Monsters Born and Made

Written by Tanvi Berwah

Narrated by Deepa Samuel

You swim with monsters, these people cannot scare you.

Sixteen-year-old Koral and her brother, Emrik, risk their lives 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 ruling elite have indentured her family to provide the maristags for the Glory Race, a deadly chariot tournament reserved for the upper class. The winner receives gold and glory. The losers—if they’re lucky—survive.

When Koral fails to capture a maristag for this year’s race, her family can’t afford medicine for her chronically ill little sister. Koral’s only choice is to do what no one has ever dared: cheat her way into the Glory Race.

But Koral must race against contenders who have trained their whole lives and have no intention of letting a low-caste girl steal their glory. And when riots break out, Koral has to do more than win the race. She’ll have to stop the whole island from burning.

Monsters Born and Made is an epic South Asian–inspired fantasy debut that will leave you breathless until the very last page.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9781705078792

Tanvi Berwah

Tanvi Berwah grew up wanting to touch the stars and reach back in time. She graduated from the University of Delhi with a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Literature of English and lives in India. She is the author of Monsters Born and Made and Somewhere in the Deep.

[sennebec · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First off, I hope there's more to this story. The two main characters seemed to be played by others as if they were puppets, but both remained sympathetic in my eyes. This is an engrossing tale with some very nicely crafted monsters. I really liked the way Koral bonded with her maristag when it seemed like others around her were unreliable. The races were full of tension. Please let there be a sequel.

[verkruissen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

 Definitely an enjoyable read if you were a fan of the Hunger Games series. Set on an island surrounded by terrifying sea creatures Koral's family of hunters is tasked at capturing fearsome animals known as maristags. They are then given to the elite known as Landers. They live in an underground city safe from sea creature attacks and the harsh sun which makes living on the outside nearly unlivable. Those on the outside are known as Renters. They are subject to the whim of the Landers and are beginning to form rebel factions to fight for basic human rights.
When Koral's younger sister becomes sicker from a lifelong illness Koral does the one thing she can think of to save her sister and her family from crushing debt. Find a way to race in the Glory Races. A race that only the Landers compete in for a wealth of gold.
I really loved this book. The setting was unique as I felt it was set in the distant future on a planet colonized by ancient humans from Earth. The creatures where wonderfully fleshed out and like nothing I've ever read.
Highly recommend and definitely will be looking forward to the next book.

[paigeedd · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I found the setting of Monsters Born and Made very interesting and want to know more about the world the author created. There are many familiar YA elements including a protagonist from a lower class who dares to enter an event meant to be exclusive to the upper class to provide for her family; however the story is not just another "young woman changes her world" in the vein of Hunger Games or Divergent. The protagonist shares characteristics with other YA protagonists - strong willed, introspective, fiercely protective of her family, intelligent but influenced by the emotions and angst of being a teenager. She is not perfect and makes mistakes and decisions that have lasting consequences that the author does not shy away from. The world itself is reminiscent of classic fantasy class divides and fantastical creatures. The author crafts descriptions of the maristags and other creatures in the story that allow the reader to visualize these "monsters." The book title speaks not only to these creatures but to the people in the story as well. I congratulate Tanvi Berwah on her debut novel and look forward to more stories hopefully set in this world.

[jmchshannon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah takes the idea of heroes and heroines and turns it on its head. Koral is so bitter, angry, and traumatized that you find her slightly abhorrent even as she tugs at your heartstrings. At the same time, Ms. Berwah shows the insidious nature of power in a world that is nothing like current-day America but certainly has many similarities regarding the haves and the have-nots. Monsters Born and Made is a difficult read because of the raging emotions swirling within Koral and fueling her actions and also because it is bloody and raw, violently brutal, and ruthless. I loved every minute of it.

[krau0098 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Series Info/Source: This story is meant to be part of a larger series of stories set in this world, however I was unable to find out how many books are planned. I got a copy of this through NetGalley to review.

Thoughts: I really struggled with the first third or so of this book, the writing just flowed so awkwardly for me. However, as I got farther along I was more drawn in to Koral and her story. People who are comparing this to Hunger Games but with chariots and sea monsters are right on the mark. It has the feel of a fan-fiction Hunger Games off-shoot.

The story features Koral who along with her brother, Emrik, hunts the dangerous maristags. Their family breeds the maristags so that they can be used in the Glory Race, a deadly chariot tournament normally raced by the upper class. Due to various circumstances Koral applies to race in the Glory Race and is allowed. The majority of the story is about both her training and competing in the Glory Race and about a rebellion that is going on in the background.

As mentioned above, this whole story felt a bit simple, overdone, and off. Yes, there are some good action scenes and yes, the maristags are interesting. However, I never really engaged with the characters. Koral is meant to be rebellious and tough, but she comes off more as a victim of the circumstances around her. The characters never really grow, Koral is naive and taken advantage of constantly. The bond Koral suddenly forms with her maristag felt forced and sudden.

I did finish this, there's a lot of action and it was an easy enough read. However, I wasn't really sold on the writing style, the characters, the world, or the overall story. It all felt a bit hollow and immature to me. Again, more like fan-fiction than an actual stand alone book.

My Summary (3/5): Overall this was okay but not great. I did finish it, but I had some trouble getting into the story and felt like the writing didn't flow well. Everything about this feels simple and unfinished. The world feels incomplete, the characters don't grow and are hard to relate to, and the story feels like something you've read a million times before. I won't be picking up any books by Berwah in the future.