This was book two in the guardians of Dawn series. I had to read the first book before I could read this ARC and I’m so glad I stumbled across this author. This story is so good! She did A fantastic job with Book one so I was very excited to start reading book 2! This book did not disappoint! Ami’s story was so good and you get to hear from your favorite characters from Book one as well. There was a twist there at the end I didn’t see coming good job! I will definitely be looking out for the rest of the series!

I read the first book and absolutely loved it so when I saw this one I knew I needed to request it IMMEDIATELY. If you loved the spellbinding magic and fierce battles in the first book of the Guardians of Dawn series, brace yourself for the next thrilling installment: "Guardians of Dawn: Ami." This time, we dive into the life of Li Ami, an exile caring for her troubled father whose prophetic ramblings hint at looming doom. When her father is imprisoned, Ami must prove her worth by tackling a mysterious blight, drawing her into a dangerous quest alongside the fiery Guardian of Fire, Jin Zhara. The stakes? Only the fate of the Morning Realms as they face a rising undead threat and the dark power of the Mother of Ten Thousand Demons. The lush world-building, intense romance, and high-stakes adventure will keep you glued to the pages. Don’t miss out on this heart-pounding continuation that masterfully blends magic, mythology, and a race against time.

**Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC**

When Chaos overruns Order,and balance must be restored, the Guardians of Dawn are Reborn.
Ami has always been seen as odd, her magic aside, she finds comfort in plants and languages. People on the other hand are an entirely different matter. When her father gets himself in a heap of trouble, Ami must do what she can to protect him, even if that means trusting a "Beast". Gaden, the "Beast" of Kalantze has many secrets they would rather kept hidden, but unforeseen events make it necessary for them to seek Ami's knowledge of language in exchange for sparing her father. Meanwhile, Zhara and Han are on the search for Ami and her father, in order to get what knowledge they may have in order for the Mother of Ten Thousand Demons to be defeated. Along the way they face abominations, undead, and forces unknown.

****4.75****In my opinion this was a really strong second book. While you are getting perspective from Ami in this book, you do still get continuation of Zhara's, from where her book left off, as well. Also, love how the author was able to wrap up the subplot for this book, while still adding to the overarching series plot. Appreciate the nods that have been made to classic fairytales in each book so far(Zhara-Cinderella, Ami- Beauty and the Beast). Has great LGBTQ+ rep. If you are looking for a fast-paced YA fantasy series, with elements of action, adventure, animal friends, found family, magic, and a little sprinkle of romance, then I highly recommend picking up the Guardians Of Dawn series by S. Jae Jones.

3.5 out of 5 Stars

A great sequel that lived that liv d up to the potential of the first one.

Thank you Netgalley for the E-Arc.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Disclaimer: I have not read any of the other books in this series or by this author so that might be why it was hard for me to get into this book.

I enjoyed the concept and the characters a lot. But I felt like this book read really young at times and then felt very complicated at the same time.

It took me a really long time to get into this book and there were so many characters it became confusing. Also there were numerous times where I didn't know that the POV had changed right away.

2.75 star read for me.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. all opinions are my own.

I will post my full review once SMP address the insensitive comments of their employee.

2.5 rounded up.

First off, thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I listened to Zhara at the end of 2023 and felt it was a bit on the younger side of YA, so I didn’t go into this one expecting it to blow my mind. Ami to me, started off strong and I thought I was going to be pleasantly surprised, but now I’m not sure. It def feels like it’s suffering from second book syndrome to me.

Ami herself is a really interesting character and I really loved her dynamic with the others. I also really like the introduction of Gaden and the diversity brought with them. I’m excited to see both of the these characters while I’m still deciding whether or not to read the next one, which I’m assuming will be titled Yuli.

Now for the things I didn’t like. Again I do feel like the writing is a bit young for me and I feel like this one got second book syndrome. But there were a lot of plot holes and points that I felt weren’t expanded upon or corrected bc this book has so much going on in it.

When you’re going to have a big surprise about a character then don’t telegraph it to the point where the big reveal twenty chapters later is a flop. I think the reveal would’ve been better off being kept to Ami alone and the others figuring it out in the next book. Also if there was a way to, again, not telegraph it that’d be cool.

The name of the bad guy in this one was a bit silly, but also a funny use of the anagram trope.

Towards the end I was a bit bewildered that Zhara had so many crystals with her. Like I get she took three or four, but it felt like it was suddenly she had a whole trove and I missed something. She’s not described with having a bag usually.

Then there was the whole “thank you for leading us” when she didn’t really do much other than look to other people for help. She still felt like the silly girl from book one.

Idk maybe it’s just mean of me to think this one needed another round of editing. There were some frantically errors as well, but nothing earth shattering.

Anyway I’m finished this book after a month and it’s late, I might add more later as it comes to me.

This sequel hit HARD. The plot made me go wild with shock and I still think I'm dealing with whiplash. Characters all still had their same personalities, but underwent some changes throughout the length of the book. First of all, the relationship made it through, which is a miracle, and we saw another romance blossom between two wildly different people. S. Jae-Jones went hard on this one, and nothing and no one can tell me otherwise. Though, the book would have been better if we saw less kidnapping and less stereotypical plot points. I'm not saying that the plot was bad, it was great, but just some recommendations for the future when the author writes the third book because the series can't end here. It's too juicy at this point. Would recommend to some select people, but not all book readers. Mostly people who like a good juicy plot with a buttload of fiction. Overall good book.

Li Ami, an estranged figure living on the fringes of society due to her peculiar upbringing, becomes the primary caregiver for her mentally ill father, a former imperial magician.

When her father's actions lead to trouble, she sacrifices herself to a mysterious Beast to save him, uncovering a potential prophecy in the process.

In this enchanting tale, author Jae-Jones masterfully weaves a world where words come alive, drawing readers into a vividly depicted realm. The characters feel like feiends, delving into universal themes that resonate deeply. This compelling narrative not only captivates but also heals, making it a must-read. I eagerly await the next chapter in this series and commend Jae-Jones for her exceptional storytelling. Special thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to explore this remarkable work

Guardians of Dawn: Ami by S. Jae-Jones is a wonderful sequel to Zharas story! I really like the unique blend of Korean Fantasy and Elemental Magic. Li Ami is a great character and I absolutely love her personality and love of books! This story reads a tiny bit like a beauty and the beast retelling but with a whole bunch of twists and turns. I enjoyed seeing Jin Zhara again and I think it's so cool how much she's grown with her magic. This book is full of intriguing characters and fantastical magic and I can't wait to see what's next!

First off big thank you to S. Jae-Jones, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for hooking a girl up with an eARC and in return, they’ll be getting an honest review.

Things I enjoyed: Zhara and Han always. They are just so stinking cute. The sass of Sajah reminds me so much of Luna for the OG Sailor Moon and it makes me smile. Overall, the story continues to progress and paces in a way that I expect more action in the next installment. And I’ll definitely be a continued fan / reader.

Things that did not resonate with me: overall Ami as a character felt flat. She just wasn’t compelling and did not feel like a great addition to the Guardians of the Dawn. And I’m not going to sugar coat it, but this book had strong sophomore book syndrome. A bit long and also slower than expected.

Final rating from me is: 3 out of 5 stars.

Final thoughts: do I love the concept and the character of Zhara, heck yes. Am I excited to see how this moves into the next stages of the plot, you can bet your bottom dollar. Did I wish Ami was more exciting and had more character development, yes. Overall, still a great story and I’m going to continue with this one. But I need to see more character development and also the flow needs to be consistent.

Happy to say this book did not suffer middle fantasy book series syndrome. It mostly followed the formula of the first book while continuing to build the lore. I’m liking the political intrigue build up and curious to see how the ending will affect the next book. The book also added characters to the DEI checklist.

Guardians of Dawn: Ami by S. Jae-Jones is the second book in the Guardians of the Dawn series. As a direct sequel, this book is best read and enjoyed by readers who have already been enchanted by Guardians of the Dawn: Zhara. The tone and pacing is much more consistent in this second installment while maintaining the lovely sailor moon with mechs vibes that the first one was sold to me on. I can not wait to continue the series and will definitely be recommending it at the bookstore where I work.

Huge thank you to both NetGalley and Macmillian Publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC to give an honest review.

Ami is the second book in the guardians of the dawn series. It is YA fantasy with good representation and a sprinkle of fairytales.

Compared to the first book this one is consistent in its tone and I loved the scenery described closer to the end of the book. My favorite part was the separate POV's for the first third of the book. It was very well done and set a really good pace. That portion of the book was hard to put down. Once these characters are reunited, I struggled. Especially with the journey portion of this book. It seemed to be a bit all over the place, literally. I think this author is really good at settings and the book may have benefited to having less stops that didn't really add to the story.

I really liked the dynamic of Ami as a character. She seemed to be inspired by blue eyed samurai but definitely had her own distinct personality. I enjoyed her relationship with her father I thought that was done quiet tastefully and really pulled on my heart strings.

I did enjoy this book and plan on continuing the series.

It took a little bit for me to get into Zhara's story, but everything eventually snapped into place for me. But, sadly, that moment never came for this sequel. I just couldn't get into Ami's story, and my interest waned even with Zhara's sections (though there was a really sweet Zhara / Han scene that I absolutely loved).

I think people who loved Zhara will probably love this, but if you struggled a bit to get into Zhara like I did, this one might not be for you. I'm not sure right now if I'll continue the series.

(Thank you to Wednesday Books for the eARC to review.)

I read an eARC of the first book and thought it was okay. It interested me enough to give the second book a read. This book was a slow read for me. Things happened in the story, but it didn't feel like much happened; I didn't feel the importance or urgency within the writing.

There were too many attempts at suspense at the end of chapters in this book. Why did many of the chapters end like this? For example, a character will talk about how something or somewhere feels ominous (or there's a scream from somewhere), obvious danger happens, the chapter ends, and then it's a chapter from a different character's POV. It got irritating.

There were a lot of reiterated details and statements that could've been omitted; it felt like it was trying to reach a word count. Also, different characters used the same few adjectives to describe the same character. For example, on one page, a character used two adjectives for Ami and a bit after that, they used the same two adjectives (but switched around) to describe her. There were also times when characters were described instead of simply using the character's name.

It didn't feel like there was ever any actual danger for the main characters. In terms of manipulating the environment and enchanting weapons, Zhara and Ami didn't seem to have a limit to how much magic they could use or maintain. They weren't worn out from using it.

Most conversations between the characters felt stilted and forced. Some chaos caused by the enemy could've been resolved with the main characters attempting to use their powers to fight them; it didn't make any sense. It only started with two enemies. (I'm talking about the incident when Zhara and Han met Ami for the first time.) They got rid of one enemy and left one to infect other people. More uninfected people rushed into the area, and the main characters fled...?

Near the end of the story, Ami congratulated Zhara for "leading" their team, but nothing even happened. Someone else led them on their journey to the mountains. Zhara only told them to go to the gate someone else found for her.

Compared to the first book, this story described the different regions' locations better. Neither the eARC of the first book nor the eARC of the second book included a map of the world, which would've been helpful, but I saw a print copy of the first book, and there was a map on the inside of the cover.

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the story. The writing bogged down the story for me. I decided to finish reading it simply to finish it.

Volume 2 starts with new characters, and with new Guardians to discover. It also continues the journey of the first book exactly where book one stopped. This time they are on the move, meeting more characters and different locations. The tension is higher because apart from abominations they have to deal with a lot of Undead that they don't quite understand how they come to be. They unite forces and search for a way to defeat the Mother villain of demons. The author is careful to remind us of important elements that happened in book one in case it's been a while since we read book 1 or never read. Because this one has a new goal/quest we understand it without having read Book 1.
Sajah is an amazing familiar/mystical
companion. This volume sounded more serious and with lots of action and less cute.
Slow-burn romance with more than one couple now, but still light or even just platonic.

Marvelous, wow , definitely enjoy this a lot, the story it was great, well develop and executed. The setting great and loved the characters. Great fantasy

I loved the first book so I was ECSTATIC to receive the second one as an arc!! I loved the representation in this story and everything flowed so nicely! I cannot wait to purchase a copy of my own!

The adventure continues in this fun-filled, action-packed sequel to Zhara and the Guardians of the Dawn! Zhara and Han have joined with the Bangtan brothers to find his uncle and cousin who reportedly have the only remaining copy of “Song of Order and Chaos,” the book that will help them seal away the Mother of Ten Thousand Demons.

The thing I loved most about Zhara—the way it just feels like a 90’s bishoujo magical girl anime— was the nostalgia. It hits you right in the feels: like being a little girl watching Sailor Moon after school. While it is definitely heavily inspired by SM, it also has the feel of a C-drama, which I also enjoy. Naturally I knew I was going to love it. I think that this series would be perfect for someone trying to break into Asian fantasy but is intimidated by the plethora of dramas, the mythos, and the history it can draw from.

The stakes are higher in this book, so it has a more serious tone but doesn’t lose its humor or the wonderful friendships that we experienced in book one. The new characters are delightful, with excellent LGBTQ+ rep (expanding upon book one) but they are natural additions to the story rather than just inserted as bait to draw in new readers. A lot of the feelings and thoughts the characters have are things that kids struggle with while growing up.

Ami is the main pov character for this sequel, though we still get scenes from Zhara’s pov, and the new character Gaden. I loved the way their friendship developed even before we found out that Ami was the Guardian of Wood. I was especially pleased that the author included the scene where she makes up with her father, who she always felt didn’t actually love her, and her confrontation with Gaden about whether or not they could make her love them. It was especially lovely that everyone was able to make their own connections with each other and weren’t just along because they were just involved with the girls, even Yuli!

The ending wrapped up a little quickly for me but I wasn’t upset with it as the story progressed enough to leave the reader wanting more (wow the epilogues!). I will be eagerly awaiting news of book three in the future!