#Review - Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah #YA #Fantasy #Dystopian

Series: Unknown
Format: Hardcover, 352 pages
Release Date: September 6, 2022
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy

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

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 who have trained for this their whole lives and who have no intention of letting a low-caste girl steal their glory. When riots break out 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. 

“This is the ocean, and you’re a Hunter. You swim with monsters, these people cannot scare you.”

 

Tanvi Berwah's Monsters Born and Made is the authors debut novel and what appears to be the first in an unknown named series. The author herself has called this story The Hunter Games meets The Scorpio Races which is appropriate. The story takes place on the Island of Sollonia where 6,000 people call home. It is a place surrounded by the Ocean and it is also separated by Landers, Renters, and Hunters. The story is told by 16-year-old Koral Hunter who along with her elder brother Emrik, capture maristags, breed them, train, them and sell them to the upper cast.

On the final day of hunting, Emrik is hurt trying to catch the last maristags before they disappear for Ten months and blames Koral. Thanks to some unfortunate incidents in the recent past which has cost them nearly everything they own, Koral's family is in dire straights. It is also dire because of Koral's younger sister's failing health which they don't have the money to pay for. 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. In an act of desperation and rebellion against her father, Koral takes her maristag Stormgold, and sneaks into the The Glory Race which could change Koral's family's fortunes for the best if she wins, or the worst if she doesn't survive against the brutal competition. The competition includes Dorian Akayan, the boy she helped train to race with his own maristag and who is getting abused by his own father to ensure that he wins, and that Koral doesn't get the chance to either entire, or finish the race.

The Glory Race is the islands biggest event that takes place every 4 years. There is betting, and killing, and only Ten chosen will start the race. The race features chariots and three stages, and a variety of dangers, including monstrous sea creatures. Thankfully for Koral, she's been training with maristags all her life. She has known all her life that if she doesn't Hunt, her family doesn't eat, and they have no money to live on, and no medicine for Liria. She is scoffed at, she is abused, and pushed around, yet is her love for her sister and Stormgold's determination, that guides Koral throughout the story and the race.  

Fans of dystopian action-packed adventures will definitely enjoy this tale of a high-stakes competition with mythical creatures in an oceanic world. Danger lurks everywhere and the odds are stacked high against Koral in this world where your place in the caste system means everything and no one can be trusted. Even though Dorian tries hard to get Koral to bow out of the race for fear she will be killed by one of the contestants, it is the group Freedom's Ark who might be the one to make Koral's life unbearable.

When I finished this story, there was a huge, twisted cliffhanger ending. I said to myself, well that sucks! There's nothing that indicates that this is part of a series, but allegedly, others have told me that yes, this is a series. In that case, I would request that Goodreads librarians discover if that is true or not, and update the posting for this book so others don't get upset by the ending.  

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