Whilst this version of the book is published by Titan, in the US it is an SMP title, so I'll post my review when SMP boycott is over: https://r4acollective.org

Zhara: Guardianes del Amanecer es una novela juvenil de fantasía ambientada en un mundo de inspiración asiática. Zhara, su protagonista, es una joven que vive a merced de su madrastra; en su casa, cocina, limpia y, encima, va a trabajar todos los días como ayudante de apotecaria. Se espera de ella que sea una chica obediente, servil y educada. Sus perspectivas de futuro son las esperables: será la sirvienta de su madrastra o de su hermana.

En este retelling de la Cenicienta con toques de Sailor Moon, Zhara oculta un enorme secreto: posee magia. Y, en los Reinos del Alba, la magia está prohibida bajo pena de muerte. Aunque Zhara intenta no llamar la atención sobre sí misma, el destino le pondrá en su camino a un príncipe disfrazado de mendigo y una misión para salvar a su hermana, a todos sus seres queridos e incluso al reino de los monstruos que empiezan a aparecer por el territorio.

Fue un gustazo traducir este libro de S. Jae-Jones, autora a la que no conocía hasta que me llegó el encargo, pero a la que sigo la pista muy de cerca desde entonces. Me parece que libro, autora y traductore encajan muy bien, ya que la autora quiso que su mundo reflejara una serie de convenciones sociales y lingüísticas sobre el género que yo trasladé con gusto. ¿Lenguaje no binario en un mundo fantástico con mucha gente queer? Póngame dos.

Así lo explica S. Jae-Jones en la introducción al texto:

"El territorio de los Reinos del Alba se inspira en Asia Oriental y, aunque no hay una correlación directa y unívoca entre las culturas y los idiomas reales, lo que sí que intenté transmitir de lenguas como el chino y el coreano fue el hecho de que no existe un pronombre de tercera persona con género. Por tanto, se usa el pronombre «elle», de tercera persona sin género, hasta que cada personaje revela explícitamente su género. A partir de ese momento, se emplean pronombres como «ella» y «él», pero solo en aras de proporcionar claridad".

Zhara: Guardianes del Amanecer fue un reto maravilloso que traduje con mucho entusiasmo. Es un libro con magia elemental y lleno de acción, sentimiento, grandes personajes queer, una mitología muy viva y una trama que atrapa. Es uno de esos libros que fluye solo, y le deseo lo mejor en su andadura por el territorio español.

Another stunning cover that hints at the potential of this story. A YA fantasy with solid world-building that cements the author as an accomplished writer. It promises even better in the sequel.

I received an ARC through Netgalley all opinions are my own

This book is very YA, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It really pulled me in, had an interesting plot and likeable characters.
Han is so damn cute! He really made the book worthwhile for me! But I did end up finding him being too much of a himbo lol.

I see what Jae-Jones did with the 7 Bangtan Brothers😂

Chapter 38 got me so angry, becauseI just KNEW it was going to happen. That I'm dropping my rating.

And it's just not believable that Zhara wouldn't feel any anger at all towards what they did to her.

I dont think I will continue with this series, eventhough I did find this book mostly enjoyable.

I did also listen to the audiobook. A lot of sentences end with la. Which is fine, but I didn't like how it was said in the audiobook since I know lots of people that say la at the end of their sentences (it's normal in some asian countries) and it does not come off the same way in the audiobook. Hard to explain it haha. Very nitpicky, but it annoyed me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Zhara: Guardians of Dawn is definitely on the younger side of YA (the main character gets the "Good Looking Giggles" a lot), but I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a good, fun fantasy read. I loved the magic system and the world building and I had a great time reading it.

I enjoyed seeing Zhara grow into her power as her story progressed. Her stepmother is very controlling and encourages her to keep her power hidden, but we see Zhara become more comfortable and confident in herself and her power.

The main male character, Han, is a bit clueless which was in keeping with his sheltered life in the palace. I laughed a lot at his attempts to keep from revealing himself as the heir, whilst his guard and friend tries valiantly to keep him safe.

I enjoyed this story, there are some great twists and surprises and I'm intrigued to see what's next for the Guardians of Dawn

Thank you NetGalley and Titan Books for the chance to read this amazing book in exchange of an honest review.

Magic is forbidden in the Morning Realms and those who have it are called abominations and blamed for the plague of monsters that destroyed the land years ago. Jin Zhara's life is already complicated without having to keep her own powers hidden and safe. She's living with a blind sister, a cruel stepmother and she only wants to protect those she love. But after an encounter with the easily flustered Han and a secret organization called Guardians of Dawn, Zhara realizes she can't keep a part of herself hidden anymore. Not after rumors of monsters threatening the city and the threat of another plague. So she must learn to master her own powers in order to save herself and her loved ones, while uncovering lies and evil in the Morning Realms.

Cinderella meets Sailor Moon in this amazing, funny and cute story about a young girl, a cute himbo, a brilliant queer rep, elemental warrior, cats and secrets. I fell in love with the wonderful cover and captured by the story. I love Zhara, how strong and stubborn and loyal she is, how fiercely protective of Suzhan, Han and his shyness, his relationship with his younger brother and Xu...
Magical elemental warriors, animal companions, hidden powers...these elements are not new in stories, but I loved the way S.Jae-Jones mixed everything up, interwoving stories between stories, legends and myths, love and passion, first encounters and magic, survival and abuse and the strength of fighting back.
I can't wait to read what will happen next!

Another fantastic world from S. Jae-Jones! Mistress Brandy and Master Plum Blossom have stolen my heart but thankfully not my Ki. I'm incredibly excited to read more in this series!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this title in exchange for this honest review.

Sadly i did not enjoy this book as much as i had hoped to. It felt a bit too juvenile for my tastes and had quite a few inconsistencies that were hard to look past. Also fantasy BTS, while funny, did shatter the immersion for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Titan Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Zhara by S. Jae-Jones follows Zhara in the Morning Realms where Magic is forbidden but who has magic and goes on a quest.


I would give Zhara by S. Jae-Jones a 2- star review because, I like the overall concept, the writing is good, but actually reading fell short for me.

This was such a fun and entertaining fantasy with a really interesting plot that had me flying through it. ⁣⁣
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First off, can we just admire how pretty the cover is? It immediately caught my eye and then to hear it sold as Sailor Moon meets Cinder which are two of my favourites so I knew I had to read it. I really liked the world-building in this one along with the magic system. I liked learning more about how magic is used and how it's become forbidden. ⁣⁣
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I liked Zhara a lot, she was a strong character who was just trying to survive day to day in the tough circumstances she found herself in. However I will admit that her giggling started to grate on my nerves! I liked her banter with Han though! I wasn't sure how I felt about Han but I soon realised he was such a cute, bumbling character that I couldn't help but have a soft spot for. I would say the romance in this book is very fanfic-esque but that didn't bother me too much. ⁣⁣
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Overall this was a great book and I'm definitely intrigued to see where the story takes us! ⁣⁣

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book has one of the most stunning covers and the premise sounded like something that'd be right up my street. However, whilst I don't have any strong negative feelings towards this book I also don't really have any majorly positive ones either? It didn't really hold my attention and after putting it down for a while I the fact I'm going to have no idea what's happening again is putting me off reaching for it again.

I thought the author's approach to using non-binary was really well done, and I do think this could be a book I come back to again in the future. But as of right now, I don't think I'll be picking it up again for a while.

This book has one of the most stunning covers I've seen recently, so I had quite high expectations; while I did enjoy my time reading this, it didn't fulfill those expectations unfortunately. This was very slow-paced, to the point where the main plotline doesn't actually start until nearly 200 pages in, so for the first half of the book it just felt like a slog.

The worldbuilding was vast and complex and interesting, but it just didn't match up with the rest of the story. There were a lot of moments that felt very juvenile, considering what the main character has been through - namely the fact that she gets the "Good-Looking Giggles" every time she sees someone attractive??

I did love the addition of the ginger cat, Sajah - now he was some actual comedic relief and was probably my favourite character of the whole book. There were too many other characters, to the point where I forgot who half of them were most of the time, and none of them, including the main character Zhara, were developed enough to be able to connect with.

I do feel that this book had great potential; as I said, the worldbuilding could've been leading up to a really awesome plot, and I would have loved to have been shown more of this (rather than just being told about it whilst Zhara herself is being told about it). Unfortunately this just didn't work, and shouldn't have been marketed as YA.

I requested the book mainly because I was so intrigued by the synopsis and then the cover is really beautiful.
I had previously read a book by the same author, but I was not so crazy about the setting and the writing.
I still wanted to give her a chance and read more of her work.
Alas, this novel did not blow me away. The story is not all that great and the main characters are not memorable.
If either is not memorable to a reader, you already know that getting to the end of the novel will be tiring. And so it was for me.

was initially drawn to Zhara by S. Jae-Jones due to its intriguing synopsis and captivating book cover, despite not having read anything else by the author. The promise of a story described as a fusion of Sailor Moon and Marissa Meyer’s Cinder piqued my curiosity.

Zhara unfolds in an Asian-coded world where magic is strictly forbidden, and its practitioners, the magicians, are forced into hiding due to blame for a past monster plague. Zhara lives with her stepmother and younger sister. Her relationship with her blind younger sister is relatively pleasant, but her stepmother is manipulative, driven by the knowledge of Zhara’s secret: she is a magician with no one to teach her how to control her abilities.

Zhara’s life takes a turn when she encounters a handsome young man who introduces her to the Guardians of Dawn, an organization of magicians. This presents a potential opportunity for her to learn to harness her magic, but it also brings her closer to danger than she could have imagined. As the plot unfolds, Zhara discovers the existence of four elemental guardians, each aligned with a specific element, a theme I’ve always been drawn to in stories.

Meanwhile, Han is on a quest to uncover the identity of the members of the Guardian of Dawn organization. He seeks their assistance in curing his younger brother, who has fallen victim to demonic possession. The budding romance between Zhara and Han, while sweet, develops slowly, given the more pressing matters at hand. Both characters are kind-hearted individuals, although they come from significantly different social backgrounds. Their initial encounter and subsequent journey to locate other magicians form the basis of their connection.

While it follows the conventions of many YA fantasy novels, the promise of future installments holds the potential for further character development and plot complexity. I look forward to exploring the rest of the series and meeting additional intriguing characters along the way.

Firstly - COVER GOALS! This fantasy adventure,with a truly unique concept/magic system, was a breath of fresh air and a joy to behold!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review*

I didn't like this book. No, It's not that I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it. The characters were almost forgettable and the whole story was meh. I would say 2.5 stars. The world-building was not so good and overall it wasn't so memorable.

I absolutely adored this book! I can't believe how into it I got, but there were moments when I couldn't put it down. I loved how it reminded me of Sailor Moon, and other magical stories I read as a kid, giving me a lot of nostalgia. It was also very unique and easy to follow. I thought the dual POV was so cute as you really got to see both the love interests feelings for each other, as well as get to know them a lot better. I can't wait for the sequel, It's going to be incredible! I was very pleased that this was an Illumicrate book as well, so I have a gorgeous physical copy!

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was very excited going into reading this. I'd heard it was a mix of Sailor Moon with some queer and disability representation-- not to mention the absolutely GORGEOUS cover art (sorry, I'm a sucker for some good cover art.)

That being said, the book really felt one-dimensional to me. It's being advertised as a YA book, but it reads more like a middle grade story. The main characters are unlikeable at best and the humour is cringeworthy. The world building was really well done, but unfortunately the characters just ruined it for me. Also, as a queer person myself, I was really disappointed with the representation on that front.

2.5/5 stars ⭐️

3,75 stars rounded up to 4 stars

I read S. Jae-Jones Wintersong duology quite a few years ago. As such I was quite pleased to see another book by this author again. And for the most part I wasn't dissapointed.

For a start I want to point out that this book is being marketed as a cross between Cinder and Sailor Moon. Its not. It isn't Cinder and at this point not quite there yet to be compared to Sailor Moon. Please don't let this judge how you read this book. Because while this book isn't like the above mentioned, that doesn't mean it isn't a good book.

We meet Jin as she is making breakfast for her family. Her stepmother asks a lot of her as she tries to marry of Jin's stepsister. Knowing the mistake that Jin made, she makes her feel guilty at every step. Jin has magic but that is forbidden in their country. When she meets Han and the Guardians of Dawn, a lot starts to change in her life.

This is a cinderella retelling of a sort. It has built quite a differing story around it but you can still see the stepmother and stepsister in the story, of course. Another element was the losing of a slipper at a party. It is weaven in through very little hints.

I think what took a lot of readers by surprise was how vanilla the characters were. For the ages of 17 and 18, they read a bit younger. But also not completely unrealistic. Jin never had time for other kids or teens between working and her stepmother (and quite frankly she officially doesn't exist). Han in the palace also had other priorities. So they perhaps haven't had the chance to explore anything romantic before now. It makes it awkward, but also endearing.

There is one bit that made me a little hesitant. As mentioned Jin made a mistake that her stepmother likes to hold over her. This was because she used her magic on her blind sister. As a child she wanted to cure her sister. Of course that was never her call to make. And her stepmother holds it over her. Remember what you did. How do you think your stepsister will still like you. I can imagine that this storyline might not sit well with those that are blind themselves. Their disability in a side character being used as a plot device.