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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
You can read my full review and others, here: https://teatimelit.com/
I have had Dauntless at the top of my TBR since October 2020, so to say that I am buzzing with excitement over the release date being just around the corner and receiving an ARC is an absolute understatement. As a kid, I don’t remember ever reading a book that had a Filipino protagonist, so any book that not only is written by a Filipino author but also features Filipino characters is an automatic read for me. Additionally, Elisa A. Bonnin is one of the kindest authors I’ve had the fortune of interacting with, and I just am so excited for her debut novel to be out into the world.
And what a debut novel it is! Elisa is a born storyteller. Once I started reading I could not put this book down because I was simply captivated by it! The beginning of Dauntless is a little slow, but once you’ve learned about this world you see why. Bonnin takes time to explain how the world she’s created works, the dynamics and social standings, as well the challenges that the valiants/valor — a group of warriors from the known world — face. I am a firm believer that in order to have a good fantasy novel, you need to have detailed and specific world building. I don’t want to spend the entire story confused about what is going on because there are holes in the world building — Dauntless delivered on my fantasy story world building expectations and then some. It’s so clear that Bonnin spent a lot of time fully fleshing out this world, and I really appreciate her specificity!
Truthfully, I could talk for hours about the intricacies of this world because I’m so fascinated by it. I’m already dying to do a reread so that I can immerse myself in it again — and I’ll for sure be annotating once I receive my physical copy! My favorite part of the world building was the valor itself; there’s just so much there. I love the small details, like how in order to get their armor, a valiant must kill 5 beasts, and then 5 kills become part of their armor. I also thought it was so cool that the armor grows and changes with the valiant and appears as a representation of what is truly in their heart. I was so drawn to that while reading and am still completely fascinated!
I thought that the ending did a great job of wrapping up the story, but it also left things a bit open ended, so Elisa, if you’re thinking about possibly writing a sequel…I would not be opposed to that!
If you want a fantasy book filled with strong female characters, please look no further, Dauntless is the novel for you!
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i'm so !!!!! real review to come
I have had Dauntless at the top of my TBR since October 2020, so to say that I am buzzing with excitement over the release date being just around the corner and receiving an ARC is an absolute understatement. As a kid, I don’t remember ever reading a book that had a Filipino protagonist, so any book that not only is written by a Filipino author but also features Filipino characters is an automatic read for me. Additionally, Elisa A. Bonnin is one of the kindest authors I’ve had the fortune of interacting with, and I just am so excited for her debut novel to be out into the world.
And what a debut novel it is! Elisa is a born storyteller. Once I started reading I could not put this book down because I was simply captivated by it! The beginning of Dauntless is a little slow, but once you’ve learned about this world you see why. Bonnin takes time to explain how the world she’s created works, the dynamics and social standings, as well the challenges that the valiants/valor — a group of warriors from the known world — face. I am a firm believer that in order to have a good fantasy novel, you need to have detailed and specific world building. I don’t want to spend the entire story confused about what is going on because there are holes in the world building — Dauntless delivered on my fantasy story world building expectations and then some. It’s so clear that Bonnin spent a lot of time fully fleshing out this world, and I really appreciate her specificity!
Truthfully, I could talk for hours about the intricacies of this world because I’m so fascinated by it. I’m already dying to do a reread so that I can immerse myself in it again — and I’ll for sure be annotating once I receive my physical copy! My favorite part of the world building was the valor itself; there’s just so much there. I love the small details, like how in order to get their armor, a valiant must kill 5 beasts, and then 5 kills become part of their armor. I also thought it was so cool that the armor grows and changes with the valiant and appears as a representation of what is truly in their heart. I was so drawn to that while reading and am still completely fascinated!
I thought that the ending did a great job of wrapping up the story, but it also left things a bit open ended, so Elisa, if you’re thinking about possibly writing a sequel…I would not be opposed to that!
If you want a fantasy book filled with strong female characters, please look no further, Dauntless is the novel for you!
---
i'm so !!!!! real review to come
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After a tragic event involving the loss of her childhood friend, Seri volunteers to be the aide to the Eshai Unbroken, a legendary Valor, who was helping to build a new settlement in a spreading tree on the border of the known world. In a world where the threat of beasts has forced civilization into the trees, Valors are the only ones who can explore out into the world and protect the settlers as they farm and gather water from the base of their trees. Valors gain superior ability through their armor, which is made from the beasts they have killed.
When Seri meets Tsana, she is immediately fascinated by her strange clothes and name. After spending a few days together, Seri sees a light walking off into the dangerous rainforest. She chooses to follow it and ends up discovering that Tsana and her master can speak with the beasts, and that the beasts are about to attack the city. Can Seri protect her people? Are the beasts truly mindless? And why can't Seri stop thinking about Tsana?
The beginning of this story gave me a fan fiction-esque vibe with how quickly it dove into the middle of a story, however the rest of the book flowed much better and was suitably fast paced and exciting. The characters were beautifully developed and the world history was well developed. But it felt a little far fetched at times and some of the world building was less than complete- they lived in trees and yet had no better way of fetching water than using buckets from the dangerous ground? There was really no way in place for non-valorants to move to a different city? Or at least not an explained method. But overall, these really are superfluous things that I care way too much about.
In the end, I really enjoyed this book and I almost wish that instead of the epilogue, the author had made a sequel following that storyline, but I am excited to read the next book in the series regardless. I would recommend this story to anyone that enjoys Filipino inspired worldbuilding, lesbians, and expeditions in the rain forest beyond the known world in order to save a civilization.
Thank you to Netgalley for this title in exchange for an honest review.
When Seri meets Tsana, she is immediately fascinated by her strange clothes and name. After spending a few days together, Seri sees a light walking off into the dangerous rainforest. She chooses to follow it and ends up discovering that Tsana and her master can speak with the beasts, and that the beasts are about to attack the city. Can Seri protect her people? Are the beasts truly mindless? And why can't Seri stop thinking about Tsana?
The beginning of this story gave me a fan fiction-esque vibe with how quickly it dove into the middle of a story, however the rest of the book flowed much better and was suitably fast paced and exciting. The characters were beautifully developed and the world history was well developed. But it felt a little far fetched at times and some of the world building was less than complete- they lived in trees and yet had no better way of fetching water than using buckets from the dangerous ground? There was really no way in place for non-valorants to move to a different city? Or at least not an explained method. But overall, these really are superfluous things that I care way too much about.
In the end, I really enjoyed this book and I almost wish that instead of the epilogue, the author had made a sequel following that storyline, but I am excited to read the next book in the series regardless. I would recommend this story to anyone that enjoys Filipino inspired worldbuilding, lesbians, and expeditions in the rain forest beyond the known world in order to save a civilization.
Thank you to Netgalley for this title in exchange for an honest review.
I think I would have liked this more if I read it rather than listened to the audiobook. I was not a fan of the narrator.
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
In the book’s setting of a secondary world, humans live in the trees, creating settlements of varying size, from villages to cities. There are large, vicious beasts that prowl the forests, and as humans expand outwards, creating new settlements, there are valiants going with them to protect them from the deadly creatures.
Valiants are highly trained soldiers who, with each kill, choose a part of the dead beast’s skin to create a piece of armour, which moulds itself to the wearer and gives them strength, speed and agility, among other traits.
Seri joins a company of valiants, after escaping from her home village. Seri has exceptional vision, and after saving the lead valiant, Eshai, Seri begins training with the squad, while Eshai works to protect vulnerable people from what appears to be an escalating threat from coordinated, oddly strategic, attacks from beasts.
Seri discovers from Tsana, a secretive young woman who knows much more about the beasts and the attacks, that everyone has been gravely wrong about the beasts and their intents, and the role of humans in this world.
There is plenty of action, a clash between humans and the world’s dangerous fauna, a budding romance between the main character and Tsana, and a world where life is spent amongst the trees. All of which should have held me captivated, but it did not. I was entertained, but not as much as I hoped I’d be. But I would be interested in what author Elissa A. Bonnin writes next.
Valiants are highly trained soldiers who, with each kill, choose a part of the dead beast’s skin to create a piece of armour, which moulds itself to the wearer and gives them strength, speed and agility, among other traits.
Seri joins a company of valiants, after escaping from her home village. Seri has exceptional vision, and after saving the lead valiant, Eshai, Seri begins training with the squad, while Eshai works to protect vulnerable people from what appears to be an escalating threat from coordinated, oddly strategic, attacks from beasts.
Seri discovers from Tsana, a secretive young woman who knows much more about the beasts and the attacks, that everyone has been gravely wrong about the beasts and their intents, and the role of humans in this world.
There is plenty of action, a clash between humans and the world’s dangerous fauna, a budding romance between the main character and Tsana, and a world where life is spent amongst the trees. All of which should have held me captivated, but it did not. I was entertained, but not as much as I hoped I’d be. But I would be interested in what author Elissa A. Bonnin writes next.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
This book started off very slow, which is not good for a YA book. However, once it picked up, it turned into a really good read. I listened to the audiobook and Amielynn Abellera did a good job with all the voices and viewpoints and the action scenes. She made sure the listener understood the intensity of each scene.
I will buy it for my library, but I will make sure to let my students know they have to give it a little longer to get invested.
I will buy it for my library, but I will make sure to let my students know they have to give it a little longer to get invested.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I enjoyed this immensely! Dauntless is a Filipino-inspired YA fantasy and was full of fun twists and turns throughout the entire story. Seri as a main character was really interesting, and it was fun to follow her as she learned that the world wasn't necessarily as black and white as she had previously thought. The relationship that develops was adorable, and the beasts in this world were really fascinating.
We all know I love a good animal companion, so the fact that that develops as well during the story was nothing but a bonus. I gave this book four stars and, if the end indicates that there is a sequel coming sometime in the future, I'd love to continue on in the series.
I enjoyed this immensely! Dauntless is a Filipino-inspired YA fantasy and was full of fun twists and turns throughout the entire story. Seri as a main character was really interesting, and it was fun to follow her as she learned that the world wasn't necessarily as black and white as she had previously thought. The relationship that develops was adorable, and the beasts in this world were really fascinating.
We all know I love a good animal companion, so the fact that that develops as well during the story was nothing but a bonus. I gave this book four stars and, if the end indicates that there is a sequel coming sometime in the future, I'd love to continue on in the series.
I enjoyed this one a lot, very unique in it's world building! I would happily read more in this world!