Avery
Author: Charlotte McConaghy
Series: The Chronicles
of Kaya
Pages: 330
Publisher/Source:
Random House Australia
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Synopsis (Goodreads)
The people of Kaya
die in pairs. When one lover dies, the other does too. So it has been for
thousands of years – until Ava.
For although her bondmate, Avery, has been murdered and Ava’s soul has been torn in two, she is the only one who has ever been strong enough to cling to life. Vowing revenge upon the barbarian queen of Pirenti, Ava's plan is interrupted when she is instead captured by the deadly prince of her enemies.
Prince Ambrose has been brought up to kill and hate. But when he takes charge of a strangely captivating Kayan prisoner and is forced to survive with her on a dangerous island, he must reconsider all he holds true . . .
In a violent country like Pirenti, where emotion is scorned as a weakness, can he find the strength to fight for the person he loves . . . even when she’s his vengeful enemy?
Avery is a sweeping, romantic fantasy novel about loss and identity, and finding the courage to love against all odds.
For although her bondmate, Avery, has been murdered and Ava’s soul has been torn in two, she is the only one who has ever been strong enough to cling to life. Vowing revenge upon the barbarian queen of Pirenti, Ava's plan is interrupted when she is instead captured by the deadly prince of her enemies.
Prince Ambrose has been brought up to kill and hate. But when he takes charge of a strangely captivating Kayan prisoner and is forced to survive with her on a dangerous island, he must reconsider all he holds true . . .
In a violent country like Pirenti, where emotion is scorned as a weakness, can he find the strength to fight for the person he loves . . . even when she’s his vengeful enemy?
Avery is a sweeping, romantic fantasy novel about loss and identity, and finding the courage to love against all odds.
Review: 4 out of 5
stars
Avery is the first book in The Chronicles of Kaya series by
Charlotte McConaghy and I have to admit, I initially bypassed this book on
Netgalley because of the cover (I know, never judge a book by its cover) but
when I was contacted by the publisher expressing her passion for the book, I
couldn’t pass up the chance to give it a go and I’m really pleased I did.
Fantasy is a genre that is hit or miss with
me, I either really enjoy them and get lost in the magical world created or
they end up on my DNF pile; Avery
follows the story of twenty year-old Ava from Kayan who has lost her bondmate,
Avery; when one lover dies the other generally follows, Ava has been the
exception but she has lost half of her soul and is miserable so she seeks
vengeance against the barbarian queen of Pirenti and her offspring.
In the early stages of the book, I was concerned about the
number of POV's we have; dual is usually my maximum but in this story it worked quite
well, especially because it was told in first person and gave us great insight into the characters we were getting to know and slowly we begin to understand their unique personality traits.
Ava’s journey is fraught with danger and despair but also hope
as she meets Ambrose who is a deadly Prince of Pirenti, we also read about Prince Thorne and Roselyn who are married, their personal struggles are quite emotional, Thorne is a
brutal man and quite cruel which didn’t endear me to him but the story behind
why made me understand him a lot more. The fast-paced plot kept me entertained and flipping through the pages wanting to learn more.
All of the characters are fleshed out well and
learning about their differences based on where they were from was quite
intriguing. Pirentis are ruthless warriors raised in a barbaric and brutal
society and the Kayans are the complete opposite.
Charlotte
McConaghy’s creative world is vibrant and unique, filled with loveable if not
unusual characters, magical mystery, kick-butt action sequences and a
spellbinding love story that brings about many emotions; it kept me entertained right from the very beginning.
Her writing is crisp and the plot flowed beautifully.
Thank-you kindly to Random House Australia for the opportunity to read and review Avery, I am really excited for the
sequel.
About the Author: Charlotte started writing when she was 14
in her home town Armidale. She now has four books published and lives in
Sydney. She loves to read and write paranormal/romance/fantasy, and has just
released a new novel called 'Avery', the first book in her new romantic fantasy
series 'The Chronicles of Kaya'. Published by Random House.
(I much prefer this cover)
This is completely new to me, but it sounds like it is really good. Fantasy is one genre that I don't read a lot of. Ava sounds great. Wonderful review.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jenea, It was really good! I'm not a bif fan of fantasy but this was quite unique.
DeleteI've never heard of this series before, but it sounds good! Plus, I'm a huge fantasy fan, so I might actually enjoy this.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that worries me a little is the multiple POVs. Those work very rarely for me, but it sounds like it's well-done in this book.
I love the sound of the characters in this though.
I'll add this to my wish-list!
Lovely review, Sharon! :)
The POV's initially were difficult but each of the characters had a unique voice so I came to enjoy each of them.
DeleteThe characters were wonderful! I think you'd enjoy this one Nick.
I heard it was getting a new cover, but I hadn't seen it yet. I really enjoyed this one too! I don't always like 'romances' but the fantasy element made this one worth it. And I actually enjoyed the romance quite a lot!
ReplyDeleteI much prefer the new cover! I found myself loving the romance in this.
DeleteI know what you mean about passing this one on netgalley, I did the exact same thing (I hate to say I judge books based on their covers but sometimes the ones that don't catch my interest I don't normally read)but after you're review I'm thinking of giving it a shot.
ReplyDeleteI'm terrible when it comes to selecting a book based on the cover, I tend to miss out on amazing books because of it ;)
DeleteIf you do read it, I'd love to know what you think :)
My favorite is dual povs, but if it is does right I can handle multiple and like you fantasy isn't one of my top genres but I am so glad you enjoyed this. So not a fan of the cover either.
ReplyDeleteI like old-school fantasy writers like Tanith Lee and Tolkien, but The Chronicles of Kaya looks pretty interesting. Will try to grab a copy. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDelete