4.5/5 ⭐️

I don’t know where to begin, there’s so much I loved about this one. Let’s start with my favourite character- Han, the MMC. This is not your average smooth-talking, smirking, sulking, brooding, talks like he’s been alive since the dawn of time fantasy hero, this is… an awkward teenage boy who actually acts like a teenager, with a heart of gold and a mind full of bad poetry. It’s refreshing. The same can be said of Zhara herself, yes she’s got powers and she has to save the civilians of the city as heroes do, but she still acts like a teenage girl, albeit one who’s been through a lot and has had to grow/toughen up faster due to her circumstances. The Sailor Moon/Cinder influence is clear, and will feel nostalgic to fans of either/both series. Those who aren’t familiar with the mentioned series’ but like fairytale elements will appreciate the fairytale-ish threads woven in here. I wasn’t expecting this to be so funny but it was a complete riot that had me cracking up. If you also appreciate comedy and some silliness in your books you’ll love this cast of characters and their banter. Also, I just have to mention, BTS exists in this world. As a theatre troupe. Yeah. And they also… I’ll let you find out when this title releases on August 1st! Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really looking forward this this one, but unfortunately it was not for me and I was not able to finish. The plot is a really interesting one and I was so intrigued, but the main female character and the dialogue were difficult to enjoy. Zhara went back and forth between giggling every time she interacted with Han to making jokes about pornography to him and it just felt really awkward. I felt like this book wasn’t sure if it wanted to be a middle grade novel or a YA one. Which, either choice is fine, but one needed to be made. I wish I would have enjoyed it more, but it missed the mark for me.

This was a cute, fun read that I enjoyed a bit more than I expected.
Despite rehashing a number of well used tropes - main character hiding her magic, she will be one to help save her people, oppressed by a wicked stepmother, misunderstandings due to miscommunications and a prince who was so sheltered as to be overly comical (His best friend constantly despairing of getting him to his majority did make me laugh though, especially as Prince Han's adventures still managed to leave him fairly naïve).
And yet, despite all this the Zhara and Han's relationship delighted me. They were sweet and naïve together, their intentions always well meaning and true.

If I have to have one major complaint it was how they always managed to travel all around (to a volcano and back!) with no one noticing the heir was missing! Was this just a really tiny kingdom, or did no one really care where the prince wandered off to?

This book is described as “Sailor Moon meets Cinder” and it could not be more spot on. There’s magic, a royal in disguise, undiscovered power, a dark force on the rise, and a feline companion. The world is inspired by a blend of Asian cultures (as a Korean American, I appreciated the cultural nuances and Easter eggs I don’t often experience in fantasy). It was fun but I will say it reads far younger than you might expect. The dialogue felt a little exaggerated and awkward, including lots of uncontrollable giggling, blushing, and thinking out loud. Which isn’t too different than watching an episode of Sailor Moon haha. I do wish they didn’t make the characters so clueless at times. But if you’re feeling nostalgic for some goofy interactions, a shy romance, and fighting demons, you might enjoy this one.

I did love Sailor Moon but reading juvenile dialogue isn’t my favorite. Overall, it was an easy read. The cover art is gorgeous and I’m excited to see what one of the subscription boxes does with it!

Thank you @stmartinspress @wednesdaybooks @netgalley for this ARC im exchange for an honest review!

I feel like I've hit a bit of a wall with enjoying the books I've read recently, but this book was a fun and fast paced read.

The way the author used English to mimic how characters would have spoke in other languages was so interesting and gave it a unique quality. The magic system, while similar to others I've read about, still felt different than what I've read before.

I loved that both Zhara and Han had younger siblings that they were fighting to protect. And Xu! I loved Xu, they are probably my favorite character with Yuli coming in close second. Even though there was a romantic subplot with Zhara and Han, the friendship between them and Xu and Jiyi and eventually Yuli felt genuine and just as important as the romance. And the inclusion of queer characters was a delightful surprise.

The writing was a bit repetitive at times, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley, Wednesday Books, and S. Jae-Jones for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara has an interesting premise. With magic forbidden in the world, Zhara must hide her own abilities. When she meets Han, who poses as a young scholar, she quickly becomes part of a bigger world as she must find the Guardians of the Dawn, an organization that helps magicians in this world.

With this book, S. Jae-Jones provides plenty of fresh takes and unique stylistic choices. I personally really enjoyed the use of the they/them pronoun rather than immediately gendering a character; this reflects the nuances of the Korean language, something that I am intimately familiar with. Another aspect of this book that I particularly enjoyed was the dialogue between the characters. I found the quick banter to be witty and humorous, and they often brought a smile to my face. Overall, the world-building was strong and thought-provoking, and left me curious for more.

However, I also found it a bit difficult to connect with the characters and the story. I found the pacing of the plot to be a bit slow for my own taste, which led to me feeling that the characters were a bit flatter than I had initially expected. I think that if I had picked this book up years ago, I would have absolutely fallen in love with it.

For any readers who are fans of young-adult and fantasy, this is certainly the perfect book for you!

First and foremost. I’m for sure one of those readers that 75% of the time will pick up a book based on its cover and this cover is first sure a favorite. It’s stunning and makes you wanna know what this book is about.
Magic flickers. Love flames. Chaos reigns. Magic is forbidden throughout the Morning Realms.
Magicians are called abomination, and blamed for the plague of monsters that razed the land twenty years before.
From the first couple pages of this book I could tell i was going to like it. Zhara is for sure a fierce narrator with a love for her sister warmed my heart. Same things with Han with his brother. The love of siblings seems like a recurring theme and I love that.
Probably one of the best parts of this book is Han’s best friend, Xu. Had me cracking up with their comebacks and commentary on Han’s infatuation with Zhara. And Sajah the cat, for sure is a standout character. I know I know it’s a cat but that cat makes an impression.
This book for sure captures your imagination as it goes on. From the characters to the mythology that the author has spun. I for sure was hooked from the first page.
After finishing this book, I knew for sure that this is a Book I would highly recommend to a good friend it was fantastic, enthralling, and just one beautiful ride.
Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for a ARC of this book in exchange for a honest r review.

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

3.5 stars!

I was drawn to Zhara because of the Sailor Moon comps and because it sounded fun, and in these regards I don’t think the book disappointed. It wasn’t quite what I expected but I still enjoyed it!

Zhara is a (secret) magician who lives with her stepmother (who sucks) and her stepsister (who she loves and also has a slightly complicated relationship with). In the recent past, the Morning Realms have more or less exterminated magicians—including Zhara’s father—from their lands in part because those with magic run the risk of demonic possession. Still, there are rumors that the monsters are returning, but all Zhara wants to do is figure out how to survive living in her stepmother’s dilapidated home and also get the latest romance serial. What she gets instead is an accidental encounter with Han, who is posing as a university scholar, and knowledge of the Guardians of the Dawn, a grassroots organization to help magicians.

As I get older I find that YA doesn’t connect as often, and at first I was kind of concerned that Zhara would fall into this—it reads much younger than I’m used to, though when I read YA it’s usually in the “upper YA” range. Still, Sailor Moon is a comp for this and while at first I raised an eyebrow at the humor in this, I quickly found that it’s all very reminiscent of the shojo and shonen manga/anime I grew up watching—like, do you remember the pervy sage jokes in Naruto? Or Kakashi reading his adult novels during training? It’s like that—and readjusted my expectations for a smidgen younger approach. I do think this ultimately made for a more enjoyable read, especially since in many ways this felt nostalgic to me.

I liked the characters in this even if I did, at times, find them a bit immature—again, I think this is joyful and it’s clearly a love letter to the author’s younger self. Zhara and Han were fun (and both similar to Usagi) and the supporting cast was interesting, too. Still, I think that for many the humor and characterization won’t work or will read too young and immature. This isn’t really a bad thing, and I do feel like the Sailor Moon comp is super accurate and Jae-Jones understood the vibe quite well, but I think if you allow yourself to indulge in the adventure it’ll pay off. It’s fun! It’s cute! If I was 14, I’d eat this up in a heartbeat!

Zhara wasn’t a perfect hit for me—the pacing was a smidgen too fast and it did take me a little bit to adjust to the fact it’s younger in tone than I usually read—but ultimately I did like it and have fun with it and I want to continue reading the series. I don’t quite think this will work for everyone but if you do think it sounds like you’d be interested, I’d definitely say it’s worth picking up.

Zhara is struggling to appease her cruel stepmother, care for her blind sister, and hide her magic. She bumps into Han and learns the Guardians of Dawn might be real, a group dedicated to saving and protecting magicians. But not all magicians are good. Some turn into monsters…

I struggled to get into a flow with this one. There was a fair amount of interesting world-building, lore, and scene-setting, but slow progress on the plot. Around the 25% mark, after the separate dangers to Zhara and Han had been clearly established, their paths converged in a good action scene, allowing them to begin their journey forward with the Guardians of Dawn, but unfortunately things slowed down again after.

I liked that Zhara and Han both had people in their corner right away—Xu and Teacher Hu—to bring some light and hope.

I wanted to explore Zhara’s powers sooner. Her agency was still limited in the middle of the book and I wanted to see her break free and take more action.

Han had some good qualities—his protectiveness of his brother was something I could get behind—but it was difficult to continue to root for him when it felt like his ignorance and naïveté was supposed to be a source of humor, something others indulged or were amused by.

The calm romantic scenes were nicely done, but the flirtatious moments that devolved into one of them giggling, or wanting to giggle, stalled the progress I was making getting pulled into the characters.

Overall, this was an interesting magical world, but I struggled to dive deeply into the characters and love them.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC.

This was DELIGHTFUL. Absolute pure joy. I loved the Cinderella framework, the Asian mythology, the characters, the many amazing nods to Wintersong, the inclusivity and representation, and the adorable romance. Han is such a cinnamon roll himbo and he was PRECIOUS. Zhara is such a beautiful soul who cares so much. And the rest of the cast like Xu, Yuli, and Teacher Ho were fantastic.
I’m so happy that this had a great conclusion to the story while perfectly setting up the next book (I’m thinking Beauty & the Beast?)

“You were looking at the books on display with…longing.[…] And it pierced me to my soul.[…] It was your wanting that made you beautiful to me. Your desire made the world bigger with possibility”

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a requested copy to review. All opinions are my own.

Screaming, crying, this might be my favourite fantasy romance of this year 😭

💫 Cinnamon roll x 100 MMC, and a very sweet + very badass FMC
💫 The swooniest romance, their friends to lovers romance was so wholesome
💫 Cinderella retelling vibes
💫 The magic system and the plot were so good? I mean, this book had the perfect balance of developing the fantasy world + the past wars and prejudices against magic-wielders, and of building the current crisis and the plot to solve it. The character developments and the plot developments were happening on par with each other, and it was an amazing reading experience
💫 The. Found. Family. AHHH. This was one of the best aspects of this book okay 😭 the friendships, the bickering, the flirting, the joint efforts + uplifting each other, everything was perfect, and so was every character 😭 I wanna be part of this friend group okay
💫 The ending!! It was such a cute hea ❤️ I think this series might be a set of interconnected standalones? I'm so excited to read the next ones (and hopefully see these characters again too?)

TWs - constant domestic abuse (physical and emotional) by alcoholic parent, death of parent, absentee parent, murder

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

I was immediately drawn to this book because of the cover art. I haven't watched Sailor Moon, so I can't comment on the Sailor Moon vibes. But I immediately recognized the Cinder/Cinderella inspiration.

I hoped this would be a great read but was left feeling meh. It felt slow, all over the place, and I don't feel like they ever really explained the magic. Maybe I missed it?

I wasn't excited to pick it up and finish it but finished it because I felt I had to. I do hope the next in the series is better.

Thank you, NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Taken from Instagram*

This was a fun, magical, and elemental Cinderella-retelling like adventure! 🔥

So the book was pitched as Cinder meets Sailor Moon, but I have to admit that I’ve neither read nor watched either of these. 😅

But! I thought the Cinderella feel to it was prevalent enough to see how Zhara is constantly verbally and emotionally abused by her stepmother, and I felt so bad for her and her stepsister’s relationship by the end of the novel. I hope they’ll be able to get past their differences by the end of the series. 💗

Han was hilarious to me. I never thought I’d enjoy such a himbo character in a story like this, but it works so well. Xu was also so sweet to constantly help out their friend, even though I can see it’s driving them to the end of their wits. And Yuli, she was probably the favorite of the bunch for me. I loved her quips at Han and her flirts with other women in the novel. I can’t wait to see more of her in the second book! 🌬️

The magical elements were intertwined with a fascinating alternate reality of Asia and the conquest of the Mongols. I thought Jae-Jones did a great job mixing our world history with her fantastical land, and am very intrigued to see where she takes the story in the second book. 🦄👑

Overall, fun read with a great bunch of characters! Thank you again to NetGalley, Wednesday Books and S Jae-Jones for sending me an eARC to read and review honestly. It was definitely an enjoyable ride (even if I kept fudging the name of the group to be the Guardians of the Galaxy in my head)!🦁

Overall: 4/5 ⭐️

As someone who grew up loving Sailor moon I can definitely see the inspiration and truly wish this came out sooner! It was such a fun read and the characters were really fleshed out and you can tell how much time the author has put in the world building. Can’t wait to read the next book!

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara, written by S. Jae-Jones, is a captivating and mythical fantasy adventure that transports readers to a world of magic, danger, and ancient prophecies. This enthralling novel weaves together elements of mythology, intricate world-building, and complex characters to create an immersive reading experience that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the next installment.

This story has excellent Sailor Moon vibes which I really loved which other reviewers have mentioned. Its magical and keeps you sucked in until the very end.

So I truly did love the beginning of the book. I thought the pacing was great and the premise was very interesting. The characters seemed to have lots of potential in terms of growth and development. About 35% in I started lagging and couldn’t find myself wanting to pick it up. I took a break and read something else and then got back into it and made it to 60%. I don’t know what lakebed but the pacing was suddenly off and the characters seemed to just have the same defining characteristics that didn’t add much to the story. I understand it’s YA and that they’re allowed to be young and innocent so that’s not entirely the issue. It was like everything was slow in terms of plot but also like world building info dump which was difficult to get through.
I chose to DNF it seeing as it wasn’t really catching my interest anymore.

Thank you for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I read an eARC of Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martins Press.

I think comparing this to Sailor Moon doesn’t quite set the right tone. Think of this more as the setup to a magical girl book series with the Cinderella twist for romantic spice.

This book has a lot to do. It not only has characters to set up, but an entire world that we’ll be working within for whatever happens next in the series. Through this story, we get to know Zhara, our Cinderella, who keeps the house for her stepmother and sister working and also makes all the money in the house from the apothecary. She feels compelled to do this as she is a magician, something she’s been since birth, but that is condemned by her government, as magicians can be overtaken by demons and become abominations. Things that destroy and kill everything around them. When she was little, her stepmother hid Zhara away when the Kestrels came to execute her father. Zhara also feels guilt as when she was younger, an accident with her magic since she was never trained, left her stepsister blind.

Zhara one day runs into a handsome student whom she gets the “Good looking giggles” for when she’s waiting to see the new volume of her favorite romance serial. Unable to buy the serial herself, the handsome stranger buys it for her, but switches it with the book he bought instead. A book that turns to be all about magic. A book Zhara wants to learn from, but a book that should have been destroyed years ago with all the magicians.

Later, when the student sneaks back into the Palace, it turns out he bought the student clothes and is actually a prince. He bought the book to hopefully teach his brother so that his little brother won’t be found out by anyone in the castle, as the Prince’s own mother was executed for being a magician when the Prince was young.

On another day, looking for a little lost boy. Zhara finds him, but he feels strange to her magic, and after some cryptid words, turns into an abomination. During the fight, in which the Prince joins, Zhara is covered in fire and somehow reverts the boy back to his original form, and he is no longer possessed, a feat not seen since the Fire Guardian.

This book is thick with information and plot. At some points, it does drag its feet a little, and you might want to wait until the second book is out if you want to really enjoy the story as it is. There are points I love where there is long conversations about the history, plot, and magical system of the book, which I love, but can be overwhelming to others.

The writing style is easily accessible, and can seem juvenile at times, though to me that just adds to the magical girl feel of the book. It also weaves in modern-day references, one is about a popular boy band, but once again, while that is a little cringe, it’s also right on the nose for magical girl stories and the genre.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with this book and am looking forward to sequels.

I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I want to start off this review by stating that I really enjoyed this book. There were, however, some things that I did not love as much as the rest of the book, and therefore I rate it 4/5. I will go more into depth about those later.

Zhara is a really enjoyable character. She’s sweet and works hard, but it’s clear from the start that there’s more depth to her and that she regrets some of the things she’s done in the past. I feel like this was a very good introduction to her as a character, and she develops well throughout the story.

The other characters, however, lacked that depth that Zhara has. Han is mainly introduced by his broad body, and even when we are first introduced to his character’s point of view, the focus seems to remain on that and not much else. At the same time, however, Han seems to be fully unaware of his appearance and his good looks, even though it’s very apparent that he spends a lot of time on training his body for aesthetics.

The story was good! Although it leans a bit on some typical YA tropes, I still really enjoyed the process of learning about the monsters plaguing the world and learning at the same pace as Zhara herself did. The pacing of the book is just right. It manages to keep your interest at all times with enough action, but also not to the point where you are completely overwhelmed and some funny moments in between.

What stood out most to me in this book was the writing. The story reads easily, but the author includes a note at the start of Zhara that introduces their way of introducing unknowing characters. This felt very refreshing, as she uses gender neutral terms and pronouns for strangers until their gender is explicitly stated. The way they do this feels so natural as well, it’s not as if the character straight up states “Oh btw, I’m a boy”, but instead it is mentioned in casual flowing conversation, without it standing out. I also loved the inclusion of Xu as a non-binary character.

An honourable mention to the Bangtan Brothers. Every time they were mentioned I was laughing out loud.

Thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC!

This book was sold to me as Sailor Moon Meets Cinder and those are two properties I adore!

Does it meet up with those expectations? Absolutely! This is a world where magic is forbidden but don't worry there's plenty of FORBIDDEN magic! I do have to warn that there's some body horror here.

First off I will say that the tag line of cinder meets sailor moon sold me on this book as those are two of my favorite things. I will just say this lives up to it. I absolutely adore this book. I don't want to give too much away but it has everything, action, romance, some mystery, a touch of body horror, lots of magic. The world building is great and fed to you in small amounts and not just dumped at once. The characters are great and likeable, they also play off each other very well. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a ya book full of fun, magic, and adventure.