Didn't give me enough Sailor Moon vibes.

The portrayal of the characters in the story seemed to be lacking in depth, as they appeared to be one-dimensional and failed to exhibit any complexity or nuance. This made it difficult for me to empathize with them and affected my overall engagement with the story. Additionally, the plot's pacing felt slow, and at times, it seemed to drag on.

Good idea and concept, but wasn't well executed. Overall, just an okay read.

*** Thank you to NetGalley, S. Jae-Jones, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for graciously sending me a copy of the novel to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

This book was a solid 3 that I enjoyed, but honestly don't remember a huge amount about (I'm writing this 5 months after the fact). The characters didn't stick with me and I recall struggling to connect with them. A lot of it was predictable. I would not compare this with Cinder, which was overall a better book.

2.5 stars
I love fantasy, especially mythology, so I was so excited to read this, but the execution made me regret reading it.
An overall boring read, it lacked the type of writing that made you want to stay up all night. I don't know exactly what it is about this story or the style that makes it so hard to stay engaged with, but I largely attribute my dislike to the writing. The dialogue was very cheesy at times, and there is a lot of telling rather then showing that occurs in this book. The characters were hard to like, and the disability rep is quite frankly terrible. Suzhan was infantilized numerous times, and it feels like the author has no idea what it is actually like to live as a blind person. She is treated more as an invalid then an actual person. It reads more of an after thought then something that was put genuine time and research into.
The characters just feel so...I can't even put into words what is so wrong with them. They are fleshed out, and have different characteristics, they just feel dull. A book about fantasy and magic should never feel dull.
I did enjoy the world-building and all the magic, that was very fun to read.
It becomes very obvious within the first few chapters what is going to happen. While that is not unusual for books, instead of being excited by the journey from point a to point b, it lacked substance.
There is a lot of queer rep, in that the characters that are queer seem to flirt with everything that moves.
It has taken me an inordinate amount of time to slog through this book. I received it as an ARC through Netgalley, and heavily considered dnf-ing it several times.
I personally would not recommend this, nor I will I be reading the next book in the series. At this time I don't think the authors' writing style is for me either.
This is a winning cover, it is absolutely gorgeous, and a lot of people will definitely buy this for how pretty it looks. The composition and design work seamlessly, and I love the font used.
Thank you netgalley for this ARC

The one word I can think of describe this book is this:

Silly.

And that’s not necessarily bad, just don’t go in to this expecting it to be serious. This book relies heavily on the characters sharing one brain cell between them, often as they all often completely miss the obvious. I mean really, something could smack them in the face and they’d still be confused.

Sometimes the silliness did get a little irritating and I found the supposed “humour” to not be funny, as well as feeling tired at how the plot relied so heavily on the characters being so oblivious to literally everything.

But you know, it was fun! The plot was interesting and well paced. I think the world building and back story somehow simultaneously had tons of detail and not enough — things got a bit confusing! And often times I felt the writing was a little clunky, and I had to go back and re-read paragraphs of text before my brain could process what it was trying to tell me (maybe the one brain cell thing was rubbing off on me?).

The ending also left a lot unexplained / rushed. And not in a “you’ll find more out in the sequel” kind of way, but a “quick we are at the end” kind of way. Tons of things were just dumped on page and then it ended, leaving me scratching my head trying to process it all.

All in all, this was a decent read although I did have my issues with it. I will acknowledge that I’m not the target audience for this, and why I enjoy many YA books, I really felt that in this. But still, I liked it and I’ll likely read the second book (but I won’t be rushing).

I wasn't sure what to expect, I was surprised by one of the authors previous works and was excited to try this one out. This has lots of vibes that I enjoyed from other series, so I am excited to see what is to come as well. I find myself in love with the main character and watching her become who she is meant to be. The magic system and world building were beautiful and make me really excited to see what's to come. A little slow to start, but I was in love regardless.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

The synopsis of this book sounded really interested and I was thrilled when I saw that I was approved for the arc! That being said when I actually got around to reading it I was a bit disappointed.

The Asian mythology and setting were spectacular and the world seemed so beautiful. The FMC Zara is a magician in a world where magic is outlawed. It's got some Cinderella themes and sailor moon vibes.

The story felt really really slow at times and a little too juvenile for my liking. That being said I thought the concept was unique and I'm looking forward to the next book!

A rich fantasy where magic is outlawed and simply being a magician is punishable by death.

Magic was outlawed years ago by the infamous Warlord to rid the realm of abominations--magicians who become possessed and transform into terrible creatures. Zhara is a magician in hiding within the Morning Realms. After her father was put to death, Zhara's cruel stepmother kept her hidden and put her to use as a servant in their household. However, there are rumors circling around the city of Zanhei that monsters are returning.

Meanwhile, Han--the Royal Heir to the Morning Realms--is searching for the mysterious group called the Guardians of Dawn to get help for her little brother whose powers grow ever unstable. After a chance encounter with each other, Han and Zhara join forces with the Guardians of Dawn to put a stop to these monsters and whoever is creating them.

Overall, Guardians of Dawn: Zhara was a good read and rich with folklore.

This book is like an Asian fantasy version of Tangled or Cinderella, with a manipulative, abusive stepmother in a land where magic is illegal and a young woman must hide her gift to stay alive. Yet Zhara can't resist the urge to try to help others using what little she knows, as she feverishly searches for more, and an evil blight begins upon the land’s children. She runs into Prince Han, who is also curious about unearthing the mysteries of the Guardians of Dawn, why his mother was really killed, and how to protect his younger brother, who is starting to show a forbidden ability to conjure magic, an ability which could get him killed.
This is a fantasy book for those who enjoy teen or young adult fantasy suspense books in a world where magic is forbidden and a young girl and the prince secretly try to solve why and save the kingdom.

I’ll have to start this review with a confession, I have not read S. Jae-Jones’ Wintersong duology. After reading Zhara, I will 100% be tracking down a copy of the duology though because I definitely want to read more of S. Jae-Jones’ work after this!

Zhara starts off with an authors note explaining the use of language, and most notably why ‘they’ is used to refer to people in the first introduction. I really loved the way it was used in general, and we meet a couple of non-binary characters within the story which was some lovely representation, especially as one of these characters, Xu, is one of the recurring, most adorable characters.

The story itself is one that keeps your interest, but its driven by a whole cast of amazing characters and, one of my personal weaknesses, a big dash of found family.

Zhara has spent most of her life living with her stepmother and stepsister, following her father being executed for being a magician. She has a job working within the apothecary, but since she feels indebted to her stepmother, for not revealing her own magic, she gives all of her wages to her stepmother and sleeps in the kitchen instead, in a very Cinderella-type of living.

But Zhara has her books, and so the beginning of the story starts out with her heading to the bookshop to buy the latest installment of her favourite romance series. Lo and behold, this is where she bumps into a mysterious, attractive character who she goes on to refer as “Master Plum Blossom”. Master Plum Blossom is an extremely endearing character throughout, and most of my giggles (as with Zhara’s giggles) were aimed at him. I won’t say too much about him, but his scenes with Zhara were utterly adorable.

The story itself is driven by instances of magicians turning into monsters, and our main cast tries to investigate this and attempt to find a cure for it, with the past instances requiring death to end the abomination. Alongside this, Zhara’s stepsister, Suzhan, is being forced to marry so that their family can get out of debt. Zhara obviously loves Suzhan, and this leads to several emotional moments between them.

In terms of representation, alongside non-binary we have a blind side character (Suzhan, slightly in keeping with Cinderella there) and a lesbian character (I won’t talk about them but they are an excellent character, so feisty and flirty). We’re also treated to a couple of animal companions, and they were used in the story in an excellent way.

There are a lot of happy moments throughout, but S. Jae-Jones has teamed this up with complex world-building and some heavy themes (including genocide, and some cases of parental abuse). My heartstrings were tugged at many times and I just really can’t wait to read book two!

This read young, almost middle grade, at times — mainly in the romance scenes. Example line: “He noted her admiring gaze and puffed out his chest, strutting a little as they walked.” (This is the love interest, not some fool the author is making fun of.) And so much blushing!

This read more mature (and enjoyable) everywhere else, though. It’s a China-inspired fantasy and the villains are the real-life Golden Horde (c. 1250-1500 AD). The world is queer norm, with a bi main character, nonbinary and sapphic secondary characters, and an important off-page character referred to as dual-gender. The action and magic scenes were pretty good as well.

I believe each book in this series is going to focus on a different Guardian of Dawn. With that setup (different main characters who hopefully will be less calf-love-lorn), I’m interested enough to give the next book a try.

4 stars for meeting expectations of Sailor Moon/Cinderella vibes. This was written in more of a middle school novel way but I get why it was moved up to a YA for some of the dirty jokes written in. I co-read this with the audiobook, which was wonderfully narrated, and if one is not good with Asian pronunciation for names, I would say give it a go. In all this was a wonderful beginning to a longer series that could be read as a stand-alone if one ignores the last chapter and only reads to the epilogue. I, though, look forward to reading the next in the Guardians of Dawn series.

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones is an epic adventure that weaves together Korean Fantasy and Magic in a sweeping tale of heroics and sacrifice. The story is full of interesting characters and side plots but I most liked Zhara and Han and their friendship and adorable love of romance stories! They were intriguing characters and it was fun to see the layers of their personalities peel back with each chapter. The monsters in the book were so cool and I loved how the author incorporated mythological creatures from Korean fables. The worldbuilding was detailed and unique and I'd love to read more of this series.

This was a little slow to start for me but once the first bit of excitement started I couldn’t stop. I loved the fantasy aspect of this and the story it told.

In a fantasy world where magic is banned, the Guardians of Dawn must help protect their fellow magicians. By the end of the novel that name will mean so much more.
Magic is forbidden throughout the Morning Realms. Magicians are called abominations and blamed for the razing of the land twenty years before. Jin Zhara already has enough to worry about a cruel stepmother, blind younger sister, and hiding her. So, when rumors of monsters stalking the nearby marsh, the Royal Guards are out in growing numbers, and she must try even harder to blend in.

When a chance encounter with an easily flustered young man named Han causes her to reveal her gift, she finds a place of safety. She meets with a secret magical liberation organization called the Guardians of Dawn and realizes the rumors are true. A demon is stalking the lands of Zanhei and turning magicians into monsters. Zhara may just be to the key to fighting it, if she can truly harness her powers.

The official synopsis describes the novel as “Sailor Moon meets Cinder.” I can tell you the connections to Cinder are tenuous. Yes, there is a family set up like the classic Cinderella tale, and, yes, the family is of Asian ethnicity. But that’s it. I feel it was a cheap shot to cash in on the popularity of Cinder. The thing is: the book stands on its own without the comparison.

S. Jae-Jones creates a beautiful, magical, and scary world based on East Asia. The mythology set up for this series creates magical beings, magicians, and anti-magicians all of which play a role in the world. The hatred of magic because of abuses of the past makes Zhara and those like her marginalized. There is more than just class struggle; the idea of being “other” is key to the story. Readers watch Zhara as she struggles to overcome both ideas and we cheer her on. We want with every fiber of our hearts for her to win.

 The Guardian of Dawn: Zhara is a great opening to an epic series. I hope to read a book following each Guardian as well as see Zhara again

Beautiful cover, fun book, but I didn't enjoy the characters as much as I wanted. They all felt very young to me more like 12 year olds.

I love cover to this book!! It is what drew me in and I am glad because I enjoyed this book so much! I loved the description of the world building and setting, along with the magic systems. The dual point of views allowed me to engage with the story in a more well-rounded view. I was immediately immersed and did not want to put this book down! I cannot wait to see what will come next for the story. Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

3.5 Stars

The Cinderella/Sailor Moon vibes in this book were spot on.
Our main character captures the charm and quality of Cinderella and Selena from Sailor Moon perfectly.

I adore the historical fantasy setting and the sweetness of the characters as they move forward with a mysterious plague affecting people in the town. The mythology was whimsical and intriguing.

Good start to a series and with that ending I'm intrigued to see the future characters and where the plot is going.

Ok, I’m not going to lie.. I struggled a bit reading this book at first. However, now that I’ve finished it, I’m glad I stuck it out and was determined to finish it! I loved the Asian mythology but with the hints of Cinderella and I’m a sucker for kingdoms with forbidden magic! All of the characters were fun as well and if you love cinnamon roll love interests, we definitely have one in this book! All of the side characters were great and easy to love but Zhara is what really made me care! She was just so sweet and selfless and I always admire that in a character!

There’s cats and magic with monsters and mayhem and it was just generally a fun read. I think it was a case of it’s me, not you in the beginning because I was having a hard time getting into it. I decided to pick up the second half of the book in audio and was happy I finished it!

Overall, if you love Asian mythology with hints of Cinderella and a plot that isn’t too heavy and that wraps up on the easier side but leaves room for a second book.. check out Zhara!!

Read if you like:
- wicked stepmother’s
- Disability Representation (blindness)
- Dual POV
- Cats
- Cinderella vibes
- Demons and mayhem
- Cinnamon roll love interests
- Forbidden magic
- Asian mythology

This is one of those times where I'm not sure if a book just truly wasn't for me or actually wasn't good 😅 I would say this book definitely lived up to the promise of Sailor Moon. It was definitely coded that way and felt nostalgic for me for that reason. I think it fell a little flat with some shallow characterization and the plot felt forced/hollow at times. I'm honestly not sure who to recommend this book to. Its really juvenile writing style feels preteen which is pared with mentions of smut and pornography.... so not sure where the target audience lays within that.

Rep: blind character, non binary character

*I received an e-arc via Netgalley from the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts are my own*

This was my first read by S. Jae-Jones and I really enjoyed it! It’s been compared to Sailor Moon meets Cinder and I can totally see why. This is the start of a fun YA fantasy series, and I am excited to see what happens in the next installment and meet more of the guardians.

Jin Zhara has grown up in a world where magic is forbidden. Magicians are called abominations, and they have been blamed for the plague of monsters that wreaked havoc twenty years ago. She has had a tough upbringing, after losing her father, she’s been trying to appease her stepmother’s cruel whims, and look after her blind younger sister, all while trying to keep her own magic hidden and under control. There have been rumors of monsters reemerging in the marsh on top of everything.

Jin Zhara has a chance encounter with an easily flustered but handsome young man, Han, who introduces her to a magical liberation organization called the Guardians of Dawn. She soon realizes that there may be more to the rumors than she thought. A mysterious plague has been corrupting the magicians of Zanhei and turning them into monsters and the Guardians think that a demon is responsible.

Zhara along with her new friends, must find the demon and destroy it and bring balance back to the realm or face chaos.

I really enjoyed watching Zhara blossom and come into her own. I liked that she never gave up and kept trying to do her best and stay true, as her father had always told her to do. I liked the relationship she develops with Han and their other friends they meet along the way. The magic and folklore were really fascinating parts of the story, and I am excited to learn more in the sequel.

If you like stories with magic, fantasy and folklore, I think you will enjoy this one. There are some darker elements to this book as well, so reader please be advised.