's only a handful of chapters. However I am entirely sucked in! It grabs you at your attention in the first few pages already and it's intense competition!

I really enjoyed this excerpt! I loved the descriptions and idea of the maristags and landers and the island setting
I am even more anxious for the release of this book. I want more of Monsters Born and Made.

Even though this excerpt is only 6 chapters, it gives a bunch of information and world-building and it has definitely intrigued me. The beginning gave a tense moment that truly shows how much is at stake for our main character Koral.. This book is touted as a combination of The Hunger Games which I can definitely see and The Scorpio Races. I've only read a few chapters of the Scorpio Races so I don't know too much about it, but I might pick up that book again because of the excitement Monsters Born and Made gave me.
Thankful for this excerpt as it gives me a taste of what to expect in the full release!

This may have only been the first 6 chapters but I am invested! I love the idea of this book and I am excited to continue the story! The world and creatures are so fascinating and the characters are super interesting and I am curious to see where this story goes and learn more about their pasts. C

okay wow!

this excerpt of monsters born and made is enthralling and super captivating.
i was completely drawn in from the first page on and inhaled the preview chapters in less than an hour.
what i*ve seen for now is incredible as a debut book!

ever since i first read the summary of this book i knew i had to read it someday.
exes to rivals, a dystopian setting and a chariot?
that's my favorite type of story. (i blame that on my juvenile love for series like the hunger games and divergent)

after reading the introduction to monsters born and made i can safely say - the parallel drawn to those bestselling series are definitely justified.

in the book we follow koral, a girl living on the island of sollonia, one of 10 islands on a planet that is almost entirely covered by hostile, hazardous seas full of terrifying creatures.

on this planet, society is divided into two classes. the landers and the renters. koral and her brother emrik, are so called hunters, belonging to the lower class of the renters.

to sustain their family and ensure the safety and health of their sick little sister liria, they hunt precious maristags, sea creatures that are bred for the hunters use in an event called "glory race". essentially this glory race is a elite event, arranged purely for the entertainment of the rich.

when they miss out on the last hunting season and subsequently don't make enough money to get their sister's vital medicine, koral decides to enlist in the glory race with the last maristag in their stable. despite her chances being close to zero as a hunter slash renter she manages to get in. what happens to her you may ask? you'll have to find out yourself!

what i loved most about this story excerpt was that, as a reader, i felt immediately immersed into this new world. the plot flowed super nicely and was perfectly paced. each character is already (after like 80 pages) well fleshed out.

i'm super excited to see how the author is going to deal with themes like marginalization, caste-ism and political conflicts. as you can maybe already tell, i'm literally dying to read the rest of the book. i can't wait to find out how koral will perform in the glory race and how her story will end. i've already grown so fond of her!

4/5 stars

The beginning of this book moves surprisingly quickly for the amount of worldbuilding that's gone into it. Berwah paints an interesting world where people have crash landed on a new planet that's hostile to them in every way. Each of the creatures on the planet appears to be threatening, though the maristags are at least tamable like horses. I liked what we do get to see of the world in these first six chapters and am interested in finding out more.

The setup of the society on Sollonia was somewhat confusing, though I expect this won't be the case for the full-length book. I think part of my issue is that we're only introduced to the Renters, so I have a decent grasp on who they are as a group and the hierarchy they seem to have, but the Landers are only really talked about, not shown, and so I can't quite figure out how they fit into things aside from being overlords. I'm definitely intrigued to learn more about the society, especially since I sniff some secrets/a conspiracy (and not just the rebellion mentioned in the synopsis).

I think this beginning is interesting and I'm curious to see where the rest of the book goes.

WOW. What a strong point of attack. The stakes are high from the get-go, and I was invested immediately.

Vivid and complex characters trying to survive another day in an alternate world with a harsh climate, chill-inducing monsters, extreme poverty, and a massive and oppressive socioeconomic divide. The characters, their relationships, and the world-building was woven into the plot in such a natural and compelling way, and the writing is easy to read but hard-hitting when it needs to be.

The title, cover, and description all looked so promising, and wow, did the story deliver. I can't wait to read the whole thing.

Thank you to the publisher for this excerpt in exchange for an honest review.

This book would be great for those who haven't read Ashlords. Fortunately for me, I have read and really loved Ashlords and the magical world it had to offer. Unfortunately that means that the deformed sea-mares we're a massive miss for me, and not a journey I'll be looking to continue upon publication. I had hoped for another series as magically and lore rich as Ashlords, but was let down via this excerpt.

Review of Chapter 6:

This book has captured my attention. I am looking forward to reading the novel in its entirety. I love the concept of the story, a strong female protagonist willing to risk her life to save her family after they run out of their main source of income and ultimately survival. The excerpt and story give the premise of a survival type game with the addition of various popular troupes intertwined. The author’s approach of setting up a scene is also done quite well.

Oh I really enjoyed this sampler for Monsters Born and Made, it promises to be a really interesting read!

I adored the world building - it was so unique and well described, all the different aspects made me very intrigued to read more. I did like all the characters that have been introduced so far, particularly the main Koral, she is already showing herself to be a brave and resilient character. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for its eventual release!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this sneak peek into Monsters Born and Made!

Definitely a very intriguing and creative story. So far I liked the way the story was laid out and how smoothly the tension seems to build. Curious about the rest of the story and will definitely keep an eye out for it when the book releases in September.


Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the sample.

I didn't know what to expect but I am actually very intrigued by the little I read. It sounds like the story has a lot of potential and I'm already curious about the rest of it. Can't wait to learn more about the characters.

I'm still not sold on the writing but that can be easily fixed.

I was provided a free excerpt of this book. Wow! So engaging I couldn’t stop reading and want to read the rest of the book. Unique plot and incredible world building. You feel like you’re there with the characters. Highly recommend.

*This review is for a six-chapter preview of the book*

Koral is a Hunter just like her brother. They wrangle maristags from the sea and train them for the wealthy to use in the Glory Race. But they’ve had bad luck and the season for hunting is almost over. With a sick sister and debts to pay, Koral knows they’re running out of options. When a terrible accident occurs on the last day of hunting, Koral finds herself cornered, deciding there’s only one thing for her to do: attempt to win the Glory Race.

First, the cover of the book is absolutely stunning. The artist did an amazing job! I also really enjoyed the maps at the beginning of the book. They were drawn in a unique perspective and the style was quite interesting.

The characters seemed solid overall. With only six chapters, it’s difficult to say just how much character development and depth there will be in the work. However, the main character is already relatable and well written, and the secondary characters are decent.

One of the major strengths of this work was the worldbuilding. The author created a unique and rich setting, with fascinating flora and fauna that brought the entire thing to life. I loved the different aspects that were introduced, from the island’s harsh environment to the ocean metal that was used in many different ways. The author’s creativity shone through in this aspect, making me eager to read more of this work.

However, there was a plethora of typos and formatting errors in the kindle version I received. Some examples include new paragraphs starting in the middle of a sentence, extra spaces after hyphens, unnecessary hyphens (e.g., “drip-ping” rather than “dripping”), page numbers scattered throughout the text in the middle of pages, and two words written as one (e.g., gingerroot). The number of errors per page drastically decreased my enjoyment of the work.

The concept of this work and the worldbuilding make me excited to read more, but the number of errors and typos is a major detraction from this book. I would be willing to increase my rating after rereading an edited version of this work.

I received a complimentary copy of this work through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I enjoyed this excerpt and it's a good start. I can't wait to read the full book and I love the writing here!

When you read the first six chapters of a novel in one sitting, and you keep tapping your Kindle furiously just to realize that it is already the end of the excerpt, you know it's a great book. It drew me into the story immediately. The description of the world, especially that of the magical animals is amazing, and there was not a single page where I felt my attention wandering. Based on the first few chapters, Hunger Games and Eragon comes to mind.

I really enjoyed this taster and would be glad to read the whole book. (And now I'll go and request it!)