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bookwormbi's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I loved how morally complex this book was, it went really deep with all the questions it asked. I think I would have wanted more from certain storylines, but overall very interesting!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Murder, Animal death, Death, Child death, and Death of parent
albon's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Animal cruelty, and Violence
starrysteph's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved Dauntless; it felt like a breath of fresh air in the YA fantasy realm!
We follow Seri, who lives in a world defined by very clear rules. Dangerous magical beasts attack the people whenever they can, which is why they’ve made their homes in spreading trees. The brave valiant defend them with superhuman strength, thanks to the armor they make from the beasts’ skin and hearts.
Seri has stayed safe in the “known world”, until one day she encounters a stranger from beyond her borders who can communicate with these beasts, challenging everything she’s ever known to be true. Now she’s faced with a new possibility: peace
One of the standout elements of Dauntless was world-building. Bonnin has created an incredibly vivid Filipino inspired world; I really felt like I was in a tropical jungle. The descriptions of the environment and the food and the culture were SO immersive. (Note: this book is pitched as a Filipino-inspired fantasy, but to the best of my knowledge this just means the world, not so much the mythology/events of the story).
The fantasy world was thoughtful; it’s fleshed out in a detailed way without feeling overwhelming.
There was a very strong focus on worldbuilding at the beginning - so the plot was gentle and slow at first but still found it quite engaging. She’s taking these delightfully creative concepts but storytelling with straightforward details: so younger readers can follow along easily.
An element I LOVED was the concept of valor armor: magical armor (taken from killed-in-battle beasts) which shifts and changes color and shape to adapt to the warrior’s body … and to reveal their inner self. It was so neat to see vivid writing & descriptions that reflected characters’ hearts and emotions.
And speaking of characters, there were 3 female POVs here … and I enjoyed all of them! Each character engaged with their strength in different ways; people could cry and grieve and be furious and this wasn’t dismissed at all. Seri in particular had a compelling journey around guilt and grief and learning to open up to others.
There were also some fun POV switches, when you immediately get corrected on information one character thought they had right. I think that’s such a fun way to utilize multiple points of view
There’s also a sapphic romance here between two of the main character POVs (Seri is a lesbian and Tsana is bi). The romance IS a subplot but it’s important and given some depth; it’s warm and earnest and sweet to watch. It does feel very YA at times - especially with the instant connection - but I appreciated the slower development of the relationship over the course of the book.
Also … there’s an animal companion component here, which might just be my favorite element in a fantasy book. I can’t talk about it too much without being spoilery, but OOO was it sweet.
Finally, there’s a sweet open-ended - but happy - ending. I love standalone fantasy books. I can see that the door was left open for a follow up here, but everything was also concluded in a satisfying way
CW: murder, death, violence, animal cruelty (hunting & culling), animal death, gore, grief, death of a parent, physical abuse, emotional abuse, suicidal thoughts, classism, colonization, mental illness, fire, poverty, starvation
(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gore, Animal death, Colonisation, Death of parent, Violence, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Death, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, and Physical abuse
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Seri is a newly made assistant to commander Eshai Unbroken, whose reputation for killing beasts is unparalleled. In their world, beasts roam the forests and it is up to the valiants to kill them, use their skin as armor, and discover new settlements. As Eshai’s assistant, Seri sees first hand how much destruction the beasts can cause. And even kills one herself.
Seri thought the divide between people and beasts would always be there. Separated by violence. But when she meets Tsana, Seri realizes things could be different. After all, Tsana can communicate with the beasts. And maybe there doesn’t have to be violence after all. If they can get everyone else to understand.
Thanks to NetGalley and Swoon Reads for an advanced copy of Dauntless to review! I’m always on the lookout for a good new fantasy. Especially when it’s a debut author! This reminded a lot of Beasts of Prey, though it is one of those rare YA fantasy standalones.
What I liked about this book from the beginning is the way the world is described. Yes, you’re dropped right in the middle of the action, but for the most part, I didn’t feel confused. Bonnin does a good job making sure you’re up to speed on the intricacies of this world, unfolding details exactly when you need them. This isn’t always an easy thing to do, so I was impressed!
While I did enjoy the world building, after the initial scene at the beginning, the plot does take a bit to really get going. However, when it does, you’ll find that this book is difficult to put down! If you like your fantasy with a lot of action, you’ll find that in the second half of the book.
The only other thing that put me off is that there are technically three points of view, but they didn’t necessarily feel different enough from each other. I wanted something that better signaled when I was with a specific character. For the most part, all of their voices really blended together.
Despite the pacing and the voices, the rest of the story and the characters were interesting enough that I would definitely read another book by Bonnin. Can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
------
A solid fantasy debut that I think a lot of teens will love! Stay tuned for a full review to come soon.
Seri thought the divide between people and beasts would always be there. Separated by violence. But when she meets Tsana, Seri realizes things could be different. After all, Tsana can communicate with the beasts. And maybe there doesn’t have to be violence after all. If they can get everyone else to understand.
Thanks to NetGalley and Swoon Reads for an advanced copy of Dauntless to review! I’m always on the lookout for a good new fantasy. Especially when it’s a debut author! This reminded a lot of Beasts of Prey, though it is one of those rare YA fantasy standalones.
What I liked about this book from the beginning is the way the world is described. Yes, you’re dropped right in the middle of the action, but for the most part, I didn’t feel confused. Bonnin does a good job making sure you’re up to speed on the intricacies of this world, unfolding details exactly when you need them. This isn’t always an easy thing to do, so I was impressed!
While I did enjoy the world building, after the initial scene at the beginning, the plot does take a bit to really get going. However, when it does, you’ll find that this book is difficult to put down! If you like your fantasy with a lot of action, you’ll find that in the second half of the book.
The only other thing that put me off is that there are technically three points of view, but they didn’t necessarily feel different enough from each other. I wanted something that better signaled when I was with a specific character. For the most part, all of their voices really blended together.
Despite the pacing and the voices, the rest of the story and the characters were interesting enough that I would definitely read another book by Bonnin. Can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
------
A solid fantasy debut that I think a lot of teens will love! Stay tuned for a full review to come soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
melaniereadsbooks's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Thank you to Swoon Reads and Netgalley for an arc of this book.
Seri decides to leave behind her home and join a new settlement further from the known world. Seri is tasked to be assistant to the head of the Valiant stationed there, the hero Eshai the Unbroken. But the Beasts the valiant are supposed to fend off are becoming more tactical and fighting in ways that seem off, and Seri helps Eshai journey to find out the cause, discovering secrets about herself and her world she never knew existed.
This was so good! I was hooked on the lush world-building and intriguing mystery's of Seri's past right from the beginning. Seri is such a compelling character and the entire time I was trying to figure out what happened to her and where she would go! Eshai and Tsana are also really great characters. Tsana's arc was super interesting to me and I loved seeing how she developed throughout the story.
There is a sapphic relationship at the heart of this one, but I'll be honest and say the romantic relationships in this story were not as compelling as the mentor relationship between Seri and Eshai or the world building. I definitely think the world-building and plot is the highlight of this one! I loved it and can't wait to hold a finished copy!
Seri decides to leave behind her home and join a new settlement further from the known world. Seri is tasked to be assistant to the head of the Valiant stationed there, the hero Eshai the Unbroken. But the Beasts the valiant are supposed to fend off are becoming more tactical and fighting in ways that seem off, and Seri helps Eshai journey to find out the cause, discovering secrets about herself and her world she never knew existed.
This was so good! I was hooked on the lush world-building and intriguing mystery's of Seri's past right from the beginning. Seri is such a compelling character and the entire time I was trying to figure out what happened to her and where she would go! Eshai and Tsana are also really great characters. Tsana's arc was super interesting to me and I loved seeing how she developed throughout the story.
There is a sapphic relationship at the heart of this one, but I'll be honest and say the romantic relationships in this story were not as compelling as the mentor relationship between Seri and Eshai or the world building. I definitely think the world-building and plot is the highlight of this one! I loved it and can't wait to hold a finished copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, and Animal death
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Minor: Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
bookswithlizx's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thank you to the author for the eARC.
I absolutely adored Dauntless, it was very well written and I loved the worldbuilding. I usually have a hard time keeping up with fantasies because of the worldbuilding, but I didn’t have any issues at all while reading dauntless. The world was easy to understand and the fantasy elements were all incredibly interesting, I especially loved the concept of the beasts!!
I also really liked the characters, Seri and Tsana’s relationship was so cute and I really loved that their relationship was a part of the story even though it wasn’t the main plot point. I loved Eshai as well, she’s an incredibly powerful woman and I’d honestly love to read a book just about her.
Overall, Dauntless is a very fun and quick read and I really enjoyed it.
I absolutely adored Dauntless, it was very well written and I loved the worldbuilding. I usually have a hard time keeping up with fantasies because of the worldbuilding, but I didn’t have any issues at all while reading dauntless. The world was easy to understand and the fantasy elements were all incredibly interesting, I especially loved the concept of the beasts!!
I also really liked the characters, Seri and Tsana’s relationship was so cute and I really loved that their relationship was a part of the story even though it wasn’t the main plot point. I loved Eshai as well, she’s an incredibly powerful woman and I’d honestly love to read a book just about her.
Overall, Dauntless is a very fun and quick read and I really enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse
bookishflower's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“Her people lived on their songs. The songs of valor, of heroes. Maybe they were all lies. Maybe none of them were really true, and there were no heroes.”
- Lesbian rep
- Filipino-inspired fantasy
- star-crossed lovers
- childhood friends-to-lovers
- 'I'd let the world burn but never let it touch you' trope
This is a book I can tell will stay with me for a long time.
I think the shining star of Dauntless is without a doubt the characterisation. Both Seri and Tsana felt their age and incredibly human, with their PTSD, relationship, and coming-of-age arc handled beautifully. (I am officially a Tsana protector, if anyone says anything mean about her I am running at high speed to your location. Eshai is also very relatable, if you've ever hidden in self-preservation or felt responsible for everyone at the expense of your own welfare be prepared to cry).
The wonderful writing and world building was beautiful and completely immersive with a dark underside. The lack of a clear moral judgement or good and evil between the two people added a wonderful depth to the book too. However, this never takes over the story. The found family relationship between Seri and Eshai, Eshai and Lavit's relationship, and Tsana and Seri's lesbian romance creates the needed light and hope to balance the dark.
This was a beautiful book that deserves to get so much love!
I'm very thankful and proud to have read this book early as a part of the street team for Dauntless (all opinions are my own), and I'm very excited to be able to gush about this book with everyone on July 19th!
- Lesbian rep
- Filipino-inspired fantasy
- star-crossed lovers
- childhood friends-to-lovers
- 'I'd let the world burn but never let it touch you' trope
This is a book I can tell will stay with me for a long time.
I think the shining star of Dauntless is without a doubt the characterisation. Both Seri and Tsana felt their age and incredibly human, with their PTSD, relationship, and coming-of-age arc handled beautifully. (I am officially a Tsana protector, if anyone says anything mean about her I am running at high speed to your location. Eshai is also very relatable, if you've ever hidden in self-preservation or felt responsible for everyone at the expense of your own welfare be prepared to cry).
The wonderful writing and world building was beautiful and completely immersive with a dark underside. The lack of a clear moral judgement or good and evil between the two people added a wonderful depth to the book too. However, this never takes over the story. The found family relationship between Seri and Eshai, Eshai and Lavit's relationship, and Tsana and Seri's lesbian romance creates the needed light and hope to balance the dark.
This was a beautiful book that deserves to get so much love!
I'm very thankful and proud to have read this book early as a part of the street team for Dauntless (all opinions are my own), and I'm very excited to be able to gush about this book with everyone on July 19th!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Physical abuse, Mental illness, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, and Classism
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