201 reviews for:

Dauntless

Elisa A. Bonnin

3.96 AVERAGE

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

I had previously started the book but I DNFd it. Not because it wasn’t good but because I was not in the mood and I’m glad I waited. 

This lowkey reminded me of Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast. 
Enjoyed it! 

eliwwv's review

3.5
adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

sal222's review

3.0
adventurous medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Loveable characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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
adventurous tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A bit of a slow start for me, and it took a while to get into. Also, there are multiple POV changes within the same chapters, so that was a bit confusing to navigate on audio.

But! Once I got the characters down and the main gist of how this world worked, I was sucked in! This gives me strong Princess Mononoke vibes and I really enjoyed that aspect, although I’m still a bit put off by the Valiants’ and their need to change native landscapes (
that THEY’RE a part of to be historically accurate??
) and essentially create colonies 🧐 The final battle and epilogue do show that this changes, but it just happens so fast and feels a bit rushed. 

But overall? I liked it. An adventurous YA fantasy featuring Filipino characters  and world! 

rlee5987's review

3.25
adventurous emotional medium-paced

reteip's review

4.5
adventurous 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: Complicated
megrose_john's profile picture

megrose_john's review

3.0

Really enjoyed this ☺️ really a 3.5 but half stars aren’t a thing on here

bookdragonism's review


oh gods you don't understand i adore this book very much. more thoughts to come!!

sarabearian's review


The People live in the trees, fearful of the beast prowling the rainforest floor. The valiant, warriors clad in beast armor, are charged with protecting the People, hunting the beasts, and exploring the unknown world. This is the world as Seri knows it, but something is changing. The beasts begin to act strangely, and after meeting a mysterious girl, Tsana, Seri begins to wonder if the People are really the only people and how unexplored the Unknown World actually is.

Dauntless is an enjoyable YA fantasy with adventure, high stakes, companionship (both human and animal). Each of the three POV characters have specific and separate goals and none of the chapters are a skip. However, the star of the book is Bonin’s lush and vivid world building, Inspired by Filipino mythology, the setting will feel fresh and unique to fantasy readers who would like a change of pace from swords and castles.

This book feels like a Shonen anime staring three strong female characters. It would appeal to fans of The Beast Player.

--Dominique A.