Ami is book 2 in the Guardians of Dawn series. I really enjoyed book 1 of this series and knew I had to give this a try when I saw it coming out. It is such a unique series and one you will not want to put down.

We start off with Ami, a leading lady that is doing whatever it takes to care of her father, trying to work and begging for anything to help them survive. When she is asked to translate some things for the Beast, how could she say no? This winds up leading Ami on a magical journey she never expected, and she finds herself along the way.

This installment flips back and forth between Ami's POV and Zhara's POV (the main character in book 1). You have plenty of action and fight scenes to keep your interest and it progresses the story arc from book 1. I am intrigued about what the next book will bring and excited to see where that story takes us. I recommend this if you are a fan of young adult fantasy with a dash of Sailor Moon.

Guardians of Dawn: Ami by S. Jae-Jones is the second book of the series. The first one was Zhara. I definitely would say that it's better to read this book after reading Zhara.

This book picks up from the end of Zhara. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so my review will be limited to my opinions. I liked Ami better than Zhara. It could be maybe because I was already aware of the world building in this series. The world building, the representation, and the realistic characters were my favorite parts. I wish we had a map of this world for better visualization. I really enjoyed reading Ami and their arc. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Ami is a young girl that finds herself at odds with others, never really fitting in- always seen as a bit eccentric or strange. This has led to severe isolation which is further compounded by caring for her mentally ill father. Ami finds herself in a precarious situation when her father is caught stealing sacred items from the palace. She makes a deal that in exchange for her father's safety, she will help translate texts containing the Language of Flowers. A blight has taken over the land causing a devastating illness, and the lost language may hold the only answers.

I don't want to say more than that if you haven't read Zhara. Beyond what I have summarized is really the meat of the story which ties heavily to the first book in the series.

I enjoyed this book! It's a great YA novel that has magic, found family, character growth, and light romance. Once again, Jae-Jones is able to describe horrific things in detail- think Demon Slayer terror! The details put into this book are vivid and beautifully written. I will say at times it seems repetitive. I believe the word "uncanny" was used no less than 50 times. I did not count, but it happened a lot. The characters are young (16-17) and sweet. Trying to navigate being awkward teenagers and simultaneously save the world. Although the characters are slightly immature, it's great to see them grow and gain confidence.

Thank you so much S. Jae-Jones and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book to enjoy!

The boycott of St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and other related imprints is a direct response to the publisher’s lack of accountability regarding statements made by an employee in their marketing department and their failure to respond to concerns about possible systemic issues within the department.
We are asking the company to address and denounce the Islamophobic and racist statements and behavior, as well as take active steps to protect employees, influencers, readers, and authors from racist and discriminatory behavior. Terminating the employee is not, and has never been, a demand of the boycott.

Guardians of Dawn: Ami is an exciting and engaging sequel with lots of action, unexpected reveals, and wonderful new characters.

Zhara and Han are traveling to Kalantze seeking to complete the Songs of Order and Chaos, hoping the book will give them the answers they need to defeat the Mother of Ten Thousand Demons. Meanwhile in Kalantze, a young scrivener, Ami, and her ill father are seeking refuge when a demonic blight occurs in the region. When Zhara arrives amist an outbreak of undead demonic possession, she and Ami must flee with their friends. Ami is only beginning to understand her magic, but she’s not the only one keeping secrets. The Beast Gaden has a secret as well, one that could affect aok of the Morning Realm.

This was an exciting and engaging sequel in the Guardians of Dawn series. I was glad to see that Zhara still played a significant role in the book, but I also came to love Ami as well. Middle books can be challenging, as the plot needs to move forward while also preparing the reader for the next book. But this was done well in Guardians of Dawn: Ami, with plenty of action and adventure. We meet some exciting new characters such as Ami and Gaden, and get lots of interactions with favorites from the first book as well, like Han and Yuli. The book was exciting, with lots of reveals, twists, and action to move the plot forward. This book also portrays different sexual and gender identities in beautifully accepting ways. As a YA title, I found this to be an important element and added some richness to the story.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next in this series. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Zhara’s quest to reunite the reborn Guardians of Dawn to close the Mother of Demons out of the world hits a snag when the dead start to rise.

The first book in this series was a delight. I loved the twist on Cinderella, and incorporating magical girls to save the world gave it a fresh spin.

This was a fun follow up to Zhara’s book! You will need to read the first one to understand what’s going on, and this one lived up to all my expectations from the first. We get a fascinating twist of Beauty & the Beast, magical girls coming together as friends and developing their powers to save the world. There is even more awesome world building, expanding on the demons and the roles of the Guardians in providing a balance for the world.

Even better, we get great development on characters from book one! Zhara has really settled into her role as leader, even as she questions herself. The romance from one gets more depth, while Ami’s relationship starts to blossom.

And the ending! A solid resolution to the conflict of this second book, but open enough that I am chomping at the bit for the next book in the series!

There is a lot of POV hopping, & it’s got a bit of slow start. And I am definitely going to need more to Ami and Gaden’s relationship in book 3.

Thank you to both NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this arc.

As someone who reads a lot of fantasy novels, I find that unique world building is one of those fair few things that can automatically elevate a book for me. It is because of this that I have been somewhat favouring stories that move away from the traditional, Anglo-centric folklore, and instead embrace a wider cultural lens, complete with myths and monsters from all over the world. However, as fun as diving into all of these new facets is, there is something to be said about the comfort of automatically knowing and being able to identify context and inspiration. Keeping that balance is something I believe Ami does very well. It is a wonderfully imaginative fantasy hybrid, seamlessly blending Eastern mythology with European legends and superstition—ultimately creating something wholly its own.
Ami is book two in the Guardians of Dawn series, and while I do plan to go back and read book one, I haven’t yet. So, my observations and opinions regarding this story are purely based on it as a standalone. That being said, the first thing that struck me about Ami was how pretty the imagery was, even when describing mundane or unattractive things. Normally I am not one for authors being overly verbose or expository, but the way it is done in this book (and I assume the first) makes that intense description feel like it isn’t a waste of time, but rather a meditation to further emphasize the mood of the setting or characters, or even to just give pause for the reader to feel emotional ties to the world building itself.
Overall, I did really like this, and I will probably reread it after I read Zhara, which is the first book in the series. As for my recommendation, Ami certainly has it—and I look forward to seeing where this series goes in the future.

Great literary masterwork it is not, but boy howdy am I having a good time. We get to see more of the magical world that Jae-Jones has created and even more of the characters that we loved from the first novel, I can safely say I am fully invested in this series.

I really enjoyed this next installment of the Guardians of Dawn. I think it started a little slow, mostly because of the anticipation of what was to come once the characters met up. Once that happened, I devoured the story like Mother of Demons wants to devour the world. Really enjoyed Ami’s growth throughout, as well as Gaden’s growth, and Zhara/Han’s growing relationship. Suggested for those who enjoy Beauty and the Beast retelling. Rep for demisexual, non-binary, autism

I enjoyed Zhara’s book, but I couldn’t get into and invested in Ami’s book, no matter how hard I tried. I’m not sure why, and can’t offer any constructive feedback. I’m hopeful that I’ll end up reading this down the line, but for now, it’s a DNF

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Guardians of Dawn: Ami by S. Jae-Jones is a third person multi-POV YA romantic fantasy continuation of Zhara. When Ami’s father is almost exiled, she becomes a scrivener for the royal family and spends more time with Beast, a guard who never removes their mask. Zhara, Han, and the Bangtan Brothers are on their way to Ami to continue their search for the other Guardians of Dawn.

Zhara mashed up Sailor Moon and Cinderella and Ami continues the Sailor Moon train but uses Beauty and the Beast for its fairy tale element. Beast, also called Gaden, is not under a curse, but has a lot of scars from a tragic accident and hides themselves away due to their fear of how people would respond to the fact that they are transgender and their previous identity. There’s a lot of layers as to why Gaden is not interested in letting people in and we slowly get those layers and sympathize with them more and more because of it.

Along with the transgender representation, there is Demi and Autistic representation that was handled quite well. Zhara and Han are still together from the previous book but have hit a bit of a rough patch that Zhara doesn’t know how to fix. Han reveals that he has never been physically attracted to someone before meeting Zhara and while he is aware of the direction romantic relationships usually go, he wants to take things slowly and Zhara agrees to stop if he’s ever uncomfortable. It’s very nice to see young men depicted as wanting to go slower or expressing that they are not ready for a more physical relationship as there is still so much societal pressure for them to want those things and to want them all the time.

Ami herself is very much Autistic-coded, including her stare, her lack of understanding of other people, her hatred of lying, and her mentioning that she has special interests. Not only is Ami one of the romantic leads in this book, but she is clearly stated on multiple occasions to be beautiful. She wears glasses to hide her stare and for her near-sightedness that she most likely developed after spending years buried in her books. On top of that, Ami has spent her life taking care of her ill father, showcasing her compassion and understanding that things need to be done that we might not want to do sometimes.

Content warning for mentions of transphobia

I would recommend this to fans of the previous book, readers of YA fantasy who want more Autistic, Demi, and Trans representation, and those drawn in by the magical girl meets fairy tale concept.

3.5
Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing the earc in exchange for an honest review.

I have so far enjoyed the Guardians of Dawn series. Ami picked up right where Zhara left off and introduced us to some of the new main characters Ami and Gaden. I actually really enjoyed this duo. I felt like they were both shy and more reserved and I felt like they balanced out with Zhara and Han well. I really liked Ami. I found her personality to be soothing and built around her life caring for her father. Some of the scenes with her father made me really emotional and I was moved by them. As for Gaden, I thought their journey was so interesting. They had so much trauma built up over the years, not really fully trusting or relying on the people around them. It was sweet to see them finally begin to let people in and I really enjoyed reading their development.

Overall I think I enjoyed the plot of the first book more, this one didn’t grip me as much. The undead are not necessarily my favorite thing to read about, but I did again enjoy reading about the balance of the ki and how the undead fall into that realm. I sometimes felt like the plot dragged it made it made the journey feel so slow at times. I started to feel more into the plot towards the later half of the book. I think the story started to come together more and the characters started to feel more like a team.

I enjoyed the representation more, I overall felt like this story matured dialogue wise which I personally really enjoyed, it still felt like a YA fantasy adventure without as much of the cringy middle school-esque dialogue which helped me enjoy this more. I think the plot was the main part that fell flat to me, but I am super excited to continue this series with the other guardians of dawn.

Monsters hide. Love divides. The dead will rise.

They say that when the world is out of balance, the Guardians of Dawn are reborn.

Ami is the second instalment in the Gaurdians of Dawn, Sailor Moon meets fantasy romance starring our new lead Ami. Zhara, makes an appearance and a sisterhood is formed!

Fantasy, romance and geared to a young adult audience, Ami has a unique story and wonderful in depth characters.

I loved this second book in the series, it is such a fun, and exciting adventure that fills me with nostalgia. Reading it reminds me of sitting in front of the tv and watching Sailor Moon. Wanting to be the characters and have the cool powers and talking animal companions.

Pub date is August 6th!

Really enjoyed it and cannot wait for more.

"Monsters hide. Love divides. The dead will rise.

They say that when the world is out of balance, the Guardians of Dawn are reborn.

Li Ami is an exile. Exiled from friendships, from ordinary magic, and from her own family, Ami is sent to the outermost West to care for her mentally ill father, whose rantings and ravings might actually spell out a dire prophecy. When her father is arrested for stealing from the sacred grounds of the castle, Ami must make herself of use to the presiding Beast by finding a cure to the mysterious blight that is decimating their harvest.

Guardian of Wood...There you are...

Meanwhile, as signs of magical corruption arise throughout the Morning Realms and the threat of the Mother of Ten Thousand Demons looms ever larger, the tenuous peace holding the Realms together begins to unravel. Jin Zhara, the newly empowered Guardian of Fire, realizes that she might be out of her element. Her magic is no match for the growing tide of undead, and she needs the Guardian of Wood to defeat the revenants razing the countryside. The two must journey to the Root of the World in order to seal the demon portal there and restore balance to an increasingly chaotic world.

Filled with adventure, romance and a race against time, Guardians of Dawn: Ami is the next book in the richly imagined Guardians of Dawn series."

I'm loving the Beauty and the Beast vibes!

While I loved the world continuation of the world building and getting more of a look into Zhara's story, I've come to the conclusion that this series just isn't for me. I've read and enjoyed a lot of YA, and while there are some things that would be a bit inappropriate for middle grade readers, the characters within the books so far have felt very middle grade. Guardians of Dawn: Ami starts off with some action, beginning with Ami's father going missing, and initially that gripped me. Bu,t as the story went on, it didn't hold my interest. This part is probably on me as I'm guessing I didn't do enough research into the series before starting it. I went into this book thinking that it would be an interconnected standalone to the first. I very much thought this would be solely Ami's story. That wasn't the case, however, as it is very much a continuation of Zhara's, so if you're like me and wasn't aware, I think that's something to keep in mind.

I will say my favorite things were the world building as well as the writing. The writing style is incredibly beautiful.

My rating: 3.5/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the chance to be an early reader. All opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for an eARC of this highly anticipated sequel! All opinions are my own.

I loved the first book in the Guardians of Dawn series, Zhara. So when I saw the second installment up for request, I LEAPED at the chance. Especially with that cover. Do you see that cover y'all! It's gorgeous!!!

Sadly, I was not as enthralled with this book as I was the first. For some reason, it took me a long time to get into it. Like I was halfway through, and wondering why am I still reading? Where are the characters I loved so much from before, why were they not as captivating as they once were? I wish I knew, but it wasn't until I was at about 70% before things started to perk up. From that point, the book was glued in my hands, I needed to know what was going to happen. So I will say that my rating is mainly based on the last quarter of the book, because things got INTERESTING. Yes, the all caps is necessary.

The story comes from multiple viewpoints. The two FMCs, Zhara (my girl!) and Ami, as well as one of the MMC, Gaden/Beast. I did like the Beauty and the Beast vibes in this story, much like the Cinderella vibes in the first book, but I was left wanting much more. There's a big moral dilemma that's developed and involves a few characters and instead of exploring these situations, it felt like we just glossed over some much-needed discussion and exploration. I did love the representation of different types of love and gender identity.

The writing is well-done, though I felt the pacing and reveals could use some work. It was very apparent to me who was who long before any big reveals happened. To be fair, the action in this book was on another level compared to the first, and the stakes were raised enough that I was worried if all my favorite characters would make it through or not!

And of course, the Sailor Moon/elemental magic vibes are strong in this installment as well! That's mainly what drew me to this series, I am and always will be a Sailor Moon girly, and I am enjoying reading this reincarnation of my favorite manga/anime series! Even though it took me awhile to get into this one, I will definitely be getting the 3rd book asap!

AMI returns us to the world that is full of rich descriptions, Asian influence, fantasy, battles, LGBTQIA+ characters, multiple POVs, action sequences, demonic possession, and even zombies. While all of that would seem exciting, I did not connect with this book for the same reason as its predecessor, Zhara. This is a perfect YA novel for those that are in that age group, but not to an adult. My rating is high only because I am rating it with this in mind, not my own enjoyment.

Part of what makes this series so great for a younger audience is the fact that it has so much going on from diverse and inclusive characters to zombies to world building. Each book is basically a Sailor Moon character plus a fairytale retelling. For that audience, it’s a great story and a unique way to incorporate already beloved stories in a new way.

But for older readers, my issues still stands with the tone of the book as being immature. Characters are non communicative, they are finding themselves for most of the book, and there’s a lot of plot holes that when you think about it too hard don’t make sense. But to me, that’s ok because I truly feel like I am not the target audience for this series!

Overall, this series is great for YA readers exclusively. I am giving it this high of a rating simply because of this and the fact that I firmly believe I am not the demographic of this series, not based on my own personal enjoyment, which would be more of a 2.5-3 star reads.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley, for the free E-copy for review.

As a devoted fan of the classic Beauty and the Beast tale, I was immediately captivated by this enthralling retelling. While I recognized some familiar elements, this story quickly transcended the original, unfolding into an epic, sweeping adventure. The quintessential quest trope is a personal favorite of mine, so I knew I was in for a truly wondrous journey.

This being the second book in the Guardians of Dawn series, readers will have the opportunity to delve deeper into the richly-crafted world and meet the captivating characters. The dual perspectives, from the introspective Ami as she grapples with her own identity, and the enigmatic "beast" Gaden, who harbors a closely guarded secret, lend a multilayered complexity to the narrative.

The stellar cast and fantastical world-building, brimming with history, mythology, and ongoing civil unrest, elevate this story to new heights, adding remarkable depth and texture. I was thoroughly immersed, captivated by the seamless blending of familiar tropes and entirely original elements.

This was an absolute delight to read, and I highly recommend it to anyone seeking an epic, genre-bending adventure. I eagerly await the release of the next installment in this enthralling series.

The Guardian of Fire has awakened and destroyed a demon lord, but darkness has sunken its claws all throughout the Morning Realms. Kicking off from where Zhara ended, Ami follows Zhara on her quest to find the Guardian of Wood who will be instrumental if they are to stop the rising tides of the undead.

Just as Zhara was a loose retelling of Cinderella, Ami is a loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Our titular character, Li Ami, is a bookish outsider who doesn't fit in. Ami's father commits a terrible crime with a heavy sentence, and Ami offers up her own freedom in exchange. Ami's "captor" is a mysterious person named Beast, who lives in a beautiful castle with a very magical plant (a tree, not a rose) at its heart. There is a love story.

The zombies, though, are Jae-Jones's own touch. I don't love zombies in my media, to be honest, and while they are a fitting opponent for Ami's powers, I personally dislike most of the tropes associated with zombie media. I did enjoy the magic system, though, and how Ami takes place primarily in the west, where the Tibetan Buddhist influences are clear in Jae-Jones's worldbuilding. It is fitting, really, that the undead are rising in a part of the Morning Realms where life is supposed to reincarnate naturally, and yet it is distorted by demonic forces.

Zhara has matured as a character who has stepped into her role as the Guardian of Fire. We get to see her through the eyes of others, an imposing figure even as she is still adjusting to her newfound powers. Ami is very different, and I enjoyed being in her head. The romance was a little underwhelming, just as it had been with Zhara and Han, but Beast is a really interesting character with a lot to unpack.

With how this book ends, I'm all too eager to see where book 3 goes next.

I will share my review after St. Martin's Press does the following:
1. Address and denounce the Islamophobia/racism from their employee.
2. Offer tangible steps for how they’re going to mitigate the harm this employee caused.
3. Address how, moving forward, they will support and protect their Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab readers, influencers, and authors in addition to their BIPOC readers, influencers, and authors.