This was such a fun book. I really enjoyed the world building and the characters. It was a joy to read and discover more of the world in this book to build off of the others

This is the third installment of the Guardians of Dawn series , and unfortunately to me it was just okay. I feel like Yuli's story is much more disjointed than Zhara's and Ami's. There were definitely things that kept getting repeated over and over but it made me feel a bit dumb. The plot was a bit too predictable and I just didn't feel as much for Yuli as I did the other girls. I feel like this was just setting up for the next book, which does the series and the character such a disservice. I still really like the world and the Bangtan brothers though.

This series just keeps getting better and better! Each installment brings in new characters, new intrigue, and new action, and all of it works together to create a fantastically engaging narrative! Another wonderful showing in a wonderful series, and one that's left me so excited for the fourth title that I can hardly wait! Thank you to NetGalley and to St. Martin's Press for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The saga continues!

As Zhara and Ami travel north to reunite with Yuli and close the portal to Tiyok, Yuli is dealing with her own brewing battle. After her Grandfather, the Warlord’s, death the five ruling families are in chaos. The Lady of the Wild Things, the mother of her childhood best friend, seizes her chance of taking control of the Golden Horde, the army of the North, to make her play for the Imperial Throne. To stop her, Yuli must compete against Kho, her former best friend in three challeges. But there is something worse afoot as the demons have started possessing anti-magicians in a bid to create their own army to release the Mother of Ten Thousand Demons.

I absolutely loved all the new lore we got in this third installment of Guardians of the Dawn. It continues to grow and expand while still giving the nostalgia of the magical girl animes we grew up loving.

It was harder for me to connect with Yuli, more of a tomboy who alwaya grew up privileged, than it was for me with Ami, the scholar, or Zhara, the dreamer. She still has the personality and qualities of a teenage girl, but her interests didn’t align with mine like the other girls. For this reason I struggled to finish this book as quickly as I did the other two. However Yuli is headstrong and brave, compassionate, with a spiritual power unlike the other Guardians. She was a lot more serious in this book, despite Kho’s disbelief that she could take anything seriously, and perhaps I enjoyed her playful attitude in the previous books a bit more? Either way it was nice to have a deeper look into her character and see her bonding in person with Ami and Zhara.

The stakes are higher, the romance has taken a back seat (for the most part as the previous couples have split to take care of different plot arcs), and there are many more characters to keep up with now. I loved the foreshadowing of discovering the Guardian of Water in the Azure Isles (not going to spoil anyone with my theories) and the heartbreaking ending as the world around them tumbles into civil war. I feel like book four will be a lot darker than the previous three; but that makes sense as the girls grow not only into their powers but mature as their experiences can only force them to do. I eagerly await it (soooo long!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭). In the mean time everyone go read this series immediately!

This book is fantastic. The world-building is lush and intricate, drawing you into the Morning Realms where every element feels vital to the fabric of the story. Yuli’s journey is compelling, she’s not only struggling with her own insecurities but also confronting the burden of restoring balance to her fractured world. What makes this tale even more exciting is the dynamic between Yuli and Kho, whose rivalry and complicated history add emotional depth and tension to the political games at play. It’s a fresh and exciting start to what promises to be a gripping series.