I enjoyed this novel and the characters. I thought their world was very well thought out. My favorite character has to be Xu. They were just fun to read. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but sometimes I felt the pacing was a bit slow. I wanted things to pick up.

TW: ableism, body horror, child abuse, death, death of a loved one, emotional abuse, grief, homophobia, injury/injury detail, misgendering, physical abuse, possession, religious bigotry, transphobia, violence, vomit.

A promising concept that I believe isn't being marketed correctly.

This is - beyond anything else - a fantasy comedy, with a very juvenile sense of humor. I don't mean that because it's YA, I'm mocking it for being juvenile; I mean that the humor is literally that of a twelve year old boy's. From the prince (aged 17) that is so sheltered that it's a running joke that he reads porn and doesn't understand what it's saying, to the main character giggling every time she sees someone attractive - this was a book that wanted so badly to be amusing, that it completely failed to keep me invested.

There were good aspects, such as the world-building and what could have been an engaging plot, but they were heavily overshadowed by the rest of the story. I struggled with the writing style as many of the descriptions were jarring and at times made little sense. The character quirks were mentioned so frequently and were so... intense that it just constantly confirmed how much I hated the characters themselves. Most of the story seems to drag and then when things do happen, they happen so quickly and are quickly forgotten. (I.e. a character witnesses something horrifying that closely relates to them, and that night is flirting with another character.)

I also felt like the LGBT and disabled rep in this book bordered on severely offensive, more than once, but as I am not a member of either of those communities, I can't truly speak on it. However, I will say that there is a non-binary character (only uses they/them pronouns) that gets misgendered by the text near the end of the story. As I'm reading an ARC, I hope that this is caught and fixed before the final version is released.

I hate being negative about ARCs because ultimately, I'm grateful for the chance to read them and I also don't want to make it sound like I want an unreleased book to fail. There are definitely readers that will love this story, but I feel like it's a more specific demographic than they are currently aiming this book at.

All in all, though this didn't work for me, it had so much potential and I'm truly sad that I struggled so much with it. I hope that it finds the right readers that love it for the same quirks that made me want to give up on reading for a few months lol.

DNF 30%

I had high expectation on this book, the cover looks so magical and the blurb is very intriguing. But sadly the book has left me disappointed. The pacing was very slow that I found myself being easily distracted. And there was this group that I believed was inspired by real Korean public figures, the author didn't even bother to alter the group name. In my opinion not all readers are Korean Idol avid fans, so putting real life persons into a book that will be widely distributed to large markets is really risky.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

📚 𝙂𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘿𝙖𝙬𝙣𝙨: 𝙕𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖
✍️ S. Jae-Jones
💬 English

Honestly, this book is one of my most wanted-to-read books among all my TBRs. The story itself is about Zhara, a young girl who has magic in a world where magic is banned. Zhara has a love for romance novels that leads her to meet Han, a mysterious young man. The two eventually get closer, unravel mysteries involving magic, demons and the secret of their past.

The author says that this book was inspired by anime, and I can say that she did a good job. However, as an anime lover, I didn't connect with the characters.

First, the names in this book were a mix of Chinese and Korean. That's fine, but the names of the characters in fantasy books usually represent the culture that the author chose to tell. The mixed names made me a little confused to imagine the world building presented, including the clothes worn, facial features and so on.

Secondly, Jin Zhara was a bland main character. Zhara was very skeptical, especially about her powers. She questioned everything but she denied the answers. She was also very insecure and easily tricked, a combination that made my head explode. Han, on the other hand, was over confident prince. Narcisstic even. He was bubbly, love poems, and hate physical activity (not your boyfie material but still he was so extra). Xu was a genderfluid, but I pictured him as male instead because of the vibes he provided. Of these 3 characters, Xu was the most appealing. He was responsible, humorous and sometimes careless.

Third, this will cause uproar. Disclaimer: I do not hate Kpop Idols (in fact, I enjoy their music) but, puting Kpop Idols as a semi-canon in a commercial fantasy novel is not a wise move. This book did that and the everything feel cringe-worthy afterward. Plus, it turned out that this character played a pretty important role at the end, which easily distracted me from the main plot. Left me with a big whoof.

The whole book is divided into 3 parts. And each parts served different focus, which is good.

Did I generally enjoy this book? Yes. Only until the second part.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for providing me with this digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest review.

#nyunreads

In a fun mashup of Sailor Moon and Cinder, Zhara follows our title character, Jin Zhara, as she grapples with her destiny to become the Guardian of Fire and save the world from demons. There's whimsy, adventure, and a bit of fluffy romance with a prince in disguise.

Zhara is a very loose retelling of Cinderella, complete with an evil stepmother and some very nice shoes. And in the vein of Cinder by Marissa Meyer (minus the sci-fi elements), the writing is bright, adventurous, and full of heart. Set against a backdrop of fantasy East Asia, there are even the in-world equivalent of Korean webnovels and kpop boy bands. The plot isn't particularly exciting in that it's straightforward and predictable at times, but it's still a fun ride until the very end.

It's fun, it's cute, and it's full of some nice casual diversity. Yulana and Xu are the best parts of this book, and I hope to see more of them in the rest of the series.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a digital copy of this book. I wish I had more time to read all the books I requested through NetGalley but at the moment I have a job. It’s really hard to read when you go from no job to a very public, and new, job!

Zhara - Guardians of the Dawn no. 1 is now on my to buy list when it comes out. It’s so much fun to read and takes you on a spell binding adventure!

Jin Zhara is our protagonist that we follow in this book. In her world, magic is outlawed and also being targeted by the blight. Yet this means for her, not only does she have a target on her back for wielding magic but also she might have to worry about this blight thing. Which if a magic welder befalls this blight, they get turned into monsters.

What’s more, Jin Zhara has caught the eye of a prince who absolutely does not like his royal title at all and also has an even heavier responsibility on his head. His younger brother is able to wield magic and keeps having nightmares of a demonic toad. It’s his job to make sure that his younger brother is protected since he promised his mother that he would do so.

What happens when they meet? Well she gets the giggles and he finds her adorable. Yet at the same time, both times they meet there is utter chaos happening. Read the book to enjoy the chaotic mess that happens and also to enjoy the way our prince is left pining for Zhara.

I unfortunately did not get to finish this book due to how busy life became for me, but I thoroughly recommend this book. I’m sure if I had more time I would have read this book within a week.

The only thing that might deter people from reading this book is the magic and world building that happens within the first hundred pages. It’s a bit info dumpy there. Yet if you pay attention, you’ll see some references to modern pop culture. Specifically for a certain kpop fandom- your boys “BTS” make an appearance as the Bangtan Brothers.

I promise it’s worth powering through the first hundred pages!

i really liked this! i appreciated the world building and zhara's character, but i think i was hoping for more with the 'plague' elements. nonetheless, this reminds me very much of classic YA fantasies, and it was really comforting and fun to read!

I recently finished Zhara by S. Jae-Jones and I found it to be an enjoyable read. The book follows the story of Zhara, a young girl who lives in a world where magic is forbidden. She must navigate the dangers of this world as she tries to learn about her own magical abilities.

However, while I did enjoy the book, I couldn't shake the feeling that this would have been a book I would have enjoyed more when I was younger. While the story was engaging and well-written, it lacked some of the depth and complexity that I look for in books now that I'm older.

Overall, "Zhara" is a solid book that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys young adult fiction. While it may not be as satisfying for older readers, I can see it being a beloved favorite for younger readers who are just starting to explore the genre. I would give this book a solid 4 stars.

I absolutely loved everything about this. I loved the humor, the romance, the magic, the horror, the mystery, the drama! I have zero complaints. I love our himbo of a prince, our adorable very Sailor Moon-esque protagonist, I love our warrior princess and our exhausted bff of the prince just trying to keep the idiot alive. Every character was so great, every moment of this story is so fun. I just loved it. It's exactly my kind of story and gives me exactly what I want.

To start off, the characters were amazing! All of them were so well thought out and creative. Each with their own quirks and interests, and it got to the point where I loved hearing about Xu and Han. The magic was creative in its own right and had a very interesting system, which I won't spoil at all, but it helped craft a new world that I wanted to see and hear more about. Which, luckily, the author expands on within the story. Also, I have to give a shout out to the none binary and queer representation in any book! Highly recommended, and will be purchasing a hard copy as well when the book releases!

"Zhara" by S. Jae Jones is a captivating and fantastical tale that takes readers on a journey through a beautifully imagined world filled with magic and mystery. The story centers around Zhara, a young woman who lives in a society where magic is outlawed, and magicians are hunted and executed.

Jones's writing is lush and evocative, bringing the vivid world of Zhara to life in all its splendor and complexity. The plot is intricate and full of surprises, as Zhara navigates the perilous waters of love, while battling her own inner demons.

With its intricate world-building, complex characters, and engaging plot, this book is a must-read for anyone looking for a fresh and original take on the genre.

Overall, "Zhara" is a gripping and emotionally resonant read that will appeal to fans of Sailor Moon, Cinder, or those interested in fantasy and magic. Jones's masterful world-building, complex characters, and engaging plot make this a standout story that is not to be missed. Highly recommended.

The premise of this book sounded intriguing, and I was excited to try this one. Overall, this one was okay for me, the pacing was slow at times which made it hard for me to hold my focus and get into the story. There is a large cast of characters to keep track of and a complex magical system that is explained. While I did not enjoy this as much as I was hoping too, I'm glad I got the opportunity to read this book.

First, thank you NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and S. Jae Jones for an E-Galley of this book.

Jae-Jones has created a lush world that wonderfully combines fairy tales & magical girls (e.g., Sailor Moon). If you're a fan of either or both, you'll almost certainly enjoy this novel. If you're a fan of the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, you'll probably enjoy this as well!

The lush style of writing really allows for her characters to really come to life and feel at home within this Asian inspired fantasy. The struggles Zhara experiences with her newfound power, her complicated relationship with her stepmother and cute boys is refreshing. The topics covered are darker but presented in a lighter way good for YA readers. The rest of the cast are all charming and loveable, great himbo (lol) and LGBT representation. Also the BTS cameo made me laugh out loud.

There are some characters I was really hoping would get a bit more development (especially after one of them receives devastating news) but sadly this doesn't occur in this book, however I hope they will return in the next books in the series!
Now, for the one thing I didn't like: there are characters who start monologuing, for like, a while, to provide Zhara with exposition she wouldn't have otherwise. While I would agree it makes sense to provide information like this sometimes, it just happened a bit too much for my liking.

Regardless, I overall really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the sequel!!

I adored the story, the world building was amazing. I love meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it. The writing was also really nice. I couldn't put the book down and I can't wait for others to read and enjoy this story as well.

I really enjoyed this book! This is my first novel from y S. Jae-Jones, and I'm excited to read her backlist. The atmosphere in this was impecible, this a book really just takes off from the first few pages and doesn’t stop. This is a worthy addition to any library or collection!

ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I think I went into this book with too-high expectations. The synopsis gave me a different idea of the book. I didn't see how anything in this was like Sailor Moon, beyond reincarnation. And comparing it to Cinder is also weird since that is a Sci-fi retelling of Cinderella. I did see aspects of Cinderella in this book though.

All that aside, this book was far too slow paced in my opinion. It took several chapters for this book to get its legs.
The characters felt, for lack of a better word, generic. I had no idea the two main characters, Zhara and Han, were supposed to be 18 or nearly 18. When Han's age was mentioned I was shocked. I thought he was supposed to be 16 at the oldest. I know with how popular YA books are, a large part of the audience who reads them is older than the target age. However, he did not behave like someone who was almost 18. There could be an argument about him being sheltered, and the same for Zhara, but it didn't seem believable to me that they were that age.

The magic system was a little confusing as well., it didn't have the depth that I prefer. I am a huge fan of elemental magic, but the magic in this book felt a little "bare bones" to me.
There was also a reference to a K-pop group, and while I listen to and love K-pop, it took me out of the story when it was mentioned. I dislike when pop culture is referenced in Contemporary books, so when it happens in fantasy, I like it even less.

There are things in this book I know readers will love, there was just a lot that didn't work for me.

I love S. Jae-Jones and will read anything she ever has to write. I have been dying to get my hands on a copy of Guardians of Dawn: Zhara since August 2019, before it had a title or cover, merely a concept. And can I say - those four years of pining were not wasted!

With Guardians of Dawn Jae-Jones delivers an epic fantasy adventure that lives up to its' promise. Combining Asian folklore and Sailor Moon fanfiction seamlessly, Jae-Jones weaves an enchanting and unforgettable tale of adventure, friendship, love, sisterhood, and self-discovery. I was moved, amused, thrilled - talk about entertainment! So atmospheric, with lush descriptions and in-depth characters. A truly commendable work of fiction.

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara is going to be the YA fantasy of the summer, take it from me now! Pre-order your copy and don't miss out!

Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and S. Jae-Jones for the ARC and allowing me this opportunity to read and share my thoughts!

“The world is dangerous,” Zhara said softly. “And I don’t want to survive; I want to thrive.”


➤Plot

Magic is forbidden within the Morning Realms, anyone who is found out to be a magician is executed. Zhara's father was killed and she is also a magician. Trying to merely get by each day with taking care of her step mother and blind sister, she became used to that routine. Until she meets a young scholar, and introduces her to an organization called Guardians of Dawn who try to help magicians live and find a cure for magicians turning into monsters.

I have seen a lot of people excited for this book because the summary reads "Sailor Moon meets Cinder" and I was also excited for a story that made me have the same feelings that Sailor moon gave me! Sadly... I did not get those feelings and couldn't really see why Sailor Moon was the pick to compare it to. I did see the Cinder/Cinderella connections but I was expecting way more from the story because of the Sailor Moon mention, which led me a little disappointed.

The story is a fine read! S. Jae-Jones only refers to characters by names until you get to know them as a way to incorporate Korean language structure and culture of the characters. I thought that was a very neat way to go about it.

However, I found myself not truly being able to visualize the characters in action scenes because I didn't know what they looked like. I knew their name and personality but I could not see their face. This made it hard to really get engrossed into the story. I think if they took more time to describe the characters appearance it would of added a lot to the story and helped with scenes.


➤Characters

The characters were the real highlight of this story! The only two that I found myself rolling my eyes slightly at is the two main leads, mostly because they act very childish around each other a lot of times but when they are not together, you get a better idea of their characters. It's understandable since they are young kids crushing on each other.

The side characters! Oh my gosh, they were probably my favorite part of the story. Especially Xu. I adored Xu. I would of paid for a story just following their daily life. Their humor and kindness were so lovable. You could really feel the best friend energy they have with Han. I wish there was more page time with them on moments that weren't humor or action. I wanted to know more of their emotional sides than we got.

Han, our male lead, is a himbo. Like, actually. I love himbos and Han is very lovable. However, he is almost always the butt of the joke. Which is really sad because he is more than just being "dumb". I feel like these lines of jokes really hurt his character in the end because he felt less human and more of a caricature. When you first have a chapter following his POV, I actually was so excited and in love with how he was written. You get a good idea of his character and the wide arrange of his emotional depth. As the story goes on, he turns more into the comedic relief. He can be funny but he is more than just his muscles.

➤Enjoyment

It was a fine read. I can't say I was itching to always read it but it was enjoying when I had time to spare and could really focus in on the story. I think my expectations may of been too high going into this. I am also older than the demographic of the target audience for this book. If I was younger and read this? I would of probably adored it just as much as I liked the other YA books I read in my youth.

I say, if you like Cinder and want some magical girl story... Go for it! However, don't go in expecting it will be just like Sailor Moon. Because it is very different.

I almost never comment on covers but wow this one is absolutely stunning!! I know Zhara is speculated for a book box I'm subscribed to so I can't wait to get a physical copy. To be honest, Cinderella isn't my favorite fairytale but I seem to be drawn to the retellings of it. Guardians of the Dawn: Zhara was a very classic Asian adventure story, which I love. The MCs were great and I loved how the MMC let the FMC shine. I appreciate the representation of disabilities and LGBT+ in addition to Asian representation, Thank you to St Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the ARC!

Sailor Moon + Cinder + with a touch of Himbo in The Mummy + and a dash of Disney movie quotes, ZHARA is the start of a series that will own my heart.

Zhara is a magician in hiding. She spends her days working in the kitchen at home while her actual hard owned paycheck gets spent on her stepmother's bar tab. Her only solace are the romance novels she borrows from the bookkeeper. But her life is turned on its head when she runs into a Han in the market, which leads her to the Guardians of the Dawn-- a secret magical aid organization.

Magical Abominations are growing more and more common...something foul is awakening. Zhara must harness her inner warrior to before her world and the actual world come crashing into the end.

Oh gods. This book.

Let me just start this off by saying, I have been waiting for this book for YEARS. JJ first announced it back on the PubCrawl podcast and I was hooked back then. This was a book worth waiting for.

What I liked:
-Zhara and Han's whole relationship. The oblivious flirting and quirks. I really loved their meet cute, very Rodger and Hammerstein Cinderella with Brandi.
-Friendships.
-I loved the Easter eggs of BTS and WINTERSONG sprinkled throughout the book.

MY thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.