I tried and tried to wait until this book got interesting but for me that never happened. Wintersong was so good, I loved it! But I didn’t finish Shadowsong either and for the same reason. It didn’t hook me.

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

I really like Wintersong, but Zhara didn't work out for me. The writing felt juvenile and felt like it was for a much younger audience than YA (MG perhaps). The story, world, and concept were interesting, but I could not get myself to like the characters.

It's GAY, It SLAPS!
Zhara (Our Protagonist) is so BI; it is great!
It uses first-person they/them pronouns until we learn if they have other preferred pronouns. WE DO NOT ASSUME GENDERS HERE!

I am hesitant to agree that this is part of the "Magical Girl," but if you enjoyed Cinder, you will enjoy this book.

But this book is a blast that definitely takes from the vibes of an anime series/RPG games, and I adored the rest of the cast. Especially the Prince who, bless his heart, is a himbo.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones is a loose Cinderella retelling inspired by Chinese mythology about a girl with hidden magic and a boy with a hidden identity. There's also many great side characters and a well developed world and plot. This story has fairly gradual pacing and is full of magic, demons, adventure, and romance. It's not a new favorite, but I did enjoy it while I was reading it. Would recommend.

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 narrator did an amazing job and I really enjoyed hearing the different pronunciations of names and places. They kept the energy up even when the storyline was heavy. The worldbuilding was detailed and unique and I'd love to read more of this series.

I absolutely loved this book!

I was instantly smitten with the cover and from there I skimmed the blurb and it sounded like a good idea.

I feel like the characters have an innocence to them, one that we don’t really see nowadays but in this setting fits.

The narration was done extremely well and I felt like I could get to know both FMC and MMC distinctly.

The ending was solid to keep me hooked for more and that Beast teaser as me anxiously awaiting the next installment.

Listening to the audio was great, but this cover definitely belongs on my trophy shelf.

Thank you for the advanced copy! Guardians of Dawn is the start of a very fun fantasy series, with compelling characters and an intriguing magical system. The story develops characters with really rich backstories, as they struggle against the unfolding chaos of the world, and their own inner demons too. At certain points, some of the characters dialogue felt a little predictable, but still very engaging. Finishing the story makes me want to read the rest of the series right away!

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara was a fast paced and interesting YA fantasy.

Although some of the themes were quite dark, the book overall felt like younger YA - think Once Upon a Broken Heart - which I enjoy but I know some readers prefer to avoid.

The characters were young but felt realistic, and had gone through a lot both before and during the book. The magic system was intriguing and I loved how it came together - particularly magicians being able to identify each other by touch.

I really loved the narrator and felt that she made the audiobook very engaging, which added to my enjoyment of the story as a whole.

The conclusion of the book went quite quickly, but I enjoyed the way the epilogue set up for the events of the sequel, and I will definitely be continuing with the series in the future.

I know the synopsis compared to Cinder and Sailor Moon but I did not get any science fiction vibes. This story came off as full fantasy. It reminded me of some other fantasy releases and think the marketing would have been better on mentioning those novels as a comparison. I kept waiting for a different element that never came. I had been waiting for this novel for about 5 years. The writing was phenomenal.

Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books for this ALC!

- This book reminded me so much of why I enjoy YA fantasy! It was intense, but it didn't make me feel overwhelming dread for the world. The characters explored deep, challenging topics while also still being silly. And there was an incredible romantic subplot that wove its way throughout the story!
- The one thing that kept confusing me was that there's a strict stepmom character who it seems like Zhara can't disobey, but she disappears often throughout the middle of the book to go on magical misadventures and the stepmom did not seem upset? I wish this had been explained a little more.
- I really enjoyed all the characters! There were many, and I really appreciate that Jae-Jones had nicknames or descriptors that helped me remember who was who (Master Plumblossom, the bookseller, the courtesan).
- The world building was so interesting! There was so much that surprised me as a reader, and it felt like there was a steady unveiling of this world's secrets that kept me invested.
- The pacing started off slow, but by halfway I realized I was so invested that I really didn't want to put it down!
- I loved how gender and sexuality were approached in this book. Jae-Jones explains the way gender-neutral pronouns are used at the beginning of the book, and I thought that explanation was so interesting! I highly recommend reading that before the book to get context.

I want to say I truly had high hopes for this Sailor Moon-inspired book, and that is why I requested it in every possible way through Netgalley.
However, in my opinion, this is the worst kind of Sailor Moon and it breaks my heart.

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara is a combination of "magical girls" and Cinderella. Set in a dystopian world where magic is prohibited and magicians are hunted. Our main character, whose name I am still not sure, is an almost seventeen-year-old girl destined to be the salvation of her kingdom. However, at the moment she spends her day in the kitchen, working to take care of her blind step-sister and her evil stepmom while reading romance novels and waiting for a prince charming to come and save the day.

It is clear that the book did not meet my expectations as a reader or fangirl. The primary reason was the inability to connect with the characters. Instead of reading about magical girls destined to save the world from unknown evil forces, I was reading about young adults acting like twelve-year-olds. The "good-looking-giggles" what is that supposed to mean? The characters were immaturely portrayed in a situation that, in my humble opinion, required more seriousness. The comic relief didn't do it for me, or the plot in general since the story didn't engage me until the final few chapters, and then the epilogue ruined my interest in a future installment.

On another note, the author decided to add gender-fluid characters—and even though the author explained at the beginning that gender-fluid pronouns were going to be used—they weren't used properly during the first twenty or thirty-something percent of the story. Every time the author used the pronoun "they" was without an explanation—until way later—of who she was referring to, so it got very confusing especially when that character was presented in a scene with more than 2 people.

I believe that if the book was advertised differently or if the author hadn't tried to forcefully tie it to Sailor Moon (a cat for a companion, and an orange one, doesn't make your story related to SM) and Cinderella (purposely putting the shoe scene where it didn't fit at all) I wouldn't be complaining.

I’ve been excited for Guardians of Dawn: Zhara since the book deal for S. Jae-Jones’s new series that was inspired by female centric magical girl stories was first announced in 2017. What I wasn’t expecting was that the book would be delayed, and it wouldn’t be until 2023 that I would finally be able to read it. So much has changed since then, but my interest in this book remained. The audio narration for this book was perfect and it really brought to the magic of S. Jae-Jones’ story and characters. Zhara definitely loved up to my excitement for the book and was well worth the wait. Highly recommended for fans of Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles series as well as any one who is a fan of magical girl lead series!

I was provided both a print and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was a fun YA fantasy novel inspired by East Asian culture. I do believe this is the beginning of a new series by the author. This ends nicely and closes out this first adventure with Zhara and her companions, but sets us up well for the next installment. There is still much to learn about the magic and the other characters but we aren't left with a huge cliffhanger. I am interested to see where the story goes in the future.

This follows Zhara, a magician in hiding in a world where magic is forbidden. Her father was executed for being a magician and her step mother has hidden her away. She fills a sort of Cinderella role in her household doing the cooking and cleaning, but she also has a job outside of the home. Her stepmother is not a nice person and treats both Zhara and her own daughter poorly. Zhara doesn't know how to control her magic, so when she accidentally comes into contact with a secret organization that protects magicians and is trying to protect the people from a strange blight taking over the land she quickly learns that her magic might be the only thing that can save them. She also has a chance encounter with an handsome boy, who isn't who he seems. Han's little brother is also a magician, and he is seeking the help of the Guardians of Dawn, the secret organization, to help protect his brother. Han and Zhara quickly strike up a friendship that shows signs of turning into more. They team up with the Guardians and other allies to figure out what is happening and figure out how they can save those with magic within the realm and prevent the blight from spreading.

This was a little on the slow paced side for my tastes. This was a bit juvenile for my liking. This is YA and the characters are teenager, but they read more like middle schoolers from their maturity and naivety at times. Zhara is constantly giggling every time Han is around, and their romance was a bit cheesy. This was definitely a case of I felt like I was not the audience for this book. The magic system on the other hand was interesting and I enjoyed the plotline.

This was a magical, skillfully built world with demons and monsters, innocent young love and mythology reborn. Zhara is only mildly similar to Cinderella, with an evil stepmother and lost slipper at a ball. Steeped in Korean folklore, this book follows Zhara as she strives to not just live, but thrive while protecting her sister, trying bit to fall in loce, and defeating villains who wait to possess her all while grappling with a newfound power that is more than could have imagined. This was an enjoyable read wirh a fun and snarky cast of rag tag charaxters who team up in a battle they least expected. The book also has excellent disability as well as
diversity representation.

What a gorgeous cover But I couldn't really engage with the story except between her and her sister, the rest didn't seemed fleshed out. The plot was kind of see through as well with the cat turning into something else right in front of Zhara and she didn't even connect the dots at all until much later was strange writing.
The audio was fantastic even with how bad the app is for android, it just couldn't keep my interest due to writing.

Let me hook a very niche group of people:


Guardians of Dawn: Zhara is a story with a magic system reminiscent to Avatar: The Last Airbender, demon lore similar to Legendborn, and a love story comparable to Cinder.

Did I get you? If those things appeal to you, then you will love this book. This was one of my first reading experiences with Chinese lore and culture and I found it thoroughly enjoyable. S. Jae-Jones does an excellent job of weaving her culture and mythology into a gripping young adult fantasy.

This book is a dual pov with beautiful world building, an interesting magic system, grl pwr, LGBTQIA+ representation, a cutesy romance and a sprinkle of political intrigue. This has the essence of a girl coming into her own and accepting herself. The humor was cute and maybe a bit juvenile but it was the kind I can appreciate in a ya novel.

Listening to the audio version was very beneficial when digesting a story with new cultural aspects and unfamiliar pronunciation. Katharine Chin did a great job as narrator.

~Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t start out liking Zhara. I spent time thinking the book was more middle grade than YA but she grows as a character pretty quick & grew on me! I loved Han! Team Han!

Zhara spends her days caring for her blind half-sister initially due to guilt but eventually out of true love. The evil step mother beats them regularly and is trying to marry off her daughter to a horrible man.

The last half of the book has a maturing Zhara joining the Guardians of Dawn, looking for demons.

Zhara & Han’s story is what kept me reading as they grown in their relationship.

I look forward to book two & my Illumicrate Special Edition!

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan Audio! Fantastic story!