A review by vicwaltz
Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones

lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Our female main character, Zhara, is a bit generic "magical girl."  Which, I guess, so was Usagi but what works in an anime doesn't necessarily translate to a novel.  That said, she's one of the few characters whose motivations are super clear and also evolve throughout the novel.  Han, our main guy/love interest is a full tilt himbro and while his antics are cute, they're a little hard to believe.  No one would actually be this silly/dumb.  His best friend Xu is significantly more interesting but also I never quite sorted what they wanted for themselves/what they're up to.  This is clearly setting up to be a longer series but I would love to know more about all of the side characters.  Additionally a LOT of time is spent world-building and explaining the political structure, which is interesting but also affects pacing.

I think the biggest thing is that the novel reads like a middle-grade targeted anime but that's not how it's marketed.  The premise is super interesting and I really want to love it but I just don't.  That said, I think if this reaches the audience of younger teens/tweens, it will be well received.

Specific to the audiobook: The narration does a phenom job bringing the characters to life!  Excellent quality.
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