This book had me at Sailor Moon and its stunning cover, but fell short. If you are a fan of YA fantasy and don’t mind juvenile humor, I can see you really enjoying this book. Unfortunately for me, that wasn’t the case.

That being said, the world building was absolutely the strongest aspect and the plot had potential. It makes me curious about the next book in the series and how it can be built upon. However, the writing, humor and pacing took me out of the story. This is definitely on the younger side of YA, having a very juvenile sense of humor. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, I found it to be distracting.

**Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This review is my opinion**

I am a sucker for anything similar to "Sailor Moon". This book definitely has an awesome magic system, and a great mythology, but something was...missing. The main character, Zhara, is interesting, but she didn't jump off the page like I thought she was. I started to lose interest by the end, but I pushed on because this author created the mystical "Wintersong". I wasn't a fan of "Shadowsong", so I wanted to give the author another chance with this book.

I hate being on the fence!

⭐️ 3.75 / 5
I was really excited about this book with the comparisons to Sailor Moon and Cinder - two series I absolutely have adored. And that cover! It is absolutely stunning.

The love story here was very sweet and wholesome and I really enjoyed the supporting cast of characters. It has the nostalgic feeling of an old fairytale with the addition of magic! And the audiobook narrator was a very good fit.

I will say, however, that this felt a bit too young for me. I enjoyed the story overall, but it felt a little too predictable and problems were solved almost too easily for the main characters. And there were certain quirks (the good looking giggles…) that I just couldn’t get into. And I wish we’d had a bit more of a look into the magic system, so I’m hoping that’s coming in the future! That being said, I would pick up the second book when it comes out and look forward to reading it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This is such a fun read. A great adventure. It has all of the tropes and vibes I like. Strong women. Hidden royalty. Monsters. Magic. Cannot recommend enough

Really enjoyed the audiobook! I think I would not have had such an easy time to understand the book if I had read the physical book. The pronunciations really helped!
Overall the book was very enjoyable and the magic was fun! I think some of the understanding of magic could have been better explained for the reader to grasp how it works and why Zhara’s magic is different. I thought the book was well planned though and the characters were well developed. The representation was also great!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the approval of this E ARC!

Going into reading Zhara I had high hopes and expectations with the Sailor Moon and Cinder tags attached to the summary.

For the most part, my expectations were met. Guardians Of Dawn: Zhara was a sweeping wonderful fantasy read and by the end I became quite attached to the many colourful and diverse characters.

The lore and history was handled pretty well, I did get lost in a few places but just needed to re read some parts or look back at previous chapters to better understand what was and had happened.
Sometimes things got a bit confusing though. But my main complaint was some plot points and reveals fell kind of flat on landing or forgotten entirely towards the end. There was some pacing and blanks towards the end I would have liked to have been fleshed out a bit better.

I really appreciated and support the authors choice for characters referred as ungendered they/them until such character gender themselves, it’s quite wonderful to see in a book. And the support to queer and diverse characters was such *chefs kiss*.

I loved loved loved the Ever After vibes I got towards the end (when you read it you’ll notice if you are a fan!) It made me smile and hopefully I’m not the only one who noticed it!

Overall I loved my time with Zhara, Han and co. In Zanhei and I eagerly await the sequel.

This book really didn't grip me the way I hoped. The main character was a struggle to read, shes "quirky" in a way that shoves it down the readers throat and the prince in "hiding" was not even subtle.

The LGBTQ and Disability rep was very poorly done, to the point that it felt borderline offensive on its own. If I was understanding correctly, the nonbinary gets misgendered in the text.

I was very optimistic going into this book but it was a huge let down.

DNF at 70%

Oh my. Where do I start. *cries in frustrated disappointment*

I tried incredibly very hard to like this. I traded for the physical arc and was both gifted the audiobook and eARC by Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, I spent the weeks I was flip-flopping between the three different media forcing myself to enjoy while dreading continuing through the story. And now writing this I’m still anxious about re-living the time spent with this book.

Let’s start with the good bits and he reasons why I didn’t rate it a 1 star – the cover? Absolutely STUNNING. So gorgeous and I absolutely cannot wait to see what the special editions for this book looks like because I know it’s going to be even more beautiful.

Another great thing about this book is the diversity in the representation. It’s Asian, there’s disability rep, and I instantly decide to read any book with a queernorm world.

However, those are the only bits that I enjoyed about the book. It reads so forcibly young as if it was written for middle grade age but in such a condescending way. I read quite a bit of middle grade and this felt like a parody of that. Interspersed in between al the juvenile text were irreverent and dirty jokes that felt out of place and completely irrelevant to the story line. I don’t see how a young child being joked about as obsessed with porn is important to the narrative. How jokes about the lack of intelligence of characters and the blindness of other characters are important to the story?

As for the audiobook, the narrator was objectively good but adding to my observation that I felt as if I was reading a train wreck in slow-motion, the narrator was MEOWING in my ear constantly. And not as a sound effect. She would meow out the cat’s noises when the text would say “meow” and that honestly was really disturbing.

The characters themselves felt as if they were intentionally part of the TDTL trope with how immature and intentionally obstinate they were portrayed to be. They never seemed to see what was right in front of their faces as the plot went on and they were so unserious all the time and for what? Someone gets tortured? OK, lets giggle about it.

For the writing, it was extremely repetitive, and the pace meandered over and over in the same extremely small circle. The most beautiful part of this book was the author’s note at the start. I wish I stopped there.

In the end, I really couldn’t take it and just decided to DNF at 70%. This was the biggest chore to read and unfortunately my biggest disappointment of the year next to Martha Well’s Witch King. It put me in the biggest reading slump of year so far and I really wish I didn’t try as hard as I did to love it.

This one started out super strong! I was so invested for a while. The end unfortunately wasn't what I wished for it. I do think it's worth checking out though and I'lI definitely be reading the next book! The main characters are quite immature unfortunately; which I am not sure if the author was trying to blend like anime humour into this, but I do think the comparison to Sailor Moon is accurate. The FMC gets "Good Looking Giggles" where she cannot help but laugh when there's a beautiful person in her vacinity. Also the MMC has a few jokes about his innocence that get old very quickly. These make it feel a bit more juvenile than most YA books I read but I mean, I don't think it harmed the story too much. The love story is a bit cheesy at times but I didn't mind it too much - it was cute. I REALLY liked the world, magic, and the system set up in this. It is very interesting and I hope it gets fleshed out more in future books. I did find it be info dumpy and I had to review parts because it was a lot of information. It did lose me at about 60% as there's a (lesser used) trope I'm not too sure about, but I do think it was an acceptable explanation of events. The other thing was there is a boy band introduced near the end that is very clearly BTS which I just found out of place to be honest. Overall, I know I had a lot of negatives, but I still enjoyed it for what it is and I'm looking forward to where Jin Zhara and Han go next! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Is this suppose to be middle grade? I'm sorry. I really, really wanted to like this book but after 20% I couldn't do it anymore. I know being a reviewer means to finish the book before giving a full review, So I will only review the 20% I heard, One of my bookish pet peeves is when I hear or read the same phrase, same words of something over and over again. There's books that will use the same analogies, or same metaphors or just plain trying to make a point of something repeatedly. And when I say repeatedly I mean multiple times in the same chapter, same couple of pages or same page. Like I get it. Is there no other way to describe something or get your point across? When something is this repetitive it makes me wonder if its meant for a younger audience, because this book, unfortunately for me had very little world building. At 20% I should know what the characters objective is or their struggle or what in the world the book is suppose to be about. But all I got was that the main character loved a certain book, they are in a school or something to learn magic and that's it. The story was going nowhere. It was all conversation with no direction. Literally all I remember from it is the maiden he loves is death or something like that because I'm pretty sure I heard that title over 20 times in the first 5 chapters. I may just be impatient with my audiobooks this week but it just was not my kind of fantasy book I guess. My apologies to the author.

Formally, I think I’ve settled on a 2.75 as a rating. It was cute and it was a fun adventure, but I wasn’t very compelled to keep picking the story back up. I normally finish an audiobook in the span of a week, max, but this one took me almost twice that simply because I wasn't very interested - which was very disappointing to me.

Nonetheless, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ALC!

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to read this book, in exchange for my honest review.

The first thing that drew me in to this book was the cover. Then, I read the synopsis, saw "Cinder", and I was sold.

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara, is a duel POV book that follows Zhara and Han. In a place where magic is punishable by death, Zhara has lived her whole life trying to hide hers. When she isn't taking care of her drunken step mother, and little sister, she works at the local apothecary and reads romance novels. Han, is a prince who is doing whatever he can to protect his little brother. After a chance meeting, Han and Zhara, along with the help of some unlikely friends, band together to do what they can to save the world.

This book was cute. I liked the characters and their banter. While I wouldn't necessarily compare Zhara to Cinder, it was an Asian Cinderella retelling, so it did do as promised. I also thought the writing flowed well, and was well paced.

While I liked the banter, the writing did seem a little juvenile to me. If you went into this book, not knowing that it was a YA book, then you would think it was Middle Grade. The mannerisms of the characters, and how they talk was more middle school than a group of seventeen year olds.

All in all, I give this book 3 stars and I will continue the series when the next book become available.

This book was magical.

Zhara has magic. Magic is outlawed in her kingdom, you can even be disappeared for having it, no matter whether that magic is healing or destruction. She meets a young boy in a bookstore and finds out his brother also has magic.

Can they find the Guardians of Dawn and save the ones they love?

magic is forbidden throughout the morning realms, which is why zhara has worked so hard to conceal her own. but when she meets han, she is introduced to a secret magical liberation organization called the guardians of dawn, and zhara realizes she must find her inner magic to save the world.

this is pitched as sailor moon meets cinder. while i don’t have much knowledge about sailor moon (though i do plan on watching it someday!), i could definitely see the similarities to cinder, or at least to cinderella, which that book is a retelling of. i can for sure see fans of cinder’s long(ish) series, world building, secret magic, and so on easily getting sucked into this world.

the audio narration was great and really brought this story to life! i’ve only listened to one other audiobook by this narrator, katharine chin, but i enjoyed it, too, so i’m interested in reading more audiobooks narrated by her in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC. all opinions are my own. .
Overall this seemed very YA. I get the hints of Sailor Moon and Cinderella but overall the book was interesting but not for me. Curious to see if there’s more books with different guardians. All in all I’d recommend this to a teen who wanted to try fantasy books. I personally couldn’t connect with them. Narration was done well.

What a fantastic young adult book! The imagery was so vivid that I was 100% moving along with the characters. I love when a book feels like a movie and this one did. I also love when a character develops by learning about themselves and their own power. The stream of consciousness was super helpful and added a realness to Zhara. Definitely enjoyed this book!

I received an advanced audio book copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher Wednesday Books for my honest review.

I listened to this audio book over the past week and enjoyed it. It had great world building and an interesting magic system. I found Zhara kind of hit and miss as a MC. She seemed immature or young at times as did Han. The romance between the two was sweet but a very slow burn and with very little heat. I enjoyed Xu and their snide sense of humour the most. The princess Han was to marry was also an enjoyable character. I enjoyed how she winked at all the ladies and gave Han such a hard time, teasing him and making him flustered with her lack of decorum. The story overall was interesting and I kept coming back to find out what would happen next but it did drag in parts. I think it felt that way due to the repetition that kept coming up. The action sequences where they battled the abominations where quite creepy and the scene in the cave where they find the altar was very creepy indeed. The descriptions were almost too good. I think there will be lots of people that really enjoy this one and I look forward to seeing where the series goes next from where it left off.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio for my review copies! All thoughts are my own.

Y’all might remember that I am trying to bust out of my YA Fantasy phase, but there are a few books that pull me back in, and the moment I read this book blurb, I knew I needed this one.

This book was absolutely for me, 5 stars, loved it, but it might not be for you, so let’s talk about who this book is for and who’s going to call my a liar if they read it because it grated on their every nerve.

Zhara: Guardians of Dawn is being marketed as Sailor Moon meets Cinder, and I think that is absolutely accurate. I’m not a die-hard Sailor Moon fan, but I get the vibe, you know? Zhara feels like the younger end of the YA spectrum - very much in the tone of an anime. Zhara gets something called the “Good-Looking Giggles” around several characters, so if that sounds immature to you - this book might not be for you. There are also some semi-cheesy mid-action jokes that give me that anime feeling. *I* thought it was a great time, and laughed at the jokes.

If you were a fan of Wintersong, also by S. Jae-Jones, this is the exact opposite vibe. Wintersong felt dark and moody and poetic and Zhara feels light and sparkling and a little goofy.

I loved the LGBTQ+ diversity of the characters, the East Asian inspired setting, and the slow unfolding of lore of the story. There was also the perfect blend (for me) of the teenage characters getting to be kids while also having deeper concerns - Zhara for her sister and Han for his much younger brother.

I would say this book is appropriate for younger YA readers, and even middle grade aged kids looking for a slightly more challenging read.

🎧 I think I listened to about half of this book on audio, and read about half with my eyes. I got the audio about 25% through my read, and learned I was mispronouncing several names (Zhara sounds more like “Jhara,” for instance). The writing and world building is clear enough that I think I could have understood it without a physical copy, which is usually a struggle for me. The narrator was overall excellent.

So no surprise here, but I really enjoyed Guardians of Dawn: Zhara! All I knew going into this book was that it was inspired by Sailor Moon, which I absolutely loved growing up, and Cinder, which I haven’t read but know is a Cinderella retelling. Zhara didn’t let me down, and I felt like I was transported back twenty years coming home from school to turn on Cartoon Network. I thoroughly enjoyed Zharas journey and I’m legitimately surprised the ratings aren’t higher than they are. I will say that this is very solidly a YA book, both in dialogue and in development. The prince is extremely sheltered and blushes at any mention of carnal activity, despite being 17. Any innuendos also go completely over his head. None of that was bothersome to me as it tracks with most of the cartoons from my childhood, but I can see where it might annoy someone wanting a more traditional romance or a more mature feeling read.

In a world where anyone capable of harnessing magic is executed, Zhara has to hide the use of her power from everyone. Having lost her father for his own magic, she lives with her alcoholic stepmother and her beloved half sister, who is blind. Despite Zhara working for a local apothecary, her stepmothers alcoholism threatens to bankrupt them, and she insists on securing an arranged marriage for Zharas sister to a cruel man. After a chance encounter with a stranger, Zhara realizes that she is not as alone as she believed and could potentially confide in someone else about her magic. She and her new friends quickly find themselves engulfed in danger from all sides as they work to uncover the truth of the missing magic wielders, protect the ones they love, and secure an escape for Zhara and her sister.

All in all, I was engrossed from beginning to end and though this particular chapter is closed, I feel that there is great potential for more Guardians of Dawn in the future. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a bit of nostalgia or honestly just anyone who enjoys a YA Asian inspired adventure with a splash of G rated romance.

I should've known better. Wintersong was okay. I probably will never read Cinder, but I was promised Sailor Moon, Vol. 1. And if like me, you find Usagi one of the most annoying protagonists of all time, then sure, Zhara is your jam.

So there's magic. And it's forbidden. And a prince that's hiding the fact that he's a prince, but this isn't even a spoiler because it is literally so glaringly obvious. The stepmother is boring. The guardians are boring. The sister is supposedly disabled, but only in the afterthought kind of way that Violet Violence Vomit was edited in to be disabled in Fourth Wing, another massive disappointment.

YA fantasy, do better.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.