A beautiful story with so many layers of magic an imagery. Others have compared it to Sailor Moon in a way and I can definitely see it. I think the characters and overall plot were interesting and unlike anything ive read in recent years. Thoroughly enjoyable and the audiobook was very well done!

Guardians of dawn: Zhara follows young magician Zhara as she navigates a world where magic has been made illegal due to magicians becoming demons randomly and attacking people. Zhara who’s father was killed on her youth lives with her step mother and step sister and reads romance novels, when she meets a young man asking about the Guardians of Dawn in hopes of helping his magician brother she finds herself drawn into an adventure of myth and legend.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did, it’s not bad but it suffers from being a tad to long, and for my personal tastes very much on the younger side of YA closer to middle grade than I normally prefer. I liked Non-binary rep, but I think the blind rep wasn’t particularly good. I plan on reading the rest of the series and I hope that the series improves from here on out.

The Cinderella influences on this plot are clear but it's not a strict retelling. Rather, it's a framework that the author uses to build a unique world and plot. We are deeply exploring magic, demons, and the spirit world, the ideas of balance and the cost for making changes. There are clear and consistent rules for how magic works and for it's role in society. There are a lot of complications, all of which serve to further the plot. The characters, too, are complex and nuanced. This is the beginning of a series with a lot of room to grow and continue to impress.

This was a fun story but I definitely think it was lacking a bit with the character depth! I did like the narrator though, although I'm on the fence about continuing the series.

i cannot express enough how much i loved this book. The story was amazing and engaging and so intricate. The characters were solid and i loved their development throughout the story. I fell in love with the magic system. Everything about it was beautiful and magical. I loved the world building, learning about the town and the districts was fun without being overwhelming. the narration of this novel was done so well it really brought the story to life. I cannot wait to see where this story is going to go, and cannot wait to reread this in preparation for the second!

Really enjoyed the romance and characters. Zhara is hardworking, loves her sister and at the same time is scared of hurting her. Since magic is forbidden she does not how to control her own magic. When she gets involved with the prince and how they star to know each other, those were so funny and the prince is so cute and innocent. It has a great story and hopefully will get to know more about it in oncoming books!

I really wanted to love this title but could not seem to get into it. From other reviews I can see some enjoyed it but it just wasn't the book for me. I'm going to try to read it again after a while to see it it'll grab me then

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.