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wrensreadingroom's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Gun violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, Animal death, Abandonment, Child abuse, Mental illness, Police brutality, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Classism, Death, Deportation, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
cortanasreadingnook's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thanks to Tanvi Berwah and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an ARC of this debut novel through Netgalley! It doesn’t affect my review in any way.
Koral of Sollonia is a Hunter of Maristags. And her family of Hunters have always held the official title of capturing such beautiful and deadly creatures for the Glory Race, which is only held every four years. But to unforeseen events, Koral and her older brother Emrik have failed to catch one in time for the 150th event. And in an extremely oppressive, elite society, the odds are always stacked against the poor. So that’s when Koral decides to participate in this year’s race. This book promises an exhilarating story of rallying against oppression and prejudice and what it means to survive despite all setbacks.
This book is set in a dystopian society created based off of South Asian foklore. I liked the author’s fast-paced writing with the little element of romance between Koral and Dorian. I applaud how realistically Monsters Born and Made tackles social injustice against the underclasses and how the hatred and discrimination by people with wealth and privilege can power a government to incur unjust authority. And this is experienced by everyone, especially minority communities around the world and I really like how Tanvi Berwah navigates her writing in this standalone. The best I could give this book would be my current rating of 3 ⭐️ simply because I didn’t enjoy it enough. It was inevitably left to the reader’s interpretation on how they think the story truly concludes, but I believe there should’ve been more to Koral and Stormgold’s end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Violence, Death of parent, and Chronic illness
stardust_heidi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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
4.5
It started off a bit slow and I almost put it down a few times…..but holeeeeeeeeeee shit. It got raw and brutal real quick. By the last quarter, I was devouring the book to see what happens.
Definitely not one to read if you want fluffy fantasy.
Definitely not one to read if you want fluffy fantasy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Grief, Toxic relationship, Death, Gore, Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Classism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
hobbithopeful's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? No
4.25
A fantastic read that had me turning the pages eager to see what happened next! Listen it started off kind of slow and rocky and I was worried I wouldn't like it (A bit heavy on the prose in the beginning) But WOW did this book pick up! If it wasn't for the somewhat awk start I would have given it 4.5 stars, but either way this is a must read book for sure! It's like Hunger Games, very dystopian and with the one class being very powerful and rich as opposed to "Renters" who struggle to survive. So yes Hunger Games but more diverse and with creatures! By the end of the novel I was reading as fast I could, my heart pounding wondering if Koral (the main charater) would survive or not. (May I just say I also *love* the book cover!) This is the debut novel for the author, and I can't wait to see what she writes next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Blood, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Blood
marleywrites's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
5 ⭐️, no doubt.
I was screaming about this book to my friend the whole time I was reading it. I could not put this book down once I got into it. I read the first six chapters on NetGalley and then immediately ran to the library and checked this book out. I couldn’t finish it fast enough.
This book was not what I expected. I was expecting an interesting race with cool creatures, with a predictable ending, maybe a dash of romance. In a way, it was that, but it was also so much more. This book had rebels, betrayal, politics, class structure upheaval. It went in a direction that I personally didn’t see coming, which I loved. Especially the last ten pages. Oh my god. I was so wrapped up in the book, and was so invested.
General premise of the book: Koral was the underdog the whole time, and boy, do I love a good underdog story. She cheats her way into a very important race. Political chaos ensues.
What I really appreciated about this book is that it tackled the class structure differences in a very stark way that easily showed the difference between the Renters and the Landers. The subtle and not so subtle differences became more and more clear as the book progressed. The way classism was so prevalent was disheartening but crucial to the story.
Another aspect I loved about this story was that the rebel cause was a complex character in the story. The Arkers are seen in small doses throughout the book but have a biiiiig impact, especially on Koral’s life.
Pick up this book only if you’re prepared for an ambiguous ending— this is a stand alone book.
In this next section, I will gush some more, but with spoilers. So beware.
First of all, I’m glad the situationship with Dorian was left in the past. He made his decision— twice! Goodbye, loser boy. Although I did appreciate him trying to warn Koral not to continue the race, he could have been a lot more specific and direct about it, especially when she wasn’t responsive to him for the third time. 🙄 Like clearly his method wasn’t working. So maybe switch it up?
Koral’s parents bothered me. Her dad, screw him. Her mom? I don’t know how to feel. With abusive relationships like theirs it’s hard to have a clear feeling about anything and anyone involved sometimes. She didn’t deserve to die.
I wish we had more time with Emrik. I wish we could have seen more of an Emrik not riddled with pain or worry.
The ending. The. Ending. The ending?
I feel so bamboozled. I felt like the story was building up all this hope that Koral had the whole time, even if it was mixed with desperation. Then the ending just…. It deflated it entirely but then at the last minute, tried to revive it. I wish I were clearer on the message that was being sent.
For example, the message I heard was that rising up against the privileged class will result in abuse and failure, so maybe don’t join the rebel cause. I know Koral technically got away, but her life was destroyed in the process. She did get her freedom back, but at what cost?
Despite the complicated meaning and ambiguous ending, I loved this book because it was different than what I’ve read before, and because it didn’t end with everything tied up nicely with a bow. Koral was the underdog, and remained the underdog the whole way through this story. I kind of like not knowing what happened after they escaped.
I will definitely be reading more by this author!
I was screaming about this book to my friend the whole time I was reading it. I could not put this book down once I got into it. I read the first six chapters on NetGalley and then immediately ran to the library and checked this book out. I couldn’t finish it fast enough.
This book was not what I expected. I was expecting an interesting race with cool creatures, with a predictable ending, maybe a dash of romance. In a way, it was that, but it was also so much more. This book had rebels, betrayal, politics, class structure upheaval. It went in a direction that I personally didn’t see coming, which I loved. Especially the last ten pages. Oh my god. I was so wrapped up in the book, and was so invested.
General premise of the book: Koral was the underdog the whole time, and boy, do I love a good underdog story. She cheats her way into a very important race. Political chaos ensues.
What I really appreciated about this book is that it tackled the class structure differences in a very stark way that easily showed the difference between the Renters and the Landers. The subtle and not so subtle differences became more and more clear as the book progressed. The way classism was so prevalent was disheartening but crucial to the story.
Another aspect I loved about this story was that the rebel cause was a complex character in the story. The Arkers are seen in small doses throughout the book but have a biiiiig impact, especially on Koral’s life.
Pick up this book only if you’re prepared for an ambiguous ending— this is a stand alone book.
In this next section, I will gush some more, but with spoilers. So beware.
Koral’s parents bothered me. Her dad, screw him. Her mom? I don’t know how to feel. With abusive relationships like theirs it’s hard to have a clear feeling about anything and anyone involved sometimes. She didn’t deserve to die.
I wish we had more time with Emrik. I wish we could have seen more of an Emrik not riddled with pain or worry.
The ending. The. Ending. The ending?
I feel so bamboozled. I felt like the story was building up all this hope that Koral had the whole time, even if it was mixed with desperation. Then the ending just…. It deflated it entirely but then at the last minute, tried to revive it. I wish I were clearer on the message that was being sent.
For example, the message I heard was that rising up against the privileged class will result in abuse and failure, so maybe don’t join the rebel cause. I know Koral technically got away, but her life was destroyed in the process. She did get her freedom back, but at what cost?
Despite the complicated meaning and ambiguous ending, I loved this book because it was different than what I’ve read before, and because it didn’t end with everything tied up nicely with a bow. Koral was the underdog, and remained the underdog the whole way through this story. I kind of like not knowing what happened after they escaped.
I will definitely be reading more by this author!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Racism, and Blood
Moderate: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Animal death, and Torture
Minor: Chronic illness, Medical content, and Alcohol
bookishgia's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Murder, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma
devynreadsnovels's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Death of parent
youarethelibrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
I struggled with this one. I loved the premise, but I had a really hard time with the descriptions - I wasn’t able to form a picture in my mind for many of the sea creatures, or for the structures that the Landers use.
On top of that, these characters were very hard to get to know, because Koral didn’t know her own motivations for much of the book. I felt like we could have gotten so much deeper with her, Dorian, and Crane, but we only scratched the surface of who they are, and we really don’t even know what they want. I basically skimmed through the last trial and the end of the book, which was pretty predictable.
Apparently there’s going to be a second book, and I think that one would be more interesting than this one, now that Koral knows how the world around her really works.
On top of that, these characters were very hard to get to know, because Koral didn’t know her own motivations for much of the book. I felt like we could have gotten so much deeper with her, Dorian, and Crane, but we only scratched the surface of who they are, and we really don’t even know what they want. I basically skimmed through the last trial and the end of the book, which was pretty predictable.
Apparently there’s going to be a second book, and I think that one would be more interesting than this one, now that Koral knows how the world around her really works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Violence, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Death, Gore, and Classism
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
poppywarphan's review
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.
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
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Violence, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, and Bullying
Minor: Kidnapping, Racism, Sexism, Chronic illness, Death, and Death of parent
azrah786's review against another edition
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.
**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
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Gore, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, and Classism