Review – Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah (3/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 352 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: September 6, 2022
ASIN: B09NQRRLLK
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley from NetGalley
Rating: 3/5 stars
“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.”
Series Info/Source: This story is meant to be part of a larger series of stories set in this world, however I was unable to find out how many books are planned. I got a copy of this through NetGalley to review.
Thoughts: I really struggled with the first third or so of this book, the writing just flowed so awkwardly for me. However, as I got farther along I was more drawn in to Koral and her story. People who are comparing this to Hunger Games but with chariots and sea monsters are right on the mark. It has the feel of a fan-fiction Hunger Games off-shoot.
The story features Koral who along with her brother, Emrik, hunts the dangerous maristags. Their family breeds the maristags so that they can be used in the Glory Race, a deadly chariot tournament normally raced by the upper class. Due to various circumstances Koral applies to race in the Glory Race and is allowed. The majority of the story is about both her training and competing in the Glory Race and about a rebellion that is going on in the background.
As mentioned above, this whole story felt a bit simple, overdone, and off. Yes, there are some good action scenes and yes, the maristags are interesting. However, I never really engaged with the characters. Koral is meant to be rebellious and tough, but she comes off more as a victim of the circumstances around her. The characters never really grow, Koral is naive and taken advantage of constantly. The bond Koral suddenly forms with her maristag felt forced and sudden.
I did finish this, there’s a lot of action and it was an easy enough read. However, I wasn’t really sold on the writing style, the characters, the world, or the overall story. It all felt a bit hollow and immature to me. Again, more like fan-fiction than an actual stand alone book.
My Summary (3/5): Overall this was okay but not great. I did finish it, but I had some trouble getting into the story and felt like the writing didn’t flow well. Everything about this feels simple and unfinished. The world feels incomplete, the characters don’t grow and are hard to relate to, and the story feels like something you’ve read a million times before. I won’t be picking up any books by Berwah in the future.
