You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
bluejayreads's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Blood, Grief, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and War
Mind control, betrayalstarrysteph's review against another edition
- 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 received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Classism
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
- 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 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.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Minor: Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
- 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
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!
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
bookswithlizx's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse