Monsters Born and Made
Ratings5
Average rating3.2
15
Ratings5
Average rating3.2
*A Book Riot Must-Read South Asian Book of 2022* 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 Bi, 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. 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 competitors--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. As 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. Perfect for fans of: Dystopian Fantasy Sea Monsters Exes-to-Rivals-to-? Golden Boy x Pariah Deadly Competition Rebellion Angsty Teenagers Female Friendship Praise for Monsters Born and Made An exhilarating race of willpower and defiance, set on an utterly unique world filled with glorious monsters. --Xiran Jay Zhao, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Iron Widow Monsters Born and Made takes well-beloved YA tropes and turns them on their heads, creating an action-packed rallying cry against oppression and a riveting tale of one girl's desperation to survive no matter the odds. --Roseanne A. Brown, New York Times bestselling author of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin
Reviews with the most likes.
Definitely more of a 3.5.
CW (from the author): blood depiction, death [animal, parent], past description of starvation, chronic illness of a child, parental abuse, fire destruction, panic attack depiction, undiagnosed mental illness depiction, riots/police violence, social violence
Every time I see a new South Asian fantasy debut announced, my heart sings with joy because yes, this is what I'm here for. I wanna support and promote them as much as I can, which naturally also increases my expectations of the book. I guess that's what happened here because despite thinking it was a fun book, it felt a bit unsatisfactory.
I have to begin with saying this book isn't easy going into. The first few chapters take some patience from us readers to navigate this very new world, where we only get bits and pieces of information which we have to piece through to get somewhat of a coherent picture. But it also in a way reflects the fractured kind of world this is - where there is a very rigid caste structure and it's very obvious that our protagonist (whose pov is the only one we get) doesn't really know much about the intricacies of the world the Landers (the higher caste) inhabit though they literally live nearby on the same island. While the writing might have taken a while to impress, the book is pretty fast paced and the action once it starts is relentless, which was entertaining. But the best part were definitely the various kinds of sea monsters we get to meet here. The author describes them in gruesome detail and it was this combo of the way the caste system plays out and the monsters become additional tools of oppression did I feel that the book lives up to its name perfectly.
The characters themselves were not all easy to like. Koral is definitely the most developed here and it was easy to sympathize with her because of everything she has suffered and is still going through and we could understand even when she made impulsive decisions. Her anger was justified because it came from a place of extreme pain and felt visceral at many moments. Her developing bond with her maristag through the Glory Race was also a beautiful thing to watch unfold.
But the other relationships is where the book probably stumbles a bit. Her best friend Crane was fleshed out enough but their interactions always felt like a bit of a push and pull, mostly because they seemed to have different opinions about being part of a rebel group. The slight mistrust and tension seemed understandable though. However, it's her family which I don't think I liked much. They were critical of her every decision, never supportive except maybe a couple of moments, and considering as the one responsible for their doom which was so harsh considering their life and the problems they were already having.
While the Glory Race itself was very exciting to read about, full of action and chases and fight sequences with Koral's life on the line, none of her competitors felt fleshed out either. Judas really felt like he had so much potential and it was wasted. Dorian is most probably going to be the love interest which I'm not currently a fan of because despite his own personal demons, he still belongs to the oppressor class and I feel like his character needs to do a lot more before the romance between them feels comfortable. He also kind of embodies the “grumpy and behaves badly towards the girl but cares for her” trope which I hate.
Overall, I can say that I liked the book as it went on, with the action packed Glory Race in the second half and the climax being the most mind blowing parts of it. It was fascinating to see the whole thing come together in an explosive way towards the end. If you are looking for some great gruesome monsters, an intense competition for survival, and a protagonist who uses her anger and pain to try to make her family's life better, do give this debut a try.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)
I enjoyed this. It moved at a fast pace and was hard to put down. Kind of bummed this one isn't even out yet because I'd like to know where the story goes next! lol.
Koral is a Hunter. She hunts the dangerous maristags with her brother. If they don't get one soon, her family will starve.
The only other option is for Koral to enter the Glory Race, a competition reserved for the elite. The competitors have a chariot and a maristag and compete in a series of challenges. Even though it's usually the rich competing, there are no rules that state Koral can't.
This book was pretty bad. There is nothing fresh or new. I didn't like the writing style. It was just all over the place and didn't flow well. I disliked the mc very much. She was either whining or saying she was going to win the tournament. Blah, blah, blah. 2 stars is generous.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.
