Review by Ronny

Series Name: The Giving Chronicles, # 1  

Given is an easy to read addictive cat and mouse romantasy that I just could not put down.

Favourite Quote: 

“She’s mine,” I growl, not taking my eyes off the sailor.
My little bird. My prey.

Book Synopsis:

She’s born to die. He lives to hunt.

Wren was born bearing a Mark on her forehead. She’s always known she would be Given to serve the gods in her twentieth year, and she’s eager to work for them since they keep the kingdom safe. That is until she sneaks into a Giving Ceremony and watches as her best friend is slaughtered in the name of the gods.
Horrified, Wren escapes her village under the cover of darkness. Her plan is simple: flee the kingdom and stay alive. Surviving is going well until she stumbles upon an injured, unconscious man in the woods. Unwilling to leave him to die, she heals him. Only, when he wakes, she realizes he’s a Hunter. And his prey?
Her.
Now, he’s in her debt. Inexplicably drawn to her and caught in a moral quandary, he gives her a gift: one day’s head start.Marked Ones must be returned to the gods. It’s the law. And when the Hunter catches her, she’ll do whatever it takes to get away…

Review:

Fantasy books always take me a bit longer to read. They are often bursting with world-building details, heavier and bigger emotions, and just require you to really pay attention to what you are reading. That is why I was so surprised that I managed to read this book in one sitting. I think that is a first for me when it comes to a fantasy book. There are a few reasons why I was able to fly through this book. First, it is a fun, easy-to-read fantasy with a cliffhanger that is going to have you running to the stores to get the next book. Secondly, for a fantasy novel, it is on the shorter-page-count end, and finally, the world-building details are on the lighter side. You get the bare minimum amount of detail about the world Wren lives in, and I personally thought that was an interesting way to approach a fantasy series. Now, please don’t think that I am criticizing the lack of world-building details, because I’m not. It felt like we were Wren, who has lived a very sheltered life and has realized that everything she was told growing up about the kingdom she lives in is a lie. She is on the run and finds herself in a world she knows little about, and as she learns more about it, we too are learning. It was an interesting approach to world-building, and I liked it.  

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The story is entertaining, and because there are so many unknown factors floating around in the plot, it creates this need to keep on reading because you want to figure out what is going on. We don’t know much about the magical elements in this series at this point. We know magic exists and that the king is the only one who can wield it, but we do know there is a connection between the Blessed and this magical force. My interest was piqued, and even though I suspected a part of the ending that relates to this magical ending, I still found myself on the edge of my seat when the last events in this book were unfolding. Pretty much the entirety of this book is a cat-and-mouse chase between Wren and the mysterious Hunter she rescued. I love a good cat-and-mouse chase; it heightens the sense of urgency, and you know the story is going to be filled with plenty of close calls that will get your heart racing.

I really enjoyed Wren and Gabriel, aka The Hunter characters. The story unfolds through both of their POVs, and I really enjoyed being in both characters’ heads. Wren doesn’t have a whole lot of character growth in this first book, and I think the reasoning for that is because we are seeing the stage being set for the beginning of Wren’s journey. It’s obvious that she is going to be playing a pivotal role in whatever larger event will take place in this series, but Wren’s world is very small right now, and for most of this book she is alone. That isolation, the danger, and the truths she finds on this journey leave Wren at a juncture where she must choose the direction she will take her life. Gabriel is a great hero. I do love a possessive hero, and those delicious possessive qualities do come out when Wren is in danger. 

The romance in this book is a slow, slow, slow burn. Elayna really teases her readers with a taste of what the romantic relationship between Wren and Gabriel will be, once these two act upon those feelings that keep on cropping up when they are in each other’s presence. This book has no spice in it; there are spicy moments in the second book. So if you like your romantasies spicy, you will have to wait until the second book to get your fill. I liked the chemistry between these two. I found myself not minding the super slow burn. In my eyes, it actually makes sense because these two are so clearly enemies; it wouldn’t make sense for them to just all of a sudden be in a relationship. 

Given is an easy, quick romantasy that was incredibly enjoyable to read, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book in the series.