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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
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!
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and xpressobooktours for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
4.5 stars
Dauntless is told in three different alternating povs that show the world. First, we have our primary character of Seri whose world has always been very clearly defined, and has seemed at times like she doesn't exactly fit into it. Then we have Eshai who Seri becomes an assistant to, Eshai is a valiant commander who is the youngest commander and is extremely well known for her courage and strength when it comes to protecting people and killing the beasts. Lastly, we have Tsana who is a very quick young woman who is an outsider in more ways than one but ends up helping Seri understand certain things about her world.
The start of this book is a little bit slow, but that's because you need to understand the world and get to know how it works without it being confusing. While the reader learns about the world Seri is also learning more about the world as she is Eshai's assistant and she truly learns what it means to be valiant.
While learning what it means to be valiant Seri will have to find more courage and strength in order to help Eshai and the other valiant when the beasts start acting strange.
Overall I loved this fantasy novel. Once I got past the first 15% I couldn't read it fast enough. I had to know why the beasts were acting the way they were, and why Seri was seemingly able to learn certain things so quickly. While yes she had a good teacher with Eshai she still had incredible skills and abilities that all can't be taught. Because of these abilities, a few people wonder exactly how she was doing it, but most people were impressed especially, Raya. Raya and Seri became good friends and even though Raya did seem to have a bit of a chip on her shoulder she did care about Seri and was exactly what she needed at times as she started to adapt to being around valiant all the time.
Eshai herself was an interesting character because while she had all of this glory and success, she didn't like all the attention and she just wanted to be valiant and do what needed to be done to protect her people. As for the side characters that were around Eshai I liked and enjoyed the banter and understanding between them.
Now for Tsana, I had mixed feelings about her honestly and it took me quite a while to trust her because of how she was able to just seemingly disappear. The reason for this ended up being a little shocking and a tad bit confusing at first until we learned more about who she was, and why she was in the forest in the first place. Now Tsana and Seri as a team, while they do work together well especially once all the secrets were out in the open and Seri, didn't have to worry about who Tsana really was anymore
When it came to the war part it was all very fast-paced of course, but it never felt over-done and it had a good build-up to it. You know who the characters were that were involved in it, and you understand how important it is to win and to win before the beasts get farther into the Valiants world. The ending itself is one that I liked as well because while we do get answers it did leave it a little open as for what the future could potentially hold for the Valiant.
4.5 stars
Dauntless is told in three different alternating povs that show the world. First, we have our primary character of Seri whose world has always been very clearly defined, and has seemed at times like she doesn't exactly fit into it. Then we have Eshai who Seri becomes an assistant to, Eshai is a valiant commander who is the youngest commander and is extremely well known for her courage and strength when it comes to protecting people and killing the beasts. Lastly, we have Tsana who is a very quick young woman who is an outsider in more ways than one but ends up helping Seri understand certain things about her world.
The start of this book is a little bit slow, but that's because you need to understand the world and get to know how it works without it being confusing. While the reader learns about the world Seri is also learning more about the world as she is Eshai's assistant and she truly learns what it means to be valiant.
While learning what it means to be valiant Seri will have to find more courage and strength in order to help Eshai and the other valiant when the beasts start acting strange.
Overall I loved this fantasy novel. Once I got past the first 15% I couldn't read it fast enough. I had to know why the beasts were acting the way they were, and why Seri was seemingly able to learn certain things so quickly. While yes she had a good teacher with Eshai she still had incredible skills and abilities that all can't be taught. Because of these abilities, a few people wonder exactly how she was doing it, but most people were impressed especially, Raya. Raya and Seri became good friends and even though Raya did seem to have a bit of a chip on her shoulder she did care about Seri and was exactly what she needed at times as she started to adapt to being around valiant all the time.
Eshai herself was an interesting character because while she had all of this glory and success, she didn't like all the attention and she just wanted to be valiant and do what needed to be done to protect her people. As for the side characters that were around Eshai I liked and enjoyed the banter and understanding between them.
Now for Tsana, I had mixed feelings about her honestly and it took me quite a while to trust her because of how she was able to just seemingly disappear. The reason for this ended up being a little shocking and a tad bit confusing at first until we learned more about who she was, and why she was in the forest in the first place. Now Tsana and Seri as a team, while they do work together well especially once all the secrets were out in the open and Seri, didn't have to worry about who Tsana really was anymore
When it came to the war part it was all very fast-paced of course, but it never felt over-done and it had a good build-up to it. You know who the characters were that were involved in it, and you understand how important it is to win and to win before the beasts get farther into the Valiants world. The ending itself is one that I liked as well because while we do get answers it did leave it a little open as for what the future could potentially hold for the Valiant.
I felt like Seri was too much "the specialest girl", when I thought at the beginning of the book that we were going to get a female protagonist that wasn't kickass for once. That being said, I did love the fact that she bonded with a beast, and wished it had happened much sooner. Fuck, I miss reading books with magical bonded animals.
I don't think the book needed Eshai's POV, which would have given us more time to develop Tsana, and her and Seri's relationship.
I don't think the book needed Eshai's POV, which would have given us more time to develop Tsana, and her and Seri's relationship.
adventurous
challenging
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
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
This was a really enjoyable, immersive read. Inspired by Filipino folklore (my first foray into the genre, but definitely not my last), the world building and magical system created by Bonnin was super interesting and had me wishing this wasn't a standalone. I'm really impressed by this debut and am looking forward to her future work.
Would've been 4 stars, but the narrator's reading style for the audiobook was a bit too aggressive for my taste. I felt like I was being yelled at the whole time.
Would've been 4 stars, but the narrator's reading style for the audiobook was a bit too aggressive for my taste. I felt like I was being yelled at the whole time.
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
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:
Complicated
adventurous
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No