Happy to say this book did not suffer middle fantasy book series syndrome. It mostly followed the formula of the first book while continuing to build the lore. I’m liking the political intrigue build up and curious to see how the ending will affect the next book. The book also added characters to the DEI checklist.

Guardians of Dawn: Ami by S. Jae-Jones is the second book in the Guardians of the Dawn series. As a direct sequel, this book is best read and enjoyed by readers who have already been enchanted by Guardians of the Dawn: Zhara. The tone and pacing is much more consistent in this second installment while maintaining the lovely sailor moon with mechs vibes that the first one was sold to me on. I can not wait to continue the series and will definitely be recommending it at the bookstore where I work.

Huge thank you to both NetGalley and Macmillian Publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC to give an honest review.

Ami is the second book in the guardians of the dawn series. It is YA fantasy with good representation and a sprinkle of fairytales.

Compared to the first book this one is consistent in its tone and I loved the scenery described closer to the end of the book. My favorite part was the separate POV's for the first third of the book. It was very well done and set a really good pace. That portion of the book was hard to put down. Once these characters are reunited, I struggled. Especially with the journey portion of this book. It seemed to be a bit all over the place, literally. I think this author is really good at settings and the book may have benefited to having less stops that didn't really add to the story.

I really liked the dynamic of Ami as a character. She seemed to be inspired by blue eyed samurai but definitely had her own distinct personality. I enjoyed her relationship with her father I thought that was done quiet tastefully and really pulled on my heart strings.

I did enjoy this book and plan on continuing the series.

It took a little bit for me to get into Zhara's story, but everything eventually snapped into place for me. But, sadly, that moment never came for this sequel. I just couldn't get into Ami's story, and my interest waned even with Zhara's sections (though there was a really sweet Zhara / Han scene that I absolutely loved).

I think people who loved Zhara will probably love this, but if you struggled a bit to get into Zhara like I did, this one might not be for you. I'm not sure right now if I'll continue the series.

(Thank you to Wednesday Books for the eARC to review.)

I read an eARC of the first book and thought it was okay. It interested me enough to give the second book a read. This book was a slow read for me. Things happened in the story, but it didn't feel like much happened; I didn't feel the importance or urgency within the writing.

There were too many attempts at suspense at the end of chapters in this book. Why did many of the chapters end like this? For example, a character will talk about how something or somewhere feels ominous (or there's a scream from somewhere), obvious danger happens, the chapter ends, and then it's a chapter from a different character's POV. It got irritating.

There were a lot of reiterated details and statements that could've been omitted; it felt like it was trying to reach a word count. Also, different characters used the same few adjectives to describe the same character. For example, on one page, a character used two adjectives for Ami and a bit after that, they used the same two adjectives (but switched around) to describe her. There were also times when characters were described instead of simply using the character's name.

It didn't feel like there was ever any actual danger for the main characters. In terms of manipulating the environment and enchanting weapons, Zhara and Ami didn't seem to have a limit to how much magic they could use or maintain. They weren't worn out from using it.

Most conversations between the characters felt stilted and forced. Some chaos caused by the enemy could've been resolved with the main characters attempting to use their powers to fight them; it didn't make any sense. It only started with two enemies. (I'm talking about the incident when Zhara and Han met Ami for the first time.) They got rid of one enemy and left one to infect other people. More uninfected people rushed into the area, and the main characters fled...?

Near the end of the story, Ami congratulated Zhara for "leading" their team, but nothing even happened. Someone else led them on their journey to the mountains. Zhara only told them to go to the gate someone else found for her.

Compared to the first book, this story described the different regions' locations better. Neither the eARC of the first book nor the eARC of the second book included a map of the world, which would've been helpful, but I saw a print copy of the first book, and there was a map on the inside of the cover.

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the story. The writing bogged down the story for me. I decided to finish reading it simply to finish it.

Volume 2 starts with new characters, and with new Guardians to discover. It also continues the journey of the first book exactly where book one stopped. This time they are on the move, meeting more characters and different locations. The tension is higher because apart from abominations they have to deal with a lot of Undead that they don't quite understand how they come to be. They unite forces and search for a way to defeat the Mother villain of demons. The author is careful to remind us of important elements that happened in book one in case it's been a while since we read book 1 or never read. Because this one has a new goal/quest we understand it without having read Book 1.
Sajah is an amazing familiar/mystical
companion. This volume sounded more serious and with lots of action and less cute.
Slow-burn romance with more than one couple now, but still light or even just platonic.

Marvelous, wow , definitely enjoy this a lot, the story it was great, well develop and executed. The setting great and loved the characters. Great fantasy

I loved the first book so I was ECSTATIC to receive the second one as an arc!! I loved the representation in this story and everything flowed so nicely! I cannot wait to purchase a copy of my own!

The adventure continues in this fun-filled, action-packed sequel to Zhara and the Guardians of the Dawn! Zhara and Han have joined with the Bangtan brothers to find his uncle and cousin who reportedly have the only remaining copy of “Song of Order and Chaos,” the book that will help them seal away the Mother of Ten Thousand Demons.

The thing I loved most about Zhara—the way it just feels like a 90’s bishoujo magical girl anime— was the nostalgia. It hits you right in the feels: like being a little girl watching Sailor Moon after school. While it is definitely heavily inspired by SM, it also has the feel of a C-drama, which I also enjoy. Naturally I knew I was going to love it. I think that this series would be perfect for someone trying to break into Asian fantasy but is intimidated by the plethora of dramas, the mythos, and the history it can draw from.

The stakes are higher in this book, so it has a more serious tone but doesn’t lose its humor or the wonderful friendships that we experienced in book one. The new characters are delightful, with excellent LGBTQ+ rep (expanding upon book one) but they are natural additions to the story rather than just inserted as bait to draw in new readers. A lot of the feelings and thoughts the characters have are things that kids struggle with while growing up.

Ami is the main pov character for this sequel, though we still get scenes from Zhara’s pov, and the new character Gaden. I loved the way their friendship developed even before we found out that Ami was the Guardian of Wood. I was especially pleased that the author included the scene where she makes up with her father, who she always felt didn’t actually love her, and her confrontation with Gaden about whether or not they could make her love them. It was especially lovely that everyone was able to make their own connections with each other and weren’t just along because they were just involved with the girls, even Yuli!

The ending wrapped up a little quickly for me but I wasn’t upset with it as the story progressed enough to leave the reader wanting more (wow the epilogues!). I will be eagerly awaiting news of book three in the future!

This book was enjoyable. I liked the characters and the story was fun. Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

I liked this one even more than the first! It has a beauty and the beast retelling, more lgbtq+ characters(character with they/them pronouns and a character on the asexual spectrum!) we get more of Zhara and new characters with different abilities. Cant wait for the last two books! One complaint is characters go yes. . . and then change their mind to no too many times

I'm coming to learn I'm not the biggest fan of "beauty and the beast" retelling or inspiration. I appreciate the story/world building and how in depth the characters are. I just don't think this was my cup of tea unfortunately.

DNF for me. I can see why people enjoyed it but I just didn't. I don't remember loving the first one and have similar mixed feelings about this one. I can see why other people love it even if it wasn't for me.

A couple notes:
*our library has book one, so we're likely to get this one too. I would probably recommend binging both books in a short span to make it easier to keep track of characters.
*Maybe people who liked the first lord of the Rings book would like this one?
*All plot twists were foreshadowed. It's not a bad thing to be predictable, but I would have added maybe an extra chapter or so between set-up and execution. Han kept suggesting sword lessons, and I would have added that, for more interaction between him and the other characters.

I love these type of fantasy stories, they really send me down a rabbit hole of wanting to do more research and find new rabbit holes. I love feeling like I'm expanding my horizon as and traveling/ disappearing into new worlds without leaving my couch

I loved WInstersong Duet, so I couldn't wait for Guardians of Dawn! I really enjoyed book one, Zhara.
This second story in "Guardians of the Dawn" follows both Zhara and a new guardian named Ami as their paths converge. Zhara and the Bangtan brothers are on their way to find the lost book that will help them learn more about the guardians and the demons when they come across a town of undead. Despite how it sounds this one didn't land for me, but it's still a beautiful and magical book!

This was a good read, i cam in new to the series, but felt that I understood the world and plot and it held my attention.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to review this eARC.

I was excited to see that my request for this ARC was accepted because I received/read the first book (Zhara) last year in one of my illumicrate boxes and I enjoyed the uniqueness of the story. The plot is interesting and intriguing, I’ll be excited to continue reading the series as it releases because I especially enjoy the magic system. It’s been very sweet to watch the characters grow and learn to be vulnerable with others. There are aspects of these characters that I have not read about in other books which is refreshing. I love the acceptance between them. Definitely an enjoyable series so far!

This story has me ecstatic since the beginning. It’s so heartbreaking but beautifully written and somehow also hopeful. I can’t wait for the next book already.

tl:dr Better than book one, gimme another

The plot is tighter, the characterization is deeper, the action fiercer. This book is proper third person omniscient, so if you don’t like books with that perspective it’s not for you. We mostly stick with Ami and Zhara, although it can flit around even in one single chapter. I prefer this perspective, but I know some people can be finicky about this.

It’s fun, it’s exciting, it’s memorable. It feels much more epic, on a grander scale, then book one centering Zhara. It’s also really funny, and I’m a sucker for humor thrown into dramatic or fantastical takes.

I’m honestly not sure if my getting to read it early and not having to pay for it tipped the scales a bit. It’s definitely an exciting read and was everything I was looking for. Especially while imagining it as an animated movie while I read it, it’s so cinematic. I am fully invested in this series now.