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!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance listener's copy of Guardians of the Dawn: Zhara!

Guardians of the Dawn: Zhara tells the story of Zhara, a young woman who lives with her stepmother and blind stepsister after the death of her father and cooks and provides for them. Zhara is secretly a magician in a land where known magicians have been brutally murdered and magic is outlawed. Zhara allows herself to be subject to her stepmother's cruelty as her stepmother continues to keep her secret about her magic.

One day in the market, while longing for the newest edition of a romance novel, Zhara literally bumps into Han, who is unbeknownst to her the Royal Prince. While running to escape from the Kestrals, the police tasked with rounding up the magicians, they find themselves learning about a secret magical relief organization referred to the Guardians of Dawn. As they gain further admittance to the Guardians of Dawn and its information, Zhara and Han must fight to keep all the magicians they know and love safe from greater dangers than the Kestrals.

I LOVED this book! I cannot wait for the next one!! Zhara is such a beautiful character. I loved that her and her sister are united against the evil of the stepmother. The female characters in the Guardians of Dawn are funny and have so much agency. I highly recommend this book!

The narration was excellent. I would have struggled with pronunciation on so many of the names but she made it very clear.

Zhara has such a promising concept - Sailor Moon mixed with Cinderella (but not a Cinder rip-off though also not completely dissimilar in tone), but it does read more middle-grade than ya. The humor skews young and the characters are a little less dynamic than I typically expect of pieces in the YA genre. I didn't hate it but I also didn't love it in the way I hoped to.

Our female main character, Zhara, is a bit generic "magical girl." Which, I guess, so was Usagi but what works in an anime doesn't necessarily translate to a novel. That said, she's one of the few characters whose motivations are super clear and also evolve throughout the novel. Han, our main guy/love interest is a full tilt himbro and while his antics are cute, they're a little hard to believe. No one would actually be this silly/dumb. His best friend Xu is significantly more interesting but also I never quite sorted what they wanted for themselves/what they're up to. This is clearly setting up to be a longer series but I would love to know more about all of the side characters. Additionally a LOT of time is spent world-building and explaining the political structure, which is interesting but also affects pacing.

I think the biggest thing is that the novel reads like a middle-grade targeted anime but that's not how it's marketed. The premise is super interesting and I really want to love it but I just don't. That said, I think if this reaches the audience of younger teens/tweens, it will be well received.

Specific to the audiobook: The narration does a phenom job bringing the characters to life! Excellent quality.

I received an eARC of this book for review from Macmillan Audio via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
• The Brief: Guardians of Dawn: Zhara is the first book in a new YA fantasy series combining elemental magic with western fairytale retellings set in an eastern inspired world. In this Cinderella inspired installment, Zhara is hiding her illegal magic and doing her best to provide for her family and protect her sister… but then she catches the attention of dangerous people.
• Readers looking for a well-paced YA fantasy focusing on both interpersonal relationships and political intrigue should give this one a try.
This novel is told in a dual POV featuring Zhara, a natural magic user, and Han, whose mother was executed for her magic. It is a story about family loyalties: and both Zhara and Han have been subject to parentification. There is a great deal of diversity, both explicit and implied. While fairly plot driven, there is some nice character work here and the world building sets a good foundation for development in future series installments. An overall interesting story; I look forward to seeing more in this world.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 here.

Off the bat, when I started this book, I really enjoyed the representation within the book for both disabilities and genderqueer people. Though I would warn readers that there is blatant abuse towards child characters and also misgendering/homophobia at times from people who are not friends of the characters. I definitely got feelings of watching a Sailor Moon style anime while reading this book with its pacing and protagonists.. The audiobook was also well narrated, which added to my personal experience. The overall plot and world building was fascinating and something that makes me want to continue the series, though the first book wasn't perfect.

The things that felt like they could use improvement on were how the younger characters such as Zhara and Hon are often portrayed in a way that makes them come across younger than they actually are. This is largely due to the humor aspects of the story and how Zhara sometimes seems cartoonish in her mannerisms. This works at some points but not in others since the book is a nod to Sailor Moon, it helps, but when it comes to being realistic in how a teenager would behave it does not help. If the balance were a bit better then it would feel as though it was more for a young adult audience than a middle grade audience across the whole book.

In the beginning, I was really enjoying this book. However, it began to drag on. There were a few too many characters and a couple of scenes that didn't seem to affect the ending of the book. It was good, don't get me wrong. I did enjoy it once the climax started to pick up.

The characters were a little annoying at times, seeming to fill stereotypes and archetypes that they definitely could have stepped out of.

I think that the writing style also annoyed me slightly. It just wasn't for me.

The narrator did an honestly average job. Her pronunciations were amazing, but her voice didn't change at all for different characters.

I was really wanting to enjoy this book but I just couldn't. I am very surprised i even finished. There were way too many characters to keep up with. I honestly have not a clue what i listened to. I was zoned in and out the whole time. I unfortunately do not have much to say.

Thank you so much to net galley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this audiobook. I loved all of S. Jae-Jones books before previously so I was very excited to get an early copy. I absolutely loved this book including the main character.

I thought that this was a really interesting listen. I enjoyed the pot and thought that the narrator did a good job. I thought there were a few world building things that were unclear, but overall really enjoyed this one.

This book was so charming. The magic system was cool, the dialog was YA-witty, and I found myself invested in the characters' journeys throughout. The book was giving cozy fantasy vibes at multiple points, though the stakes are higher than what I'd normally expect in a cozy fantasy. The narration was engaging and fitting for the story. There were several familiar tropes throughout that could have benefited from some deviation, but overall this was a great book.

I'm excited to see what will happen with these characters next and will definitely continue reading the series. I'd recommend this to anyone that likes YA fantasies with interesting magic systems.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

4.5/5

Enjoyed the premise, but wasn't won over unfortunately. The narration is quite slow, definitely recommend speeding up when reading.

I listened to this as a NetGalley preview.

Zhara lives in an empire where magic is forbidden. Where magicians were accused of turning into monsters and have been hunted down and destroyed. The problem? Zhara is a magician and has discovered that the magicians that turn into monsters are actually being possessed by demons. Can her and her new friends find a way to not only survive, but thrive?

First, the narrator of the audiobook did a phenomenal job! With the world this was built in being based on some oriental traditions and names, having someone who was able to pronounce all the names/places/events really brought a lot of depth to the story.

Beyond that, I thought the world building was amazing! The characters really had depth to them and they really brought the story to life. Han was hands down my favorite character, even if he was totally clueless with all the innuendos being thrown around throughout the book. You could tell that a lot of thought went into the story line and it excites me for how things will go moving forward. I cannot wait to read the other books in this series!

📚Review: Guardians of Dawn: Zhara 🔥

By: S. Jae-Jones
Published: August 1, 2023

Throughout the Morning Realms, magic is forbidden and magicians are seen as abominations responsible for the monsters that plagued the land twenty years ago. Jin Zhara has a lot on her plate - appeasing her cruel stepmother, taking care of her blind sister, keeping her magic hidden, and, now, dealing with rumors of monsters being seen again. A chance encounter with a young man sets her on a journey to find a secret magical liberation group called Guardians of Dawn and she learn there’s a lot more behind those rumors of monsters.

Happy book birthday, @sjaejones! 🥳

What a fun read! 😊 Honestly, this is the type of fantasy book I love to pick up in summers because ya girl hates being sweaty outside & I can get lost in the pages of another world WITH AIR CONDITIONING.

Now, I was sold the second Sailor Moon was mentioned in the description (truthfully, I may need to do a rewatch after reading this). Boy, did it deliver! The world building and magic system are beautiful, intricate, and captivating because so much of magic’s history has been erased out of fear and Jin Zhara has lived a pretty meager life until now, so we’re discovering the world and it’s magic with her. I was hooked by the demon history and can’t wait to see this play out more in the future.

I enjoyed the political lens the book offered and see politics coming into play even more in book two with the world expanding. The romance was cute and I was happy to see LGBTQ+ representation throughout. I do feel the ending was a little too easy and slightly rushed, but this is book one of a new series, so it gets a pass from me.

Can’t wait to meet more Sailor Scouts…I mean, Guardians of Dawn! 😉

Verdict: Loved It! ❤️

Thank you so much @wednesdaybooks for this #gifted copy! 🥰

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan audio for the advanced copy of this audiobook!

First off, that dedication was everything. I didn't know what to expect when starting this book, but was pleasantly surprised by the complex world building and overall voice of the book. The story follows Zhara, an apothecary's assistant, who is trying to care for her visually impaired sister while hiding her own outlawed magic as well. She meets Han, who just so happens to be the prince, who is trying to help his younger brother. The two get entangled in misadventures and I found their relationship to be incredibly cute from the start. This has been on of the few YA books that I didn't feel was too young for me. It was fun and entertaining, but could use work around pacing. There were a few moments that dragged, but overall I really liked it. Looking forward to the following book!