Guardians of Dawn: Zhara
Sailor Moon meets Cinder in Guardians of Dawn: Zhara, the start of a new, richly imagined fantasy series from S. Jae-Jones, the New York Times bestselling author of Wintersong.
Magic flickers.
Love flames.
Chaos reigns.
Magic is forbidden throughout the Morning Realms. Magicians are called an abomination, and blamed for the plague of monsters that razed the land twenty years before.
Jin Zhara already had enough to worry about—appeasing her stepmother’s cruel whims, looking after her blind younger sister, and keeping her own magical gifts under control—without having to deal with rumors of monsters re-emerging in the marsh. But when a chance encounter with an easily flustered young man named Han brings her into contact with a secret magical liberation organization called the Guardians of Dawn, Zhara realizes there may be more to these rumors than she thought. A mysterious plague is corrupting the magicians of Zanhei and transforming them into monsters, and the Guardians of Dawn believe a demon is responsible.
In order to restore harmony and bring peace to the world, Zhara must discover the elemental warrior within, lest the balance between order and chaos is lost forever.
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Community Reviews
Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop
Zhara is the first novel in the Guardians of Dawn series that is sweet and wholesome while offering readers some beautiful characters and thrilling action.
Characterization
The characters are the driving force behind the novel. Zhara is a shining star here, in keeping with the Cinderella theme; she has a wicked stepmother but loves her step-sister, always trying to find a way to help her. Her sister is blind, or rather nearly blind, and Zhara feels indebted to her, offering her kindness where her mother is scornful.
Zhara is such a charming character; her giggles are infectious, and her love for cheap romance novels makes her lovable. She is very much reminiscent of Usagi, without being a “crybaby” and also wholly unique.
That was what I loved about this book. Not only the non-binary and LGBTQ representation but how the characters shined. They made me laugh. The prince continuously referring to his muscles for aesthetic purposes was just perfection. Even his own love for the cheap romance serials shined.
These characters had light, breath, and life, making reading the story engaging. I absolutely loved them.
And the animal companions? They may not have had voices, but Jae-Jones’s description made them matter to the story. They weren’t just there to fit a trope; they were important. And her cat is Luna; you can’t tell me otherwise.
Storytelling
The story gives off “magical girl” and Sailor Moon vibes, so if you love either of those, you’ll love this story.
It moves effortlessly, flushing out the character development and dynamics alongside the plot. The magic system and the mythos behind it capture many of those tropes in anime and manga, but it doesn’t feel like a copy-paste. The story feels unique, true to the author’s heritage and culture, and wholesome and sweet, which I loved so much.
Final Thoughts
Zhara is such a brilliant start to a new series. It is wonderfully developed, full of fun characters that all shine and make reading the adventure enjoyable. Absolutely loved this novel.
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Zhara is everything it promises, capturing those magical girl vibes and making this a perfect read for Sailor Moon fans.
Zhara is the first novel in the Guardians of Dawn series that is sweet and wholesome while offering readers some beautiful characters and thrilling action.
Characterization
The characters are the driving force behind the novel. Zhara is a shining star here, in keeping with the Cinderella theme; she has a wicked stepmother but loves her step-sister, always trying to find a way to help her. Her sister is blind, or rather nearly blind, and Zhara feels indebted to her, offering her kindness where her mother is scornful.
Zhara is such a charming character; her giggles are infectious, and her love for cheap romance novels makes her lovable. She is very much reminiscent of Usagi, without being a “crybaby” and also wholly unique.
That was what I loved about this book. Not only the non-binary and LGBTQ representation but how the characters shined. They made me laugh. The prince continuously referring to his muscles for aesthetic purposes was just perfection. Even his own love for the cheap romance serials shined.
These characters had light, breath, and life, making reading the story engaging. I absolutely loved them.
And the animal companions? They may not have had voices, but Jae-Jones’s description made them matter to the story. They weren’t just there to fit a trope; they were important. And her cat is Luna; you can’t tell me otherwise.
Storytelling
The story gives off “magical girl” and Sailor Moon vibes, so if you love either of those, you’ll love this story.
It moves effortlessly, flushing out the character development and dynamics alongside the plot. The magic system and the mythos behind it capture many of those tropes in anime and manga, but it doesn’t feel like a copy-paste. The story feels unique, true to the author’s heritage and culture, and wholesome and sweet, which I loved so much.
Final Thoughts
Zhara is such a brilliant start to a new series. It is wonderfully developed, full of fun characters that all shine and make reading the adventure enjoyable. Absolutely loved this novel.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
CAWPILE score: 47/70 = 6.7 Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
My boyfriend picked a random book off my TBR for me to read, and here we are. I enjoyed the book overall, although it did feel a little juvenile to me at times which makes sense with the age of the main characters. The book got better as I read. I plan on reading the second book once it’s out.
I unfortunately did not enjoy this. The cutesy humor in the book just didn't land for me and felt very immature. Honestly, I don't think I was the right audience for this book. The characters fell flat and there was some pacing issues with the plot. At times the story felt slow but when something interesting finally happened it was over too quickly.
Like a fairytale or an anime show, this book creates strong visuals that will stick in your mind. There’s much more humor than a typical high fantasy read, but not all of it hits. It leans on the younger side of YA, but if you know that going in, it’s a lot of fun.
To address some critical reviews I’ve seen, it’s obviously not a straight up Sailor Moon retelling, but I do think it vibes with Sailor Moon. It’s got battle scenes, teenager cringe, chosen ones, demons preying on humans, hero reincarnation, serous darkness, inane silliness, smaller villains and a big boss villain. I think a lot of reviewers had certain expectations going into it, especially for American readers largely deprived of Sailor Moon merch and appreciation. Let it be what it is, and you will be entertained.
The novel also has lots of Cinderella vibes, and the end explicitly shows that the next book will take inspiration from Beauty and the Beast.
It’s not perfect. The book suffers from “girl didn’t know she was pretty until a handsome boy noticed her” syndrome. Nothing is surprising in the plot. There was a pronoun mistake that everyone keeps talking about in the ARC copies, but there’s a fair amount of text errors, and I highly doubt it was intentional.
I was entertained while reading it. Each character has their own quirks and personality. There was a thought-out world and villain schemes that I can’t wait to see play out in a series of novels. The shifting atmospheres of the book, from teenage silliness to harsh living to magical secret societies to demonic plots to royal glamour. The different parts of the story all work together. I’m definitely picking up the next book.
7/10 an intriguing series starter.
I received an unfinished ebook ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No sponsorship but not having to pay for the novel could have influenced how I enjoyed the book.