Guardians of Dawn: Ami

Gr 8 Up–Fresh from defeating the Frog Demon, Guardian of Fire Zhara is headed west with Han and the Bangtan brothers, looking for a way to save the Morning Realms. However, when the dead start rising, everyone looks to Zhara for the answers. But how is she supposed to fight the Mother of Ten Thousand Demons alone? Meanwhile, Li Ami, coded autistic, is in hiding and struggling to care for her father, whose mind was broken when she was young. Could kind and mysterious Gaden, who uses they/them pronouns, help her, or could they possibly have something to do with the blight over the land? The Guardians continue to grow in this follow-up, expanding the world and deep diving into the mythologies and cultures. Readers will tear through the fast-paced story as the stakes become higher than ever. However, there is little fleshing out of the new characters’ relationship, and Zhara and Han’s romance, a highlight of the previous installment, takes a backseat, which may leave fans wanting.