I was super excited about this because Wintersong is one of my all time favorite books but unfortunately this did not work at all for me. I really struggled with the writing and connecting with any of the characters. I know this this was marketed as YA but at times it almost felt middle grade and I think that was what caused such a big disconnect for me. At some point I'd like to pick up the second book when it releases and give the series another chance before chalking it up to this not being for me.

I apperntly never wrote my book review for this?! But anyways I have finally read the arc copy of this that I had!
Gaurdians of dawn: Zhara by S Jae Jones is a first in a new fantasy with a mixed of scifi into the story! This book had everything I have loved in a book and that is: strong female main character, enemies to lovers, found family and a bit of superheros power!! Who doesn't love super powers?!! I would say the beginning was a bit weird to me because they were talking about how poor our main character was and how rats always get to their places.. The thing I did liked about the book was that Zahra was my first book by S Jae Jones and I loved her writing style and loved how we have short chapters. The only thing I don't love is how long I have to wait for book 2?! It's coming out in August though which gives me a perfect excuse to re-read book 1 & to buy myself a copy!
I hope u guys pick this series up because I really enjoy it and Ik I'm going to hate waiting for all 4 books to come out lol!(:
Five out five stars cannot wait for book 2!!(:

there is nothing about this that is inherently bad but i just can't get into it. comes off as juvenile but i was also a bit bored and uninvested in the story. i don't think this was marketing correctly. thank you to netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!

YOOO i've eagerly awaited reading zhara for such a long time, especially after hearing about its sailor moon comparison, making it one of the most anticipated books for me. however, it fell a little short of my expectations :( the beginning was okay ish, i wasn't sure if i liked the mc. i had put the book down for a little and never felt motivated to pick it back up until much later.

the character portrayal lacked depth, making them one-dimensional and devoid of complexity or nuance. this kinda made my ability to empathize with them, ultimately diminishing my overall engagement with the story. also the pacing of the story was just kinda dragging sometimes. while the idea and concept were promising, the execution fell short. i wish there was more romantic moments between zhara and han, although their occasional cute interactions were enjoyable.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan publishers for approving this arc, in return for an honest review.

I honestly went into this book hoping it would be better than when I had read Wintersong. I loved the idea of the story, just for me it fell short with the characters and the dialogue. It was a struggle to keep reading on, and I feel bad as I really wanted to enjoy this book, as I was excited for it.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars
I adored this book. Jae-Jones created an absolutely fantastic main character in Zhara. I also really appreciated the depth and nuance that Jae-Jones gave to all of the relationships from those with her sister, and stepmother to those with her "employer" and her crush who just so happens to be the heir to the kingdom. It's difficult to put in words why everything worked so well for me so I'll leave the review here.

Fantasy stories are just the best way to get lost in a new world. This one had a lot of world building, which I personally like. However I have a hard time when the characters are extensive. It's just hard to keep track of who is who exactly. I've read a lot of books lately where magic is forbidden but somehow finds a way to survive. Also I love when stories have apothecaries and princes and magic and secret worlds/societies. This story has a lot of potential! I'm curious to see how it unfolds in the next .

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

While I didn't love this quite as much as Wintersong, this was a solid fantasy. The imagery was both disturbing and fascinating, and I liked how authentic and real the characters felt.

The Zhara / Han relationship was sweet, but I especially liked the development of Zhara's relationship with her sister.

I'm intrigued at the direction the rest of the series will go, but I really appreciated that Zhara's story felt conclusive with this book.

I would have been eager to provide a review of this book. However, I regret to say that due to St. Martin's Press's failure to address the concerning remarks made by one of their employees regarding Palestine, I cannot in good conscience offer my review.

I will refrain from sharing my thoughts on this book across my platforms as I am currently participating in a boycott of St. Martin's Press and its affiliated imprints. This decision stems from the Islamophobic, Queerphobic, and racist comments made by an employee in relation to the ongoing genocide in Palestine, which St. Martin’s Press has yet to address.

I eagerly await a response and proactive steps from SMP to address this issue promptly. Once appropriate action is taken, I will gladly resume sharing reviews of your titles with my audience. Until then, I will withhold my reviews and refrain from promoting any books associated with St. Martin’s Press.

Please understand that this stance is not a reflection on the author, but rather a principled decision not to support SMP until they address this significant concern.

This book brought me back to my wattpad days reading romance novels and giggling over first loves. Back then when I played otome game after otome game and let myself dream that one day I would have a love where I was seen and I would see my partner. The core of this novel is that innocent joy of friendships, laughter, and falling in love.

At the same time, there’s this evil that must be fought and Zhara is discovering who she is and what the powers she’s had inside her all along can really do. There’s magic and high stakes and the politics of magic being this thing that scares people because corrupted magicians become abominations. Even in the fantasy of this novel it still gives that feeling of my younger self rooting for a young heroine to use her power to fight against a greater evil. Of joy that she isn’t doing so along. Zhara has her friends both magical and not there to support her and help her get out of trouble when trouble inevitably comes.

This book made me genuinely laugh out loud. The humor and the genuine friendship between everyone was so wholesome and adorable. This novel captures how god damn dumb we can be with our friends and how we embarrass each other and show each others flaws in a way we can laugh off and learn from. Even though I am now an adult, I still act completely stupid around my friends because it’s fun to not be formal and laugh together and poke fun at each other.

If you were an anime loving little weeb who fell in love with love at a young age, this novel is for you. It will make your heart warm and put a smile on your face.

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-ARC! I will be reviewing and/or showcasing this book on my social media accounts when I can. Thanks again very much appreciated and looking forward to this book!

The marketing for this book made me very excited to read it. Anything related to Cinder, Sailor Moon, etc is going to get me hyped. The actual book not so much. As soon as I saw reviews about the book claiming it read like a lower middle grade and was meh, I knew it wasn't going to be for me nor what I expected. This ended up being a DNF.

Zhara serves as a good introduction to what has the potential to be a great series. There were some fumbles, particularly in the writing of some secondary characters, but many more wins. That said, one of the most enjoyable aspects of this book was the ambience. While not wildly unique, the magic and the world felt real to me in an enjoyable way. Jones's inspiration from manga was evident, and there were also plenty of K-drama vibes.

Zhara was feminine and young in ways that I am a reader am not necessarily, which at times made her hard to relate to. I often found myself relating to Han's companion (apologies, as I am writing this I am not able to immediately recall their name). I hope to find more that I can relate to in the sequel, Ami. Even then, I expect to enjoy the series for what it is and intended to be. I source of joy.

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC. The full and final review will be available on Geekyst on March 29, 2024

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.

To be frank, I DNF this book. I’ve read plenty of YA fantasy and know that just because it’s YA doesn’t mean it has to read to the humor of a preteen child. It felt as if it was trying to read as high fantasy with the world building, but the writing style counteracted that effort. The cover art is beautiful and the title was engaging. Unfortunately those surface level made expectations were not met for me. I’d say if a much younger individual is starting out in fantasy this could be a good start for them with some humor thrown in- but as a teenager to adult I would not recommend

Conceptually, this is good and has a lot of potential.

The reality: this wasn't executed well. Too many characters and not enough development of who the characters were. They all felt very one dimensional and that made it difficult to enjoy the story that was being told.

I did not enjoy S. Jae Jones’s debut novel Wintersong, but I was excited to give her a second chance with her new Guardians of Dawn series. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get into this one either. Her writing style is not particularly for me, and the pacing of her novels are slower than my usual tastes. Very disappointing.

3/5 Stars

I've been waiting for this book for a while. I loved S. Jae-Jones Wintersong duology. While I liked some aspects of this book, it wasn't my favorite. While I still very much enjoyed the writing I just found that I wasn't that interested in the characters or invested in what was happening in their lives. I just found that I would lose interest in what I was reading within minutes of picking it up. This could very well be a me issue and not an issue with the actual book, but unfortunately, it did affect my enjoyment. Overall it was just an okay read for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This was perfectly fine. The description calls it a mix of Sailor Moon and Cinder but I'm not familiar with either of them. However, I did get a slight Cinderella retelling, which I'm guessing is where the Cinder read-alike is coming from. Jones isn't breaking any molds with this story but I always enjoy Asian-inspired fantasies. The characters were enjoyable, yet predictable, but narrator Katharine Chin did an excellent job making them believable.