2/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was okay, but nothing about the concept was original. From the first page, she’s poor, has to work super hard to put food on the table and has a stepmother who is obviously bad but the MC insists is good.

The characters are okay, but I didn’t like immature they were. Zhara gets “Good-Looking Giggles,” which made me cringe every time she said it, and she doesn’t really do anything noteworthy throughout the book. Han is supposed to be quirky, I think, but ignorance is not cute, especially when you’re a prince. It’s also just not a thing to only have good physique for aesthetic reasons. If you have nice arms, you’re strong. He hides his identity from Zhara but Xu continuously almost refers to his title but switches halfway through, which was stupid - the reader already knows Han is a prince, and no one seemed to notice his missteps. Jiyi came out of nowhere and was haughty about her knowledge even though she wasn’t a real magician. Yulana was cool. Go her.

My main issue with this book was that everything the characters figured out, I knew ten steps in advance. A good chunk of this book was Zhara being like “oh the Guardians of Dawn… the fairytale… they don’t exist…” and it’s like, the series name is Guardians of Dawn. There’s no point in pretending they don’t exist.

Overall, this was a disappointing read, which is unfortunate because I wanted to like it. And the cover’s gorgeous.

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of this book! I listened to the ALC from Libra.FM and also read the digital galley at other times. I liked having both options for reading this book!

I was really drawn to this book because it had such a mystique around it. I was interested in the cultural representation, and even more so after listening to the author's explanation for her writing at the beginning of the book. Plus, this cover is stunning! I am a sucker for a beautiful cover, and this one would make a great Fairy Loot book!

All that expectation may have been unfair to the book, though, because I didn't connect to the characters at all. Plus, the character cast in this one is pretty big, and I found myself struggling to connect with not only the individual characters and the cast of characters, too. The plot is also incredibly slow, and I found myself losing interest at parts.

I do think the book has incredible world building, and that I did connect with. I love a good fantasy world, and Guardians of Dawn fulfills on that promise! I enjoyed the intricacies of the world, and for that reason, I may still read the sequel.

Rating: 3⭐️

I started the book and while it seemed like it could have gotten better, for me it took too long to get into it. I found myself not that interested in what was going on and had a hard time wanting to keep picking it up. I didn’t end up finishing it

This book is a little hard to review for me. I really liked the concept, but sometimes it felt a little flat. The characters were all kind of one note and didn't really have any growth by the end of the book.

I wish there was a little more at the end about Zhara's and Han's feelings for each other. We were just left to assume that they talked and confessed to each other, and now they are okay in the epilugue. I wanted a grand scene between the two.

I did like the almost nostalgic feel of the whole book. It felt like I was reading a comfort read even though this was the first time reading it. I will be curious where the story goes and look forward to more books. And of course, as a BTS fan, I loved the subtle (not so subtle) nod to the boys.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy to review

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was such a fun YA Fantasy and I’m stoked to continue the series!

The writing was solid, the world building and lore expansive, and the magic and conflict interesting. I really enjoyed both POVs, Zhara and Han, and look forward to seeing their character development. Though, my favorite character was Shu for sure.

The foundation set here is great - the characters are interesting and the ending has me wanting to know what’s next without torturing with a cliffhanger. I have no doubt this will be an excellent series with the number of options and paths she’s created.

My main complaints were the juvenile habits of Zhara and Han, and how often they were referenced. Han’s naïveté (especially surrounding sex) and obsession with his physique was repetitive and didn’t fit with the maturity and wisdom he showed elsewhere. Zhara’s “good looking laugh” was over used and felt unnecessary. The characters were either very wise and brave or very juvenile with little in between or consistency - it’s somewhat understandable given their age (16-17), but it was a bit jarring and frustrating at times, sometimes feeling like things were simply for plot without fully fitting.

But, overall this was a really fun, easy, engaging read. I think it caters to younger readers more than adults that read YA, but even as an adult I enjoyed it. Definitely a recommendation!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, S. Jae-Jones, and Katherine Chin (audio narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of Guardians of Dawn: Zhara in exchange for an honest review.

What a lovely cover! A mix of the cover and the Sailor Moon aspect are what drew me to this novel. This is the first in the Guardians of Dawn series, and I am assuming the other books down the line will be titled with prospective character names as well, whoever is being featured. In this case, it is Zhara, the host of the fire elemental spirit (hence the red aesthetic to the cover).

In the Morning Realms, magic is forbidden. Those who have magic are referred to as abominations and are said to be responsible for a plague of monsters over the last twenty years. Zhara knows she has magical abilities, and she wants to train and attune to the power, but in the world as it is, she must hide that part about herself to protect her blind younger sister and appease her cruel stepmother (sound like a somewhat familiar fairy tale?).

By happenstance, Zhara meets Han, someone who might be a bit of an important aspect to the Morning Realms. In a royal way. Through Han, Zhara learns about a magical liberation organization called the Guardians of the Dawn that seeks to not only save the targeted, hated magicians, but to find the truth in the legend of the spirits of the five elements, the true Guardians, as it were. While seeking a demon that might be responsible for turning the magicians of the area into monsters, Zhara finds she has a special ability that might just save the magicians. There is more to her magic than meets the eye, and she must take on a role she never expected.

While the Sailor Moon vibe was a draw, I didn't really feel that as much as I thought I would in this novel. I feel like it's almost more like Avatar: The Last Airbender, but with generic magicians and then five special elementals. I appreciate the author's note regarding gender, in which the gender is not revealed until a character identifies themself in some way, which relates to how many cultures treat gender outside of the U. S. The world is very vibrant and has a lot of promise. A great novel for fantasy lovers.

So I took the day to really think about this book. I did like it! I really liked the premise of the story and the world building. I loved the nod to Sailor Moon. I loved her since I was a child. I loved the horrific parts of the abominations. Showing us how terrifying they our. I think at that aspect may leaned itself to more adult YA, but ….. ok. I like the characters. I think they are fleshed out really well and I like their backstory on all of them, but I think they are acting a little naive in the way they act to each other. I think to keep it in the upper part of YA to almost adult, I think they would need to speak sincere and innocent at the same time. I think if that was fixed along with the awesomeness of the horror parts. I think I would have rated it better. Just let me reiterate. I did like the book. I just think something’s need to be looked at more closely. I will read the next book and can’t wait to see what happens. I want to thank S. Jae-Jones, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I really wanted to love this story, and overall it wasn't too bad! But if a story is marketed to me as a combination of Sailor Moon and Cinder, it has high expectations for me. And this sadly just didn't meet the mark.

Zhara herself was a wonderful character! I absolutely adored her and think she was the perfect representation of a teenage girl who has magical powers in a world where magicians are outlawed. She's funny, kind, compassionate, and loyal to a fault. She is everything!!

Where the story starts to fall flat for me is the prince's character. This book has a very juvenile sense of humor because of him; even though this is a YA novel, I don't think it should read like a middle school book. The prince is 17 years old and yet every time he sees or reads something suggestive he doesn't get it at first? Not plausible. I also said that I loved Zhara, and I did, but I absolutely HATED "the good-looking giggles" she got. It was so cringey to me.

I've seen some complaints of ableism as well for Zhara's sister, who is blind and sort of treated as a character who can't take care of herself. I definitely understand where those reviews are coming from, so I say look to them if you want proper blind character recs. I can only give my own two cents as someone who is legally blind without corrective lenses in that I didn't really find issue with her, because I know part of it is because of her character backstory of being so reliant on her mother and sister. But it is definitely something to know before getting into this story.

Overall, not terrible, but I don't think I will continue this series.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

It's really an enjoyable read! I think the battles and fights were pretty incredible and fun. I love Han and Xu's friendship sooo much. I think it's funny how the author managed to include BTS as Bangtan "Brothers" in this book

Magic was outlawed but that hasn’t stopped Jin Zhara from using her magic to survive after her father’s death. Left to be raised by a cruel stepmother and a younger sister with a disability, the family has fallen on hard times (Cinderella, anyone?). Between cleaning the house and working as an apothecary’s assistant, Zhara survives by reading romance books. So when the newest edition of a series she is reading becomes available she rushes to obtain a copy only to come into contact with a strange boy who is clearly in trouble and awakens her powers. From there she learns of a secret rebel organization, the Guardians of Dawn, and uses her powers to help stop a mysterious plague turning magicians into monsters.

OMG am I already looking forward to the next book in this series. Jae-Jones just made Cinderella feel new again. This book also uses the comparison of Sailor Moon and I will admit that reference is lost on me.

Zhara is feisty and yet submissive in the beginning and it somehow works but as she becomes more empowered . The book is witty and well-paced. The romance was inevitable and yet was still full of simmering tension and miscommunications. There were a number of reasons why they shouldn’t work but I rooted for them all the same.

In the absence of a shoe there’s a book that serves as a catalyst for it all. While I appreciate the nod to booklovers, I also thought the joke about the book became a bit stale after the 100th repetition. But honestly, that’s it. That’s the one negative I found because this book was an absolute treat to read. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC of this title.
This is the first book in a series following our main character Zhara who has the ability to use magic in a world where magicians are seen as abominations. She hides her magic and lives quietly, supporting her wicked stepmother and blind younger sister. All of that changes when demons begin attacking again as they did once long ago and Zhara is thrust into an adventure with the Guardians of Dawn in a plot full of magic and budding romance.
The book starts out with a meet cute between Zhara and Han that felt so reminiscent of a K drama and the rest of the book is really set up to be light and humorous. It was charming, lighthearted, and fun to read. The dialogue throughout the book was enjoyable, though definitely cheesy in that YA sort of way. Also if you're army (BTS fan) then you'll probably like this book! All of that aside the fantasy world itself was really beautiful and the magic system, while not super complex, was very enjoyable. Also important to note, there are nonbinary and lesbian characters that exist very casually in this world and it was great representation in my eyes.
It's a fast read, very fun read! Definitely give it a try.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for sending me an early copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

I was unsure for a while how I've felt about this book. On the one hand, the worldbuilding was amazing and so fresh. I loved learning about the magic system and understanding the history to the world. I loved the humor and the way that the characters were so relatable despite their magic. I really adored Zhara and watching her grow and understand the world along with me.

On the other hand, I felt like the impact was a little soft. It hasn't stayed with me the way I thought it would. It felt a bit too young at times, but also felt very slow at times, and I ended up feeling like it was far longer than it needed to be.

I did love the different kinds of representation, though! I loved the disability representation and the way it really works through feelings of being useless or a burden due to disability as well as the guilt that can come with injuries and accidents. I loved the nonbinary representation and the way it was so seamlessly integrated.

I definitely want to see where this series goes, and I hope other fantasy lovers will pick it up too!

Like a 2.5 rounded up.

Thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC!!

This books was a mishmash of a bunch of normal fantasy tropes and plots thrown together. It didn’t really give us a single new or inventive idea. 🤷‍♀️ That being said, it wasn’t terrible. Well… the first 25% was pretty bad. But after that, things remained decently steady and okay.

But that’s all this book was: just okay. Like I said, nothing new or interesting. Zhara was a naive and ignorant FMC. MMC was dumb as a box of rocks and every time someone made fun of his intelligence, I just groaned.

Honestly this book read like a middle grade book - some of the scenes were supposed to be funny and to a 10yo, maybe they would be. But idk, I want wit not stupid hilarity. And I think teens would likely agree with me. 🤷‍♀️

So no way am I reading more of this. Hahaha.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Books for providing an e-arc, and to Macmillan Audio for an alc in exchange for an honest review.
Guardians of Dawn: Zhara releases August 1, 2023

cw: physical abuse, ableism, starvation, body horror, underage drinking

- first in a series
- dual pov
- disabled character (blindness)
- magicians
- possession + monsters
- a persistent stray cat
- awkward yet endearing adolescent yearning

Zhara is an apothecary’s assistant, and has the ability to wield magic. She lives with her younger sister and stepmother after the death of her father.
On the day of the release of an anticipated romance book, Zhara stumbles across Han, the royal heir.
Amidst seeking out answers of his own at this bookshop, Han has the forethought to gift Zhara this new release, but instead, accidentally slips her his copy of a book about magic.
Through a series of events, we find out that Han’s younger brother also a magician, and that their late mother was part of a group called the guardians of the dawn, which is a secret society dedicated to magician liberation.

This was an interesting introduction to a new series, but I found it so painfully slow-paced, and it had a lot of repetition throughout.
It felt a little juvenile at times with things like the “good looking giggles.”
I’m hoping the next installments each focus on one of the remaining elemental guardians.

Just a little side note: I tandem read the e-arc and audio arc, which both varied slightly, so I’m unsure which version most accurately reflects the final copy.
Examples:
[e-arc] — “Beside him, Xu made a face, which was beautifully painted with makeup. “Don’t encourage him, please,” they begged.”
[audio arc] — “Beside him, Xu made a face. “Don’t encourage him, please,” they begged.” (which omits the part about makeup)

*Not commenting on the non-binary rep or any possibilities of misgendering, because again, between the two arcs I had, there were a lot of variations on where a given name or pronoun was placed.

I really wanted to enjoy this more than I did. Maybe my expectations were a little too high, but it took me quite a long time for me to even get through the first 25%, partly due to the writing style, but also partly pacing. While there were some moments that I liked and the idea of the world, I felt that it took a bit too long for me to really get interested. The romance and dynamic between Han and Zhara was cute in the innocent and young love kind of way, which I did enjoy. But I didn't really connect with the rest of the story as much as I wanted to, and felt there could've been a tad bit more depth between Han/Zhara. I think that the Sailor Moon/Cinder-esque vibes were kind of there, but not strong enough to my tastes. Zhara's reactions to her family were a bit too YA protag. for me.

I wish we got a little more plot here compared to the setup. My favorite parts were toward the end of the book, and I liked the plot twist. Though, I felt bad since I kiiiind of feel like the dynamic between Zhara and another character was a little more natural rather than Han, even if I like his role here. 🙈 I think I would still give the second book a chance, but it took me quite a bit to get into the writing style that it wouldn't be a priority for me.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review; all opinions are my own.

Genre: YA Fantasy, Asian Literature, Mythology, Asian Mythology, Romantic Fantasy, Sweet Romantasy
Sub-Genre: Romance Elements (slow burn)
Violence: Pretty low
Representation: Side characters are LGBTQ. Also in the author's note, she explains that when you first meet a person, one doesn't assume how they identify and are referred to as "they" until they gender themselves. I also had the impression this was to be more formal. She made choices based on her Korean and Chinese background.

There are definite Cinderella vibes to this novel.

There are so many things I enjoyed—I always love to see what's happening in Asian fantasy because I enjoyed a trip to Japan. This one has demons, monsters, and political unrest. I thought these elements worked well together.

Zhara is an interesting character because she's trying to live up to her dead father's and step-mother's expectations. She is also protective of her sister, which is a wonderful and deep relationship. (As you read, you'll understand what I mean.) Zhara has little expectations for her own life, but she begins to find hope. This is a key element in the novel.

Han's life has been dictated by his position and those over him. He also finds hope when he meets Zhara. He wants to protect his brother, and his best friend, Xu, is trying to get Han to his majority.

Zhara and Han have more in common than one might expect with their different stations. That's another thing I loved about this book: it shows more of a human condition rather than dwelling on status (though others might feel like that's important.

This is YA and it's accessible to younger teens. **SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT** Please skip this paragraph if you don't want any spoilers at all, but this one is not critical to the plot but possibly important for parents. *There is one thing that didn't ring right for me with it being YA—there are a couple of books than Han picks up that are pornographic. This is an opportunity for him to blush and be embarrassed. The titles are euphemisms that some teens won't even understand. It struck me as odd because this book is sweet in the romance department. No details are given with this or even a description of what a courtesan would do. I'm marking this down a star because of this non-congruency with the rest of the flavor of the book.*

That's the end of spoilers.

I do recommend this book for fans of Cinder and Six Crimson Cranes. There will be more in this series.

Happy reading!

PS: I absolutely adore this cover!

I really wanted to like this book and am a bit disappointed. The premise is a good one, but is poorly executed. Also, I'm not sure if it's the author's writing style (this is the first book by S. Jae-Jones I've read) or if she is trying to world build through how the dialogue feels, but it reads as a poor translation from another language into English. That is very jarring. It ruins the flow of the story and I can't "lose myself" in the story like I normally do when I read. Additionally there are repeated instances of odd word choice as if the author was utilizing a thesaurus to sound educated or prestigious but missed the mark.

I can see this book has a lot of potential, and I would have enjoyed it, but the writing style really didn't work for me. I found myself quickly zoning out due to this, which is why I decided to DNF. I had the same issue with Wintersong, so I think this author's writing just doesn't work well for me.

Plot : 6/10

The plot had no glaring issues, but it wasn't anything special either. In fact, it reminded me a lot of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amelie Wen Zhao; (a form of) magic is forbidden, a girl has a special capability for it, she encounters a secret society dedicated to preserving it and its history, which have been nearly eradicated by invading forces, only to find out an ancient evil is waking up and must be battled. There were plenty of things distinguishing them, but it just stuck in my mind while reading this how...unoriginal the plot was.

I will say there were a couple of twists at the end that took me by surprise, but for the most part the plot moved sort of aimlessly and predictably. Even the twists I mentioned sort of had no lasting effect on the plot; betrayals were forgiven and mistakes were mended with seemingly no consequences.

The worldbuilding concerning specifically the magic of this world was probably the most compelling part of this book. Zhara's powers are very intriguing, and I feel like enough is given in this book while still preserving a lot of information for future installments. However, the actual worldbuilding, as in the physical world around them, is pretty underdeveloped. I can't get a grasp on the political situation, and many other lands are mentioned but they are rarely elaborated upon. I wish some of the time Han spent pining after Zhara was replaced with the actual details of his position. Also, there was one thing in particular that absolutely ruined my immersion that I will discuss more in my writing section.

Characters: 5/10

Zhara is a character with a lot of potential, but she isn't really properly developed in this book. She is obviously plagued by insecurities and in a constant state of fear thanks to her upbringing, but it seems that we often lose focus on that thanks to the unending focus on the romance. Han...honestly just holds no interest for me. I initially thought he was sweet, and he is, but he has very little depth. He cares for his little brother and Zhara, and he's ridiculously ignorant/innocent, and that's it.

Which brings me to the romance which, while very cute, was sickeningly so. While there is technically a period of some mutual pining, this feels very like instalove in that there are almost instant romantic feelings and then it feels like all either of them can focus on. I'd probably be more invested in their relationship if it weren't everything anyone ever talked about. If they didn't prioritize it over much more important things. If Zhara and Han didn't forget about major occurrences in their lives in favor of developing their relationship. It was just very frustrating.

As for the side characters, they were one-dimensional. Xu is flirtatious and almost motherly to Han, Jiyi is cold and grumpy, the adults are there to...lore dump? I felt virtually nothing concerning any of them. Except maybe Sajah. That's the cat. I will also note that there is disability rep in this book; Zhara has a stutter and her stepsister, Suzhan, is partially blind, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'm not disabled, but it felt wrong that they are belittled for their disabilities all throughout the book—and often thought less of themselves for it—just for Suzhan to have one throwaway line about accepting herself and Zhara to...never mention it again? I don't know, it doesn't sit right with me.

Writing Style: 3/10

Oh, dear, the writing. Now, Jae-Jones gave a very nice explanation of their use of language in this book at the very beginning, one I very much appreciated. It made me a lot more forgiving of the use of terms like "masquerade ball" which feels very western for an East Asia-inspired world. However, it doesn't change that this writing feels like it's meant for a middle grade audience at best. The content is obviously meant for YA, but the actual writing feels very juvenile. For example, Zhara is afflicted with Good-Looking Giggling where she uncontrollably giggles around attractive people. Not to mention the truly insane amount of suggestive jokes throughout the whole book. It was just weird to read.

And then we get to the most egregious offense of the book that completely ruined my immersion. The Bangtan Brothers. Now for those of you who don't know, popular kpop group BTS is also known as Bangtan Sonyeondan (it translates to Bulletproof Boy Scouts). At first I thought this was a throwaway joke to be mentioned once as a little inside joke, but no. BTS—sorry, the Bangtan Brothers, are active members of the Guardians of Dawn who are supposed to help Zhara escape the city. There are multiple, obvious references to the real world BTS, and it got painful to read. As an ARMY, it was without a doubt the worst part of the book.

Overall: 5/10

While this review has been primarily negative, this book is not irredeemable. The plot is unoriginal but not nonsensical or boring, the magic is super interesting, and Zhara has a lot of potential as a character. However, most of the characters are one-dimensional and uncompelling and the writing is...not good. I was pretty disappointed by this read, which sucks because I think it had a lot of potential. Feel free to give this book a try, but I don't recommend it.

The writing style of this really took me by surprise, and made it difficult for me to connect. It felt like I was reading an anime script, or a video game script, or some other visual media where the MC needs to vocalize their thoughts out loud. It was definitely really different, but in the end not for me. I think that true to the description, people who enjoy Sailor Moon would love this. It definitely had that style.

I did like the MC and their development throughout the story. The world was interesting and I could definitely picture it, I just had a hard time with the dialog of her interacting with the world and other characters.