Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Monsters Born and Made

This book feels like a combination of The Hunger Games, a tri-wizard tournament, and The Scorpio Races, but in the way that it doesn't really know what it wants to be? There is a lot going on in this book, and that makes the overall plot a little difficult to follow. It would have benefited from narrowing some of the conflicts and maybe just focusing on the races and the reason that Koral is entering the races.

The plot itself drags a bit, and it ends like it might have a sequel coming? But it also kind of reads like a standalone, so I'm not sure. A few of the main characters were fleshed out, but most of the characters kind of blended into the background. I wanted to like this a lot more than I did, honestly! It mostly felt like a lot of the YA fantasy you can find out there.

Content Warnings

tabby2920's review

Go to review page

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

5.0

I didn't like The Hunger Games and although this novel was inspired by it, I found Monsters Born and Made to be so much better, more compelling, more riveting and have a main character that I wanted to root for from beginning to end. Berwah doesn't write a dystopian tale but a story that is jampacked with so many relatable themes that any reader of this novel will habe a connection with. I can't for the next book!

Content Warnings

poppywarphan's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I'm having a really difficult time rating this book. But I think I'm giving it a 3.5

Note: I take issue with the marketing. I saw this art posted by the publisher, and in the caption it said: they were lovers, then exes and now rivals, or something like that. But I explicitly remember it saying lovers, which is extremely weird to me. The synopsis states that she's 16. In my understanding, they hadn't been around each other for a few years. So saying that children were lovers doesn't sit right with me. I was even more surprised when I went to check the author's page and found the exact same post. I guess she's trying to market to the “enemies to lovers” fans, but it just does not seem appropriate.

On to the review. Not spoiler free!
I quite enjoyed the story. Action definitely came through during the races. Koral wasn't my favorite, but I guess she'd appeal to a younger audience. Suffered from self-sacrificing heroism. It wouldn't really be that much of an issue if she weren't a huge hypocrite and got mad every time someone else did the same. I loved the strong sense of family. Look, a ya protagonist with parents 👀. Sike. Anyway, I just wished her friendship with Crane was shown more, rather just told. The hatred Koral had for Dorian seemed a bit forced at the beginning. Only a bit later did we find out the reason for it. Basically, she was upset he didn't hang out with her like when they were younger. He, on the other hand, was doing the “being a dick to drive her away to protect her” act. Because, boy, does he have an abusive pos power hungry father. Also forgot to mention Dorian is from a powerful, important lander family, so there's also that. But I'll admit, I'm a bit of a sucker for romance, and it's not terribly done so… 😏 When he calls her my star, I was gone.

It took me a while to realize it wasn't just a fantasy world, but rather a dystopian/post-apocalyptic one. The history was not explained. I'd love to know what happened for the world to end up the way it is currently in the book. Also, a map would be quite helpful, I don't remember there being one. Which leads me to the biggest fault of the book. The worldbuilding. I could not wrap my head around it at all. Now, I'm not one to usually be bothered by this because I speed through everything. But with this book, I was really trying and still couldn't figure it out. I'm hoping the sequel clears things up. History and world building-wise. I have numerous questions. Why was Koral the first renter to enter the glory race? If technically it's not forbidden, and she got in easily. Did no one before her try? Furthermore, what is the renter/lander thing? I'm assuming the landers are those who live on the (main) land. But why renters and for what reason are they inferior? A considerable detail I could not understand at all were the maristags. I gathered they're water creatures, but sometimes they read as horses. They had stables… (filled with water? Or like an aquarium?), also the races themselves were confusing. Do they swim? Or run through the water? Because at some point it was described how it's feet hit the ground. And occasionally they attack people. But the people aren't in water? Do they survive on land? Furthermore, gills/lungs, how do they breathe? I need a picture of this maristag. And a lot of explanations. The cover is stunning, though. Can't wait for my pre-order to arrive.

Arc provided by publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings

azrah786's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.75

[This review can also be found on my BLOG]

**I was provided an ARC through Netgalley for a blog tour with Lonely Pages Book Tours in exchange for an honest review**

CW: violence, blood, gore, animal cruelty, death, death of parent, chronic illness, child abuse, domestic abuse, fire, panic attacks, police violence, classism
--

Monsters Born and Made is a book that throws you right into the mix, introducing a fascinating oceanic world where vicious creatures roam the waters whilst an oppressive caste system rules the land. The story follows Koral, who’s family are the designated Hunters in society - a position that not only exposes them to constant danger as they have to capture and breed the deadly Maristags for the Landers and their Glory Races, but also alienates them from their fellow Renters who look upon their servitude to the elite class with scorn.

When Koral and her brother fail to catch the last Maristag of the season, it’s a massive blow to their family’s financial situation and their capability to afford medication for their younger sister. With the Glory Race around the corner and its winning prize of gold and glory up for grabs, Koral sees the competition as her chance to help her family. Despite it being strictly for Landers and her ex being the favourite, she is determined to get in and to win and won’t let anything or anyone stop her.

"This is the ocean, and you're a Hunter. You swim with monsters; these people cannot scare you."

Koral is one of those headstrong protagonists that rebels against the system in her own way and following her on this journey, which had her standing up to the machinations and oppression of a classist regime, was as inspiring as it was frustrating. The pacing and timespan overall had a perfect flow to it, with the competition and moments of action having a nice balance with character interactions and the political tensions that are ongoing in the background of the main storyline.

Now I’ll admit that it took some time getting used to the intricacies of the world because there was a lot going on from the beginning. As the story gets rolling you very much get the feeling that we’re only getting a glimpse of this expansive world that Berwah has put so much thought into but the more I read the more engrossed I became. There is definitely a Huger Games vibe to the primary narrative but this story and world are undoubtedly their own, with inspiration from Indian and Greek mythology giving this dystopia a unique edge.

"Everyday people make choices that they think have no impact on their lives. But if you look right instead of left, you don't know who you'll meet and who you'll miss.. Choices can mark a turn in fate that we might never get back."

For me what Berwah exceled with the most alongside the highly entertaining action scenes were the character relationships. Despite finding the beginning a little slow it was the relationships that kept me reading particularly the ones between the siblings as well as Koral’s friendship with Crane. With the romance, which surprisingly took a back seat, Berwah did really well at capturing that ex-lovers tension and history that was always buzzing when Koral and Dorian were in a scene together. The bond between Koral and her Maristag, Stormgold was also beautifully developed.

All in all really enjoyable fantasy dystopia debut and I like that the ending leaves the door open for more stories in the future because I would gladly welcome them!
Final Rating – 3.75/5 Stars

Content Warnings

More...