"'When the Pillar blooms', Li Er-Shuan called, 'the end of the world is not far behind."

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for an ARC of Guardians of Dawn: Ami in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions that follow are my own.

Guardians of Dawn: Ami continues the story of the reborn Guardians of Dawn fighting to seal the portals to the demon realm and locking the Mother of Ten Thousand Demons back in her own realm. Zhara is continuing her expedition to the outermost west in the hopes of finding the other parts of Songs of Order and Chaos as well as an audience with the Qirin Tulku to assist in her quest to find the book. Meanwhile, in the outermost west, a young girl named Li Ami is living in a small village at the base of the palace of the Qirin Tulku, taking care of her ailing father and peddling her services as a scrivener. When her father is arrested for stealing from the grounds of the palace, Ami must partner with the Beast, the Right Hand of the Qirin Tulku to find a cure to the blight sickening the land.

I thought that this novel was a good continuation of the story that began in Zhara's book. While I wasn't totally invested in the storyline going into this book, I absolutely loved Ami's point of view as well as the different aspects of the story that gave it Beauty and the Beast vibes, which is my favorite fairy tale. I enjoyed Zhara much more in this book because she was more confident in herself and her own power but also wasn't afraid to lean on Han when she needed to. I was glad that Zhara and Han finally addressed their relationship and sorted through the miscommunication they had been dealing with for much of the book. I also loved the friendship between Yuli, Zhara, and Ami as well as the growth of each of their powers. It made the end of the book super dynamic.

Overall, I would give this book 4/5 stars and cannot wait to read the next book as the main character is Yuli!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This is, unfortunately, a DNF for me. I think my reading tastes have just changed enough over the years that this type of YA that is targeted more at the younger side of the demographic doesn't do it for me anymore.

Still a very solid YA series, just not for me.

I requested this before knowing that it was part of a series. I went and tried reading the first book and then went to read this. The writing style just wasn't for me and I found myself bored through both. This just couldn't hold my interest and I wasn't a fan of how the character was written. Thank you for the chance to read this and give it a shot. I didn't know it was originally part of a series.

Unfortunately, wasn't for me. I appreciate the chance to try it though. didn't realize it was part of a series when requested and tried to read the first book and figured out not for me. Writing is good, just not the storyline for me.

Moonies, drop everything now and read this book! If you love Sailor Moon, you’ll enjoy this fantasy rich with unique magic, unforgettable adventure, and lots of heart. Like the gorgeous cover, it has a beautiful story. I’m looking forward to exploring more of this series and more works from the author.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press , Wednesday Books,Netgalley and the author for a complimentary copy of this ebook. I am leaving a voluntary review. All thoughts and ideas expressed are my own.

This was an decent follow up to the first Guardians of Dawn book. I appreciated the different perspective and yet similar structure in a world that is already familiar. I also really appreciate the subtle references to Sailor Moon.

AMI is book two in the Gardians of Dawn series.
This book follows book one ZAHARA.

Book Two continues to build on the solid foundation from book one. The book overall was good but not my favorite, I feel as if this book had the same problem most sequels have and its overshadowed by book one. My hopes are that this is a bridge or a gateway in to the rest of the series, where the book may not be my favorite it has foundations and information needed for the next books. If this is true my thoughts on this book may sway a tad more positive.

Where book one and book two differ in the largest ways is the main character. Ami is very meek and timid through the book and she feels harder to connect to and the book itself felt it lost a little of its quirky humor.

Han being Asexual seemed like it was pushed vs something more natural, I wish Hans moment was more special.

The new characters are lovely as well and I cant wait to see more of them and the next guardian.

Giving a Three start review for now , Im hoping i can increase this with the next book and find that bond between the books that makes me recall and enjoy this more.


Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for the Digital ARC.

Unfortunately I couldn't finish this book. I don't think it was the book's fault though. I struggle with fantasy at times and this suffered from that. I think if you enjoy fantasy, you would probably enjoy this.

'Ami' is a fun addition to the Guardians of Dawn series. It cut down on some of the quirkyness that 'Zhara' had with its slightly more serious tone and I appreciated it for that. I personally did suffer from not remembering details from the previous book so it was alot of vibes; going along for the ride. A lot of things may have gone over my head. Maybe consider a reread of 'Zhara' for a refresher.

I did read this book over the course of many months, on and off. There were other things I wanted to read more and unfortunately this book ended up getting shelved often.

But overall I had a good time. I may come back to this review upon a reread.
I will continue the series because its a jolly good time. And the covers! They are so pretty.

Thanks to netgalley and st. martin's press for the eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me access this book!

As soon as I finished book 1, I ran to the internet to find out when the sequel would release. I often have a hard time with book series because I hate waiting for the story to continue and I don’t have the time to reread all the previous books, so I frequently wait until all the books are released before starting. However, this series has not only managed the delicate balance of resolving enough to have a mostly self-contained story in each book but also still having an overarching storyline that is not conveniently forgotten while the current problems are addressed. The additions to the cast are well-characterized and very different from those we met in book one, but in the best way possible and make for fun personality clashes at times and offering different but useful perspectives.

While elements of the book are very predictable, it didn’t detract from the story and the book was enjoyable and attention-grabbing from the beginning. I’m very excited for the next books and think I might know where we’re headed next!

**Review of *Guardians of Dawn: Ami* by S. Jae-Jones**

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 stars)

*Guardians of Dawn: Ami* by S. Jae-Jones is an intriguing start to a fantasy series, blending magic, adventure, and a unique mythology. The world-building is vivid, with an interesting setting that draws the reader in, and the premise of powerful guardians protecting a magical world holds a lot of potential. The protagonist, Ami, is a strong character, and her journey of self-discovery and bravery adds a compelling layer to the story.

However, while the story is promising, the pacing felt a bit uneven at times, with moments of dragging that interrupted the flow. The romance and character dynamics, while present, didn’t feel as developed as they could have been, leaving me wanting more depth and emotional connection. Some aspects of the plot were predictable, and it took a while for the action to truly pick up.

Overall, *Guardians of Dawn: Ami* has a solid foundation for a fantasy series, but it doesn’t quite live up to its full potential. It’s an enjoyable read for fans of fantasy and magic, but the pacing and character development could use a bit more polish to elevate the story further.

I'm very excited for the conclusion to this series! I think this is a perfect book for fans of Judy I. Lin's "A Magic Steeped In Poison" and for those trying to diversify the books they read. The cover is outstanding and I can't wait for the reveal of the last book.

While I am sure the story is lovely, I just couldn't get into it.

I really dislike it when books shift from one MC to another. Whether it's mid-book or from one book to another I'm not a fan of it. I wanted more of the original MC and her funny prince, but this...nah I'm okay. I tried. I really did. I was given this book by Netgalley way before it hit shelves and I kept trying to go back and read more, but I just didn't have it in me. I don't like forcing myself to read a story I'm not into. So it got DNF'd.

If I am being honest I just could not get into this. I tried multiple times since being accepted for this ARC and we just didn't vibe. I will have to try again in the future.

I have been waiting for the next installment in the Guardians of Dawn series. The first book in the series left me on a cliffhanger that I needed the next one. There are so many questions that need to be answered ASAP. Thankfully, most of them were answered, but there are more questions to be asked.

There is a new character introduced that will be very important in the Guardians of Dawn. It may be confusing when you start reading it, and it is not the main character in the previous book. Just trust the process. It's part of the plot for all of the Guardians of Dawn to reunite again. It's a bit of world-building in the beginning, but it pays off toward the end. More and more gets revealed that ties things from the previous book. It's just going to leave more questions to be asked. It's a bit vague, but I don't want to spoil it. Keep it in mind.

Love the way the story is told and how it unfolds. Completely devoured book one. The magic system, the twists, the new character developments, everything I was intrigued from beginning to end.

If a book is being pitched as having inspiration from Sailor Moon, I am absolutely going to read it. If it is a book written by S. Jae-Jones, I am going to read it. Ami is the second book in the Guardians of Dawn series, following Zhara. What a follow up it is! The story picks up exactly where Zhara leaves off and thankfully still has Zhara’s point of view on some of the chapters.

Ami by S. Jae-Jones follows the story of Ami — who is the second Guardian Of Dawn — the Guardian of Wood. Ami is the daughter of a great scholar who left the.kingdom where Zhara was for a new land. And so, Zhara goes looking for him because he may have this scroll which contains important information about magic and reawakening the Guardians. Oh, and along the way, the world is in chaos – with a plague and people not really dying but instead being a big undead, so to speak. So, okay, back to Ami. She’s shy and quiet and socially awkward. I think she was written to be autism coded. She takes care of her father who is essentially not sane. However, she has this plant that contains her mother’s heart seeds and so she takes really good care of it. As it turns out, she’s really great at taking care of plants. Oh, and there’s a Beauty and the Beast subplot – in particular revolving around a non-binary character named Gaden. Gaden is Ami’s love interest and a successor to one of the side characters and I think Gaden will end up getting a separate book.

The second Guardians Of Dawn book absolutely has whet my appetite for book three, Yuli. I liked how the story progressed. Getting caught back up with Zhara again was great too — Ami is nice and all, but Zhara is my favorite. I also felt so much empathy for all Gaden was going through – in particular with their struggle with identity – particularly when they go back home and we find out their heritage. Oh and also the magic is interesting in this book too – I liked seeing how Zhara and Ami were able to work in tandem. I look forward to the next book in this series. This one may feel slightly slow, but I think if you are invested in the story — you can get past the pacing, particularly as the character development is right on point.

It was great to be back in this world following another main character. It's fun to read from different characters perspective and get to see their adventures once one set of characters from a previous book go in different directions.

DNF: 28%

I tried to read this, hoping it improved with book two. Unfortunately, I just don't think this writing style is to my tastes. It definitely felt better than book one but not enough.

I don't have a good sense of what these characters look like. And it's not like the author can't describe things well -- the setting descriptions are very detailed and vivid! But other than like one defining characteristic for each of them, I don't know what they look like. It's like imagining blobs running around a barren field.

I also don't have a good sense of this part of the story. Yes, Zhara and Ami are looking for the rest of the pieces of a mystical text but what else will this story involve? What's the inciting incident, the thing that's supposed to hook me in? Was it zombies? Because we had something very similar in book one.

I was skimming and didn't feel like I was missing much so I figured I'd cut my losses.

<i>Many thanks to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I loved the first book in this series. It was hilarious in ways I can't really describe because you have to listen to the audiobook to get the full inflection of the narrator and the characters. However, I did not resonate as well with Ami as I did with Zhara. The diversity in this book was phenomenal but this story was darker than the first (which I missed) and the story was a little predictable. Overall I love the series and will continue it. It is very YA leaning and some adults would find that offputting like I did in this case.