What first cought my attention was the cover , which is what made me want to read it, second was the concept of the story ,that also cought my attention, as well as the tournament aspect of it , because in the past I've read books that have that concept and actually liked them , and this is one of those times I did so . The author writen is spectacular and she pulls you into the characters lives, their dreams, their struggles as well as the world they live in.

MY REVIEW: 2 Stars

I love the book cover, but unfortunately I didn’t love the book. I’m not really into books with tournaments etc any more. The book seemed a little more juvenile or something I can’t quite put my finger on. Either way, I’m sure some others will love it.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for a digital copy of the book

Hunger Games vibes with this one! The writing is spectacular and you really get sucked into Koral’s life and struggles. I love getting lost in the world building and creating maps of these beautiful places in my mind. A must read!

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Monsters Born and Made is a book with a very interesting premise and action-packed tension from the get-go. Berwah effectively establishes the stakes and the tension that Coral has to face in the competition for gold and glory. The world-building was interesting and the description of the monsters in this book also hooked me from start to finish. While I admit some of the plotlines could be a bit tighter, this is nonetheless an interesting read perfect for lovers of fantasy

I really wanted to enjoy this story, the premise was very interesting. Koral was trying to figure out what she is really trying to achieve throughout the book. The characters were confusing. The world-building didn't flow into my head as well as I would have enjoyed. The premise of the story was something I really wanted to focus on in the book. I think the editing needed to be a bit better on this book to tighten the storyline and the characters. The worlds that the author has in mind are an amazing place.

Koral and Emrik have the dangerous job of combing the sea for vicious creatures, maristags, to train and sell for The Glory Race participants. The survival of their family depends on it. The Glory Race is a tournament geared for the elite to become even more elite. Koral and Emrik are faced with a dire situation when their last maristag bolts. With an ailing sister and a family in distress, Koral does the unthinkable and finds a way to enter the race. She finds herself and the ones she loves in extreme jeopardy, but winning is the only thing that can save her now. An exciting and captivating read!

This book gripped me from the first page and had me rooting for Coral and her family, maybe not so much her father for how he treated them but man, so much heartache! I truly enjoyed the worldbuilding in this novel although some terms that were used and not really explained confused me initially. I enjoyed the monster descriptions at the end of the book but wish I would've found them sooner!
This book really really reminded me of the hunger games and the fight for resources and the extreme inequality only reinforced that. I would love to see a sequel to this book, but at the same time can't imagine any scenario where this world could change within Coral's lifetime with how it was described which makes me sad. I loved everything about this book minus the conditions the renters had to live in - of course they also made the story one that I was more invested in on the flipside. Excellent debut novel!

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for a copy of Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah.

"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."

If you're looking for a book with world building, slow burn romance, friendships that make you want yours to step up their game and a yearning for a sequel? Check out Monsters Born and Made!

Fantasy is really hit or miss for me. And, sadly, Monsters Born and Made was a miss. I can see the appeal for those who truly enjoy fantasy, however it’s just a no for me unfortunately

4 stars. I am sadly writing this review a while after having read the book. With that being said, I don't remember a lot of the in depth details but I remember enough to know that I enjoyed the book while I was reading it. It's a classic underdog rising up and going against society story but there are these demonic overgrown seahorse type creatures used for races and out main characters family catches and breeds them. The ending was the part that set this book apart from all the others like this that I have read.

DNF'd. Overall this book just failed to keep my attention. I have started and stopped multiple times, but I cannot get invested in Koral's story. Might try again in the future, but for now I am officially giving up.

With an intricate, original setting and a protagonist just trying to survive in a world where just about everyone is against her, MONSTERS BORN ANAD MADE is an incredible debut! This book is such a rollercoaster of emotion, and I couldn't put it down.

Koral of Sollonia is a maristag hunter, capturing dangerous maristags from the ocean and raising them for the rich Landers who race them in the Glory Race. But when there are no more maristags to sell and there is no more money to buy the medicine her sister needs to survive, Koral enters the Glory Race herself. No Renter has ever entered the Glory Race, so she faces stiff opposition from the start, and people will go to any lengths to keep her from winning. To make matters worse, as a Hunter, Koral and her family are hated by other Renters, who resent them for working with Landers and not joining the rebellion. Koral faces deadly consequences from being caught between both sides, and that's not even considering the dangers in the Glory Race itself.

Koral's POV is so compelling, and the fury I felt at the way she was being treated felt so real and believable to me that in the moments when she does triumph, the payoff feels that much more satisfying. Without any spoilers, I'm really hoping for a sequel, because with that ending I simply *need* to know more about if and how Koral gets herself out of this one. The story is full of twists and turns, and I couldn't predict how it would end.

Koral and her brother, Emrik have the responsibility of taking care of the maristags they capture each year. The actual act of capture is life-threatening and a harrowing experience. When they fail to capture any one year, it could mean the end of their family- no money for food or for the life-saving medicine needed for their little sister. Emrik is seriously injured in the attempt to capture and Koral decides there's only one thing to do- gain a spot in the upcoming Glory Race and win the tournament with their last maristag.

What is the Glory Race? Good question. I only mostly know what it is after reading this book. It's a multiple-day challenge with each day being different. Sometimes held in the colosseum, sometimes through the city streets. Sometimes the colosseum magically changes to make it harder for those racing.

So much to learn in this book. I felt the learning curve was steep to figure out what was happening and who the good guys were, who was bad, and what the actual desired outcome was. A whole lot of suspended belief about how quickly Koral could learn to pull a chariot behind a maristag, let alone sort of tame it? It does remind me a little bit of Hunger Games, so I can see how it was suggested for those that liked that story. I will admit though, by the end I was actually curious to see where the series would go. Not sure if I'll continue the series, but it was left on a pretty good cliffhanger.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Koral has no choice but to join the Glory Race, if she doesn't her family will die. So the Glory Race it is. But will she even stand a chance? At the beginning there is a sense of structure and direction but as the book progress multiple plot lines are introduced and it starts to get messy. This over layering takes away from Koral and the central plot line.

I really feel like this book had so much potential, as other reviewers have said it’s almost like The Scorpio Races meets The Triwizard Tournament but with more mythology. However, the story is not fully fleshed out, the plot and the main character are very chaotic, there was so much going on but only some things got explained. For example, you are left wondering for the whole book why Koral’s family is so ostracized by both the landers and the renters and you only find out after having read almost 90% of the book. I thought it would play a bigger part once revealed but nope it’s mentioned once and never again.

The world building was good but I really wanted to know more about how the class system got so divided when it sounded like the island was settled by people fleeing for their lives.

I know there are so overarching messages in this book but it’s crushed by chaos of that ending. Why even create a rebel organization if they are not going to somewhat succeed and spur on change. In the end nothing changes and we are left wondering what happens are she rides off into the wind.

Tanvi Berwah is a skilled author whose story sticks with you after the last page.

There's so much about this book I have to compliment, from the characters to the lore to the world. The novel's pace is perfect. It doesn't drag on with exposition, and the action doesn't cause the story to skip corners. It's just the right plot speed to keep Monsters Born and Made a gripping page-turner. Even the slow burn isn't too slow *wink-wink*

Something that stuck with me was Koral's drive to make things better for her family, especially her little sister. She's willing to make waves and risk everything for her sister. It's both impressive and frightening to see the lengths Koral will go to to save her sister's life.

If this is just her debut, I can't wait to see what journey Tanvi takes us, readers, next.

Ended up DNFing this at 25% because I just couldn't bring myself to get invested in the story! I had such high hopes from this one especially due to it being a South Asian fantasy and we have so less of those, so I needed it be absolutely stunning, which is maybe why I felt very underwhelmed while actually reading it.

Fans of the hunger games will enjoy this south Asian inspired fantasy story.
Koral will do anything for her family. Even venture into the Raging restless sea to capture dangerous maristags for the Glory race.

But when all their maristags run off and her family are left with nothing to survive on, her brother needing medicine and her father rejecting her.

Koral offers to enter into the Glory race. And she decides to compete with an untamed maristag.

I loved the lore and fantastical elements of this story. The world building was beautiful and the depiction of the maristags and sea creatures was incredible.
Although the plot felt interesting, I didn't quite enjoy it. The characters didn't excite me to root for.

"Monsters Born and Made" is a dystopian YA science-fiction fantasy novel that follows protagonist Koral as she navigates the treacherous dangers of entering the Glory Race in order to save her sister. As a Hunter, Koral has spent her life catching, training, and selling dangerous maristags, the beasts used to pull chariots in the Glory Race. As the story unfolds, it's clear that the maristags are the least of Koral's worries.

Other reviewers have noted the similarities between this novel and The Hunger Games. Berwah's website mentions that in her youth she blogged about Suzanne Collins's work, so it's unsurprising that those similarities would exist. While there are large archetypal parallels between the two books, there was plenty to set "Monsters Born and Made" apart. Koral is (for better or worse) a more likeable protagonist than Katniss. The sea-monster swarmed world is uniquely it's own or, if anything, more comparable to tales of kaiju. The political intrigue got rolling a bit sooner in this book as well, though I assume it would continue to escalate in any future sequels. The divisions amongst the citizens was very reminiscent of a modern-day caste system, which I found to be more interesting than more geographically based distinctions.

My biggest critique is that I had a more difficult time getting into this story. Once I was past the first few chapters, the story flowed quickly, but there was a lot of world building to establish that threw me for a loop. I think the detail and effort put into the world building was great and the information was worth it, but it did come at the cost of flow in the earlier chapters.