A powerhouse of a debut from Elisa Bonnin! It's a story of women finding their agency and bravery, which I am always a fan of. While the book does start slow, it by no means stays that way. Bonnin's worldbuilding and Filipino cultural references were beautifully done. I cannot overstate the intricacy of Bonin's worldbuilding, and how her pacing always felt like I was learning something new. A win all around!

This story started off slow but eventually picked up. I like how other perspectives were added as the story progressed. I like that there was a romantic aspect but it wasn't the whole story. I enjoyed how the story built and how they learned the information that they needed to. I like that I was on my toes about the secrets of some of the characters, though I wish that there were times that they weren't so vague. This was overall a good story.

I’ve been excited to read more sapphic fantasy and when I saw this had a Filipino character as well I was super interested! It does take a little while to get into but once it gets going, it’s a lot of fun. Overall a solid read!

4.50 Stars. This was my kind of read and one of the more enjoyable stories I’ve read in a while. And while this might not end up being the best fantasy book I’ll read this year, it sure is in the running for one of the most fun YA fantasy books I’ll read. While I love fantasy anything, something about women finding their own agency, bravery, etc., and becoming a knight, archer, warrior, whatever the unexpected is, is always a storyline I want to read and a character I can get behind and root for. In this book Seri is that character and I’m so happy I got to be along for her journey.

As a few reviews have mentioned the book does start a little slow, but this is a fantasy book so it would actually be news if the book started out fast. While it did start a little slow, it didn’t stay slow. My interest was piqued after only a few pages and it did not take long until the action started. Once the action starts, there is no stopping it and all you can really do is buckle-up and remain seated for the rest of the ride.

Bonnin did a nice job with the world building. Yes, there were still questions that I had as a reader, but most of my questions were made into a part of the story and we end up learning certain things as the characters also do. It worked well this way so that there weren’t any big info dumps that were boring or just slowed the pace way down. And during the times when info was just given, I was thirsty for it so it didn’t seem boring and instead it felt like I’m learning cool new info. I was a fan of the magic system which I thought parts were pretty unique. I won’t give it away but my favorite part had to do with the armor. Overall, the system was enough to be interesting but not too big to be confusing or dry. This is a book that people who aren’t giant fantasy fans could read and absolutely enjoy as much as a hardcore fantasy fan could.

When it came to the character building it was not quite as good as the world building. First, I want to make it clear that I really liked all the characters especially the main character Seri. She is a character that will stay with me a long time to come. The problem is that the three main female characters are all hiding pasts or have secrets so they don’t want to talk about themselves much. They all are mysterious and on the quieter side, so it’s really hard to have much character building if you don’t know much about them, in the beginning of the book. In fact, it almost felt like I didn’t really know them all that well until almost a third of the book went by. And the reason Bonnin did this was to have these big reveals, these big surprise moments about the characters happen. The problem was when most of them happened I said out loud “okay, but I would have rather had the character building instead”. This seems to be Bonnin’s first published book so I can’t really blame her for at least a couple newbie bumps, which this was to me. On the good side, while the character building in the beginning wasn’t great, the character development and growth after the first third of the book until the end, was excellent. I read a lot of books where sometimes it is hard to notice any character growth of any kind, and this was some pretty major growth for multiple characters. It was really nice to see that while the characters started a little weak, they sure didn’t end that way.

For the romance fans out there I will mention that there are two romances. There was one YA sapphic romance and one HET adult romance. The HET adult romance is more of a side romance although it is between one main character and one secondary main character. Even though it is not the main romance I found myself caring enough to root for the two of them anyway. The sapphic romance is the main romance and while it is what I would call a sweeter YA romance, it is pretty emotional and their feelings end up being pretty important in the book. I guess the best way to say it is that the romance is not just thrown into the book and instead it had real purpose in the story which was also nice to see.

TLDR: I’m so happy to say that this was even better than I hoped, and I had high expectations. This is the kind of fantasy I really enjoy and I had such fun reading this. It had a great theme, an interesting magic system, action around every corner, and even a sweet sapphic romance sprinkled in. While there were a few newbie author bumps, there was nothing that ever ruined my reading enjoyment. In fact, my biggest sadness is that my book journey is now over and I have nothing of this story left to read. While everything is complete, Bonnin did leave the book open enough that she could write a book two if she wanted. I’m hope this book catches some of that YA hype so that Bonnin will have to write a book 2. Not only that but this book deserves to find a larger audience, it is just too fun and exciting not to be read. I just don’t want readers missing out on this fantasy YA debut gem.

I was in kind of a book reading slump not having read many books and really I read this book in one setting. It was entertaining from start to finish!

I didn’t know what i was getting myself into when i requested this book, but I’m so glad that i did! Such an interesting fantasy book! Highly recommend!

Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin is one of the most inventive, interesting, and detailed YA fantasy novels I've read in a while. I loved the message behind the novel and how history was incorporated throughout as the characters learned about the truths of their world.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this! This was an adventure from start to finish. Once I started, I couldn't stop! I highly recommend this!

There is so much depth to this Young Adult Fantasy novel! The world-building is amazing! I loved the sapphic & Filipino representations in Dauntless. ♥️

I enjoyed this book so much! I had The 100 and The Maze Runner vibes while reading. Dauntless is truly a magical piece of literature!

Dauntless is told through multiple views. There are Battle Couples, Enemies to Lovers & Friends to Lovers tropes featured in this book. Seri and Tsana are my new favorite couple.

I highly recommend this book to fans of The 100, dystopian novels, and young adult fantasy.

“Be dauntless, for the hopes of the People rest in you.”

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Swoon Reads and Netgalley for the opportunity to the read this e-ARC.

Holy guacamole this book is absolutely astounding. I so want to give it five stars but I found the epilog flat, particularly in comparison to the entire rest of the story, I give it a 4.6. Bonnin created this future dystopia that felt new to me, and I've read quite a few dystopian books. She crafted Sari, Tsana, and Eshai to guide us through Sari's journey via three distinct and complicated perspectives. In fact, there were so many individual characters but I was never confused or overwhelmed. Each detail she included with intention and mastery of the written word. I hope this becomes a series, I would hate to leave the forest and the beasts as Bonnin created such a rich world! Hopefully we get the chance to visit it again. Thanks to NetGalley and Swoon Reads for an early read in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars

Dauntless is told in three different alternating povs that show the world. First, we have our primary character of Seri whose world has always been very clearly defined, and has seemed at times like she doesn't exactly fit into it. Then we have Eshai who Seri becomes an assistant to, Eshai is a valiant commander who is the youngest commander and is extremely well known for her courage and strength when it comes to protecting people and killing the beasts. Lastly, we have Tsana who is a very quick young woman who is an outsider in more ways than one but ends up helping Seri understand certain things about her world.

The start of this book is a little bit slow, but that's because you need to understand the world and get to know how it works without it being confusing. While the reader learns about the world Seri is also learning more about the world as she is Eshai's assistant and she truly learns what it means to be valiant.
While learning what it means to be valiant Seri will have to find more courage and strength in order to help Eshai and the other valiant when the beasts start acting strange.

Overall I loved this fantasy novel. Once I got past the first 15% I couldn't read it fast enough. I had to know why the beasts were acting the way they were, and why Seri was seemingly able to learn certain things so quickly. While yes she had a good teacher with Eshai she still had incredible skills and abilities that all can't be taught. Because of these abilities, a few people wonder exactly how she was doing it, but most people were impressed especially, Raya. Raya and Seri became good friends and even though Raya did seem to have a bit of a chip on her shoulder she did care about Seri and was exactly what she needed at times as she started to adapt to being around valiant all the time.
Eshai herself was an interesting character because while she had all of this glory and success, she didn't like all the attention and she just wanted to be valiant and do what needed to be done to protect her people. As for the side characters that were around Eshai I liked and enjoyed the banter and understanding between them.
Now for Tsana, I had mixed feelings about her honestly and it took me quite a while to trust her because of how she was able to just seemingly disappear. The reason for this ended up being a little shocking and a tad bit confusing at first until we learned more about who she was, and why she was in the forest in the first place. Now Tsana and Seri as a team, while they do work together well especially once all the secrets were out in the open and Seri, didn't have to worry about who Tsana really was anymore

When it came to the war part it was all very fast-paced of course, but it never felt over-done and it had a good build-up to it. You know who the characters were that were involved in it, and you understand how important it is to win and to win before the beasts get farther into the Valiants world. The ending itself is one that I liked as well because while we do get answers it did leave it a little open as for what the future could potentially hold for the Valiant.

*ARC received by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review* Dauntless, an incredible tale of fantasy and adventure was such a great read. Not only does the novel future a diverse cast of characters with Filipino rep but the sweetest sapphic romance. The world building was also incredibly fun and interesting and left me interested the entire time with learning to university how this world operates and characters that are lovable to bring it all together. One thing I had a little bit of trouble with with some of the pacing and keeping my attention in terms of the plot, but otherwise this book is incredible. I definitely recommend picking up a copy! The book is out as of today. 3/5 Stars.

DAUNTLESS has some of the coolest world-building I've read in a while! I love the treetop settlements of the People, the mythos of the beasts and the way that armor from made from them settles onto the valiant's skins, and the twists and turns as we learn more. This multi-POV, Filipino-inspired tale digs into the differences between what we've been told and what is truth; how history and legend can be quite different from reality, how the tales of our heroes can grow and change from the original events. In addition to these timely themes, there's also crackling sapphic romance that melted my heart. There was never a dull moment, and although I think this is a standalone, I would honestly love to spend more time with these characters. Fantastic read!

I’ll admit, that diving into this book wasn’t easy. Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin is a sapphic fantasy novel that tells the story of a very complicated, strange and practically an alien world–and as such, there’s quite a lot of information to process to understand this world, its history and backstory, the magic system and the culture represented.

And yet somehow, Elisa A. Bonnin guides the reader through this strange world masterfully; through the eyes of Seri, and eventually Eshai and Tsana, we discover a world that is set in a wild, humid rainforest, where people survive by building “settlements” around giant trees and rely heavily on the protection of the valiant–explorers and warriors who discover new territories in the “unknown world”, fight off the violent beasts who live there and create magical armors from their remains.

In other words, the world-building in this book is absolutely phenomenal and I loved how the author balances the world-building while also unfolding the plot. Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin is a very action-packed novel; there’s never a dull moment in the story. And each of the fighting scenes was spectacular–it’s quite rare for me to come across a book that depicts battles so brilliantly and with such lush details.

I particularly loved every fighting scene that had Eshai at the forefront, because that’s when we truly understand why she is called Eshai Unbroken, and why she is regarded as a hero of legends by her people.


Speaking of Eshai, the characters in this book absolutely stole the show. Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin features not one, but three incredibly strong, brave, and admirable female characters that you cannot help but fall in love with.

Our main character and protagonist, Seri, is an awkward, quiet girl who learns to find the courage to face violence and death head-on. Her love interest, Tsana, is fiery and passionate. And of course, then we have the legend herself, Eshai, whose dedication to protecting innocent people is awe-inspiring to say the least. I loved watching all three women grow and evolve throughout the course of the story.

The plot itself is quite intriguing–I loved learning the intricate, complex politics portrayed in the novel, and how, in many ways, they mirrored real-life politics too.

However, I do have a few small criticisms to share about this book. For a novel that is being pitched as a ‘Filipino-inspired fantasy’, Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin could have done more to deliver. Aside from the tropical setting and the food references, there isn’t much Filipino representation in this book.

Even the physical description of our characters felt a little too vague for me to imagine them as Filipino characters–to me, they simply seemed to be people of color rather than people of any particular ethnicities. I make this judgment by comparing Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin with other novels where diverse people and their ethnicities are described more accurately–think about the characters in The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco or The Young Elites by Marie Lu.

One other thing that I didn’t quite like about Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin was the romance. I absolutely love sapphic novels, but the romance in this book was underwhelming and underdeveloped, and it was more on the side of “telling” rather than “showing”.

These small criticisms aside, Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin is a fantastic novel, and if you are looking for a refreshingly new sapphic fantasy novel to pick up, I highly recommend this book.

This was such a great read!! I really enjoyed the pacing, which allowed us to get to know the characters, but also helped amp up the mystery behind our main character. The many relationships were also developed really well and I especially loved our lesbian couple, they were so adorable but fierce. There was enough action and commitment, guilt and love, and so many more feelings to keep me fed well. Would love to read more

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Dauntless is a compelling debut YA fantasy, and has immediately put Elisa A. Bonnin on my authors-to-watch list. As a first book, it shows her promise as an author, and delivers on a few of my favorite things in fantasy, like an imaginative world and sapphic rep.
The story starts off a bit slow in order to orient you with the world, and it’s definitely better off for it. There’s a lot of social dynamics at play, and I like that she took time to lay those out without it feeling like infodumping. The system with the valiants and beasts is so interesting! There’s also a specific vocabulary that does take time to get used to, but with time, I picked it up.
The three major characters the story focuses on are also incredibly distinct and easy to root for. I like that Seri, Tsana, and Eshai highlight a different type of strength in feminine characters than you often see in similar books in the genre, with them embracing femininity while also being able to be strong. Tsana, for example, isn’t afraid to cry, and I love how that’s shown as a sign of vulnerability and sensitivity, rather than weakness, and Seri is a great source of moral support for her. In fact, that only makes the romance between them stronger, because of their willingness to be vulnerable with each other.
As it is a stand-alone, the plot is self-contained and wraps up satisfyingly by the end. However, there are some open ends left for a possible sequel or spinoff, and given the richness of the world, I’d be open to reading more.
I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a slightly different take on the YA fantasy genre.

A thrilling fantasy set in a beautiful and dangerous Philippines-inspired world, DAUNTLESS perfectly balances on a blade's edge heart-pounding action with characters who are impossible not to root for and an intense sapphic romance!

My favorite elements of this book are:

The gorgeous prose
The fascinating and detailed world-building
The fleshed out romantic AND platonic arcs
The whole cast, truly

Honestly, I loved all the little details and how they branched together into a stunning debut fantasy! Highly recommend it to fantasy readers seeking something fresh!

First, I would like to say thank so much for this e-arc! Sapphic and POC representation? Strong female characters? Count me in! Elisa’s enchanting prose and absolutely beautiful world building had me flipping through the pages at the speed of light! The start was a little slow but there’s reason for it. The author takes their time to build the world for the reader, but does it in a way that I still stayed hooked despite that it was slow. Dauntless was truly unique and unlike anything else I’ve read!

I had such an amazing time reading this book. The writing is so well done in so many ways, from the clear and progressive world-building to the subtle but impactful romance elements woven into the main plot. Each of the focal characters have a level of depth that makes them easy to connect with as a reader. The author depicts a beautiful, fascinating adventure that was a journey to be on. If you love adventure and don't mind a little bit of darkness and tragedy mixed in, I whole-heartedly recommend this book.

I requested this arc as soon as I heard it was a Filipino-inspired fantasy and God knows I'll go to hell and back to support local writers. This was the first arc I ever got, and I can say it was a triumphant start to my arc-requesting-and-blogging-about-it journey.

Dauntless is a sapphic Filipino-inspired fantasy about a teenage girl named Sero who serves a Eshai, a legendary warrior (termed in the story as "valiant") trained to kill beasts. But all that changes when she meets Tsana, who has a mysterious connection with these monsters.

Let's start with the good things about it.

One of the foremost things that really stuck out to me was how well-thought-out the WORLD and MAGIC SYSTEM were. There were no info-dumps, no unnecessary forays into random lore for the heck of it. The rules for the world were made clear and enough information was revealed at the right time and in the right ways to give the reader enough context so they could really feel the stakes.

The world and magic system also bore a strong relation to the THEMES. And I say this because even tons of other published writers get this wrong. Worldbuilding can be hard or soft— I have no preference. I only look for: does it make sense? And it does. Seriously, I listed all the setups, the foreshadowing and the offhand remarks about their lore and everything about this justifies the resolution.

A fitting example would be how humans get magic. Seri's people acquire magic by killing beasts and taking their hides. And whatever unique magic the beast would have, the person would gain. But Tsana has a nonviolent method, where she bonds with beasts instead. From that alone, you glimpse their culture, philosophies, and worldviews.

Next we got SERI herself. She’s given a lot of moments that prove her mettle as a warrior, but she’s also able to showcase her compassion as the hero of the story. She's wonderful and easy to root for. But she's also got a dark past, which serves a twofold purpose: relatability and a great setup for the story's internal conflict.

And of course, Bonnin also demonstrates her skill in keeping the tension up. Not in the ways thrillers do, but enough to keep us reading even during setups and worldbuilding moments. You always get that spine-tingling feeling that beasts are on the prowl.

What kept it from becoming a five-star read were three things: an underutilized SIDE CHARACTER, TSANA, and the ROMANCE.

The side character in question, Raya, is a valiant who under Eshai's command and though she's a great warrior, she's got a dark side to her. In Act 1, I thought she was set up to complicate the plot later on. But in the end, she's cast aside and makes a surprising decision with no development leading up to it.

Onto the Tsana and the romance, which shared one problem: I felt they were glossed over. I saw more of Eshai than I did of Tsana. And although their romance can be very sweet, it just wasn't unpacked as much, I don’t want to be told that they just spent time together. I want to know how they felt, what they said, if their hands ever brushed closely and how they’ve ‘never told this to anyone else before (I’m a sucker for that).

CONCLUSION: Hence, we have four stars. Dauntless was an incredibly put-together story about a teen heroine caught between two worlds and figuring out who she is and the truth about her People. All of this with Eshai Unbroken by her side and the lovely Tsana, whose only transgression was that I needed more of her.

Fans of any Philippine or BIPOC-inspired fantasy would love this. Plus points if you want LGBTQ+ or QPOC rep. If enemies-to-lovers is what they're looking for, they'll have lots of fun. I would recommend this to fans of Only a Monster and similar novels.