Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah ARC Review!

 

Title: Monsters Born and Made
Author: Tanvi Berwah
Publish Date: September 6th, 2022
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC for review!

Sixteen-year-old Koral and her older brother Emrik risk their lives each day to capture the monstrous maristags that live in the black seas around their island. They have to, or else their family will starve.

In an oceanic world swarming with vicious beasts, the Landers―the ruling elite, have indentured Koral's family to provide the maristags for the Glory Race, a deadly chariot tournament reserved for the upper class. The winning contender receives gold and glory. The others―if they're lucky―survive.

When the last maristag of the year escapes and Koral has no new maristag to sell, her family's financial situation takes a turn for the worse and they can't afford medicine for her chronically ill little sister. Koral's only choice is to do what no one in the world has ever dared: cheat her way into the Glory Race.

But every step of the way is unpredictable as Koral races against contenders―including her ex-boyfriend―who have trained for this their whole lives and who have no intention of letting a low-caste girl steal their glory. When a rebellion rises and rogues attack Koral to try and force her to drop out, she must choose―her life or her sister's―before the whole island burns.

She grew up battling the monsters that live in the black seas, but it couldn't prepare her to face the cunning cruelty of the ruling elite.

Penelope's Review

Wow! This was so much more than I was expecting! For a debut novel, it was quite well done. There's a review I read that compared it to both The Scorpio Races and The Hunger Games and I think that's right on the mark! 

Now in the beginning, I found myself struggling with getting a picture of the world this was set in, and what all of the creatures looked like. There was alot of info and I couldn't quite get a good sense of imagery. As the book went on however, I started to really enjoy the world-building and descriptions. It absolutely got easier to imagine and immerse myself. 

I love that this is a competition, I love that the underdog is trying to get a leg up in the world, and I love that we have such fascinating sea creatures! Koral is our main female lead, and all she wants is to to save her sister and give her family a better life. I liked her character, and I liked her younger sister. Would have loved to hear more about her brother but that's ok!

The story itself was actually really neat, and unique enough to keep my interest. There's lots of action, and a bit of romance? Kind of? It's not really central to the plot... but it's there subtly. You'll see what I mean when you read it. 

Overall, this was a pretty good read. Definitely good for a debut novel - I look forward to seeing how this author's writing grows and evolves from here. Enjoyable read though!

Rating: 4/5 Devils!