Monsters Born and Made
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- Create Date：2022-07-31 06:52:37
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Tanvi Berwah
- ISBN：1728247624
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Summary
Sixteen-year-old Koral and her older brother Emrik risk their lives each day to capture the monstrous maristags that live in the black seas around their island。 They have to， or else their family will starve。
In an oceanic world swarming with vicious beasts， the Landers―the ruling elite， have indentured Koral's family to provide the maristags for the Glory Race， a deadly chariot tournament reserved for the upper class。 The winning contender receives gold and glory。 The others―if they're lucky―survive。
When the last maristag of the year escapes and Koral has no new maristag to sell， her family's financial situation takes a turn for the worse and they can't afford medicine for her chronically ill little sister。 Koral's only choice is to do what no one in the world has ever dared: cheat her way into the Glory Race。
But every step of the way is unpredictable as Koral races against contenders―including her ex-boyfriend―who have trained for this their whole lives and who have no intention of letting a low-caste girl steal their glory。 When a rebellion rises and rogues attack Koral to try and force her to drop out， she must choose―her life or her sister's―before the whole island burns。
She grew up battling the monsters that live in the black seas， but it couldn't prepare her to face the cunning cruelty of the ruling elite。
Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and These Violent Delights， this South Asian-inspired fantasy is a gripping debut about the power of the elite， the price of glory， and one girl's chance to change it all。
In an oceanic world swarming with vicious beasts， the Landers―the ruling elite， have indentured Koral's family to provide the maristags for the Glory Race， a deadly chariot tournament reserved for the upper class。 The winning contender receives gold and glory。 The others―if they're lucky―survive。
When the last maristag of the year escapes and Koral has no new maristag to sell， her family's financial situation takes a turn for the worse and they can't afford medicine for her chronically ill little sister。 Koral's only choice is to do what no one in the world has ever dared: cheat her way into the Glory Race。
But every step of the way is unpredictable as Koral races against contenders―including her ex-boyfriend―who have trained for this their whole lives and who have no intention of letting a low-caste girl steal their glory。 When a rebellion rises and rogues attack Koral to try and force her to drop out， she must choose―her life or her sister's―before the whole island burns。
She grew up battling the monsters that live in the black seas， but it couldn't prepare her to face the cunning cruelty of the ruling elite。
Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and These Violent Delights， this South Asian-inspired fantasy is a gripping debut about the power of the elite， the price of glory， and one girl's chance to change it all。
Reviews
Leighton
，
Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah is an action-packed YA fantasy that takes place in an oceanic world。 The story revolves around Koral， whose family runs a maristag （a horse-like creature） farm。 The elite class in the society run a deadly tournament called the Glory Race every year。 This year， for the first time ever， Koral decides to apply so that she can win the gold necessary to get her little sister med Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah is an action-packed YA fantasy that takes place in an oceanic world。 The story revolves around Koral， whose family runs a maristag （a horse-like creature） farm。 The elite class in the society run a deadly tournament called the Glory Race every year。 This year， for the first time ever， Koral decides to apply so that she can win the gold necessary to get her little sister medicine。 Will she persevere and win the race？ Or will the other contenders of the elite class succeed in taking her out of the race？ Here is a fantastical excerpt from Chapter 1:"We hunt when the world sleeps。 A risk that could kill us。 A risk forced on us。I try to awaken my brother， but he only murmurs sleepily， “Piss off。”“It’s four already。 Baba told us to be at the beach by now。”。。。His shoe thuds against the door just as I shut it。 I press my back against the stone wall， the chill grounding me。Minutes later， Emrik appears。 We’re dressed alike: black pants， a fitted white shirt with collars up to our chins， and boots molded to our feet。 Beneath， we’re both wearing skaya-threaded watersuits。 The Hunter siblings。"Overall， Monsters Born and Made is an amazing YA fantasy that will appeal to fans of The Hunger Games or Tamora Pierce's Alanna series。 In all of these series， the female protagonist is put down because nobody believes that she can do it， but she perseveres and ultimately proves the haters wrong。 One highlight of this book are the cool fantasy elements， including the flying horse-creatures。 Another highlight of this book are the exciting action sequences。 The races themselves were terrifying， and I was on the edge of my seat。 I really hope that there's a sequel， but even if not， I will read anything the author writes in the future。 If you're intrigued by the excerpt above， or if you're a fan of YA fantasy books in general， I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in September！ 。。。more
Judy
，
The unusual animal on the cover of this book caught my attention first - enough for me to pick it up and read the blurb which made me want to read it。 Of course I had to find out what a maristag might be。 And yes， I love a competition。 This book reminded me so much of The Hunger Games - only with monsters。 The haves and the have-nots， a class war。 Life is not fair。Koral was perfectly groomed as an underdog heroine。 Her determination and courage were admirable。 The entire book was exciting and fa The unusual animal on the cover of this book caught my attention first - enough for me to pick it up and read the blurb which made me want to read it。 Of course I had to find out what a maristag might be。 And yes， I love a competition。 This book reminded me so much of The Hunger Games - only with monsters。 The haves and the have-nots， a class war。 Life is not fair。Koral was perfectly groomed as an underdog heroine。 Her determination and courage were admirable。 The entire book was exciting and fast-paced。 I would recommend YA fantasy to anyone who enjoys a great fantasy adventure。 I would have given it 5 stars except， for me， the ending fell flat - but the rest of the book was excellent。Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire through Netgalley for an advance copy。 This book will be published on September 6， 2022。 。。。more
Valdi A Smit
，
Monsters Born and Made was a 3。5 star read。*Spoiler free review*It was slightly slower than I would have hoped， but it had an interesting plot。 The world building was good， the mythical creatures were interesting and nothing like anything I had read about before。 I'm not someone that has much- if any knowledge of south Asian mythology， however the elements of it throughout the book were interesting to me。 Tanvi Berwah is very good at foreshadowing， throwing in little bits of information where at Monsters Born and Made was a 3。5 star read。*Spoiler free review*It was slightly slower than I would have hoped， but it had an interesting plot。 The world building was good， the mythical creatures were interesting and nothing like anything I had read about before。 I'm not someone that has much- if any knowledge of south Asian mythology， however the elements of it throughout the book were interesting to me。 Tanvi Berwah is very good at foreshadowing， throwing in little bits of information where at the time they seem insignificant， but further in the book it really hits you with it's significance。 It did feel similar to other tournament like books I've read in the past， however that's the type of book this is， so I can't complain at all about it。 However， I didn't feel like I made much of a connection with the main character， and that is why I might not have enjoyed this book as much as I could have。 Right at the start of the story is drama， and while it's an exciting beginning， I didn't have much knowledge of Koral and it made it hard to connect with her and really feel for her。 I enjoyed the read， however I don't think this is a story that I would re-read。 。。。more
Brad （AudioShelf）
，
Not gonna lie， I struggled with this one at first， but I kept going and the story really picked up。 I started getting excited for what was about to come。 I loved and really appreciated the message behind the novel—that society creates evil， and those who consider themselves as superior dictate who and what are “monsters” only because they are afraid of losing power/control。 It’s a really good commentary on how society views race， religion， gender， and sexuality — not to mention a fantastic view Not gonna lie， I struggled with this one at first， but I kept going and the story really picked up。 I started getting excited for what was about to come。 I loved and really appreciated the message behind the novel—that society creates evil， and those who consider themselves as superior dictate who and what are “monsters” only because they are afraid of losing power/control。 It’s a really good commentary on how society views race， religion， gender， and sexuality — not to mention a fantastic view on how people fear animals even though the people are the ones provoking animals in the first place。 Gah！ This book was good - the ending left me wanting more， so hopefully there is a sequel。 。。。more
booksofbells
，
Thanks to netgalley for this arc！ I am looking forward to reading this one， and I enjoyed the first chapter。 However， as I went through it， I realized this book isnt for me。 The plot is a bit difficult to understand， and I didnt find anything resembles asian mythology or folklore despite the claim this book has。 I had to Dnf-ed this due to personal reason， and I dont see myself loving this book。However， kuddos to the author because i believe many readers love this book， and i believe it。 But thi Thanks to netgalley for this arc！ I am looking forward to reading this one， and I enjoyed the first chapter。 However， as I went through it， I realized this book isnt for me。 The plot is a bit difficult to understand， and I didnt find anything resembles asian mythology or folklore despite the claim this book has。 I had to Dnf-ed this due to personal reason， and I dont see myself loving this book。However， kuddos to the author because i believe many readers love this book， and i believe it。 But this book just not for me。 。。。more
Renay
，
I received a digital ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。The premise of this book was very interesting。 It reminded me of The Scorpio Races and I expected the majority of the book to focus on the Glory Race。 However， the plot was more about the division between the three social classes: Landers， Renters， and Arkers with a group of rebels。 The worldbuilding was haphazardly done and I remember being confused about the power structure in this world， as well as I received a digital ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。The premise of this book was very interesting。 It reminded me of The Scorpio Races and I expected the majority of the book to focus on the Glory Race。 However， the plot was more about the division between the three social classes: Landers， Renters， and Arkers with a group of rebels。 The worldbuilding was haphazardly done and I remember being confused about the power structure in this world， as well as the assortment of monsters in the sea and sky。 The characterization was also weak。 I couldn't really root for Koral， the main character， and the motivations of Emrik， Dorian， and Crane were inconsistent or badly explained。 Koral's main driving force was not compellingly illustrated and I found it hard to believe that her sole motivator as described would be enough。 Dorian and Koral's history was also only hinted at--I expected more depth to their relationship and their actions during the Glory Race。 Although there is an interesting social component to the book with the rebellion and differing power factions within it， it feels like various aspects are more hinted at than fully described。 The ending was fine but doesn't necessarily leave me hungering to find out what comes next。 。。。more
Halea
，
Monsters Born and Made elicited a sense of dread that made me feel like I was reading a horror story disguised as a fantasy， and that was an interesting， new feeling for me。 A tangible thread of unease ran throughout the story， and gave the reader the feeling that something isn’t right， that they don’t have all the info， that the story is missing something。 This feeling plays right into the building apprehension and strife Koral faces in the book， and helps magnify it to the point that the reade Monsters Born and Made elicited a sense of dread that made me feel like I was reading a horror story disguised as a fantasy， and that was an interesting， new feeling for me。 A tangible thread of unease ran throughout the story， and gave the reader the feeling that something isn’t right， that they don’t have all the info， that the story is missing something。 This feeling plays right into the building apprehension and strife Koral faces in the book， and helps magnify it to the point that the reader is put into Korals shoes， feeling unsure and being constantly thrown off balance just as she is。 While this story deliberately avoided giving the reader all of the pieces in order to create that sense of “something isn’t right”， I felt that some of those missing pieces were too pivotal to the story to be missing， and it left me feeling unsatisfied。 I struggled with visualizing the world and the monsters who live there until late in the story。 If more world building happened at the front end， it would have helped me picture what was happening better， and would have been more immersive。 I also wish more of the truth of the origins of the society were revealed at the end， though I think this was very purposefully avoided to cause the reader to stew about it once they are done。 The hardest thing about this book for me was the writing style。 The short choppy sentences were too repetitive and brusque for me。 I think this was intentional to give the reader more of a sense of Koral’s personality and upbringing- she’s no nonsense， does what needs to be done， and has pretty much only been educated in hunting monsters。 But， I think I would have grasped these facets of her personality regardless of the writing style， and it ended up detracting from the story and boxing her in， rather than building her character more。 Overall， this was an interesting story which left me with a sense that I had just read something that had some great moral or societal truth secretly tucked within it。 But， I just can’t seem to identify what that truth is…and I think that’s the point。 A sneakily subversive fantasy story， able to both frustrate and intrigue me at once。 。。。more
E D
，
Monsters Born and Made was okay。 I Would have given a higher rating if it had been a bit shorter， the plot felt a bit dull at times。 However， the cover is stunning！ Great for lovers of fantasy。Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the ARC。
Ellie's Bookcase
，
Monsters Born and Made is one of this year’s biggest letdowns。If it tells you anything about my reading experience with this book， I was tempted to DNF by about 30 pages in。 Monsters Born and Made has a premise that is reminiscent of The Hunger Games and， so I’ve been told， The Scorpio Races。 I’ve never read The Scorpio Races， so I can’t speak to any similarities or differences - but it should have been clear from the start: any book that has the audacity to even implicitly compare itself to The Monsters Born and Made is one of this year’s biggest letdowns。If it tells you anything about my reading experience with this book， I was tempted to DNF by about 30 pages in。 Monsters Born and Made has a premise that is reminiscent of The Hunger Games and， so I’ve been told， The Scorpio Races。 I’ve never read The Scorpio Races， so I can’t speak to any similarities or differences - but it should have been clear from the start: any book that has the audacity to even implicitly compare itself to The Hunger Games is doomed to fail; the expectations it sets are too high， and Monsters Born and Made simply cannot compete。 The book’s biggest flaw are its characters。 It’s protagonist， Koral， is bland and while Berwah attempts to write her as sassy like many of her YA predecessors， it comes off as exactly that: an attempt。 Koral’s dialogue， because of this， is at times cringeworthy。 If I cared about Koral more， I might be tempted to call the plot somewhat interesting （at best）， but characters are everything for me as a reader。 I can excuse a poor plot， but not poor characters。 The supporting cast are no better。 Koral’s motivation for entering the Glory Race stem from wanting to save her family， but they are mostly unsympathetic。 Her father is an asshole， her mother is mostly just there， content to cowardly take her husband’s abuse， her brother is a dick and her sister is the token sick character who exists solely to provide said “motivation”。 There is supposed to be an enemies to lovers “romance” with Dorian， a fellow Glory Race competitor， but Koral and him have zero chemistry and Dorian himself offers nothing except his own asshole father and resulting sad backstory。 I liked the maristags and the world lore enough， but the rest of the world building was， at times， either confusing or unnecessary。 The maristags and Glory Race aspect of the worldbuilding seemed very disjointed with the rest of the world （everyone having to live underground because of the sun， etc。）。 Again， stemming back to The Hunger Games， this seems to be a choice made to highlight the dystopian feel of the book and the differences/tension between the Renters and Landers。 But， for me at least， it’s a creative choice that doesn’t gel right。 Monsters Born and Made was one of my most anticipated releases， and to see how it turned out is so disappointing。 I would， therefore， not recommend this book。 ↠ 1。5 starsBlog ✦ Instagram ✦ Twitter ✦ 。。。more
Novel Notices
，
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。DNF at 36%Monsters Born and Made had an interesting premise about a girl entering a competition in order to better her family's financial situation。 Unfortunately， it just is not executed well， nor is it very original。 The plot is extremely similar to "The Hunger Games，" only—from what I read—much slower and more boring。 There are only so many plotlines out there， so I under Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。DNF at 36%Monsters Born and Made had an interesting premise about a girl entering a competition in order to better her family's financial situation。 Unfortunately， it just is not executed well， nor is it very original。 The plot is extremely similar to "The Hunger Games，" only—from what I read—much slower and more boring。 There are only so many plotlines out there， so I understand if there are similarities between books， but I just could not find anything compelling about this story。 On another note， I also found the writing jarring and rough。 The MC jumped from thought to thought and action to action with nothing in between to smooth the ideas out。 It read like a first draft in dire need of editing。 I was not endeared to Koral in any way， or her family。 The only person I sympathized with at all was Liria （I think that's how you spell it）， Koral's sister， but she had like two pages of "screen" time， and her only trait was the sick， beloved little sister。 I was interested to see how it played out， but after forcing myself through 36% of this over the course of a week （yes， it took me a week to get this far）， I had lost any desire to read further。 。。。more
Mali
，
I'm sorry to say I DNFed this book。 I've been trying to read it for maybe the past four weeks， and I could not get into it at all。 This was disappointing because I thought the concept was interesting and I love monsters and elite contests， etc。， but MONSTERS BORN AND MADE dragged so incredibly much even during parts that were supposed to be interesting。 I made it to chapter six， which was almost 1/5 of the way through the book and I did not care about the protagonist， Koral， or her family。 I did I'm sorry to say I DNFed this book。 I've been trying to read it for maybe the past four weeks， and I could not get into it at all。 This was disappointing because I thought the concept was interesting and I love monsters and elite contests， etc。， but MONSTERS BORN AND MADE dragged so incredibly much even during parts that were supposed to be interesting。 I made it to chapter six， which was almost 1/5 of the way through the book and I did not care about the protagonist， Koral， or her family。 I didn't feel anything about the stakes， or really understand how the Glory Race or their society as a whole worked。 The creatures were really cool， especially the capricorns， but all in all， this book just didn't do it for me。 。。。more
Bea
，
“May the Water Horse Watch Over YouMay You Sail the Ocean of StarsMay You Find the Home of the EldersMay the End Begin Once More”The sun is so hot it causes people who are forced to work during the daytime to burn & perish， the mines are filled with prisoners sent there for the smallest of crimes， the wealthy live underground where they thrive & just get richer， the poor are forced to live their lives up top where they face the harshest of the elements， plus always with the terror of being attac “May the Water Horse Watch Over YouMay You Sail the Ocean of StarsMay You Find the Home of the EldersMay the End Begin Once More”The sun is so hot it causes people who are forced to work during the daytime to burn & perish， the mines are filled with prisoners sent there for the smallest of crimes， the wealthy live underground where they thrive & just get richer， the poor are forced to live their lives up top where they face the harshest of the elements， plus always with the terror of being attacked by one of the many fantastical creatures that not only live on the island but surround it on all sides。 On this island surrounded by an ocean filled with all kinds of mythical monsters’ lives Koral & her family。 In servitude to the landers as Hunters & breeders of the magnificent & fearsome Maristags， they are considered nothing more than servants by the Landers （the ruling class on the island） & as traitors by the Renters （the lower caste of the society）， essentially， they can’t win， they live on the outside of every level of society， even though all Koral wants in life is to protect her family， & all her parents & ancestors have done is try to survive。 When they fail to capture enough Maristags to breed from for the next year， Koral finds the only alternative she can think of to keep a roof over her family’s head & save her baby sister from death， enter the coveted Glory Race。 The Glory Race is essentially a Gladiator style competition but with Maristags pulling chariots。 Maristags are a creature that looks like a hybrid of a Velociraptor & a Marine Iguana with the head of a Stag。 Quite a combination！ While normally the Glory Race is only ever entered by the Landers， Koral uses a loophole in the rules to get her chance for glory & riches， with the help of her Maristag， Stormgold。 The storyline was interesting， there was enough world building to lay a good foundation， & while I did like the characters in the story there wasn’t a lot of character development throughout the book。 I loved the addition of new mythological creatures like the Aquabats & the Maristags but I also liked the use of some classical mythical creatures like the Capricorn。 At times Koral’s internal monologue was a little tedious & angsty but she really started to find herself by the end of the book。 The rest of the characters felt a little one dimensional， but I can see the potential for growth from them in the next book。 The action scenes were incredibly well done & really drew me in to the fights。 I loved getting to know more about the Maristags & hope we learn more。 The ending was a whirlwind of emotions， action packed， left me winded & wanting the next book the moment I finished this so I’m excited to see what happens next for Stormgold， Koral & her family。 Thank you to NetGalley and SourceBooks Fire for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
Kortney
，
Wow。 This book is an action-packed thrill ride from start to finish。 The author is incredible at creating suspense in action scenes and keeping the flow continuous between the down time。 It’s incredible to think that one girls’ decision in the beginning could start a huge domino effect with groups and factions of people she has absolutely nothing to do with。 ***** SPOILERS FROM HERE ON**************Koral and her family are broke beyond broke and even though they are responsible for a very import Wow。 This book is an action-packed thrill ride from start to finish。 The author is incredible at creating suspense in action scenes and keeping the flow continuous between the down time。 It’s incredible to think that one girls’ decision in the beginning could start a huge domino effect with groups and factions of people she has absolutely nothing to do with。 ***** SPOILERS FROM HERE ON**************Koral and her family are broke beyond broke and even though they are responsible for a very important task， they’re outsiders。 Koral and her brother Emrik attempt to catch a beast that is used by the elites for chariot races。 When that goes south， they’ve got nothing else to do for a sick little sister， starving family and very abusive father but for Koral to enter herself into said chariot races for money。 However， this race is ONLY for the elites。 The elites （Landers） hold these races sacred and will not take kindly to someone of her lowly status racing alongside them。 It sparks an all out chaos between the haves and have-nots of the entire island。 Lots of action， lots of monsters。 Let me know what you think of the ending。 This review was made possible thanks to an ARC I received from the Publisher。 。。。more
Taylor M
，
What a pleasant surprise！ I went into this with no expectations and genuinely enjoyed it。 Perfect amount of mystery and twist & turns kept me turning pages super quickly。 Recommended for all thriller lovers！Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC！
Aashi
，
ARC provided by 2k22 debuts and netgalleyEver since I first heard about this book and read the premise， I was immeasurably obsessed with everything about it。 I'm happy to say that it did NOT disappoint！Starting with Koral， the protagonist， who is such an ambitious and determined character even with the situation she is in and the hardships she faces everyday。 She is easy to sympathise with without making her out to be a pitiful figure。 She doesn't victimise herself， is headstrong and loyal to he ARC provided by 2k22 debuts and netgalleyEver since I first heard about this book and read the premise， I was immeasurably obsessed with everything about it。 I'm happy to say that it did NOT disappoint！Starting with Koral， the protagonist， who is such an ambitious and determined character even with the situation she is in and the hardships she faces everyday。 She is easy to sympathise with without making her out to be a pitiful figure。 She doesn't victimise herself， is headstrong and loyal to her family in the best way possible。 My only complaint was that at times she seems a bit too cold and monotonous， and I would've loved to see her express more emotions。The romance was， excuse me， *chef's kiss*。 The dynamic between Dorian and Koral gave me everything I wanted。 Second chance romance， rivalry， angst， pining， angst and yearning。 Though I don't have much to say about it， it was definitely one of my favourite things about this book。The criticism on India's caste system through themes in this book is on point！ It elicits anger， frustration and raises all the right questions。 It's incredibly important to read from the perspective of a character who has been facing discrimination based on a made up belief system her whole life。 When the rich and the privileged decide where you stand socially and what you do with your life。The glory race itself had so much happening， it was a bit overwhelming and all over the place at times， but it kept me hooked till the end nevertheless！ Deadly， chaotic competitions are what I LIVE for in fantasy。Monstrous， magical and adventurous， Monsters Born and Made is a ride from start to finish that you don't want to miss out on！ 。。。more
Stay Fetters
，
"We hunt when the world sleeps。 A risk that could kill us。 A risk forced on us。"DNF @ 22% This has been compared to some books that I really don’t like but I decided to give it a try anyway。 The cover made me gasp with its beauty and I couldn’t say no to it when it was offered to me。 It’s the curse of the beautiful cover。 It got me yet again。It had a very promising start。 A fight in the water between man and beast。 Water was choked on， wrestling ensued， and blood was spilled。 Someone fights for "We hunt when the world sleeps。 A risk that could kill us。 A risk forced on us。"DNF @ 22% This has been compared to some books that I really don’t like but I decided to give it a try anyway。 The cover made me gasp with its beauty and I couldn’t say no to it when it was offered to me。 It’s the curse of the beautiful cover。 It got me yet again。It had a very promising start。 A fight in the water between man and beast。 Water was choked on， wrestling ensued， and blood was spilled。 Someone fights for their life。 Then off to the races。 *confused look* I’m lost。 This went from， "Smile you son of a b***h" to Fast and the Furious: Sea Creature edition within a blink of an eye。 It was slightly confusing and moved at a snails pace after ten percent in。 I mean， if you’re going to wow me with a race you’re going to have to shed some blood and leave someone’s bones at the starting line。 I didn’t get that far in to read about that possibly happening。 Monsters Born and Made just wasn’t for me。 I would have been obsessed if I enjoyed Hunger Games but alas， I didn’t。 My heart wasn’t in my throat， nor was I sitting on the edge of my seat。 I may have fell asleep though。 I really hope people out there like this because it sounds promising。 。。。more
Lexi Brooke
，
Koral is a Hunter， capturing monstrous beasts from the dangerous ocean with her brother to support their family。 But her sick sister needs help and without money for medicine， Koral has to find a way to help: cheating her way into the Island’s Glory Race。 Facing all the odds against her -including her ex-boyfriend and a class rebellion- Koral’s life depends on winning。Conceptually， this book was good。 Underdog teen rising above to help her family out of poverty and debt。 But this book just didn’ Koral is a Hunter， capturing monstrous beasts from the dangerous ocean with her brother to support their family。 But her sick sister needs help and without money for medicine， Koral has to find a way to help: cheating her way into the Island’s Glory Race。 Facing all the odds against her -including her ex-boyfriend and a class rebellion- Koral’s life depends on winning。Conceptually， this book was good。 Underdog teen rising above to help her family out of poverty and debt。 But this book just didn’t follow through on what it set out promising and I was really disappointed overall。This book really lacked world building。 What you get is good: small island surrounded by murderous ocean critters， class and political rebellion， underdog rising to beat poverty and class strife。 But there are continual references to events outside the book’s plot that are never explained。 You keep hearing about the ancestors， but the story of them is barely touched on， despite the importance they play in how the world is designed。 There just isn’t depth to the world， though I did like the South Asian inspiration。 Koral is ambitious and decently written， but she’s kind of one dimensional and I didn’t see much growth as a character。 None of the characters have much growth， really。 I was most disappointed by then ending of the book， which was too open ended for me。 There is so many storylines that just end without explanation and I felt the book lacked resolution。 This book is overhyped in my opinion。 It lacked the depth that I expected from it and felt jumbled and all over the place。 A decent read， but I wouldn’t rush to recommend or buy this one。 。。。more
Ms。 Nicole Harding
，
Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah， is a very good story once you get past the first quarter of the book。 At the beginning of the story， it was obvious to me that the author， Tanvi Berwah， was influenced by three of my favorite dystopian books; Maggie Steifvator's Scorpio Races， Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins， and Ashlords by Scott Reintgen。 That was discouraging to me and I struggled to continue reading。 Once I was about 25% of the way through the book， Ms。 Berwah's story began showing its Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah， is a very good story once you get past the first quarter of the book。 At the beginning of the story， it was obvious to me that the author， Tanvi Berwah， was influenced by three of my favorite dystopian books; Maggie Steifvator's Scorpio Races， Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins， and Ashlords by Scott Reintgen。 That was discouraging to me and I struggled to continue reading。 Once I was about 25% of the way through the book， Ms。 Berwah's story began showing its unique qualities and by the halfway point， I had trouble putting it down！ I am so happy because the plot， characters， and environment made the book worth reading to the end。 I recommend reading this book and if you struggle due to parallels to other stories， please stick with it for a few more chapters。 I think you will be happy you did！ 。。。more
Jonas
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I got a free ARC through Netgalley， this is no way affected my review。MBAM has an amazing premise and I was ready to get sucked into an amazing fantasy world， but I can’t help but feeling a bit disappointed by the book？It really just felt like a bunch of the same stuff being repeated over and over again without anything actually happening？ I feel like this book could have been a lot shorter and the same story could have been told without all the filler chapters。I did like the main character and I got a free ARC through Netgalley， this is no way affected my review。MBAM has an amazing premise and I was ready to get sucked into an amazing fantasy world， but I can’t help but feeling a bit disappointed by the book？It really just felt like a bunch of the same stuff being repeated over and over again without anything actually happening？ I feel like this book could have been a lot shorter and the same story could have been told without all the filler chapters。I did like the main character and at times felt sorry for her because nothing seemed to go right for her and I was rooting for her near the end。The ending felt a bit flat， so I hope there will be a sequel that will bring a lot more action。 。。。more
Tonja Drecker
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Strict social hierarchy mixes with sea monsters， intrigue， action， brutality， and determination to great tons of plot and a large variety of characters。Koral has been born into a family of Hunters， whose job it is to capture and breed the fearful monsters of their seas， the maristags。 It's a job， which always draws blood and luck is the only thing separating the Hunters from death， but the creatures are only there for a short time period， and if a male and female aren't available， the family mus Strict social hierarchy mixes with sea monsters， intrigue， action， brutality， and determination to great tons of plot and a large variety of characters。Koral has been born into a family of Hunters， whose job it is to capture and breed the fearful monsters of their seas， the maristags。 It's a job， which always draws blood and luck is the only thing separating the Hunters from death， but the creatures are only there for a short time period， and if a male and female aren't available， the family must live off one month of salary and starve the rest of the year。 This year， that can't happen since Koral's younger sister is sick and needs medicine to survive。 When the hunt fails， Koral refuses to bow to fate and is determined to save her family by entering a deadly race。 The prize money would mean financial relief， but her entrance means stepping up against members of the class above her family's。。。and they are more dangerous than the monsters。This one is sold as a type of Hunger Games meets These Violent Delights。 and while I wouldn't completely agree with the second of these， the first is hard not to see。 The class differences are clear-cut and brutal， which made it intriguing as Koral's family isn't allowed to be anything but what they are。 The attitude between the classes rings clear， and the prejudice slams hard。 As the higher level gets involved， the nods at Hunger Games is strong。 Even the romance and competition settles in clearly along these lines。 It did make it a bit cliche， but that's not a bad thing， since it leaves the reader sure of where this novel sits。 Plus， the other aspects are original enough to make it feel too close， too。 Although I didn't get as much of the South-Asian feel that I was hoping for。To say that there are a few plot strings， is an understatement。 The author creates a rich weave of sub-plots， which cross and spread to make sure there isn't a boring moment and little is easy to predict。 Along with this wide spread comes a large cast of characters， who each hold their own agendas， personalities， and goals。 There's tons to follow and even more surprises as everything twists and turns。 It makes for a rich and exciting read， especially when the well-done action scenes are thrown in。 Deceit and danger go hand-in-hand， giving Koral much more to deal with than just getting the money for her sister's medicine。 All of this takes place in a complex and original world， where monsters， the sea， and much more are at play。 The atmosphere portrays a dark and dirty reality， where survival is harsh and hatred runs high。 Even Koral's own family has more than a slightly shadowed side。 The monsters are well-described and hold the beautiful deadliness they need。 The world， however， isn't given the same attention and is a bit scattered。。。as are the characters。 There's just too much， and it suffers， never gaining the complete attention it needs to really grab hold。 The many plot strings also lose their thread because of this。 While promising， many things are skid over too quickly and lose their impact。 These pages hold the promise and beginnings of an amazing tale， so much so that it is fun to read。。。but it simply could have been more。 And the ending。。。well， that slaps hard and leaves me hoping that there's another book to come。 I received a DRC through the publisher and am giving this one 3。5 stars while rounding up。 。。。more
Carrie
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Review coming soon。
Ayushi （Sorcery of Chapters）
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4。5 stars
Niharika
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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an e-ARC of the book in exchange for a review。This book was fast-paced and action-packed， which I loved。 It also features maristags， sea creatures， that the MC， Koral， and her family hunt and breed to sell。 These creatures are also used in the Glory Race， which occurs every four years。 The island she lives on is divided into two classes， Renters and Landers， Renters being the lower class and the Landers being the upper class。 Landers have be Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an e-ARC of the book in exchange for a review。This book was fast-paced and action-packed， which I loved。 It also features maristags， sea creatures， that the MC， Koral， and her family hunt and breed to sell。 These creatures are also used in the Glory Race， which occurs every four years。 The island she lives on is divided into two classes， Renters and Landers， Renters being the lower class and the Landers being the upper class。 Landers have been the only ones to participate in the Glory Race。Koral decides to participate in the race after some familial problems arise and can't be handled in any other way and chaos ensues。The themes of family dynamics and complexities and classism were well executed。The premise and the world were both exciting and new。 The world-building could've been more elaborate in some aspects but it felt sufficient as per the story。 The characters did lack a certain depth except for Koral and Dorian and to a certain extent， Crane。 I especially liked Koral's relationship with Stormgold but I wish it were explored more。The story revolves around Koral and the Glory Race but the subplots regarding her family （her father and her sister specifically） that were her true motivations for participating in the Glory Race in the first place， were left unresolved。 As was anything regarding Dorian。 Yes， the author tries her best to drive Koral and Dorian's story to a conclusion but I was left unsatisfied and didn't feel it was well executed。 At certain points， their trope got exhausting because I could clearly see what Dorian was doing。I don't know if there is a second book coming but I hope these questions are answered if it is。 It also seems as if Koral would end up in Atlantis but let's see where this goes。I'll still highly recommend this book because of the way it tackles the themes of classism and discrimination because of that and I feel there's a certain audience for the book who will love it。Actual rating: 3。5 。。。more
Opal Edgar
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For all fans of YA dystopia， this is a must。 In a deadly race， riding creatures that can kill you in a heartbeat， the main character， Koral， aims for victory for the survival of her family， but also to show that the lowest cast is as good at the ruling one。 This has all the classic elements people who loved the Hunger Games will recognize and enjoy， the unjust world， the fight for more for the love of a younger sister， cruel games。。。 The world was very well drawn out， visceral and real。I didn't For all fans of YA dystopia， this is a must。 In a deadly race， riding creatures that can kill you in a heartbeat， the main character， Koral， aims for victory for the survival of her family， but also to show that the lowest cast is as good at the ruling one。 This has all the classic elements people who loved the Hunger Games will recognize and enjoy， the unjust world， the fight for more for the love of a younger sister， cruel games。。。 The world was very well drawn out， visceral and real。I didn't really get swept by it， but I think that's just a question of personal taste， too many troops for me。 。。。more
Danielle
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Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the ARC！ This was super action packed and definitely reminiscent of The Hunger Games。 It follows Koral， a Hunter who captures monsters called Maristags from the ocean and sells them to the wealthy to use in the Glory Race。 When Koral’s family runs out of money and medicine for her younger sister， she decides to enter the race herself， which no other Hunter has ever done before。This was an easy read and it kept my attention， but it took me until abo Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the ARC！ This was super action packed and definitely reminiscent of The Hunger Games。 It follows Koral， a Hunter who captures monsters called Maristags from the ocean and sells them to the wealthy to use in the Glory Race。 When Koral’s family runs out of money and medicine for her younger sister， she decides to enter the race herself， which no other Hunter has ever done before。This was an easy read and it kept my attention， but it took me until about halfway through until I was really interested。 While it was very action packed， I felt like it was too much to follow at times and certain things could have been expanded on， such as Koral’s relationship with her maristag。 I enjoyed her interactions with Dorian but I would have liked more of their history as well and more of a conclusion for them， and to the book in general。 I would recommend this if you like fast paced reads and life or death type competitions。 。。。more
ivan
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adventurous tense medium-pacedPlot- or character-driven？ PlotStrong character development？ It's complicatedLoveable characters？ It's complicatedDiverse cast of characters？ YesFlaws of characters a main focus？ It's complicated2。5 The first few chapters flew by to me， as it seemed to hit my favorite settings in a book: high stakes， a complicated family， and a past one tries to bury。 However， as the book went on， it fell into a tangle of big events upon big events that ultimately lost the intrigue。 adventurous tense medium-pacedPlot- or character-driven？ PlotStrong character development？ It's complicatedLoveable characters？ It's complicatedDiverse cast of characters？ YesFlaws of characters a main focus？ It's complicated2。5 The first few chapters flew by to me， as it seemed to hit my favorite settings in a book: high stakes， a complicated family， and a past one tries to bury。 However， as the book went on， it fell into a tangle of big events upon big events that ultimately lost the intrigue。 I had a problem with the pacing， as it felt like a lot of things were happening all at once with little to no pause， and neither Koral nor the readers know what exactly was going on。 While the use of first person in present tense is not my favorite， I do think that most of the confusion stemmed from that and it would have been more clear in a different voice， or with multiple POVs。 Overall， it was a book that might be someone's next favorite， as the elements were right there but the execution was not it for me personally。 Big thanks to the publisher for providing me this ARC via NetGalley。 This does not in any shape or form influence my review on this book。 。。。more
Nolly
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Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an excerpt of this novel in exchange for an honest review。First， the cover is marvelous， and that's what drove me to the book in the first place。 Then it was the unique premise。 That's why I was so excited to read the first pages。 However， I'm not quite sure of what I've just read。 I was really excited to read this book， but the first chapters are a bit messy。 I hope it is because I don't have all the story， I was confused but it starts off strong， an Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an excerpt of this novel in exchange for an honest review。First， the cover is marvelous， and that's what drove me to the book in the first place。 Then it was the unique premise。 That's why I was so excited to read the first pages。 However， I'm not quite sure of what I've just read。 I was really excited to read this book， but the first chapters are a bit messy。 I hope it is because I don't have all the story， I was confused but it starts off strong， and I was hooked nonetheless。I am still intrigued as to where the story goes and how。 。。。more
Zachary Blaszak
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Koral is a sixteen-year-old hunter living on a small farm with her brother， mother， father， and her ill younger sister。 On the farm Koral and her brother capture and raise the monstrous and dangerous Maristags to train them for the Glory Races。 With a major debt hanging over her family’s head and lack of funds to help care for her sister， Koral decides to enter herself into the Glory Race which is something Hunters are normally not allowed to do！ This book is gripping， fun， and exciting from pag Koral is a sixteen-year-old hunter living on a small farm with her brother， mother， father， and her ill younger sister。 On the farm Koral and her brother capture and raise the monstrous and dangerous Maristags to train them for the Glory Races。 With a major debt hanging over her family’s head and lack of funds to help care for her sister， Koral decides to enter herself into the Glory Race which is something Hunters are normally not allowed to do！ This book is gripping， fun， and exciting from page one and would be perfect for anyone who enjoyed The Hunger Games！ 。。。more
Victoria Alyesa
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Scorpio races meet Percy Jackson with a touch of twi-wizard tournament mixed in with the flair of the hunger games， I absolutely loved this book！ Not only was the world truly creative and described through the authors amazing writing in such a way that the reader could get a full vivid image of everything around them， the characters emotions， and the brilliant mental health representation that I personally emotionally bonded with。 Whether the author meant to or not it seems that the main charact Scorpio races meet Percy Jackson with a touch of twi-wizard tournament mixed in with the flair of the hunger games， I absolutely loved this book！ Not only was the world truly creative and described through the authors amazing writing in such a way that the reader could get a full vivid image of everything around them， the characters emotions， and the brilliant mental health representation that I personally emotionally bonded with。 Whether the author meant to or not it seems that the main character and possibly one of a character could have complex PTSD which ironically is what I am battling with， but the characters battle through it and in such a way the I felt better myself reading it。 I felt more empowered as they got empowered， more free as their freedom increased。 It’s rare that I see complex ptsd representation whether it’s meant to be there or not， but it was really refreshing and helped me bond with the character so much more on a mental health level。 Mix this in with the incredible way which Tanvi writes just creates this amazing fantasy emotional world that I could easily see being made into an epic red carpet worthy movie。 Saying that the way in which the author writes create this amazing movie in your mind through her writing style and vivid imagination as the race goes on。From the very first page you’re taken straight from the page into this world and thrown in at the deep end， you start off in the shadows of the water but as you read more and more you suddenly realise that the author has dragged you in to the very depths of this creation and you love it。There’s nothing more I can really say apart from the fact that I would 100% recommend this book over and over again to anyone who asks， and I need every art piece of these characters in my possession now， and cannot wait for the next book。 Five stars from its core to the smallest detail on its spine。A massive thank you to sourcebooks and Madison for sending me this unforgettably beautiful early copy and in so giving me the chance to explore this world before anyone else and learn how much everyone else needs this book in September so they can explore it and love it for themselves。 。。。more
Andi
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I'd like to thank the publisher and Edelweiss for allowing me a chance at reading this book。 From the first chapter， I felt I was in for a ride。 Not because of the plot / characters， but how much words dominated the pages without any sense or agency。 I tend to dislike books where authors are overly descriptive - it's like a person just listening to themselves talk and talk。 So， maybe I'll return to this book but for now， I just couldn't finish it or go any further than the first couple chapters。 I'd like to thank the publisher and Edelweiss for allowing me a chance at reading this book。 From the first chapter， I felt I was in for a ride。 Not because of the plot / characters， but how much words dominated the pages without any sense or agency。 I tend to dislike books where authors are overly descriptive - it's like a person just listening to themselves talk and talk。 So， maybe I'll return to this book but for now， I just couldn't finish it or go any further than the first couple chapters。Out of respect for the author， I will not rate the book。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Monsters Born and Made
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Monsters Born and Made&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft