This book is like an Asian fantasy version of Tangled or Cinderella, with a manipulative, abusive stepmother in a land where magic is illegal and a young woman must hide her gift to stay alive. Yet Zhara can't resist the urge to try to help others using what little she knows, as she feverishly searches for more, and an evil blight begins upon the land’s children. She runs into Prince Han, who is also curious about unearthing the mysteries of the Guardians of Dawn, why his mother was really killed, and how to protect his younger brother, who is starting to show a forbidden ability to conjure magic, an ability which could get him killed.
This is a fantasy book for those who enjoy teen or young adult fantasy suspense books in a world where magic is forbidden and a young girl and the prince secretly try to solve why and save the kingdom.

I’ll have to start this review with a confession, I have not read S. Jae-Jones’ Wintersong duology. After reading Zhara, I will 100% be tracking down a copy of the duology though because I definitely want to read more of S. Jae-Jones’ work after this!

Zhara starts off with an authors note explaining the use of language, and most notably why ‘they’ is used to refer to people in the first introduction. I really loved the way it was used in general, and we meet a couple of non-binary characters within the story which was some lovely representation, especially as one of these characters, Xu, is one of the recurring, most adorable characters.

The story itself is one that keeps your interest, but its driven by a whole cast of amazing characters and, one of my personal weaknesses, a big dash of found family.

Zhara has spent most of her life living with her stepmother and stepsister, following her father being executed for being a magician. She has a job working within the apothecary, but since she feels indebted to her stepmother, for not revealing her own magic, she gives all of her wages to her stepmother and sleeps in the kitchen instead, in a very Cinderella-type of living.

But Zhara has her books, and so the beginning of the story starts out with her heading to the bookshop to buy the latest installment of her favourite romance series. Lo and behold, this is where she bumps into a mysterious, attractive character who she goes on to refer as “Master Plum Blossom”. Master Plum Blossom is an extremely endearing character throughout, and most of my giggles (as with Zhara’s giggles) were aimed at him. I won’t say too much about him, but his scenes with Zhara were utterly adorable.

The story itself is driven by instances of magicians turning into monsters, and our main cast tries to investigate this and attempt to find a cure for it, with the past instances requiring death to end the abomination. Alongside this, Zhara’s stepsister, Suzhan, is being forced to marry so that their family can get out of debt. Zhara obviously loves Suzhan, and this leads to several emotional moments between them.

In terms of representation, alongside non-binary we have a blind side character (Suzhan, slightly in keeping with Cinderella there) and a lesbian character (I won’t talk about them but they are an excellent character, so feisty and flirty). We’re also treated to a couple of animal companions, and they were used in the story in an excellent way.

There are a lot of happy moments throughout, but S. Jae-Jones has teamed this up with complex world-building and some heavy themes (including genocide, and some cases of parental abuse). My heartstrings were tugged at many times and I just really can’t wait to read book two!

This read young, almost middle grade, at times — mainly in the romance scenes. Example line: “He noted her admiring gaze and puffed out his chest, strutting a little as they walked.” (This is the love interest, not some fool the author is making fun of.) And so much blushing!

This read more mature (and enjoyable) everywhere else, though. It’s a China-inspired fantasy and the villains are the real-life Golden Horde (c. 1250-1500 AD). The world is queer norm, with a bi main character, nonbinary and sapphic secondary characters, and an important off-page character referred to as dual-gender. The action and magic scenes were pretty good as well.

I believe each book in this series is going to focus on a different Guardian of Dawn. With that setup (different main characters who hopefully will be less calf-love-lorn), I’m interested enough to give the next book a try.

4 stars for meeting expectations of Sailor Moon/Cinderella vibes. This was written in more of a middle school novel way but I get why it was moved up to a YA for some of the dirty jokes written in. I co-read this with the audiobook, which was wonderfully narrated, and if one is not good with Asian pronunciation for names, I would say give it a go. In all this was a wonderful beginning to a longer series that could be read as a stand-alone if one ignores the last chapter and only reads to the epilogue. I, though, look forward to reading the next in the Guardians of Dawn series.

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones is an epic adventure that weaves together Korean Fantasy and Magic in a sweeping tale of heroics and sacrifice. The story is full of interesting characters and side plots but I most liked Zhara and Han and their friendship and adorable love of romance stories! They were intriguing characters and it was fun to see the layers of their personalities peel back with each chapter. The monsters in the book were so cool and I loved how the author incorporated mythological creatures from Korean fables. The worldbuilding was detailed and unique and I'd love to read more of this series.

This was a little slow to start for me but once the first bit of excitement started I couldn’t stop. I loved the fantasy aspect of this and the story it told.

In a fantasy world where magic is banned, the Guardians of Dawn must help protect their fellow magicians. By the end of the novel that name will mean so much more.
Magic is forbidden throughout the Morning Realms. Magicians are called abominations and blamed for the razing of the land twenty years before. Jin Zhara already has enough to worry about a cruel stepmother, blind younger sister, and hiding her. So, when rumors of monsters stalking the nearby marsh, the Royal Guards are out in growing numbers, and she must try even harder to blend in.

When a chance encounter with an easily flustered young man named Han causes her to reveal her gift, she finds a place of safety. She meets with a secret magical liberation organization called the Guardians of Dawn and realizes the rumors are true. A demon is stalking the lands of Zanhei and turning magicians into monsters. Zhara may just be to the key to fighting it, if she can truly harness her powers.

The official synopsis describes the novel as “Sailor Moon meets Cinder.” I can tell you the connections to Cinder are tenuous. Yes, there is a family set up like the classic Cinderella tale, and, yes, the family is of Asian ethnicity. But that’s it. I feel it was a cheap shot to cash in on the popularity of Cinder. The thing is: the book stands on its own without the comparison.

S. Jae-Jones creates a beautiful, magical, and scary world based on East Asia. The mythology set up for this series creates magical beings, magicians, and anti-magicians all of which play a role in the world. The hatred of magic because of abuses of the past makes Zhara and those like her marginalized. There is more than just class struggle; the idea of being “other” is key to the story. Readers watch Zhara as she struggles to overcome both ideas and we cheer her on. We want with every fiber of our hearts for her to win.

 The Guardian of Dawn: Zhara is a great opening to an epic series. I hope to read a book following each Guardian as well as see Zhara again

Beautiful cover, fun book, but I didn't enjoy the characters as much as I wanted. They all felt very young to me more like 12 year olds.

I love cover to this book!! It is what drew me in and I am glad because I enjoyed this book so much! I loved the description of the world building and setting, along with the magic systems. The dual point of views allowed me to engage with the story in a more well-rounded view. I was immediately immersed and did not want to put this book down! I cannot wait to see what will come next for the story. Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

3.5 Stars

The Cinderella/Sailor Moon vibes in this book were spot on.
Our main character captures the charm and quality of Cinderella and Selena from Sailor Moon perfectly.

I adore the historical fantasy setting and the sweetness of the characters as they move forward with a mysterious plague affecting people in the town. The mythology was whimsical and intriguing.

Good start to a series and with that ending I'm intrigued to see the future characters and where the plot is going.

Ok, I’m not going to lie.. I struggled a bit reading this book at first. However, now that I’ve finished it, I’m glad I stuck it out and was determined to finish it! I loved the Asian mythology but with the hints of Cinderella and I’m a sucker for kingdoms with forbidden magic! All of the characters were fun as well and if you love cinnamon roll love interests, we definitely have one in this book! All of the side characters were great and easy to love but Zhara is what really made me care! She was just so sweet and selfless and I always admire that in a character!

There’s cats and magic with monsters and mayhem and it was just generally a fun read. I think it was a case of it’s me, not you in the beginning because I was having a hard time getting into it. I decided to pick up the second half of the book in audio and was happy I finished it!

Overall, if you love Asian mythology with hints of Cinderella and a plot that isn’t too heavy and that wraps up on the easier side but leaves room for a second book.. check out Zhara!!

Read if you like:
- wicked stepmother’s
- Disability Representation (blindness)
- Dual POV
- Cats
- Cinderella vibes
- Demons and mayhem
- Cinnamon roll love interests
- Forbidden magic
- Asian mythology

This is one of those times where I'm not sure if a book just truly wasn't for me or actually wasn't good 😅 I would say this book definitely lived up to the promise of Sailor Moon. It was definitely coded that way and felt nostalgic for me for that reason. I think it fell a little flat with some shallow characterization and the plot felt forced/hollow at times. I'm honestly not sure who to recommend this book to. Its really juvenile writing style feels preteen which is pared with mentions of smut and pornography.... so not sure where the target audience lays within that.

Rep: blind character, non binary character

*I received an e-arc via Netgalley from the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts are my own*

This was my first read by S. Jae-Jones and I really enjoyed it! It’s been compared to Sailor Moon meets Cinder and I can totally see why. This is the start of a fun YA fantasy series, and I am excited to see what happens in the next installment and meet more of the guardians.

Jin Zhara has grown up in a world where magic is forbidden. Magicians are called abominations, and they have been blamed for the plague of monsters that wreaked havoc twenty years ago. She has had a tough upbringing, after losing her father, she’s been trying to appease her stepmother’s cruel whims, and look after her blind younger sister, all while trying to keep her own magic hidden and under control. There have been rumors of monsters reemerging in the marsh on top of everything.

Jin Zhara has a chance encounter with an easily flustered but handsome young man, Han, who introduces her to a magical liberation organization called the Guardians of Dawn. She soon realizes that there may be more to the rumors than she thought. A mysterious plague has been corrupting the magicians of Zanhei and turning them into monsters and the Guardians think that a demon is responsible.

Zhara along with her new friends, must find the demon and destroy it and bring balance back to the realm or face chaos.

I really enjoyed watching Zhara blossom and come into her own. I liked that she never gave up and kept trying to do her best and stay true, as her father had always told her to do. I liked the relationship she develops with Han and their other friends they meet along the way. The magic and folklore were really fascinating parts of the story, and I am excited to learn more in the sequel.

If you like stories with magic, fantasy and folklore, I think you will enjoy this one. There are some darker elements to this book as well, so reader please be advised.

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones
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Zhara is a magician hiding in Morning Realms where Magic is forbidden. One day she meets a handsome young man named Han, she accidentally takes home the book he purchased and it sets her on a dangerous path to learning more about Magic and why it is forbidden.
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Ok so the premise and idea for this book and series is really cool. People who have magic have to hide it. There is an underground group who are trying to change that. It’s like if Cinderella was set in Asia, with magic and a corrupt government.

But I just struggled to enjoy it still.

Zhara kept making these unwise decisions and stressing me out.
I DESPISED her stepmother.
Her sister made me want to punch myself in the face.
Towards the end people kept saying “I am SO sorry” and THEY WERE NOT EVEN THE LEAST BIT SORRY. I was losing my mind.
From almost the beginning someone told Zhara who she was and then at the end she was like, wait, who am I?!? 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

But I loved the cat. He was my favorite part.
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3⭐️⭐️⭐️ I wanted to love this book, it had so much promise but it fell short of my mark and was just ok.

really good book and kept me on my on my toes of what would happen. really enjoyed the characters and their journey and would read this author again.

A swing and a miss - middle grade writing with little to no swearing but strangely frequent jokes about sex and erotic books. Rather predictable and plenty of common tropes in the YA field, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the combination of juvenile feel and poor execution made it difficult to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for an eARC of Zhara!

Romance, Magic, Sailor Moon/Cinderella VIBES! I had so much fun reading Zhara! The world building and the characters are so well written and I absolutely can’t wait for the next book!

(Also, the Illumicrate edition is TO DIE FOR!!!)

The Guardians of Dawn: Zhara, full of colorful characters and rich world building. Zhara has a full plate taking care of her sister and stepmother, while working at the apothecary. She has a forbidden magic she has to continually hide from the Falcons. She has a love of reading and is a huge fan of a popular romance series. On her way to work she runs in to Han and through a mix ends up with the book he got for himself setting. Eventually the two find the Guardians of the Dawn and begin investigation the return of monsters created by corrupting magicians.

I wanted to like this book more, but seemingly important bits were glossed over and scenes switched abruptly despite being at the end of a chapter. The story and imagery is there but the flow was very off and kept bouncing me out of the imagery. I feel it should have been longer or perhaps two books with some more closing out of scenes. Overall I would happily give a sequel a try.

I received an arc and am leaving this review of my own volition.

this was a really cute book!

thank you to the author, netgalley, and the publisher for this advanced copy to review!

This was a fun one. At first I tried to read it before bed with only one or two chapters a night, but soon it turned into me sitting and reading "just one more chapter" until I finished it.

Here is the set up: Jin Zhara does her best to be good and live quietly. Ever since she lost her parents in the purging of the Magician's as a child she does all she can to take care of her step mother and step sister. This is due to the fact that she too is a magician, and her step mother did her the kindness of hiding her as a child. So she survives - goes day by day making breakfast for the family and working in the local apothecary. Keeping her magic hidden until a demon blighted child is brought into the shop and she is pulled into a choice - to survive or to thrive.

This book is a yes if you like your chapters to end on cliffhangers, if you like magic systems that aren't necessarily all spelled out, if you like Cinderella retellings.
This book is a no if you dislike the "I can't tell them who I am" trope or if you don't like books ending on cliffhangers.

My thoughts: Cinderella generally isn't my favorite of the fairy tales however it's very lightly touched on here. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The author does a good job of weaving in the dark and light together. The idea of balance stands strong in the book and she does a good job not veering too dark or too bubbly but holding the tension nicely between the two.

What kept this as a 3.5 star for me was I was confused at times at the end. perhaps there were too many characters, or we didn't revisit the baddie enough for me to really understand them and their motivation. But I was left with many points of "huh?" though was able to keep going.

I will be looking forward to the sequel and how they work on tying everything together. From the nibble at the end of the novel perhaps beauty and the beast will be the next fairy tale retold.

Thank you Netgally and Wednesday books who gave me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.