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.

***3.5 stars

This was really cute. A lot of the fantasy I read tends to be adult and more on the serious side, so this was a little out of my comfort zone. Don’t get me wrong, there were some serious issues covered here, but the overall tone was much more playful and lighthearted. I’m not a young adult reader, which is what brings this book down a bit. I’m wavering on rounding the 3.5 stars up or down just cause I know it’s not my genre. The ending certainly felt rushed and confused me a bit, but I think that it’s entertaining enough for most of the page count that if you like cozy fantasy it’ll be for you.

This book felt like an anime in novel form! As someone who loves Sailor Moon, I was super excited to read/listen to this! Also that cover??? Gorgeous.

I liked the story and the lore, and I didn't feel like we got info dumped on which is always nice in a new fantasy series. I thought the pacing was pretty good, and the characters were fleshed out with distinct personalities. Our MMC is a himbo with a heart of gold which was hilarious to read and his best friend is a nonbinary voice of reason that was given the best one liners.

Unfortunately, an anime thing that didn't quite translate was all the giggling. If I never hear the phrase "good looking giggles" again, it'll be too soon. I'm almost positive that I would've rated this book maybe 1/2 a star or a full star higher if this phrase and anything giggle related was removed. It took me out of the story every time and the giggles plus the general inner monologue of Zhara made the book feel middlegrade instead of YA.

The book was really cute, maybe I'm just outside of the age range to appreciate parts of it.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

I really enjoyed this book. The tagline suits it perfectly because it is truly Sailor Moon meets Cinderella. I loved the use of humor in the face of danger and the banter between the characters. I also loved the world building and am eager to read the next book in the series.

One thing I wasn’t crazy about was the MC. Don’t get me wrong, I liked her. But I didn’t love her. She was a little too silly at some points to take seriously. I hope the other books in the series follow the other Guardians because I’d love a book about the Guardian of Wind (I won’t say who because of spoilers).

I flipped back and forth between the e-book and audiobook for this title and much preferred the audiobook. The narrator gave the story life and gave much needed pronunciation assistance. I would definitely continue this series on audio.

Overall, this was a great start to a series I can’t wait to continue and I will definitely be reading S. Jae-Jones’s other books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 stars
Solid beginning to a series. Most of the characters were good, I think I liked some of the side characters more than Zhara. The world building was interesting and the magic system was as well. The writing style was so-so, there were times I was pulled out of the story, but it was easy to listen to.
Some of my favorite characters were (I'm hoping I don't butcher the spelling of these names as I listened to the audio) Chee who is the prince's best friend, Yulia, and the prince's young brother. Chee was just a great sidekick and added some humor. Yulia was the prince's arranged fiancee and she was very confident and I enjoyed the page time I got with her. The prince's brother, I have no idea why I really liked him as he's not in the book a lot. Both Zhara and the prince (Han?) were just ok for me. Zhara was very submissive to her stepmother and oblivious the the obvious abuse she was giving her. She doted on her blind sister who seemed to not want to be doted on. She was much more confident and a more likeable character when she was away from them. Han was juvenile, but a cinnamon roll. He was almost there. Oh, I also loved Sasha, the cat. He was sassy.
The world building was good, I really could picture the scenes in my head. The magic system was interesting, if a little confusing at times. Magic is forbidden, yet Zhara possesses it. She can make light with her hands and I believe a few other things (other than the *big* thing that is a spoiler). People also can get possessed by demons.
The writing style wasn't my favorite because there were times I was jarred out of the story, yet being a longer than (my) typical audiobook at almost 16 hours, I felt like I flew through it. It was so easy to listen to while doing something else which I don't always find with a fantasy book.
This book was marketed as Cinder meets Sailor Moon which is like 99% of the reason I requested it, but I didn't find a lot of them. At around 70% through I said to myself "ah, I see the Sailor Moon now." Granted, I haven't read Cinder in years, but I didn't see a ton of it. Zhara was the step-daughter who fell in love with a prince but that's all I can remember from Cinder that gives me the vibes.
I absolutely loved the narrator. She was fantastic. Her voice was so soothing and so easy to lose myself in. I will definitely be looking for more audiobooks from her.
The book was nicely wrapped up, but with a lead into the next book that makes you want to pick it up. I will definitely be continuing on with this series. I'm excited to see what happens next in Zhara's story!

This was just okay for me.
What I liked:
- the use of neutral pronouns for nearly all none MC in the book.
- a smooth, almost floral feeling, style of writing with soft cadences and lovely transitions.
- the plot is highly interesting and had me excited

What I didn't like:
- this is an audio and it was A LOT of information and characters to keep track of. A large info dump like this is always better in print so you can flip back to clarify information. I kept getting lost in who/what/when/why that I was missing out on plot points. Very difficult to keep all the bits sorted.

My favourite way to digest a new fantasy series is actually on audio with the print book in my lap, so I can flip back to maps and characters while still enjoying the story.
Much love to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my audio ARC.

A fun adventure in a new fantasy world. The culture was rich, the magic was intriguing and I can’t wait to see more of the world in future installments

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audio ARC!

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara is a Cinderella retelling where the main character, Zhara, has magic in a world where magic is absolutely NOT allowed. She lives with her stepmother, who is not nice, and her stepsister, who she actually adores. Her father was a magician, and he is no longer in the picture because magicians were essentially killed off. There is a mysterious happening occurring, which Zhara learns about through her part time work with an apothecary. She stumbles upon a book on magic, which begins the story.

This book felt *extremely* YA. I do not say that as a bad thing, I am just now a thirty year old woman who cannot always connect to a book written for a much younger audience. This book was very fun and enjoyable nevertheless. Zhara gets the giggles when she's around someone she finds attractive, which was adorable. I see this book being a very big hit for a younger crowd, and I am ok with not being a part of that crowd. The magic system was fun, though a bit under developed. I think this is a light fantasy with a side of romance that will work very well with those looking for a book like this!

The audio was very good. I was particularly impressed with the narrator's ability to meow and hiccup so well on command! I would recommend reading the audio if that is a format you prefer!

This was a fun, fast paced, YA Romantasy. (first book in a series)

Magic is outlawed, but weird and unexpected things are happening. Zhara, the FMC and a commoner, is hiding her magic; Han, the MMC and the royal heir, is trying to learn more about magic to help his family. Their paths cross one night and eventually team up with a motley crew to try to figure out what is happening in their world.

I think the romance and general characterization between the MCs was my least favorite part. They are both a little naive and are just starting to stumble into their bigger roles— he a prince, and her acknowledging and honing her magical powers— so there’s hopefully more depth/growth in the following books.

The side characters, however, are lively and whimsical. It’s heartwarming to see all the relationships blossom and grow between not only the MCs, but all the characters. The queer representation was a nice surprise as well. Xu was my favorite out of everyone! He felt the most genuine and fun.

This was advertised as Cinder meets Sailor Moon, and while I can see some vague elements of both, it is way more than that. It is a beautifully intricate magic system laced with wonderful East Asian lore and great world building. The audio book was narrated very well and helped with a lot of the Eastern names and words.

Though I am growing out of my YA fantasy phase, this was still very enjoyable. This was a great first book to a series and I can wait to see what happens next!

Thank you to the author, publishers, and NetGalley for the audio-ARC in exchange for honest review.

This was a cute, fun read that I enjoyed a bit more than I expected.
Despite rehashing a number of well used tropes - main character hiding her magic, she will be one to help save her people, oppressed by a wicked stepmother, misunderstandings due to miscommunications and a prince who was so sheltered as to be overly comical (His best friend constantly despairing of getting him to his majority did make me laugh though, especially as Prince Han's adventures still managed to leave him fairly naïve).
And yet, despite all this the Zhara and Han's relationship delighted me. They were sweet and naïve together, their intentions always well meaning and true.

If I have to have one major complaint it was how they always managed to travel all around (to a volcano and back!) with no one noticing the heir was missing! Was this just a really tiny kingdom, or did no one really care where the prince wandered off to?

Received an audio-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for honest review -

Narration - I enjoyed the narration immensely and found it easy to follow. The narrator succeeded in giving each character their own voice, and it flowed well.

World building - unlike some other reviews that I've read, I actually found the world-building to be fantastic and immersive. We learn about the specifics of the magic system over the course of the book along with the characters. Place and character names were easy to follow and character pronouns were handled delicately. Another reviewer mentioned that they/them was replaced with he/him for a major character near the end of the novel. I didn't notice this at all, so it may have been corrected. The forward to the story did explain that pronouns for characters would be they/them until the character was able to give their preference through the story.

Story - This is a very young YA novel, which isn't an issue, but it is a genre that I'm outgrowing (no surprise as I'm well into middle-age). I really enjoy stories based on non-Western mythologies and folklores, and really found this one well-done. The inspirations were clear while the story itself managed to put its own brand. I did find the humor to be a bit juvenile.

Representation - disability rep in the novel - one major character is blind, and her treatment at the hands of those in power is abusive and problematic; however, her treatment from those who love her (her sister), is not. Is this an honest depiction or troublesome representation? Where is the line between the two?

I'll probably read the next book in the series - the epilogue intrigued me enough to keep me going. Fingers crossed the writing and story mature as they continue.

This was an absolutely beautiful story, and I couldn’t help but fall in love with it. The detail that went into every aspect of the background and the setting was so meticulous and I wish other fantasy writers would do the same. I can’t wait to read the following books in the series.

I feel like I've hit a bit of a wall with enjoying the books I've read recently, but this book was a fun and fast paced read.

The way the author used English to mimic how characters would have spoke in other languages was so interesting and gave it a unique quality. The magic system, while similar to others I've read about, still felt different than what I've read before.

I loved that both Zhara and Han had younger siblings that they were fighting to protect. And Xu! I loved Xu, they are probably my favorite character with Yuli coming in close second. Even though there was a romantic subplot with Zhara and Han, the friendship between them and Xu and Jiyi and eventually Yuli felt genuine and just as important as the romance. And the inclusion of queer characters was a delightful surprise.

The writing was a bit repetitive at times, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

The narrator’s voice for sure flowed with the story of this book seamlessly. Painting this world in vivid color in my minds eye.
One of the main things that I love about the narrator, was that she for sure, embodies everything that I loved about this book. The central character Zhara’s kind, and fiery personality to Hans adorable dorky way of flirting to Sajah’s meows and feisty animal attitude. As far as the story goes it for sure was a magical journey of self discovery of strengths and power within oneself.
I absolutely adored this audiobook of what has become one of my favorite books that I read this year. They for sure chose the perfect narrator to tell this magical journey..

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for a advanced audio edition of this book in exchange for a honest review.