Zhara: Guardians of Dawn is the story of Jin Zhara, a girl with magical gifts that she is desperately trying to conceal. Magicians are blamed for the existence of monsters that previously destroyed the land. Zhara must also look out for her sister, who is blind, and cater to the whims of her stepmother that Zhara credits with her survival. When rumors of monsters in the marsh arrive, Zhara meets a mysterious young man named Han. Through him, Zhara learns about the existence of a secret magical group called the Guardians of Dawn. Zhara will have to choose whether to reveal her magical gifts and what she will fight for. 

Zhara is a character that is so easy to connect with and feel invested in. I loved how she acknowledged her flaws and took responsibility for things that her magic caused even when she never intended harm. At times some of the dialogue was a little over the top. The world-building/magic system was initially a lot to process. It is very detailed and thoughtful, but also quite complicated. Now that world-building has been established in this book, I’m looking forward to seeing how it is further explored in the sequel. 

Han is quite the character, he feels bold and  dramatic in the best sense. He definitely eschews the strong and silent type, instead wearing his heart openly on his sleeve. Zhara and Han find themselves in many romantic situations, some of my favorite scenes were the classic forced proximity. I enjoyed the LGBTQ+ rep in a hilarious side character who uses they/them pronouns, which I read as non-binary rep. I loved the inclusion of the Bangtan Boys to the rescue! Readers who enjoyed Sailor Moon, Cinder, and seek books with intense and magical world-building should check this book out! 

Thank you so much to S. Jae-Jones, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.