This is so much fun, utilizing familiar tropes in excellent ways. It's clearly setting up for a whole series and in that sense a lot feels like it's either left as a hook for other books, or in that the ending clearly won't remain the way everyone's left, but everything that has been set up is thoroughly enjoyable.

Normally I hate "x meets y" comparisons, but this really does bring together all the best parts of the sailor moon-esque elemental warriors and the character setup of cinderella in a way that is entirely its own. Zhara is a delight, and everyone she encounters is equally vivacious and endearing (the good characters, anyway). Han is such a perfect himbo; at times it's a little forced, but he's so cute and sweet about it that you don't mind. The queer rep in the cast of characters is handled so smoothly as well, from Zhara being susceptible to the Good-Looking-Giggles from all genders, to Xu's switching their performance as they need, to Yulana and her flirting.

The plot itself is fairly straightforward, but it's more about the journey, of unraveling the magic behind the worldbuilding and why the demons are breaking loose now, and it's worth it to hear all of the legends unfurl. I'm so curious about the rest of the Guardians and what other western fairytales will get this mashup treatment.

Also I can't believe BTS is here.

This book was alright. It wasn’t my favorite, it was an enjoyable easy read and felt a little too on the younger side of young adult for me. I did enjoy the characters.
Three Stars thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was beautiful, magical , and perfect for any hopeless romantic.

Our story follows a girl named Jin Zhara ,who is a magician in a world where magicians are put to death as traitors.

The story does move slowly and we get a lot of the daily life of our lead characters and the stresses and joys they deal with. Most of the action happens in the last quarter of the book, which is pretty standard for most fantasy books.
This book is a Cinderella retelling with an elemental magical twist. While it says sailor moon I will say it gives more avatar ( not the blue people) vibes. Which as a sailor moon and avatar enthusiast , I was very happy to enter back into that kind of world.

Jin Zhara is smart and a very big romance book worm. She is hard working and loyal. However she lets people take advantage of her without acknowledging it.

Han is our MMC and while he likes to workout he is not our typical strong prince. However he has a good heart and is willing to do what he has to do to protect his family. While he helps and supports our lead female character , he does not overshadow her.

The romance is slow burn but very sweet and heart warming between our two lead characters and has LGBTQ representation and themes as well .

If you want a magical retelling of Cinderella with magicians, demons, handsome princes , and finding your happiness, this is the book for you!

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones is a lovely piece of Young adult fantasy that grabbed me from page one and would not release me until I saw the story completed.
What Worked for me
1. High stakes
2.strong family bonds
3.well crafted dialogue
What Didn't work as well for me
1. Awkward pacing during the first fourth of the story
2.tension building and pay off was a bit wonky
Who I would recommend this book for
This story will be a wonderful reading experience for fans of coming of age fantasy seeking strong Cinderella meets magical girl vibes.

Really enjoyable. I loved the world and the characters. The lore really sucked me in so much so that I didn't realize that there were some Cinderella retelling interwoven into the story until much later than I care to admit.

I adore the Sailor Moon mix and honestly Han is a giant himbo love interest which makes this ten times more lovely. Probably would have made 5 stars but I did find parts really predictable.

this was a really good! I liked the characters, and they were super well-developed. the plot was super cool and fun to read, and the writing was also smooth and easy to understand
highly recommend

I can’t describe how much I love this book. I fell in love with Zhara (my new version of Cinderella) within a few magical moments of reading chapter one. And magical she IS! Zhara, the courageous young woman, who loves her sister, and is abused by her Step Mother, has a relationship with an awkward friend named Han (can we all swoon for this cutie-pie prince?), is worthy of a whole series, and adoring fans everywhere! I know other readers will do the same thing I did - breeze through this book in one night.

Can Zhara become the warrior that’s needed, and defeat the blight that will sentence all magicians to lifetime despair? Can she save her sister’s soul? And if she does, can Zhara still write her own happy ending? Mother of Demons, if this book didn’t own me from the beginning…! I look forward to seeing young adults everywhere line up to get this book out of the library as soon as it hits the shelves.

Five of five magical stars. And a bonus point to Zhara (spoiler alert - she loves books as much as we do!)

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for sharing this arc with me!! I am SO invested in recommending this book to anyone I reach. For fans of “Cinder” and “Sailor Moon”, get ready to fall in love with your new heroine - Jin Zhara! I voluntarily read this and all opinions are my own.

I cannot wait to have a physical copy of this in my hands- August just isn’t soon enough!

This is exactly what I want in a ya fantasy: Fantastic magic system & world, Cinderella vibes & a romance subplot that had me smiling constantly. It also was one of those rare reading experiences where it felt like a movie happening in my head.

This is a syfy/magical Cinderella retelling and I am here for it! This was a perfect retelling mix. I loved this so much.
I just reviewed Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

5/5 stars
Recommended if you like: fantasy, multiple POVs, secret groups, humor

This review has been posted to Goodreads as of 2/22, my book blog as of 3/1, and to Instagram as of 3/7.

While there are two POVs in this book, it's really Zhara's story. She undergoes a lot of development throughout this book and comes out stronger, and more herself, on the other side. At the same time, Han does play a major role in the story and has some of his own growth, it's just at a milder scale than Zhara.

It's clear from the beginning that Zhara loves her sister and would do pretty much anything for her, even if it means dealing with her stepmother. That loyalty and sense of protection also carries through to some of the other people, particularly the kids, that Zhara comes across that are in need of help. She's also smart and fairly resourceful, despite her not thinking much of herself at times.

Han is definitely a himbo. He works out a lot and prizes being in physical shape but is often one of, if not the last, person to put things together. Like Zhara, Han is also desperate to try and save his younger brother, though from a very different threat. He is fairly innocent (and as the synopsis says, easily flustered), which the other characters tease him mercilessly about, and makes him a fun character to read.

Xu is Han's best friend and might be one of my favorite characters. I love how upbeat they are and yet at the same time they have their moments when they can be more serious. I also feel like Xu has a very strong sense of identity. They don't get a POV, but they have a lot of character to them that I enjoyed and I think it would be fun if we do get their POV at some point. I also really treasure their friendships with Han, Zhara, and Jiyi.

Jiyi comes into the story a bit later and is endearing for different reasons. She's fairly straightforward about things, to the point of coming across as gruff, but it's clear that she's very knowledgeable about her field of study (and very accomplished) and that she cares about what happens if the worst were to come to pass.

Yulana is also a late-comer in the story, but I absolutely love her. She's got somewhat of a mysterious vibe when she's first introduced, and things stay like that for a bit, but she's actually a pretty open person once we get past that. Like with Xu, I hope we get her POV at some point, and I suspect she's a more likely candidate for that than Xu is, lol.

This book does a good job of including some lighter and more humorous moments amid the more high drama/stakes scenes. At times it did feel a but juvenile, but overall I think the effect worked. The funny moments allowed for relationships to develop between the characters and so we as readers cared when those relationships were put to the test or were in jeopardy.

On the surface, magic is banned because magicians turn into abominations, but of course things are never so simple. Learning about the magic system and how things had gotten bad was interesting. The linguistic element of magic was definitely something that I enjoyed. There's a whole history and culture that's been driven underground or erased because of the abominations, but so few people know the truth of what happened, and what happened is very different from what people think it is. Of course there are allegories a plenty here, and a lot of aspects of the magical purge can be related to history or current events in our world in a way that's written very neatly without being overbearing.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and that the high stakes were interspersed with lighter moments. I look forward to seeing the characters in the future books and am definitely hoping for more page time from Xu and Yulana in particular.

What a fun book! I had added this book to my Goodreads to-read shelf way back when it was first announced based solely on the 'Sailor Moon' description, but I had basically given up on it after a few years with no release and no updates. Thus, I was pleasantly surprised to see if available on NetGalley and very excited to get an ARC!

So was Zhara worth the wait? Yes, very much so! The book definitely gives off Sailor Moon vibes and also incorporates interesting mythology, painful but realistic family relationships, and a very sweet romance. The characters are also all wonderful. Zhara herself is certainly Cinderella-esque in that she's abused by her stepmother and missing her parents, but she has magic! Following Zhara as she learns about her powers and begins to use them to help others is a great journey, and Zhara's shyness, big heart, and sweet sense of humor make it easy to root for her. She's also easy to root for because she's so determined to take care of her sister no matter what the personal cost, and I love that type of sisterly bond.

The other characters are fun, too. Han (AKA Prince Charming) is funny and a bit of a dolt, but he's also sweet and big hearted, especially when it comes to protecting his younger brother. Xu is clever and humorous, Jiyi is wise but sassy, and Yulana makes a big splash and has a lot of secrets that she likes to reveal whenever it can create the most drama. The "bad guys" are also well-written, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of the mythology and the magic system that develops as we learn more about the Mother of Ten Thousand Demons.

As I said, I really got Sailor Moon vibes from this book in the best sort of way. Zhara and Han are both sort of the Usagi character--Zhara because she doesn't know how to use her magic and Han because he's clueless a lot of the time--and Yulana pops in with a seasoned warrior/Sailor Venus vibe. Jiyi is the non-magical one with all the info (AKA Luna), and Xu makes me think of Sailor Uranus. And of course, you have the search for all the elemental warriors to defeat the Big Bad and save the world. Even if I hadn't loved everything else so much, I would keep reading this series just for all these connections.

All in all, Zhara is a series opener that is definitely worth the long wait, and I can't wait to see what happens next!

This was very fun, with just a smidge of Cinderella thrown in (which I wasn't expecting). The romance is adorable and very refreshing to see teenagers in total adorable crush rather than melodramatic "love". The fantasy aspects and world building elements were interesting, and I really felt like I got a sense of this world. If you like fantasy but want something that feels like it's built on hope, not the grimdark despair that seems so popular, this might be just what you're looking for.

I look forward to reading more about these characters in the future.

3.5/5 Stars

Thank you NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and S. Jae Jones for an E-Galley of this book. All opinions are my own.

WHAT I LIKED:
This book has a beautiful cover designed by artist Sija Hong, who also created the cover art for the Book of Tea duology by Judy I. Lin. I have to mention the cover, because it’s a huge part of what drew me to look at this book in the first place.

It’s a really creative spin on a Cinderella-inspired story, with just enough of the motifs we recognize without it feeling formulaic.

Han being sweet and naïve. Han felt really distinct from other male leads I’ve read recently. I also found myself identifying with him a lot as so many of the sexual innuendos from other characters went right over his head. Me too, Han.

I thought the author did a good job at writing a realistic dynamic between Zhara and Suzhan, one that reflected so many of the realities of growing up in an abusive environment. It is often that an abusive caretaker forces tiny betrayals of the other child, that they cannot protect each other, that the abuser keeps real unity from developing between abused children even though they should otherwise be each other’s best allies. I felt that with Zhara and Suzhan.

The magic and world-building were the most interesting aspects of the book. I became really fascinated by the lore and the history of the Morning Realms. And I felt like the author did a good job of leaving enough breadcrumbs throughout the different POV chapters for me to connect information. There weren’t really any plot twists that shocked me, but it felt like that was the reward for paying attention to certain details and animals.

WHAT I LIKED LESS:
The dialogue felt awkward and contrived in a lot of places. This was especially true in two cases: conversations that supplied exposition and conversations between Zhara and Han. It took a long time for Zhara and Han to fall into a more natural rhythm/chemistry with one another, so I really didn’t become invested in them as a couple the way that I expected. And it’s not that the author can’t create good rapport between characters—I was throughly invested in the friendship developing between Xu and Zhara.

The characters actually felt pretty flat in general for much of the book. The world-building was so much more fascinating than the characters themselves, and I was probably well into part two before I became invested in them. Suzhan was one of the biggest casualties of that flatness. And unfortunately, it reduced her blindness and her presence as a disabled character to a plot point for Zhara. I would have loved to see there be more to Suzhan.

Finally, there was one character who is a common stock character in the Cinderella story who I hoped to see become more than a one-dimensional villain. And I was disappointed to see that not be the case.

OVERALL, I did enjoy reading this book. It took me until about the halfway point before I was truly hooked, but by part three, I couldn’t put it down. I would recommend it to others, and I don’t expect many to be disappointed that they gave it a try.

After being drawn in by the mystic, intriguing, and powerful plotline, as well as falling in love with the book's cover, my expectations were set quite high. However, if you were to ask me if the book fulfilled my wishes as a reader, I couldn't honestly say "yes." While it was still an enjoyable read for me, I unfortunately found it difficult to connect with most of the characters. Additionally, the abundance of characters made it hard for me to remember their long names and past stories.

The world-building was interesting, complex, and detailed, but regrettably, I found the writing to be too slow-paced and repetitive. As a result, I struggled to engage with the story. Although I attempted to push through and enjoy the experience, it ended up feeling like a mandatory task, ultimately causing me to lose interest entirely.

Perhaps the sequel will resonate with me more. I still want to give it a chance, but I didn't find what I was expecting in the first book.

I'd like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for providing me with this digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This book was okay to me. I did find it hard to follow the story at points and because of that had a harder time connecting with the characters. Some parts of the book really hooked me and I thought I was really gonna get into it only to fall behind again. I do think the foundation is great but just didn't hit on all cylinders.

I was really excited to read this book because of the synopsis. It makes the book sound so interesting and I especially love the forbidden love, prince x commoner tropes. But I just thought it was expected somewhat poorly. I understand that this was intended for a young adult audience and it seemed like the writing style was also written by a young adult. I just felt like all of the characters were really immature, especially Han. I have a lot of problems with him. He is extremely immature, always brings up his muscles, is really dumb, and is constantly blushing at literally everything. I think he might’ve been written in a way that the audience was supposed to think he was charming and innocent but he just pissed me off.

Also, there was so much world-building. I understand that it’s the first book so you have to do that, but it was extreme. It was so hard to keep track of everything because of that. Along with each character having numerous names for them. This made things extremely confusing cause you have to remember 4 names for one person. For example, a lady had the names of Madame Hong, Fishwife, and Mussel-monger. I kept thinking that Zhara was in a conversation with 3 people and it was just the same person. I know all of these words mean the same thing but why not just give the person one name and stick to it?

One thing that actually really upset me was the boss fight. The whole book was leading up to the boss fight with this spirit-type thing called Tiyok. I’m not joking when I say the fight lasted 1 page. I’m serious. That made me so mad because the fight wasn’t explained at all. All of a sudden, it was over. And Zhara just “killed” Tiyok who is an all-powerful demon? In one page? When she doesn’t even know how to use her magic? I don’t think so.

As a side note, if I hear The Maiden Who Was Loved by Death one more time in my life, I will freak out. I think every chapter had this book referenced in it and it was so annoying. No one in this world seems to have read any other book.

4/5 stars! This YA science fiction story was a truly enticing and exhilarating start to a new series. I haven't read the author's other best-selling series, so this was my first book by her. I really enjoyed myself and was pulled into this Cinderella telling in a fantasy world. The story was definitely YA and sometimes I think I might have appreciated a more grown-up romance in the story, but the plot overall was lovely and Hans and Zhara were so sweet together.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me a chance at reading this book before publication.

Unfortunately, I made it 46% through the book before feeling that it was not for me.

The biggest issue I have with this book is the incredibly slow and meandering plot. I couldn't believe that I was that far into the book and I had no clear indication of what the magic exactly was, where it came from, and why I should care that the prince's brother and the female lead were hunted for their magic.

There was also this obsession for a romance series that gave little to no importance to the characters or the plot.

It was just really hard to find any one likeable when the plot was so boring.

I really loved the cover of this book. It is stunning, and I’ll admit a big reason why I wanted to read it. From the synopsis, I think the idea of this book has so much potential, as a lover of Sailor moon, the synopsis had me really excited. Which is why I am confused as to why I couldn’t really get into it. I wanted to like it so badly, but I think I got confused really early about what was happening and by page 100 when I wasn’t feeling really engaged , I started to lose interest. I will definitely be giving this book another chance, and I would recommend it because it has so much potential, but for right now this book was not engaging me how I imagined it would

This is exactly what I was hoping for. Action, giggles, and am amazing story that kept my attention and kept me awake even though I should’ve been sleeping.
Also, there’s a cat!
I don’t want to give any spoilers, but it’s a wonderfully written fantasy tale that pulls you in and make you root for pretty much everyone. As the characters learn more about what’s going on, you do too as the reader. There were a few things I guessed that turned out to be true, but I was still pleasantly surprised by many things.
I would sincerely read this book again, I really hope there is a sequel.