"Yuli" is the 3rd installment in the YA Guardians of the Dawn series and it did not dissapoint! Each book we get to follow a new Guardian of the Dawn as they try to defeat the demons that plague their world.

Yuli's story was great! We see how strong of a woman Yuli has become as she deals with the death of her grandfather, while fighting her former best friend in trials to see who can be the next ruler of the kingdom. Don't worry, we also get to see the perspectives of the other guardians of the dawn (Ami and Zhara) as they do their best to help translate the language of flowers to learn more about sealing the demon portals, and help magicians escape the perils of Yuli's kingdom.

I think this is a great series for teens as it features strong, independent women, and all sorts of romantic entanglements. There is a very large LGBTQ presence in this series - we have a few non binary characters, F/F relationship, a M/F relationship where the guy identifies as asexual/aromantic, etc and I feel like the author is trying to be very inclusive and show to the teens reading this novel that love is love no matter who you're interested in. I also like how different the guardians are from one another-Zhara and Yuli are both headstrong, while Ami is quite and intellectual, and most likely on the spectrum as she often has a difficult time reading people.

I look forward to the conclusion of this series and can't wait to find out more about the final guardian of dawn.

4/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

S. Jae-Jones' Guardians of Dawn: Yuli is the anticipated third installment in the Guardians of Dawn series, following Zhara and Ami. Set in a richly imagined world where magic is both wondrous and forbidden, this series has captivated readers with its blend of fantasy, adventure, and character-driven storytelling.

In Yuli, we delve into the story of Yuli, a character whose flirty personality and unique guardian power have intrigued fans since her introduction. As the narrative unfolds, Yuli embarks on a journey that intertwines with the overarching battle against demonic forces threatening the Morning Realms. Her path is fraught with challenges that test her courage, loyalty, and self-discovery.

While some might praise the novel for its engaging plot and the deepening of the series' lore. The exploration of Yuli's character adds a fresh perspective, enriching the ensemble cast and their interconnected destinies. The world-building continues to be a standout feature, with intricate details that bring the Morning Realms to life. But there are occasional times where its just to much

It can be noted that certain action sequences feel prolonged due to alternating character perspectives, which can disrupt the narrative's momentum. Despite this, the novel's strengths in character development and world-building have resonated with me for the most part

Overall, Guardians of Dawn: Yuli is a compelling addition to the series, offering a blend of action, magic, and personal growth. Fans of the previous installments will find much to enjoy as the saga continues to unfold.

I really loved reading this book and I can not wait for more by this author!! I flew through this book because it was that good. The author did an amazing job keeping the plot interesting without it getting boring or slow. I will be recommending this book to all of the family and friends.

Another great installment in this series! I loved the setup and use of dramatic irony in this one. I also really appreciate that this series is staunchly in the "middle YA" area, rather than upper YA like a lot of titles right now. It's accessible to younger teens, and even middle grade readers looking for something more advanced. I do think this book could have used a couple of lines to refresh my memory---I forgot who Xu was since it has been 2 years since I'd read Zhara. Just a few reminders for older context would have been nice. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this! I love Yuli as a spin on the Sailor Venus character--she's the It Girl, but leans into the athleticism that Minako possesses, rather than the idol/girly girl. I also love that She and Kho mirror Uranus and Neptune. As a long time lover of Sailor Moon, this series means so much to me!

Another wild ride in this fantastic and imaginative series, though I do feel that at this point there are too many POVs, which dragged an otherwise engaging story down. Well written with many memorable characters, but I agree with other reviewers that there needs to be more clarity for new readers that this is book 3 in a series to avoid disappointment and frustration. My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in advance!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC copy.

I loved the other 2 books and was super excited to continue the series, the books just get better and better, the world-building and character development are out of this world!

I hadn’t read the other two books of this series when I started, I didn’t even know it was a part of a series. That being said, I really enjoyed the world building and relationships in the story. The games part was really entertaining and seeing the dynamic between Kho and Yuli change during that time was heartwarming.

The writing was decent and the story was interesting. Too many POv’s for me though. I found it kind of confusing in some spots. I liked it but it wasn’t my favourite.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. This is the third book in an ongoing series, and I was so happy to find that I loved it just as much as book one and two. I love the ever-expanding world, and the wide range of characters.

3⭐⭐⭐

I was happy to receive an arc of this book since I quite enjoyed Zhara and Ami's books and was really anticipating Yuli's. I always thought her guardian power was cool and so was her flirty personality.

Now, to put it simply: I liked this book overall, but it isn't my favorite.

There were a lot of good ideas here that added to the general lore of demons and magicians that elevated the worldbuilding. I particularly enjoyed the journey of clues that led to discovering how to cure the waking dreamer sickness as well as the reveal of the Moth Demon. Was it predictable? Yes. But I enjoyed it anyway. It made the world feel more real, the threat of demons more dangerous, and the overall stakes a bit higher with talk of a potential civil war.

But, there were some minor issues I had with the writing. First off, the pacing/narrative structure. While I don't think that any part of this book was boring, I would say that certain plot points or action scenes were too dragged out between multiple chapters of alternating character perspectives. This really stalled the momentum of the action and, when coming across these types of chapters, I often found them to be unneccessary or simply too long.
Secondly, and this is incredibly minor and easily fixable, but I came across a number of grammatical errors. I'm going to allow grace for this because I read the arc and not the official version, but one of them did confuse me a bit and take me out of the story.

One of the things I really liked about the first two books were the main heroines, but with Yuli, I felt a bit disconnected from her as there was very little about her that stood out to me. She gave off an "all brawn no brains" type of vibe with Kho being the opposite "all brain no brawn" and while I enjoyed the scenes the two had together, I felt that Yuli's character was a bit too cookie-cutter for me. I think Kho had a lot of potential as a character with her conflicting feelings on morality, loyalty, and doing things "for the greater good", so I'm interested to see what will happen with her character in the next book, but because I couldn't connect with Yuli as much, their relationship dynamic didn't feel as balanced to me.

Very rarely do I find a book with trials in it that adds substance or tension to the story in a way that I like. For me, there needs to be a very good reason for the trials to exist in the first place and the trials themselves have to be filled with tension and angst, but most importantly, page-turning action. The trial of strength definitely gave me that feeling, but I think the lead up to the Grand Game with the Lady of the Wilds' manipulations was probably the most interesting part there. The power dynamics between her, the people, and the five ruling families was very fun to see. Unfortunately, that excitement did not extend to the remaining trials in the Grand Game. I think, in general, everything the characters were doing outside of the trials were far more interesting than the trials themselves.

Despite each book in this series getting a consistently average 3 star rating from me, I'm still glad I read this book. I'll definitely be reading the next book when it comes out as I think there is so much about the overall story and the world this author created that I find intriguing and I'm curious to know what will happen from here on out.

Side note: I love how the Bangtan Brothers are slowly becoming more and more integral to the plot. As a BTS fan, it's nice to see authors mention them in their books or acknowledgements, but this is the first time I've seen them as actual characters! Idk I think it's kinda fun. 😌🤷‍♀️

[Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!]

I am being fully honest with this review that I had to DNF this book pretty early on, not because it was bad, however this book does not say anywhere on the page nor on the Amazon page that it's part of a series and that I couldn't read this as a standalone. So, I'm sitting here floundering my way through a little bit just to be extremely freaking confused by everything, so I do some research. No where on Amazon does this say it's part of a series, it doesn't say it on here, so then I read the reviews posted on here. Everyone is saying that this is part of a series, it's an installment, it cannot be read on its own. So now I'm bummed but will try and check out the authors first and second novels with this series and will possibly come back for more accurate feedback then, I'm just a little discouraged that nowhere on here did I see that this was the THIRD book in a series, so I got my hopes up for them to be very very crushed. No wonder I was so freaking confused >:(

Ahhhhhhb!

This was such a phenomenal continuation and I litercannot wait until the next book releases. I’m almost mad that I read this so long before it being released. Everything is going to be fine. This series is definitely people need to get into!

(releases August 2025)
Book 3 of the Guardians of Dawn Series - continues the story from the previous two, definitely not a standalone.
Asian inspired fantasy about elemental warriors in a world divided fighting against ancient demons.
We see Ami, Gaden, Zhara and Han continue their quest against the evil forces in their world and continue to find more information on the demons that plague their world and on the portals they must close. Meanwhile, Yuli is trying to figure out a new evil waking illness, that leaves people apart from their souls and possessed. While also being the heir to an important family in a city on the edge of civil war. While also competing in a competition against her former best friend and flame to be the new leader of the Golden Horde to prevent another prominent family from taking power. Also while figuring out how her power as guardian of the wind fits into the guardians of dawn.
I wish I could explain this in a simplified way but it's just not possible. Out of the books in the series, I find this one the least focused and most confusing. There are so many plot points and secondary adventures and tasks ongoing, not to mention heavy world building that is lacking some context.
I just felt pulled in too many directions. Plus I have a hard time when it gets to 4-5 POVs. I think this story had a lot of great ideas - but too many ideas in one book. As per usual, the writing is good, nice flow to the story, very descriptive.

The third installment in the Guardians of Dawn series delivers a compelling continuation of the overarching story. The masterful world-building and strong character development remain standout elements of these books. Excellent third installment that YA readers will enjoy.
Thank you to NetGallery and Wednesday Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun book. I really enjoyed the world building and the characters. It was a joy to read and discover more of the world in this book to build off of the others

This is the third installment of the Guardians of Dawn series , and unfortunately to me it was just okay. I feel like Yuli's story is much more disjointed than Zhara's and Ami's. There were definitely things that kept getting repeated over and over but it made me feel a bit dumb. The plot was a bit too predictable and I just didn't feel as much for Yuli as I did the other girls. I feel like this was just setting up for the next book, which does the series and the character such a disservice. I still really like the world and the Bangtan brothers though.

This series just keeps getting better and better! Each installment brings in new characters, new intrigue, and new action, and all of it works together to create a fantastically engaging narrative! Another wonderful showing in a wonderful series, and one that's left me so excited for the fourth title that I can hardly wait! Thank you to NetGalley and to St. Martin's Press for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The saga continues!

As Zhara and Ami travel north to reunite with Yuli and close the portal to Tiyok, Yuli is dealing with her own brewing battle. After her Grandfather, the Warlord’s, death the five ruling families are in chaos. The Lady of the Wild Things, the mother of her childhood best friend, seizes her chance of taking control of the Golden Horde, the army of the North, to make her play for the Imperial Throne. To stop her, Yuli must compete against Kho, her former best friend in three challeges. But there is something worse afoot as the demons have started possessing anti-magicians in a bid to create their own army to release the Mother of Ten Thousand Demons.

I absolutely loved all the new lore we got in this third installment of Guardians of the Dawn. It continues to grow and expand while still giving the nostalgia of the magical girl animes we grew up loving.

It was harder for me to connect with Yuli, more of a tomboy who alwaya grew up privileged, than it was for me with Ami, the scholar, or Zhara, the dreamer. She still has the personality and qualities of a teenage girl, but her interests didn’t align with mine like the other girls. For this reason I struggled to finish this book as quickly as I did the other two. However Yuli is headstrong and brave, compassionate, with a spiritual power unlike the other Guardians. She was a lot more serious in this book, despite Kho’s disbelief that she could take anything seriously, and perhaps I enjoyed her playful attitude in the previous books a bit more? Either way it was nice to have a deeper look into her character and see her bonding in person with Ami and Zhara.

The stakes are higher, the romance has taken a back seat (for the most part as the previous couples have split to take care of different plot arcs), and there are many more characters to keep up with now. I loved the foreshadowing of discovering the Guardian of Water in the Azure Isles (not going to spoil anyone with my theories) and the heartbreaking ending as the world around them tumbles into civil war. I feel like book four will be a lot darker than the previous three; but that makes sense as the girls grow not only into their powers but mature as their experiences can only force them to do. I eagerly await it (soooo long!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭). In the mean time everyone go read this series immediately!

This book is fantastic. The world-building is lush and intricate, drawing you into the Morning Realms where every element feels vital to the fabric of the story. Yuli’s journey is compelling, she’s not only struggling with her own insecurities but also confronting the burden of restoring balance to her fractured world. What makes this tale even more exciting is the dynamic between Yuli and Kho, whose rivalry and complicated history add emotional depth and tension to the political games at play. It’s a fresh and exciting start to what promises to be a gripping series.