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midnightreaderslibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
4.0
apat10's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
ainun_farhan_zahra's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you so much Netgalley and Lonely Pages Book Tours for the review copy!❤️ I'm super grateful.
'BLOODY HELL' are the words that came into my mind after finishing the book. It was intense! I was so damn frustrated with the ending that I wanted to stomp and lower the rating to 2 stars but that would be unfair to the captivating narration and wonderful characters. Intricate details coupled with somewhat predictable twists made it a very enjoyable read. Koral's stubborn attitude and determination to win, her relationship with Dorian, landmaster Minos reminded me of 'The Hunger Games'. The Landmaster actually wears sari! How cool is that? Now the reason why I am mad with the ending is it delivers a huge shock and leaves a few questions unanswered. I am quite familiar with these abrupt endings but it's so saaaaaaad. Okay maybe I'm being too much dramatic. Anyways, I strongly advise you to check out this book if you loved Hunger Games. Even if you didn't love hunger games, you should still read this one. There's no cringey Love triangle, I promise ( No offense to Gale).
'BLOODY HELL' are the words that came into my mind after finishing the book. It was intense! I was so damn frustrated with the ending that I wanted to stomp and lower the rating to 2 stars but that would be unfair to the captivating narration and wonderful characters. Intricate details coupled with somewhat predictable twists made it a very enjoyable read. Koral's stubborn attitude and determination to win, her relationship with Dorian, landmaster Minos reminded me of 'The Hunger Games'. The Landmaster actually wears sari! How cool is that? Now the reason why I am mad with the ending is it delivers a huge shock and leaves a few questions unanswered. I am quite familiar with these abrupt endings but it's so saaaaaaad. Okay maybe I'm being too much dramatic. Anyways, I strongly advise you to check out this book if you loved Hunger Games. Even if you didn't love hunger games, you should still read this one. There's no cringey Love triangle, I promise ( No offense to Gale).
asolo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bookluvr820's review against another edition
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
thebalancedbookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
Initially, I was confused with this story because while it is a fantasy book the setting feels more sci-fi. I think the world building took a while to make sense and that definitely threw me off for a few chapters. There wasn’t strong enough vision and it suffered from a lot going on all at once. I think how the author chose to give us information and descriptions wasn’t helpful to the world she was trying to craft. We needed a lot more background information and histories to appreciate what she was trying to convey.
My main issue is I just didn’t find myself invested in the characters or the plot. I think the way we are thrown into this world made it hard to build connections. I didn’t enjoy the “romance” at all and think this was another place where more backstory could have helped significantly. There were deaths in this book that could have been a lot more impactful if we had more time with the characters. This book almost reads like a sequel, where you already know and understand the characters and their relationships.
elementory's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4.1 🐉
Good and entertaining.
Good and entertaining.
agentmozell's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Three stars I think??
I picked this up in 2023 because it sounded good and the hardcover was very pretty, especially the naked cover. I still think it’s a pretty book, but the content was ehhhh
First thing, I started off with my physical copy and because of the slow start putting me to sleep I looked for the audiobook and it was there without a waiting period so I switched (thank you Libby!). I really liked the narrator, but I still noticed that I was zoning out because the book kept repeating things. When we got to a new scene it was very exciting but it never felt like it lasted long enough. The world building was subpar at best and the characters felt kinda two dimensional.
Koral was a flat character whose traits were panic, be stubborn, panic some more. Emrick was at least somewhat entertaining but her relationship with her brother felt superficial, same with Crane. The love interest? Don’t even get me started, there was no fucking chemistry and it felt so forced it was awkward. We didn’t really get anything fully fleshed out except for her love for Liria, the youngest sister.
The world building seemed to struggle, which is a shame because I wanted to know more. I feel like if the author took out some of the repeated bits and inserted more about the world it would’ve been better.
Also I don’t understand how it’s South Asian inspired. The general air I got was middle eastern mixed with Greek mythology. Especially with the mention of gorgons and capricorns. The maristags too felt more Scottish inspired with the kelpies.
It was just a very weird feeling I felt.
Red flag number one for the plot was how the leader accepted her into the race no problem so that felt about right when that was revealed.
Also the ending, what the hell was that? It felt like it ended in the middle of a scene and there seems to be no mention of a second book.
Overall idk how to feel about this one.
I picked this up in 2023 because it sounded good and the hardcover was very pretty, especially the naked cover. I still think it’s a pretty book, but the content was ehhhh
First thing, I started off with my physical copy and because of the slow start putting me to sleep I looked for the audiobook and it was there without a waiting period so I switched (thank you Libby!). I really liked the narrator, but I still noticed that I was zoning out because the book kept repeating things. When we got to a new scene it was very exciting but it never felt like it lasted long enough. The world building was subpar at best and the characters felt kinda two dimensional.
Koral was a flat character whose traits were panic, be stubborn, panic some more. Emrick was at least somewhat entertaining but her relationship with her brother felt superficial, same with Crane. The love interest? Don’t even get me started, there was no fucking chemistry and it felt so forced it was awkward. We didn’t really get anything fully fleshed out except for her love for Liria, the youngest sister.
The world building seemed to struggle, which is a shame because I wanted to know more. I feel like if the author took out some of the repeated bits and inserted more about the world it would’ve been better.
Also I don’t understand how it’s South Asian inspired. The general air I got was middle eastern mixed with Greek mythology. Especially with the mention of gorgons and capricorns. The maristags too felt more Scottish inspired with the kelpies.
It was just a very weird feeling I felt.
Red flag number one for the plot was how the leader accepted her into the race no problem so that felt about right when that was revealed.
Also the ending, what the hell was that? It felt like it ended in the middle of a scene and there seems to be no mention of a second book.
Overall idk how to feel about this one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, and Domestic abuse
softcalico's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
4 stars
Monsters Born and Made follows Koral, a headstrong and loyal girl who only wants the best for her family, especially her little sister, Liria. Her family is the only one on the island that can capture and tame maristags, a type of sea creature/horse that's dangerous on a good day. Left with no money and a sick and dying sister, Koral sets out to compete in the Glory Race, a competition that occurs every 4 years and is the elite ruling class's entertainment. If she wins, she'll get enough gold to take care of her family.
This book has a very interesting concept, starting from the world building. From what I gathered, humans got on a spaceship and found a mostly habitable planet that they could live on. The references to this are sparse but telling. I liked how the author went about it. It's interesting that these first humans didn't leave much knowledge to their successors - though, it may be that the Landers are hoarding this information.
The class system is separated in two: Landers and Renters. The names are pretty simplistic. If you're interested in this book, you probably like the Hunger Games, so Landers are the Capitol and Renters are the districts. One thing that pits readers against the Capitol is their blatant opulence, something shared by the Landers of this book, but not to the same extent. We only got to see a little of Lander society in this book, but I'm hoping we'll see more in the next.
Of course, with an oppressive class, this breeds rebels. The rebels in this book are called Freedom's Ark, a scattered and disorganized group that can't seem to agree on how to rebel. Koral's
I liked the romance within this book. Dorian has his own hidden agenda but his feelings bleed into his actions. Watching him struggle with pleasing his family and his feelings for Koral is an interesting juggle.
Overall, this book was highly enjoyable and I think you'll like it if you like independent protagonists, romantic/rival tension, and dystopian themes. Also, Koral's development with Stormgold: cute!
4 stars
Monsters Born and Made follows Koral, a headstrong and loyal girl who only wants the best for her family, especially her little sister, Liria. Her family is the only one on the island that can capture and tame maristags, a type of sea creature/horse that's dangerous on a good day. Left with no money and a sick and dying sister, Koral sets out to compete in the Glory Race, a competition that occurs every 4 years and is the elite ruling class's entertainment. If she wins, she'll get enough gold to take care of her family.
This book has a very interesting concept, starting from the world building. From what I gathered, humans got on a spaceship and found a mostly habitable planet that they could live on. The references to this are sparse but telling. I liked how the author went about it. It's interesting that these first humans didn't leave much knowledge to their successors - though, it may be that the Landers are hoarding this information.
The class system is separated in two: Landers and Renters. The names are pretty simplistic. If you're interested in this book, you probably like the Hunger Games, so Landers are the Capitol and Renters are the districts. One thing that pits readers against the Capitol is their blatant opulence, something shared by the Landers of this book, but not to the same extent. We only got to see a little of Lander society in this book, but I'm hoping we'll see more in the next.
Of course, with an oppressive class, this breeds rebels. The rebels in this book are called Freedom's Ark, a scattered and disorganized group that can't seem to agree on how to rebel. Koral's
Spoiler
lack of involvement with the rebels was refreshing. Usually, protagonists become a major player within their rebel faction, but Koral knows how dangerous they are. Frankly, with how they treat her, I'm glad she gives them the cold shoulder. Because of this though, her best friend Crane and her don't have much for bond or development, so I couldn't bring myself to care about her.I liked the romance within this book. Dorian has his own hidden agenda but his feelings bleed into his actions. Watching him struggle with pleasing his family and his feelings for Koral is an interesting juggle.
Overall, this book was highly enjoyable and I think you'll like it if you like independent protagonists, romantic/rival tension, and dystopian themes. Also, Koral's development with Stormgold: cute!