3.5 stars
Solid beginning to a series. Most of the characters were good, I think I liked some of the side characters more than Zhara. The world building was interesting and the magic system was as well. The writing style was so-so, there were times I was pulled out of the story, but it was easy to listen to.
Some of my favorite characters were (I'm hoping I don't butcher the spelling of these names as I listened to the audio) Chee who is the prince's best friend, Yulia, and the prince's young brother. Chee was just a great sidekick and added some humor. Yulia was the prince's arranged fiancee and she was very confident and I enjoyed the page time I got with her. The prince's brother, I have no idea why I really liked him as he's not in the book a lot. Both Zhara and the prince (Han?) were just ok for me. Zhara was very submissive to her stepmother and oblivious the the obvious abuse she was giving her. She doted on her blind sister who seemed to not want to be doted on. She was much more confident and a more likeable character when she was away from them. Han was juvenile, but a cinnamon roll. He was almost there. Oh, I also loved Sasha, the cat. He was sassy.
The world building was good, I really could picture the scenes in my head. The magic system was interesting, if a little confusing at times. Magic is forbidden, yet Zhara possesses it. She can make light with her hands and I believe a few other things (other than the *big* thing that is a spoiler). People also can get possessed by demons.
The writing style wasn't my favorite because there were times I was jarred out of the story, yet being a longer than (my) typical audiobook at almost 16 hours, I felt like I flew through it. It was so easy to listen to while doing something else which I don't always find with a fantasy book.
This book was marketed as Cinder meets Sailor Moon which is like 99% of the reason I requested it, but I didn't find a lot of them. At around 70% through I said to myself "ah, I see the Sailor Moon now." Granted, I haven't read Cinder in years, but I didn't see a ton of it. Zhara was the step-daughter who fell in love with a prince but that's all I can remember from Cinder that gives me the vibes.
The book was nicely wrapped up, but with a lead into the next book that makes you want to pick it up. I will definitely be continuing on with this series. I'm excited to see what happens next in Zhara's story!

This was a cute and fun YA with nice world building. It got a little repetitive at times and dragged a little in the middle, but overall I enjoyed this story and will continue to read the books to see where it goes.

I also loved the queer rep in this book. One of the side characters was non-binary while another was a lesbian. And these things aren’t a big deal. It’s just part of society and I loved that.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC!

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara is a Cinderella retelling where the main character, Zhara, has magic in a world where magic is absolutely NOT allowed. She lives with her stepmother, who is not nice, and her stepsister, who she actually adores. Her father was a magician, and he is no longer in the picture because magicians were essentially killed off. There is a mysterious happening occurring, which Zhara learns about through her part time work with an apothecary. She stumbles upon a book on magic, which begins the story.

This book felt *extremely* YA. I do not say that as a bad thing, I am just now a thirty year old woman who cannot always connect to a book written for a much younger audience. This book was very fun and enjoyable nevertheless. Zhara gets the giggles when she's around someone she finds attractive, which was adorable. I see this book being a very big hit for a younger crowd, and I am ok with not being a part of that crowd. The magic system was fun, though a bit under developed. I think this is a light fantasy with a side of romance that will work very well with those looking for a book like this!

I would say that overall this was an average read.

I liked the world that we are introduced to, and I found the politics and magic system very interesting. The book seemed to move at a fast pace, and I enjoyed the different POV’s.

My biggest disappointment while reading, though, was the dialogue between characters. While I liked the main characters (Zhara, Han, and Xu), they seemed to be very surface level. Their conversations between each other were very juvenile and cringy. The characters are 17, but speaking like middle schoolers. Some of the characters try to be funny, but it’s just childish.

This made the story not enjoyable for me because I love well done dialogue and character interactions.

This is marketed as YA, but with middle grade characters.
I would recommend this to a younger reader, but not to anyone over 16.

This was reminiscent of Cinderella and Avatar with its elemental magic. I enjoyed this quick read. Some dialogues were corny and juvenile-ish, but still entertaining. I just didn’t like that Zhara was still justifying her abuse from her stepmother’s til the. There was good chemistry between Xhara and Han, but Han’s character felt inconsistent. Like is he the charismatic dependable capable prince or is he silly half-wit?

This is such a fun introduction to the series! I loved the worldbuilding and the character interactions, it really gave me the same feeling as some of my favorite TV shows (as many have mentioned, The Last Airbender came to mind!) I love stories with a ragtag group of friends on a journey to save the world, so this was right up my alley!
My one issue was some of the phrasing is a little clunky, and the main character keeps talking about how she wants to “thrive, not just survive”. This felt overly cheesy to me and isn’t unique or inspiring enough for this to be a phrase that is repeated over and over throughout the book.

Sum of my review: as long as you don't mind a fairly typical plotline and can handle really bad jokes, this one might intrigue you with its unique world and magic system.

When I first read the description for Zhara, I was super excited. Cinder is one of my favorite books, so I eagerly dove into this one after seeing it be compared to one of the original YA sci-fi fantasy series. Unfortunately, this one did not work out for me. While I enjoyed the folklore and overall concept, I struggled to find a true connection to the characters and the story. The predictability and repetition in this book are why I gave this a lower rating.

The different plot's twists were all fairly obvious early on in the book (minor spoilers for the book in the next section). Jin Zhara's magic from the beginning does not operate like magic is supposed to, and there are other big clues that hint at who she truly is. Han's younger brother's very detailed dreams are mentioned quite often, which clued in that they were foreshadowing the rest of the book. Generally, I don’t mind when I figure out plot twists, but in this case, they were so glaringly obvious that absolutely nothing surprised me. These clues are major hints either needed to be toned down or left out completely.

The writing was not of the best quality, which unfortunately made the sharp wit in this novel fall completely flat. I have no problem with juvenile jokes in YA. In fact, immature jokes are a staple of the genre. However, the author was trying so hard to be funny, that it made me more painfully aware of how I never laughed. For example, Zhara nervously laughs when she finds someone attractive. While that might be endearing if used sparingly, it’s called the “Good Looking Giggles” and this phrase was used often. In fact, it was used twenty-two times. No joke should be used that often in a series, much less in one book. Han, who is seventeen years old, has no understanding of pornography. Which was fine the first time, but it keeps being brought up. This repetitive cycle dragged the book out even longer than it needed to.

Speaking of repetitive jokes, in general, this book is very repetitive. Dozens of times, Han's friend Xu almost calls him “Your Grace” or “My Prince” in front of Zhara and others, but always switched halfway through to address him more casually. There is no way at least one of them did not question why Xu was having a hard time addressing their best friend. Several times we have the trope where Zhara calls something beautiful/pretty and Han agrees, but while looking at her. This happened at least three times I can recall. I wish more page space had been dedicated to building the characters or the world.

If these things don’t deter you, go ahead and give this a go. It does have a classic Cinderella feel, and while I found the plot predictable, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad one. In fact, we see this plot structure often in YA because it is good and engaging. Just don't go into this one expecting a lot of giggles.

NOTE: there is a character with a disability in this novel. As someone with a disability, I found the representation to be a little uncomfortable. Since I do not have this character's specific disability, I won't say it was good or bad. Just something of note!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Magic is forbidden. Zhara is a girl from a poor family who just wants to take care of her blind sister - while keeping her magic hidden from authorities. When a mysterious plague hits, Zhara must help a secret society stop it with her magic.

My expectations were really high for this book and it was al little underwhelming. The banter in the book is hilarious and I really liked all the characters.

The characters seemed a little younger than their stated ages based on the way they were acting. Zhara stumbles through half her words and giggles every time she sees someone attractive. The plot was a little slow and I didn't feel like I NEEDED to read like I do with some other books.

You will like this if you enjoy: elemental magic, forbidden magic, tame romance, monsters and demons, YA, and banter.

Storygraph review to be posted 7/4.

4.5/5 ⭐️

I don’t know where to begin, there’s so much I loved about this one. Let’s start with my favourite character- Han, the MMC. This is not your average smooth-talking, smirking, sulking, brooding, talks like he’s been alive since the dawn of time fantasy hero, this is… an awkward teenage boy who actually acts like a teenager, with a heart of gold and a mind full of bad poetry. It’s refreshing. The same can be said of Zhara herself, yes she’s got powers and she has to save the civilians of the city as heroes do, but she still acts like a teenage girl, albeit one who’s been through a lot and has had to grow/toughen up faster due to her circumstances. The Sailor Moon/Cinder influence is clear, and will feel nostalgic to fans of either/both series. Those who aren’t familiar with the mentioned series’ but like fairytale elements will appreciate the fairytale-ish threads woven in here. I wasn’t expecting this to be so funny but it was a complete riot that had me cracking up. If you also appreciate comedy and some silliness in your books you’ll love this cast of characters and their banter. Also, I just have to mention, BTS exists in this world. As a theatre troupe. Yeah. And they also… I’ll let you find out when this title releases on August 1st! Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really looking forward this this one, but unfortunately it was not for me and I was not able to finish. The plot is a really interesting one and I was so intrigued, but the main female character and the dialogue were difficult to enjoy. Zhara went back and forth between giggling every time she interacted with Han to making jokes about pornography to him and it just felt really awkward. I felt like this book wasn’t sure if it wanted to be a middle grade novel or a YA one. Which, either choice is fine, but one needed to be made. I wish I would have enjoyed it more, but it missed the mark for me.

This was a cute, fun read that I enjoyed a bit more than I expected.
Despite rehashing a number of well used tropes - main character hiding her magic, she will be one to help save her people, oppressed by a wicked stepmother, misunderstandings due to miscommunications and a prince who was so sheltered as to be overly comical (His best friend constantly despairing of getting him to his majority did make me laugh though, especially as Prince Han's adventures still managed to leave him fairly naïve).
And yet, despite all this the Zhara and Han's relationship delighted me. They were sweet and naïve together, their intentions always well meaning and true.

If I have to have one major complaint it was how they always managed to travel all around (to a volcano and back!) with no one noticing the heir was missing! Was this just a really tiny kingdom, or did no one really care where the prince wandered off to?

This book is described as “Sailor Moon meets Cinder” and it could not be more spot on. There’s magic, a royal in disguise, undiscovered power, a dark force on the rise, and a feline companion. The world is inspired by a blend of Asian cultures (as a Korean American, I appreciated the cultural nuances and Easter eggs I don’t often experience in fantasy). It was fun but I will say it reads far younger than you might expect. The dialogue felt a little exaggerated and awkward, including lots of uncontrollable giggling, blushing, and thinking out loud. Which isn’t too different than watching an episode of Sailor Moon haha. I do wish they didn’t make the characters so clueless at times. But if you’re feeling nostalgic for some goofy interactions, a shy romance, and fighting demons, you might enjoy this one.

I did love Sailor Moon but reading juvenile dialogue isn’t my favorite. Overall, it was an easy read. The cover art is gorgeous and I’m excited to see what one of the subscription boxes does with it!

Thank you @stmartinspress @wednesdaybooks @netgalley for this ARC im exchange for an honest review!

I feel like I've hit a bit of a wall with enjoying the books I've read recently, but this book was a fun and fast paced read.

The way the author used English to mimic how characters would have spoke in other languages was so interesting and gave it a unique quality. The magic system, while similar to others I've read about, still felt different than what I've read before.

I loved that both Zhara and Han had younger siblings that they were fighting to protect. And Xu! I loved Xu, they are probably my favorite character with Yuli coming in close second. Even though there was a romantic subplot with Zhara and Han, the friendship between them and Xu and Jiyi and eventually Yuli felt genuine and just as important as the romance. And the inclusion of queer characters was a delightful surprise.

The writing was a bit repetitive at times, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley, Wednesday Books, and S. Jae-Jones for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara has an interesting premise. With magic forbidden in the world, Zhara must hide her own abilities. When she meets Han, who poses as a young scholar, she quickly becomes part of a bigger world as she must find the Guardians of the Dawn, an organization that helps magicians in this world.

With this book, S. Jae-Jones provides plenty of fresh takes and unique stylistic choices. I personally really enjoyed the use of the they/them pronoun rather than immediately gendering a character; this reflects the nuances of the Korean language, something that I am intimately familiar with. Another aspect of this book that I particularly enjoyed was the dialogue between the characters. I found the quick banter to be witty and humorous, and they often brought a smile to my face. Overall, the world-building was strong and thought-provoking, and left me curious for more.

However, I also found it a bit difficult to connect with the characters and the story. I found the pacing of the plot to be a bit slow for my own taste, which led to me feeling that the characters were a bit flatter than I had initially expected. I think that if I had picked this book up years ago, I would have absolutely fallen in love with it.

For any readers who are fans of young-adult and fantasy, this is certainly the perfect book for you!

First and foremost. I’m for sure one of those readers that 75% of the time will pick up a book based on its cover and this cover is first sure a favorite. It’s stunning and makes you wanna know what this book is about.
Magic flickers. Love flames. Chaos reigns. Magic is forbidden throughout the Morning Realms.
Magicians are called abomination, and blamed for the plague of monsters that razed the land twenty years before.
From the first couple pages of this book I could tell i was going to like it. Zhara is for sure a fierce narrator with a love for her sister warmed my heart. Same things with Han with his brother. The love of siblings seems like a recurring theme and I love that.
Probably one of the best parts of this book is Han’s best friend, Xu. Had me cracking up with their comebacks and commentary on Han’s infatuation with Zhara. And Sajah the cat, for sure is a standout character. I know I know it’s a cat but that cat makes an impression.
This book for sure captures your imagination as it goes on. From the characters to the mythology that the author has spun. I for sure was hooked from the first page.
After finishing this book, I knew for sure that this is a Book I would highly recommend to a good friend it was fantastic, enthralling, and just one beautiful ride.
Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for a ARC of this book in exchange for a honest r review.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars!

I was drawn to Zhara because of the Sailor Moon comps and because it sounded fun, and in these regards I don’t think the book disappointed. It wasn’t quite what I expected but I still enjoyed it!

Zhara is a (secret) magician who lives with her stepmother (who sucks) and her stepsister (who she loves and also has a slightly complicated relationship with). In the recent past, the Morning Realms have more or less exterminated magicians—including Zhara’s father—from their lands in part because those with magic run the risk of demonic possession. Still, there are rumors that the monsters are returning, but all Zhara wants to do is figure out how to survive living in her stepmother’s dilapidated home and also get the latest romance serial. What she gets instead is an accidental encounter with Han, who is posing as a university scholar, and knowledge of the Guardians of the Dawn, a grassroots organization to help magicians.

As I get older I find that YA doesn’t connect as often, and at first I was kind of concerned that Zhara would fall into this—it reads much younger than I’m used to, though when I read YA it’s usually in the “upper YA” range. Still, Sailor Moon is a comp for this and while at first I raised an eyebrow at the humor in this, I quickly found that it’s all very reminiscent of the shojo and shonen manga/anime I grew up watching—like, do you remember the pervy sage jokes in Naruto? Or Kakashi reading his adult novels during training? It’s like that—and readjusted my expectations for a smidgen younger approach. I do think this ultimately made for a more enjoyable read, especially since in many ways this felt nostalgic to me.

I liked the characters in this even if I did, at times, find them a bit immature—again, I think this is joyful and it’s clearly a love letter to the author’s younger self. Zhara and Han were fun (and both similar to Usagi) and the supporting cast was interesting, too. Still, I think that for many the humor and characterization won’t work or will read too young and immature. This isn’t really a bad thing, and I do feel like the Sailor Moon comp is super accurate and Jae-Jones understood the vibe quite well, but I think if you allow yourself to indulge in the adventure it’ll pay off. It’s fun! It’s cute! If I was 14, I’d eat this up in a heartbeat!

Zhara wasn’t a perfect hit for me—the pacing was a smidgen too fast and it did take me a little bit to adjust to the fact it’s younger in tone than I usually read—but ultimately I did like it and have fun with it and I want to continue reading the series. I don’t quite think this will work for everyone but if you do think it sounds like you’d be interested, I’d definitely say it’s worth picking up.

Zhara is struggling to appease her cruel stepmother, care for her blind sister, and hide her magic. She bumps into Han and learns the Guardians of Dawn might be real, a group dedicated to saving and protecting magicians. But not all magicians are good. Some turn into monsters…

I struggled to get into a flow with this one. There was a fair amount of interesting world-building, lore, and scene-setting, but slow progress on the plot. Around the 25% mark, after the separate dangers to Zhara and Han had been clearly established, their paths converged in a good action scene, allowing them to begin their journey forward with the Guardians of Dawn, but unfortunately things slowed down again after.

I liked that Zhara and Han both had people in their corner right away—Xu and Teacher Hu—to bring some light and hope.

I wanted to explore Zhara’s powers sooner. Her agency was still limited in the middle of the book and I wanted to see her break free and take more action.

Han had some good qualities—his protectiveness of his brother was something I could get behind—but it was difficult to continue to root for him when it felt like his ignorance and naïveté was supposed to be a source of humor, something others indulged or were amused by.

The calm romantic scenes were nicely done, but the flirtatious moments that devolved into one of them giggling, or wanting to giggle, stalled the progress I was making getting pulled into the characters.

Overall, this was an interesting magical world, but I struggled to dive deeply into the characters and love them.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC.

This was DELIGHTFUL. Absolute pure joy. I loved the Cinderella framework, the Asian mythology, the characters, the many amazing nods to Wintersong, the inclusivity and representation, and the adorable romance. Han is such a cinnamon roll himbo and he was PRECIOUS. Zhara is such a beautiful soul who cares so much. And the rest of the cast like Xu, Yuli, and Teacher Ho were fantastic.
I’m so happy that this had a great conclusion to the story while perfectly setting up the next book (I’m thinking Beauty & the Beast?)

“You were looking at the books on display with…longing.[…] And it pierced me to my soul.[…] It was your wanting that made you beautiful to me. Your desire made the world bigger with possibility”

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a requested copy to review. All opinions are my own.

Screaming, crying, this might be my favourite fantasy romance of this year 😭

💫 Cinnamon roll x 100 MMC, and a very sweet + very badass FMC
💫 The swooniest romance, their friends to lovers romance was so wholesome
💫 Cinderella retelling vibes
💫 The magic system and the plot were so good? I mean, this book had the perfect balance of developing the fantasy world + the past wars and prejudices against magic-wielders, and of building the current crisis and the plot to solve it. The character developments and the plot developments were happening on par with each other, and it was an amazing reading experience
💫 The. Found. Family. AHHH. This was one of the best aspects of this book okay 😭 the friendships, the bickering, the flirting, the joint efforts + uplifting each other, everything was perfect, and so was every character 😭 I wanna be part of this friend group okay
💫 The ending!! It was such a cute hea ❤️ I think this series might be a set of interconnected standalones? I'm so excited to read the next ones (and hopefully see these characters again too?)

TWs - constant domestic abuse (physical and emotional) by alcoholic parent, death of parent, absentee parent, murder

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

I was immediately drawn to this book because of the cover art. I haven't watched Sailor Moon, so I can't comment on the Sailor Moon vibes. But I immediately recognized the Cinder/Cinderella inspiration.

I hoped this would be a great read but was left feeling meh. It felt slow, all over the place, and I don't feel like they ever really explained the magic. Maybe I missed it?

I wasn't excited to pick it up and finish it but finished it because I felt I had to. I do hope the next in the series is better.

Thank you, NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.