Tanvi weaves an action-packed story filled with monsters and scenes that keep you on the edge of your seat. Koral is not a reliable narrator or a likeable protagonist but oh, you're gonna journey with her in the land of Ophir along with her maristag. The nuances and prejudice about the caste was the best, I can't begin to describe in words how great it was.

The only issue I have with this book is the writing. It reads...slow. And sometimes, I had to read some lines over again to actually grasp the meaning of it. But other than that, I have no issues with the book, and I think it's a debut worth checking out!

Sort of Hunger Game like vibe but with magic. Great world building and it want hard to follow. I did find myself getting bored at times but I prefer romances.

I received an ARC of the book for reviewing purposes.

A fantastic debut novel that delves into a new world, established after the fall of civilization as we know it, with its own hierarchy, dangerous creatures and untold mysteries. I loved the main characters and the multiple twists to the story. My only complaint was that I found it hard to picture the maristags. I’d love to see this adapted into a graphic novel!

This was a fast paced fantasy novel that put a new spin on a traditional Idea.. I enjoyed the creatures— Maristag— and the creativity the author uses. The broad idea is reminiscent of The Hunger Games but with a lot of creativity for the
magical world thrown in. The pace of the book was brisk but not difficult to follow. A must read for all the fantasy lovers out there. Thank you NetGalley and SourceBooks Fire for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What an original story!! It feels like Hunger Games meets monsters. There is a LOT going on with the story, and it can be hard to follow at times, but it’s worth it! Push through! I loved the ending.

I didn’t always love our FMC, but I think that’s what makes her so lovable. She’s not Katniss like, and I loved that!

This is an easy to follow story I’d recommend for any age 12+

2.5/5

Koral lives on an island where the society is divided to Landers, privileged people with all the resources and protection, and to Renters, the poor people who are at mercy of natural disasters and monsters who live in the ocean. Koral is a Hunter which means that her Renter family hunts, breeds and sells maristags Landers for the purposes of the Glory Race, a deadly chariot tournament in which only Landers participate.
A series of unfortunate events and the lack of support from fellow Renters, who hate Hunters for their miniscule privileges, leads Koral to participate in this year's Glory Race with a maristag that no Lander wanted to buy. Of course, she is unwelcomed there plus her ex-boyfriend, Dorian, is the poster-boy of this tournament and her main competition.
I really appreciate that we got a book about caste system from a South-Asian author, and the overall message of the book came strongly across, especially, in the last couple of chapters. The take on rebellion in the context of this kind of society makes sense.
My issue with the book is that it felt so half-baked that it was pretty distracting. For example, the part where Koral got herself in this competition wasn't written well, and it seemed too easy. Also, the relationship between Koral and Dorian lacked chemistry and, honestly, I couldn't root for them.
Generally speaking, the important parts of the story were glossed over and, at the same time, we spent too many pages on parts that could have been said with less words. The story had a great potential, it just needed more time to mature, in my opinion.






**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. **

I was hopeful this book was going to be amazing, but it fell short of my expectations. The writing style was sluggish and I couldn’t get myself into the story line of connect in any way with the characters.

The story follows Koral and her brother Emrik. They hunt creatures named maristags in order to trade them in, mostly importantly for medication for their sister. When their family hits dire straights, Koral takes their fate into her own hands and decides she must find a way to get into the Glory Race - which is a chariot tournament only for the upper class citizens.

This has plot lines/characters that were literal clones of The Hunger Games. The world building was confusing at times and left a lot to be desired. Overall, it’s a miss for me.

It wasn’t a terrible book and I liked the plot, but I just didn’t really care that much about most of the characters.

The beast on the cover really grasped my attention. While reading, it helped me me be able to visual the beasts that were mentioned and painted a better picture in my head. Also, there are capricorns in the book and that definitely spoke to me since it is my sign haha. Although there were some great things included in the book, I just didn’t love it as much as I had hoped for.

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Koral. She is a Renter and her family’s job is to hunt down maristags to breed and sell for the Landers wanting to enter the Glory Race. It is a very dangerous job and one that could easily take their lives. Koral will do anything for her family, even break the rules that society has put in place. It’s a quality I always like to see. She did remind me of Katniss from The Hunger Games.

For the other characters in the book, some were better than others. I felt that some were one dimensional and only had one purpose for the plot. Others, like her friend and one of the racers, added more and I liked seeing their interactions with Koral.

The writing is reminiscent of 2000’s teen books. I also think the plot had similarities to The Hunger Games, as others have mentioned, but does have a uniqueness to it as well. Since I wasn’t a fan of the trilogy, this book lacked an appeal for me but that is not the problem of the book. Some of the things mentioned about Renters/Landers or the beasts could feel repetitive at times while I do wish there was more written for a better understanding of other parts of the world-building.

Overall, this was an okay read for me. It’s not due to the book in anyways but due to my taste. If you like The Hunger Games or unique beasts, I would give this one a go!

Did you love Hunger Games? Do you root for the underdog each time you flip open a book? Were you slightly obsessed with the practice of Gladiators when you study ancient history? Do blood-thirsty creatures and class wars in young adult make your knees weak? ADD THIS BOOK TO YOUR TBR RIGHT NOW.

This novel has everything. Adventure, risk, the constant threat of death, familial bonds, friendship and heartbreak, civil unrest, dangerous creatures and love, a little bit of enemies to lovers.

Koral and her family struggle to survive and provide deadly maristags to the upper-class. When the end of the maristag season arrives and her family is left with just one female - Koral must take action. She doesn't wish to be sold into marriage, so instead she decides to enter the Glory Race. The Glory Race is a deadly chariot competition that only the upper class participate in, a competition similar to the Gladiator's of ancient Greece. But Koral isn't from the upper class and so when her name is selected as a participant, there are riots in the street.

This doesn't dissuade her from her mission though. Her little sister is ill, her brother is recovering from their botched attempt at capturing a maristag, and her family faces starvation if they can't make money. Koral takes beating after beating, both physically and emotionally through her path to reach the end of the Glory Race. She is faced with potential rebellion, death at the claws of sea-creatures attacking en masse, and heartbreak.

I wanted to see a bit more background between Koral and Dorian, but I was satisfied with the little glimpses that the narrator shared. I found that I didn't understand the hatred between Dorian and Koral's best friend... I'm blanking on her name... And finally, I wanted more about the maristags. Why did the Hunters go after them and breed them for this race? How did the Landers manage to tame and use the giant lizard creatures? I'm hoping the next book goes into a little more detail about the maristags and even the Hunters. I was curious why only ONE family was named Hunters when there seems to be a mass shortage of maristags in their stables... how will they be able to continue in four years if all the maristags competing die in the Glory Race?

Final Note: I devoured this book like a raging maristag—blood, guts, and glory. I loved the world and the risks it posed. Koral was such a badass character that I immediately connected with her. I am now ferociously pacing the sand waiting for the next book.

Ever since I first heard about this book and read the premise, I was immeasurably obsessed with everything about it. I'm happy to say that it did NOT disappoint!

Starting with Koral, the protagonist, who is such an ambitious and determined character even with the situation she is in and the hardships she faces everyday. She is easy to sympathise with without making her out to be a pitiful figure. She doesn't victimise herself, is headstrong and loyal to her family in the best way possible. My only complaint was that at times she seems a bit too cold and monotonous, and I would've loved to see her express more emotions.

The romance was, excuse me, *chef's kiss*. The dynamic between Dorian and Koral gave me everything I wanted. Second chance romance, rivalry, angst, pining, angst and yearning. Though I don't have much to say about it, it was definitely one of my favourite things about this book.

The criticism on India's caste system through themes in this book is on point! It elicits anger, frustration and raises all the right questions. It's incredibly important to read from the perspective of a character who has been facing discrimination based on a made up belief system her whole life. When the rich and the privileged decide where you stand socially and what you do with your life.

The glory race itself had so much happening, it was a bit overwhelming and all over the place at times, but it kept me hooked till the end nevertheless! Deadly, chaotic competitions are what I LIVE for in fantasy.

Monstrous, magical and adventurous, Monsters Born and Made is a ride from start to finish that you don't want to miss out on!

It wasn't a bad book but I didn't really care about the characters and I forgot everything that happened after I finishised it

This isn't bad I just think it could have been workshopped a bit more. I don't feel a strong connection to any of the characters and I think the relationships should be built a little more. I hope it gets better in the second book.

I received a book through netgalley.

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.

So this was a bit of a struggle. I’m going to be honest and let you know I ended up dnfing this around 40 or 50%. But as it is a review for netgalley I’m giving it a rating. I couldn’t even tell you what was going on in this. It was like as soon as I read it, it was gone and out of my head. Just didn’t catch my attention at all. But since I didn’t finish it I can’t give a full review.

I dnf’d this pretty quickly. The early part, less than 100 pages in, felt very sluggish and the main character wasn’t giving enough depth (felt very bland) to keep me hooked upon the story. I wanted more from this, as the premise sounded good. However, I was let down by a character that couldn’t do more than make me want to fall asleep. Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for honest review

It made a compelling reading but at the same time it was way too similar to The Hunger Games (the actual games were a chariot race with sort of mythical creatures, maristags). I love The Hunger Games but don't want retellings of it which don't bring anything new - same conflict, same love/friendship dynamics, way too similar plot, just a bit different world building.
I also struggled with the description of all the violence and physical suffering the heroine had to endure. It could be a testament to the author's powerful writing but it made hard reading at times.
Fans of YA dysptopian fantasy might enjoy this book more than me but it was the best reading experience for me

CW: violence, death of side characters, gore, detailed description of injuries

This could have been a really good story. Unfortunately the narrative was filled with conflicts I did not understand. It was as if I had begun reading a book in the middle with out knowing what had come before. There was no clear explanation of the difference between the living conditions of the "Landers", who ran the island, and the "Renters". There was no explanation of how the two castes came to be. There were tensions between Dorian, Crane and Koral, who was the heroine, but we were not told the histories that caused them. The world building was not complete, and the ending did not finish the story. If the author wants to write a sequel, she would be better advised to write a prologue that would explain the present book. The races in the Dome were interesting, but I found it difficult to picture arena.

This book was a huge letdown for me. The synopsis sounded really interesting, but once I started reading I didn’t enjoy it. The characters were bland and the story was slow rolling. Although a slow build story is not bad, but this had one that did not have momentum. When I thought the story would pick up it slightly would and then drop back down. I wish this was focused more on the race rather than everything else. It felt like the story got away from the race itself and the purpose of why Koral entered. There was some interesting plot ideas, but they did not feel flushed out or cohesive through the story. I knew there was a plot, but it felt like there wasn’t.

Unfortunately I struggle with books that seem very derivative of others and often review them poorly for that reason. I feel like it's hard to enjoy a book that takes so much from other books that you basically already know what will happen. This was written as for fans of the Hunger Games but it was basically the Hunger Games itself, plus Scorpio Races and Ashlords. Lots of commonalities in terms of characters as well with the main character and her sister. While the author may be talented, it's too difficult for me to look past the other issues.