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Gifted (Gifted Series Book 1): A fantasy romance novel about discovering love, courage, and forging a family
“Because… you’ll become a legend, Legionnaire. You just don’t see it yet. But I do. And the gods do too.”
Over forty years ago, a foreign ruler conquered a fractured kingdom and forged it into one Empire. Then, he purged the gods from history.
Elaine Lyanthian was only twelve when she joined the Imperial Army to escape poverty and starvation. Twelve years later, she’s one of the few women who have survived its brutal ranks. But despite enduring everything the army threw at her, greatness is not in her plans. After a messy affair with her general, she’s stopped believing her luck will ever change.
But there are forces, both ancient and new, that would bend her fate to their will.
When the Emperor himself Gifts her into the prestigious Legion of Barrymore, her world tilts on its axis. The Legion is led by the cold and feared Alexander Courtenay, and so Elaine finds herself not just a soldier among millions, but one of the elite Thirty Barrymore Legionnaires.
Determined and stubborn, Elaine rises to meet her new path. But Barrymore isn’t the end of her road—it’s only the beginning.
There, she will forge the family she never had, experience a forbidden and all-consuming love, and discover the strength to transform from the hollow, hopeless girl she once was.
As Elaine learns the true cost of loyalty, love, sacrifice, and friendship, a strange power begins to stir in her veins. And as the Empire trembles on the edge of rebellion, she’ll come to realize her role in its salvation may be far greater—and far more dangerous—than she ever dared to imagine.
A rebellion rises.
A Legionnaire is challenged.
A family is forged.
Over forty years ago, a foreign ruler conquered a fractured kingdom and forged it into one Empire. Then, he purged the gods from history.
Elaine Lyanthian was only twelve when she joined the Imperial Army to escape poverty and starvation. Twelve years later, she’s one of the few women who have survived its brutal ranks. But despite enduring everything the army threw at her, greatness is not in her plans. After a messy affair with her general, she’s stopped believing her luck will ever change.
But there are forces, both ancient and new, that would bend her fate to their will.
When the Emperor himself Gifts her into the prestigious Legion of Barrymore, her world tilts on its axis. The Legion is led by the cold and feared Alexander Courtenay, and so Elaine finds herself not just a soldier among millions, but one of the elite Thirty Barrymore Legionnaires.
Determined and stubborn, Elaine rises to meet her new path. But Barrymore isn’t the end of her road—it’s only the beginning.
There, she will forge the family she never had, experience a forbidden and all-consuming love, and discover the strength to transform from the hollow, hopeless girl she once was.
As Elaine learns the true cost of loyalty, love, sacrifice, and friendship, a strange power begins to stir in her veins. And as the Empire trembles on the edge of rebellion, she’ll come to realize her role in its salvation may be far greater—and far more dangerous—than she ever dared to imagine.
A rebellion rises.
A Legionnaire is challenged.
A family is forged.
850 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 29, 2025
10 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
Mavi Parolin
1 book32 followersMavi Parolin is a Brazilian author born and raised in São Paulo. From an early age, she found herself lost in stories, sometimes within the pages of books, other times in the worlds she imagined.
At seventeen, she moved abroad to study at Babson College, where she earned a business degree. After returning home, she struggled to find her true calling. Through it all, romantasy novels were her constant companions, fueling the spark that had been with her since childhood.
It wasn’t until 2020, during lockdown, that Mavi finally gave herself permission to craft her own story. In just 43 days, the first draft of Gifted was born, and she hasn’t stopped writing since.
Over the following years, she wrote three more installments of the Gifted Series, along with the first novel of a second series, which is still in the works. Now, after five years and many drafts, her debut novel Gifted is finally out in the world.
Mavi lives in São Paulo with her husband, daughter, and two cats. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking, crocheting, reading, and unwinding with everything from sci-fi and heartfelt romances to gloriously trashy reality TV.
At seventeen, she moved abroad to study at Babson College, where she earned a business degree. After returning home, she struggled to find her true calling. Through it all, romantasy novels were her constant companions, fueling the spark that had been with her since childhood.
It wasn’t until 2020, during lockdown, that Mavi finally gave herself permission to craft her own story. In just 43 days, the first draft of Gifted was born, and she hasn’t stopped writing since.
Over the following years, she wrote three more installments of the Gifted Series, along with the first novel of a second series, which is still in the works. Now, after five years and many drafts, her debut novel Gifted is finally out in the world.
Mavi lives in São Paulo with her husband, daughter, and two cats. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking, crocheting, reading, and unwinding with everything from sci-fi and heartfelt romances to gloriously trashy reality TV.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
January 10, 2026
Battles, wars, and internal conflict, with a dash of found family...
TW- This book includes themes of alcohol abuse and sexual assault. Please proceed with caution.
We meet Elaine Lyanthian, an orphan from well, Lyanthian, who fights nail and tooth, being one of the few women in the army. Her life has been hard, cruel, and it only grows worse when she realizes she has been "Gifted" (ayyy name drop) to the ruthles Governer Courtenay, like an object. Now her tomb seems sealed shut. But is it...
I really enjoyed this book. It was quite a refreshing read, set apart from a ton of other copy-and-paste fantasy books I've read. Her personality and a cynical view of the world is a welcome change. The story divulges and even includes a few difficult themes like r@pe and @ssault, adding in to the realistic-ness, as even women still face such issues in the world today. Her trauma from the incidents has been wonderfully handled, making me feel deeply for Elaine and understand her (sometimes) puzzling choices.
That doesn't mean this book doesn't have issues though,
Display 1- Now the words/phrases "yap", "smart ass", "love or something" are common in real life, that doesn't mean they fit in in the fantasy world. Please don't use them, like way to pull one out of the world. I really don't wanna see "yap" in my fantasy book. Oh yea and also "alpha male speech". No.
Display 2- "Purely male smile". "Animalistic sound." Need i say more for this?
Display 3- Referring to her chest as her "assets" or "goods" or "goodies". Not just the people around her, but she herself 😭no.
Display 4- "I pressed my thighs together instinctively" count- x5 (the exact sentence mind you)
Display 5 -
Pre Read
Losing myself in a fantasy world with a (hopefully) strong fl in 3...2...1...
Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of the book in exchange of my honest review.
TW- This book includes themes of alcohol abuse and sexual assault. Please proceed with caution.
We meet Elaine Lyanthian, an orphan from well, Lyanthian, who fights nail and tooth, being one of the few women in the army. Her life has been hard, cruel, and it only grows worse when she realizes she has been "Gifted" (ayyy name drop) to the ruthles Governer Courtenay, like an object. Now her tomb seems sealed shut. But is it...
I really enjoyed this book. It was quite a refreshing read, set apart from a ton of other copy-and-paste fantasy books I've read. Her personality and a cynical view of the world is a welcome change. The story divulges and even includes a few difficult themes like r@pe and @ssault, adding in to the realistic-ness, as even women still face such issues in the world today. Her trauma from the incidents has been wonderfully handled, making me feel deeply for Elaine and understand her (sometimes) puzzling choices.
That doesn't mean this book doesn't have issues though,
Display 1- Now the words/phrases "yap", "smart ass", "love or something" are common in real life, that doesn't mean they fit in in the fantasy world. Please don't use them, like way to pull one out of the world. I really don't wanna see "yap" in my fantasy book. Oh yea and also "alpha male speech". No.
Display 2- "Purely male smile". "Animalistic sound." Need i say more for this?
Display 3- Referring to her chest as her "assets" or "goods" or "goodies". Not just the people around her, but she herself 😭no.
Display 4- "I pressed my thighs together instinctively" count- x5 (the exact sentence mind you)
Display 5 -
Pre Read
Losing myself in a fantasy world with a (hopefully) strong fl in 3...2...1...
Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of the book in exchange of my honest review.
August 15, 2025
Gifted has all the things I love in fantasy novels and more !! Unique world building and hierarchy systems, very compelling characters and side characters, a slow burn that’s 🔥 but also didn’t overshadow the plot that was written so beautifully you can tell the author did a lot of research ! The dynamic in the soldiers camp had me feeling like I was there at some times and was one of my favorite parts ….
Elaine is a flawed yet tenacious FMC so her growth arc was very believable and kept me rooting for her because she was very compelling to me (as an avid fantasy reader). Especially as a woman I found myself resonating with her thoughts a lot
The MMC 🥵… that’s all I’ll say. My heart hurt for them so much, they both had it so hard
I don’t think I’ll be able to get over the last 20% !! So many emotions!!!! I can’t say more without giving any spoilers but I need book 2 immediately!!!
Thank you for the author and publisher for the arc.
Elaine is a flawed yet tenacious FMC so her growth arc was very believable and kept me rooting for her because she was very compelling to me (as an avid fantasy reader). Especially as a woman I found myself resonating with her thoughts a lot
The MMC 🥵… that’s all I’ll say. My heart hurt for them so much, they both had it so hard
I don’t think I’ll be able to get over the last 20% !! So many emotions!!!! I can’t say more without giving any spoilers but I need book 2 immediately!!!
Thank you for the author and publisher for the arc.
August 20, 2025
An addictive reading experience!
Hard to believe that this is the author's debut work. I liked the army life, training, descriptions of different weapons and politics. I loved the slow-burning romance, friendship, and the found family.
The description of being a woman in the army and facing trauma was impressive. I felt that the world was more historical than a fantasy world, but it didn't hinder my reading experience and I believe that the fantasy elements will increase as soon as the gods get to really roar to earth.
Thanks to author Mavi Parolin and NetGalley for the early review copy!
Hard to believe that this is the author's debut work. I liked the army life, training, descriptions of different weapons and politics. I loved the slow-burning romance, friendship, and the found family.
The description of being a woman in the army and facing trauma was impressive. I felt that the world was more historical than a fantasy world, but it didn't hinder my reading experience and I believe that the fantasy elements will increase as soon as the gods get to really roar to earth.
Thanks to author Mavi Parolin and NetGalley for the early review copy!
August 24, 2025
Fair warning: This book will break your heart and stitch it back together a thousand times, so be prepared. I'm still gutted and in tears, and I'm not even mad about it. (Okay, maybe a little)
This book was astounding. Phenomenal. BREATHTAKING. I need to go recommend this to every single person I know.
When I started this book, I expected a light-hearted romantic fantasy that would be rough around the edges as it was a debut novel (and I think self-published, too). That is not what I got with this book, and I am so happy about it. In fact, this book is everything I would never pick up had I known going into it. And even when it broke my heart and I just wanted to throw my tablet across the room in ANGUISH, I could not stop reading. I vehemently avoid books that make me this emotionally invested, but I will put myself through the pain again for book two.
I mean, wow, for a debut novel, I have never seen such intriguing writing or deep world building before. This book was written like someone who has been writing for years and has put a ton of time and effort into mastering their craft. It had me hooked from page one, and I didn't want to put it down until the end (outside of a very specific scene that still has me crying). While the plot is slow paced, there is always something happening that has stakes to keep you engaged. It was so smooth and elegant, and the climax of the book was absolutely worth the wait. I would say that you can kind of get a feel for the way things are going to go without the plot being predictable, which is just the perfect sweet spot for such a long book.
The characters are so well fleshed out, and they make you absolutely fall in love with them. Each character has their own unique personality, and nothing feels one toned or similar between them. Not a single character in this book will leave you feeling like you don't care about them (in one way or another). They go through so much growth and change, and you feel it alongside them. There are quite a few characters, but there was so much balance between them. It never felt like one was forgotten or we didn't get enough of one.
The fantastical element is very minimal up until the end of the book, but that doesn't mean that there is no action. If you're looking for a very high fantasy, magic heavy, fantastical feel, don't expect it with this book. That being said, it seems like the second book will be getting more into that, so if you have the patience to hold on, please do.
The romance was full of angst and drama, so this is not a light-hearted romantic if you are looking for that. I was completely unprepared for this book to utterly ruin me in the way that it did. Personally, I am shocked that while the romance was great, I cared a bit more about everything else in this book, which is not normal for me. Generally, I find the plots to romance-centric fantasy books to be a bit dull compared to the actual romance, but this book was so well balanced.
This book is heavy on themes that are likely to be more relatable to women, as well as topics of sexual assault in general. It makes up a good portion of the main character struggles so if that is not something that you are okay reading in graphic detail or you prefer not to read about women's struggles, this book is not for you. Not every book is for every person, but this book was definitely for me. I felt heard and understood by everything that the main character went through from the little incidences to the larger ones.
I will close this utterly long review by saying that this book has earned its way onto my favorites list. So far, I have only seen the release date for Kindle unlimited, but I am begging the author to print it. I want a special edition of this book. I don't care if you give me a paperback print copy, and I have to rebind and decorate a special edition myself. It needs to be a shelf trophy!
Edit: If you've heard the song Royalty by Egzod, that is the vibe this book gives, and I will now think of this book every time I hear that song.
Also, to the author Mavi, congratulations on your debut, and please keep writing. I will be looking for more of your books in the future!
Thank you so much to Mavi and NetGalley for giving me an advanced readers copy and exchange for an honest review!
This book was astounding. Phenomenal. BREATHTAKING. I need to go recommend this to every single person I know.
When I started this book, I expected a light-hearted romantic fantasy that would be rough around the edges as it was a debut novel (and I think self-published, too). That is not what I got with this book, and I am so happy about it. In fact, this book is everything I would never pick up had I known going into it. And even when it broke my heart and I just wanted to throw my tablet across the room in ANGUISH, I could not stop reading. I vehemently avoid books that make me this emotionally invested, but I will put myself through the pain again for book two.
I mean, wow, for a debut novel, I have never seen such intriguing writing or deep world building before. This book was written like someone who has been writing for years and has put a ton of time and effort into mastering their craft. It had me hooked from page one, and I didn't want to put it down until the end (outside of a very specific scene that still has me crying). While the plot is slow paced, there is always something happening that has stakes to keep you engaged. It was so smooth and elegant, and the climax of the book was absolutely worth the wait. I would say that you can kind of get a feel for the way things are going to go without the plot being predictable, which is just the perfect sweet spot for such a long book.
The characters are so well fleshed out, and they make you absolutely fall in love with them. Each character has their own unique personality, and nothing feels one toned or similar between them. Not a single character in this book will leave you feeling like you don't care about them (in one way or another). They go through so much growth and change, and you feel it alongside them. There are quite a few characters, but there was so much balance between them. It never felt like one was forgotten or we didn't get enough of one.
The fantastical element is very minimal up until the end of the book, but that doesn't mean that there is no action. If you're looking for a very high fantasy, magic heavy, fantastical feel, don't expect it with this book. That being said, it seems like the second book will be getting more into that, so if you have the patience to hold on, please do.
The romance was full of angst and drama, so this is not a light-hearted romantic if you are looking for that. I was completely unprepared for this book to utterly ruin me in the way that it did. Personally, I am shocked that while the romance was great, I cared a bit more about everything else in this book, which is not normal for me. Generally, I find the plots to romance-centric fantasy books to be a bit dull compared to the actual romance, but this book was so well balanced.
This book is heavy on themes that are likely to be more relatable to women, as well as topics of sexual assault in general. It makes up a good portion of the main character struggles so if that is not something that you are okay reading in graphic detail or you prefer not to read about women's struggles, this book is not for you. Not every book is for every person, but this book was definitely for me. I felt heard and understood by everything that the main character went through from the little incidences to the larger ones.
I will close this utterly long review by saying that this book has earned its way onto my favorites list. So far, I have only seen the release date for Kindle unlimited, but I am begging the author to print it. I want a special edition of this book. I don't care if you give me a paperback print copy, and I have to rebind and decorate a special edition myself. It needs to be a shelf trophy!
Edit: If you've heard the song Royalty by Egzod, that is the vibe this book gives, and I will now think of this book every time I hear that song.
Also, to the author Mavi, congratulations on your debut, and please keep writing. I will be looking for more of your books in the future!
Thank you so much to Mavi and NetGalley for giving me an advanced readers copy and exchange for an honest review!
August 20, 2025
Wow. Just... WOW. I almost have no words to express how much i devoured this book. This and the raven scholar have to be my favourite reads so far this year. It has everything, fantastic world building, outstanding character development, found friends and family, the most resilient FMC i have come across, hope, loss, adventure, magic, heartbreak, and romance.
Also, the best banter ever, it had me laughing out loud multiple times throughout!
This story follows Elaine, an orphan forced into the army in order to survive since she was 12 years old, until she is gifted by the Emperor to the Commander of Barrymore, after she is hailed a hero for fighting off 4 other combatants for saving a girls life. There she will hone her skills alongside the other 29 legionnaires. They are faced with rebel attacks and plots to replace the Commander of Barrymore and face endless uncertainty when the Emperor sends some of his own legionnaires to 'guard' the Barrymore estate. All the while, Elaine is experiencing things she and her peers can't even begin to explain, why she heals so fast, why she always seems to be in the right place at the right time, and why her strength suddenly Blooms in times of dire need.
This book will have me caught up in it for a while, I just know it. Damn, wow. I look forward to the rest of this series and any other work this author does in the future.
*** Thank you to netgalley and to the author for approving the ARC for me to read. Mavi Parolin It was such an amazing story. Congratulations on your debut release, I wish you all the best.
The above review was my own opinion and has not been influenced in any way... Damn, Just freakin wow!
Also, the best banter ever, it had me laughing out loud multiple times throughout!
This story follows Elaine, an orphan forced into the army in order to survive since she was 12 years old, until she is gifted by the Emperor to the Commander of Barrymore, after she is hailed a hero for fighting off 4 other combatants for saving a girls life. There she will hone her skills alongside the other 29 legionnaires. They are faced with rebel attacks and plots to replace the Commander of Barrymore and face endless uncertainty when the Emperor sends some of his own legionnaires to 'guard' the Barrymore estate. All the while, Elaine is experiencing things she and her peers can't even begin to explain, why she heals so fast, why she always seems to be in the right place at the right time, and why her strength suddenly Blooms in times of dire need.
This book will have me caught up in it for a while, I just know it. Damn, wow. I look forward to the rest of this series and any other work this author does in the future.
*** Thank you to netgalley and to the author for approving the ARC for me to read. Mavi Parolin It was such an amazing story. Congratulations on your debut release, I wish you all the best.
The above review was my own opinion and has not been influenced in any way... Damn, Just freakin wow!
October 6, 2025
First off, I want to say thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.
I’m struggling to write this review because it was just so…..emotional, mysterious, forbidden romance, and that slow burn we all crave a little! It was nerve wrecking for me to start reading this book, as it is over 800 pages. But once I started, I truly couldn't stop. I had to keep reading! So hard to believe this is a debut novel. It was wonderfully, amazingly FANTASTIC! The story and the characters were so amazing that I found myself drawn to it until the last page. It has a unique magic system and fantasy but that isn’t just all it’s focused on. I can’t wait to see what else Mavi writes!
Lastly, make sure to check the trigger warnings before reading so you know what you’re getting into. Something’s aren’t for everyone.
I’m struggling to write this review because it was just so…..emotional, mysterious, forbidden romance, and that slow burn we all crave a little! It was nerve wrecking for me to start reading this book, as it is over 800 pages. But once I started, I truly couldn't stop. I had to keep reading! So hard to believe this is a debut novel. It was wonderfully, amazingly FANTASTIC! The story and the characters were so amazing that I found myself drawn to it until the last page. It has a unique magic system and fantasy but that isn’t just all it’s focused on. I can’t wait to see what else Mavi writes!
Lastly, make sure to check the trigger warnings before reading so you know what you’re getting into. Something’s aren’t for everyone.
August 24, 2025
5/5 stars. World building, plot, slow burn. Let me just say I cried like real tears. I was so wrapped up and emotionally attached to the characters. Also let me say I was SHOCKED! The characters were expertly written. You literally felt like you were battling and fighting along with them. The explanations of weapons and everything they do was so well done. It wasn’t over done but gave you just enough where you could emotionally attach yourself through it like you were going through training right along side them. There is trauma in spades on all sides. Please check the trigger warnings. Very low spice but mentions. This book was like nothing I have ever read before. Gods but not the focus. Magic also not the focus but tastes of it. I cannot wait for the next book to see where our FMC journey takes her. -Kerin Ray
August 20, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5 stars)
Thank you to NetGalley and author Mavi Parolin for the opportunity to read Gifted.
This is my honest review of the ARC I received and I truly appreciate it!
⚔️ Tropes & Themes:
- Enemies to lovers (kind of?)
- Slow burn romance
- Found family
- Military fantasy with detailed combat and political intrigue
- Closed-door romance (no explicit scenes)
- Fantasy with minimal magic (until the final 5% of the book)
- Unexpected betrayals and surprising friendships
✅ Reader Checklist:
Hate Boris and the other vile men? ✔️
Hate Hu for being a terrible general and his treatment of the FMC? ✔️
Cheer for the FMC in her battles? ✔️
Admire her strength and resilience? ✔️
FMC as a god’s chosen (sort of)? ✔️
Detailed weaponry and combat scenes? ✔️
Saving innocent women from cruel men? ✔️
Loathing Governor Courtenay? ✔️ (Why are the men in this book so awful? Sad. But hey, it’s military fantasy — maybe I shouldn’t have expected gentlemen... but still, one or two wouldn’t hurt, right?)
📚 Overall Impressions:
This book gave me Poppy War vibes but not in plot, in its tone. The military setting, the brutality, the emotional weight... it’s a mentally tough read. I’m not usually drawn to military fantasy, but Gifted pulled me in with its raw emotion and moments of lightness especially the FMC’s interactions with her friends. There’s a soul in this story, a passion from the author that’s felt on every page.
💭 My Live Reactions SPOILERS AHEAD!!!:
📝 My final thoughts:
As a debut, Gifted is a solid start. It could’ve been a 4-star read, but the ending lost me with its confusing magic system and relationship drama. I hope future books dive deeper into the fantasy elements and give us more adventure, less interpersonal squabbling.
If you’re into military fantasy with a strong female lead, emotional depth, and a slow burn romance , I think this one’s worth checking out.
Just don’t expect a lot of magic until the very end, and be ready for some heavy themes! <3
But I can see myself recommending that book for sure!
Waiting for sequels to come, since well, it's not the end and I need to know the fates of the characters!
Thank you to NetGalley and author Mavi Parolin for the opportunity to read Gifted.
This is my honest review of the ARC I received and I truly appreciate it!
⚔️ Tropes & Themes:
- Enemies to lovers (kind of?)
- Slow burn romance
- Found family
- Military fantasy with detailed combat and political intrigue
- Closed-door romance (no explicit scenes)
- Fantasy with minimal magic (until the final 5% of the book)
- Unexpected betrayals and surprising friendships
✅ Reader Checklist:
Hate Boris and the other vile men? ✔️
Hate Hu for being a terrible general and his treatment of the FMC? ✔️
Cheer for the FMC in her battles? ✔️
Admire her strength and resilience? ✔️
FMC as a god’s chosen (sort of)? ✔️
Detailed weaponry and combat scenes? ✔️
Saving innocent women from cruel men? ✔️
Loathing Governor Courtenay? ✔️ (Why are the men in this book so awful? Sad. But hey, it’s military fantasy — maybe I shouldn’t have expected gentlemen... but still, one or two wouldn’t hurt, right?)
📚 Overall Impressions:
This book gave me Poppy War vibes but not in plot, in its tone. The military setting, the brutality, the emotional weight... it’s a mentally tough read. I’m not usually drawn to military fantasy, but Gifted pulled me in with its raw emotion and moments of lightness especially the FMC’s interactions with her friends. There’s a soul in this story, a passion from the author that’s felt on every page.
💭 My Live Reactions SPOILERS AHEAD!!!:
📝 My final thoughts:
As a debut, Gifted is a solid start. It could’ve been a 4-star read, but the ending lost me with its confusing magic system and relationship drama. I hope future books dive deeper into the fantasy elements and give us more adventure, less interpersonal squabbling.
If you’re into military fantasy with a strong female lead, emotional depth, and a slow burn romance , I think this one’s worth checking out.
Just don’t expect a lot of magic until the very end, and be ready for some heavy themes! <3
But I can see myself recommending that book for sure!
Waiting for sequels to come, since well, it's not the end and I need to know the fates of the characters!
September 26, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC for this book.
My heart has been torn from my chest, stomped on, put back…. And I said thank you, I can’t wait for the next book.
The characters are fantastically flawed and real, with friendships being the star of the show. Plus a kick butt FMC who goes through a very moving personal journey. The life experiences she’d had made her feel older, which is appreciated as a reader in their 30’s.
I can already tell this will be a book I re-read, my mind keeps drifting back into the story.
My heart has been torn from my chest, stomped on, put back…. And I said thank you, I can’t wait for the next book.
The characters are fantastically flawed and real, with friendships being the star of the show. Plus a kick butt FMC who goes through a very moving personal journey. The life experiences she’d had made her feel older, which is appreciated as a reader in their 30’s.
I can already tell this will be a book I re-read, my mind keeps drifting back into the story.
August 21, 2025
4.5⭐️ I’m left devastated, and I know Gifted is going to be one of those books I think about for a long time. It follows Elaine Lyanthian, a hardened legionnaire shaped by a brutal army upbringing, who suddenly finds herself pulled into the elite Legion of Barrymore by an impossible twist of fate. There, she starts to find the family she never thought she deserved, along with a fierce, forbidden love and something even more powerful within herself.
This book had so much emotional depth, and it completely hooked me. It explores darker, deeper topics that many women face, and Elaine’s resilience in navigating them is truly inspiring. She carries her past and struggles with strength and vulnerability, making her journey feel real and emotionally charged. The found family felt authentic and genuine (I loved the side characters), and the slow-burn romance simmered perfectly without overtaking the story. And the MMC… let’s just say I am fully invested, he 100% grew on me and I need this slow burn not to fizzle out.
My only wish was for a little more clarity around the god lore. It would’ve made the ending land stronger, since the final moments wrapped up so suddenly they left me both confused and absolutely wrecked as everything was torn apart (IYKYK). You can feel the passion the author poured into this story, and even though the book doesn’t release until next week, I’m already counting down the days for the sequel.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review!
This book had so much emotional depth, and it completely hooked me. It explores darker, deeper topics that many women face, and Elaine’s resilience in navigating them is truly inspiring. She carries her past and struggles with strength and vulnerability, making her journey feel real and emotionally charged. The found family felt authentic and genuine (I loved the side characters), and the slow-burn romance simmered perfectly without overtaking the story. And the MMC… let’s just say I am fully invested, he 100% grew on me and I need this slow burn not to fizzle out.
My only wish was for a little more clarity around the god lore. It would’ve made the ending land stronger, since the final moments wrapped up so suddenly they left me both confused and absolutely wrecked as everything was torn apart (IYKYK). You can feel the passion the author poured into this story, and even though the book doesn’t release until next week, I’m already counting down the days for the sequel.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review!
October 11, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC! 3.5⭐️
The good
- The story was written in a compelling way. Once I muscled through the slow start, I didn’t want to put it down.
- I liked several of the side characters.
- There’s a giant black horse named Ferdinand, who naturally looks like a bull in my mind. And I’m sure the name Kimathi isn’t supposed to rhyme with Timothy, but it did when I read it.
- While I’ll have some complaints about other things below, I did think the trauma aspect was portrayed believably.
- I’ve seen some comments about a cliffhanger ending, which I normally have a strong dislike for, but I don’t think that’s what this was. The story isn’t over, but it ended at a natural break.
The bad
While this was a great story with high potential, there were several things that kept it from being a 5⭐️ read.
- First, it was far too long for the story that was told. 100s of pages too long. The dialog based info dumps and uneven pacing didn’t help.
- There were also very long training monologues that seemed completely unnecessary.
- The content warnings were not listed well. If it says ‘references or depictions of’ I think it should specify which type each warning is. For example, the sexual violence is graphic (adds nothing to the story) and there isn’t just ‘alcohol consumption’, there are multiple alcoholic characters. On the other hand, the profanity didn’t nearly reach the levels of the previous two. If warnings are included, do better.
- World building could have been richer. A lot of scenes were hard to picture and the magic system did not get much page time.
- The final act seemed like it belonged to a different book altogether.
I probably won’t read further in this series. I didn’t learn enough in book 1 to draw me into book 2 and while I liked several of the characters, I don’t need to know what happens next to any of them. If the book length matched the story it might have landed differently, but I enjoyed the read nonetheless.
The good
- The story was written in a compelling way. Once I muscled through the slow start, I didn’t want to put it down.
- I liked several of the side characters.
- There’s a giant black horse named Ferdinand, who naturally looks like a bull in my mind. And I’m sure the name Kimathi isn’t supposed to rhyme with Timothy, but it did when I read it.
- While I’ll have some complaints about other things below, I did think the trauma aspect was portrayed believably.
- I’ve seen some comments about a cliffhanger ending, which I normally have a strong dislike for, but I don’t think that’s what this was. The story isn’t over, but it ended at a natural break.
The bad
While this was a great story with high potential, there were several things that kept it from being a 5⭐️ read.
- First, it was far too long for the story that was told. 100s of pages too long. The dialog based info dumps and uneven pacing didn’t help.
- There were also very long training monologues that seemed completely unnecessary.
- The content warnings were not listed well. If it says ‘references or depictions of’ I think it should specify which type each warning is. For example, the sexual violence is graphic (adds nothing to the story) and there isn’t just ‘alcohol consumption’, there are multiple alcoholic characters. On the other hand, the profanity didn’t nearly reach the levels of the previous two. If warnings are included, do better.
- World building could have been richer. A lot of scenes were hard to picture and the magic system did not get much page time.
- The final act seemed like it belonged to a different book altogether.
I probably won’t read further in this series. I didn’t learn enough in book 1 to draw me into book 2 and while I liked several of the characters, I don’t need to know what happens next to any of them. If the book length matched the story it might have landed differently, but I enjoyed the read nonetheless.
August 24, 2025
⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars – Complex, addictive, slow-burn, found family, he falls first, and one very pine and rain-scented MMC. Elaine’s journey is absolutely impossible to put down.
Elaine has survived the army as one of the very few women, a toxic affair with her general and the bottom of more than one bottle. When she’s “gifted” by the Emperor to the thirty-strong legion of Governor Alexander Courtenay—a post that looks like a death sentence—her life takes a turn she didn’t ask for.
What follows is over 800 pages of slow-burn world-building: fights, military life, new comrades who (shockingly) aren’t vile, hours of grueling training, and a fragile but indomitable governor’s sister who teaches Elaine what unconditional love feels like. Add in an MMC who smells of pines and rain (yes, here we go again) and you have the beginnings of a found-family dynamic laced with rising tension.
But Elaine’s story is also about emotional damage. An assault triggers memories of old trauma, struggles with guilt and self-blame, and she experiences mysterious abilities—unnatural fast healing, night vision, battle-mode instincts—that hint at a prophecy of the old gods. Courtenay doesn’t help by keeping secrets, and when tragedy strikes, Elaine spirals into grief, distancing herself from everyone who cares for her.
By the end, I was left with far too many unanswered questions:
• Who are the entities warring in her mind and who is she exactly?
• What’s really going on with her magic?
• What game is the emperor playing, and why target Courtenay?
• Most important: will Elaine and Alexander reunite or will I suffer more emotional damage?
The verdict: Yes, it’s long. Yes, it’s slow. But it kept me up way into the early morning hours, which in my book is the ultimate badge of honor. Immersive, detailed, painful, romantic —I need the sequel, now.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for an honest opinion.
Elaine has survived the army as one of the very few women, a toxic affair with her general and the bottom of more than one bottle. When she’s “gifted” by the Emperor to the thirty-strong legion of Governor Alexander Courtenay—a post that looks like a death sentence—her life takes a turn she didn’t ask for.
What follows is over 800 pages of slow-burn world-building: fights, military life, new comrades who (shockingly) aren’t vile, hours of grueling training, and a fragile but indomitable governor’s sister who teaches Elaine what unconditional love feels like. Add in an MMC who smells of pines and rain (yes, here we go again) and you have the beginnings of a found-family dynamic laced with rising tension.
But Elaine’s story is also about emotional damage. An assault triggers memories of old trauma, struggles with guilt and self-blame, and she experiences mysterious abilities—unnatural fast healing, night vision, battle-mode instincts—that hint at a prophecy of the old gods. Courtenay doesn’t help by keeping secrets, and when tragedy strikes, Elaine spirals into grief, distancing herself from everyone who cares for her.
By the end, I was left with far too many unanswered questions:
• Who are the entities warring in her mind and who is she exactly?
• What’s really going on with her magic?
• What game is the emperor playing, and why target Courtenay?
• Most important: will Elaine and Alexander reunite or will I suffer more emotional damage?
The verdict: Yes, it’s long. Yes, it’s slow. But it kept me up way into the early morning hours, which in my book is the ultimate badge of honor. Immersive, detailed, painful, romantic —I need the sequel, now.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for an honest opinion.
December 31, 2025
71 books for 2025! Advance Reader Copy. I was extremely impressed by this book as it is a debut novel for the author. I was intimidated by the length, and the story started out somewhat slow. I was skeptical why so much time was spent in the beginning exploring the people surrounding Elaine in the army since the main story line was about her being sent away to Barrymore. These foundational relationships do become important to understanding the main character later on. Once the story got into the action, it moved quickly and I was invested in what was going to happen and the character development the main character goes through. This book was an emotional rollercoaster, and the writing allows the reader to feel it along with the characters.
This is a fantasy novel because there are miraculous events that hint towards the main character being favored by or connected to the gods. These powers are not prevalent throughout the entire storyline, and the book would have been enjoyable without these elements - due to interest in the physical training and evolving relationships between the characters. It feels like the author might not have been sure how much she wanted fantasty and magic to be involved in the story. The ending events felt kind of abrupt, making it clear the sequels that follow will dive deeper into the Gods of this world, and the fantasy element will become more prevalent that it was in this first book.
This is a fantasy novel because there are miraculous events that hint towards the main character being favored by or connected to the gods. These powers are not prevalent throughout the entire storyline, and the book would have been enjoyable without these elements - due to interest in the physical training and evolving relationships between the characters. It feels like the author might not have been sure how much she wanted fantasty and magic to be involved in the story. The ending events felt kind of abrupt, making it clear the sequels that follow will dive deeper into the Gods of this world, and the fantasy element will become more prevalent that it was in this first book.
did-not-finish
January 3, 2026Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read Gifted by Mavi Parolin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Unfortunately, this ended up being a DNF for me. The writing style didn’t quite grip my attention, and the long chapters made it harder to stay engaged 📖. I also struggled with the main character—while I understand she’s meant to be a deeply tortured soul who will eventually grow into something epic, her inner turmoil mostly gave me anxiety rather than curiosity. I never reached the point where I felt invested in her journey.
That said, I can still appreciate the intention behind the story and the effort that clearly went into building the character and her emotional arc. It just wasn’t the right fit for me at this time.
Would I recommend it?
Possibly—to readers who enjoy very introspective, emotionally heavy beginnings and are willing to push through a slower start for long-term character growth. While it wasn’t for me, I’m still grateful for the chance to read the eARC.
#Gifted #NetGalley
Unfortunately, this ended up being a DNF for me. The writing style didn’t quite grip my attention, and the long chapters made it harder to stay engaged 📖. I also struggled with the main character—while I understand she’s meant to be a deeply tortured soul who will eventually grow into something epic, her inner turmoil mostly gave me anxiety rather than curiosity. I never reached the point where I felt invested in her journey.
That said, I can still appreciate the intention behind the story and the effort that clearly went into building the character and her emotional arc. It just wasn’t the right fit for me at this time.
Would I recommend it?
Possibly—to readers who enjoy very introspective, emotionally heavy beginnings and are willing to push through a slower start for long-term character growth. While it wasn’t for me, I’m still grateful for the chance to read the eARC.
#Gifted #NetGalley
December 11, 2025
Thanks to the author, Mavi Parolin, and NetGalley for this free copy of Gifted. It’s a good book, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I could have.
December 26, 2025
This was an absolutely fantastic book. The banter, the found families, the action, the tension, the romance, the friendships, the drama, the heartbreak, all of it *chefs kiss*. I love how deeply the author goes into the FMC head so you can connect with her so well. My only complaint is that towards the middle and end there is A LOT of things that happen that could be skipped and you wouldn't miss anything. There are many conversations that happen that could have been shortened by about 100 pages. Either way, this is a must read. 5/5 If you like Fourth Wing and TOG, you need to read this.
October 7, 2025
I’m a huge fantasy fan, and I loved the fact that this book explores so many themes, ones that make you think and wonder.
Even though it brings elements like enemies to lovers, a military setup, and gods, common in other fantasy books, this story feels very original and is written in a way that shows how uniquely the author built this world.
I felt this book served as a presentation of the characters and their relationships, an introduction to the real story that’s yet to come.
The book is very descriptive of the FMC’s feelings, thoughts, and mind, making it easy to feel connected to her, especially after reading about what she went through.
BTW, even though some topics are heavy, the author did a great job of not turning these scenes into something that would haunt your dreams. They were described in a realistic and respectful way, focusing on the emotions and thoughts of a victim. It’s impossible not to feel compassion for the women and hatred toward the perpetrators.
Around the middle, the book slows down a bit, but the pace picks up again soon after, and it becomes hard to put down.
The part about the gods really starts toward the end, although there are some hints here and there. I love a book that makes me come up with theories about what’s going on.
The last 10% was very unexpected (not in a bad way, but definitely in a heartbreaking way haha), and I’m looking forward to the next book. I feel it will bring answers and focus more on the gods.
It was a great read!
Even though it brings elements like enemies to lovers, a military setup, and gods, common in other fantasy books, this story feels very original and is written in a way that shows how uniquely the author built this world.
I felt this book served as a presentation of the characters and their relationships, an introduction to the real story that’s yet to come.
The book is very descriptive of the FMC’s feelings, thoughts, and mind, making it easy to feel connected to her, especially after reading about what she went through.
BTW, even though some topics are heavy, the author did a great job of not turning these scenes into something that would haunt your dreams. They were described in a realistic and respectful way, focusing on the emotions and thoughts of a victim. It’s impossible not to feel compassion for the women and hatred toward the perpetrators.
Around the middle, the book slows down a bit, but the pace picks up again soon after, and it becomes hard to put down.
The part about the gods really starts toward the end, although there are some hints here and there. I love a book that makes me come up with theories about what’s going on.
The last 10% was very unexpected (not in a bad way, but definitely in a heartbreaking way haha), and I’m looking forward to the next book. I feel it will bring answers and focus more on the gods.
It was a great read!
December 3, 2025
I received an ARC of this book, and my review is based on that copy. The published work may differ from what I read.
I am going to preface this review by saying that while I did not enjoy this book, there will be people who will enjoy it. It’s an epic fantasy with a warrior main character who has experienced a lot of horrible things and is attempting to overcome what her life and the plot throw at her. There are interesting ideas presented, and the author attempts to explore big topics. The act of creating is brave and I appreciate that the author went for it.
On a positive note, I appreciated that the main character is often unlikeable. Her personality is very rough and at times grating. It made her more interesting. I kept getting glimpses of a compelling person underneath all of the excess, and I just wanted someone to take a weedwhacker to the prose so that I could meet that person. The side characters were also interesting, especially Michael and Otto and Ollie and their whole cadre. I was more interested in them and their stories than I was in the main character.
This book is nearly 850 pages long. There are very few books that can earn that kind of page count. Asking a reader to commit to that length requires a pay off that not many authors are capable of providing. In this case, the author’s ambition far outstripped her capabilities. We waste whole chapters on scenes that serve no purpose. The first love scene with the romantic interest is pages and pages and pages long. It was interminable to read. There is potentially a good book buried under the avalanche of words, but it would require stripping out roughly a third of the content. Aside from my issues with the length, the prose is clunky and unpolished. There are grammatical and spelling errors, as well as a tendency toward fragmentary sentences and info dumping.
The military element of the plot was messy and inconsistent. There’s a lot of handwaving going on. The command structure did not make sense, and characters behave with little to no respect for that structure. The consequences of bad behavior were dependent entirely on whether those consequences would serve to further the main character’s story. It was frustrating to read. The general worldbuilding is also confusing. I could not get a clear idea of how the world functioned. There are gods mentioned haphazardly, but without clarity or consistency. I also could not understand what sort of society we were supposed to be in. Is it medieval? Is it swords and sandals? Is it steam punk? It was very vague.
There are heavy topics in the story, all of which are given trigger warnings before the start of the book (which I appreciated!). I don’t mind dark content if it's written with complexity and skill and serves a purpose to either the story or the world. The darker elements here felt thrown in for the sake of it, without real consideration for how they would mesh with the larger plot. There is a lot of violence against women, and it’s not handled in any sort of thoughtful way. It’s used as short hand to torture the protagonist, or to tell the reader that we should stop liking a male character. I found it off putting and disturbing.
The characterizations of Sam and Alexander are wildly inconsistent. They present one picture of their character, and then do a complete 180 in the next scene. It gave me whiplash. I didn’t believe Sam’s transformation in particular. The turning point was so abrupt that it felt like being slapped in the face. He goes from being annoying but generally nice, to an absolutely horrible human being at the drop of a hat. There was no build up, no warning, and it felt like the author needed a reason to sell the main romance by removing the competition in a way that made him completely ineligible for consideration.
There were elements of the story that had potential and characters that could have been compelling. If this book got into the hands of a competent, ruthless editor, I think I would have a very different opinion than I ended up with. As it is, I cannot recommend this book.
I am going to preface this review by saying that while I did not enjoy this book, there will be people who will enjoy it. It’s an epic fantasy with a warrior main character who has experienced a lot of horrible things and is attempting to overcome what her life and the plot throw at her. There are interesting ideas presented, and the author attempts to explore big topics. The act of creating is brave and I appreciate that the author went for it.
On a positive note, I appreciated that the main character is often unlikeable. Her personality is very rough and at times grating. It made her more interesting. I kept getting glimpses of a compelling person underneath all of the excess, and I just wanted someone to take a weedwhacker to the prose so that I could meet that person. The side characters were also interesting, especially Michael and Otto and Ollie and their whole cadre. I was more interested in them and their stories than I was in the main character.
This book is nearly 850 pages long. There are very few books that can earn that kind of page count. Asking a reader to commit to that length requires a pay off that not many authors are capable of providing. In this case, the author’s ambition far outstripped her capabilities. We waste whole chapters on scenes that serve no purpose. The first love scene with the romantic interest is pages and pages and pages long. It was interminable to read. There is potentially a good book buried under the avalanche of words, but it would require stripping out roughly a third of the content. Aside from my issues with the length, the prose is clunky and unpolished. There are grammatical and spelling errors, as well as a tendency toward fragmentary sentences and info dumping.
The military element of the plot was messy and inconsistent. There’s a lot of handwaving going on. The command structure did not make sense, and characters behave with little to no respect for that structure. The consequences of bad behavior were dependent entirely on whether those consequences would serve to further the main character’s story. It was frustrating to read. The general worldbuilding is also confusing. I could not get a clear idea of how the world functioned. There are gods mentioned haphazardly, but without clarity or consistency. I also could not understand what sort of society we were supposed to be in. Is it medieval? Is it swords and sandals? Is it steam punk? It was very vague.
There are heavy topics in the story, all of which are given trigger warnings before the start of the book (which I appreciated!). I don’t mind dark content if it's written with complexity and skill and serves a purpose to either the story or the world. The darker elements here felt thrown in for the sake of it, without real consideration for how they would mesh with the larger plot. There is a lot of violence against women, and it’s not handled in any sort of thoughtful way. It’s used as short hand to torture the protagonist, or to tell the reader that we should stop liking a male character. I found it off putting and disturbing.
The characterizations of Sam and Alexander are wildly inconsistent. They present one picture of their character, and then do a complete 180 in the next scene. It gave me whiplash. I didn’t believe Sam’s transformation in particular. The turning point was so abrupt that it felt like being slapped in the face. He goes from being annoying but generally nice, to an absolutely horrible human being at the drop of a hat. There was no build up, no warning, and it felt like the author needed a reason to sell the main romance by removing the competition in a way that made him completely ineligible for consideration.
There were elements of the story that had potential and characters that could have been compelling. If this book got into the hands of a competent, ruthless editor, I think I would have a very different opinion than I ended up with. As it is, I cannot recommend this book.
December 16, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and author Mavi Parolin for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. I’m so glad I got to read it. 💖
⁂⋆⁺⋆ ⸼ ⁂⁂⋆⁺⋆ ⸼ ⁂⁂⋆⁺⋆ ⸼ ⁂
🌙 Review: Gifted (Gifted Series Book 1): A fantasy romance novel about discovering love, courage, and forging a family by Mavi Parolin
𓍊𓋼𓍊 5 ☆
🗡 Update (12/16/25)
❥๑━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━๑❥
Contemporary fantasy literature is vast, but few titles manage to anchor the grandeur of their world in such a raw and detailed introspection of their protagonist as Gifted, the debut novel by Mavi Parolin.
Here, we do not find the classic "chosen one" who is perfect, illuminated, and morally impeccable. Elaine is flawed, impulsive, burdened by trauma, and, above all, human. Her journey is much more about emotional and moral growth than about external powers or conquests—and that makes all the difference.
A Pace That Demands Patience (and Rewards It)
One of the most notable features of this book is, undoubtedly, the narrative pace. The author consciously chooses not to rush, not to skip steps, and not to accelerate the protagonist's development. Yes, the first 20% might give the feeling that the story is still "warming up the engine." But trust me: it is worth persisting.
When the plot finally kicks in, Gifted transforms into an engaging, dense, and emotionally charged read. The slow narrative time is, in fact, an essential part of Elaine's construction. Every decision, every mistake, and every consequence needs that space to gain meaning.
Elaine: To Err, To Lose, and To Survive
The book's greatest success is Elaine. Following her trajectory—especially her downfalls—is both painful and fascinating. It is a rollercoaster of emotions that can make you laugh and cry in the same chapter.
Elaine evolves not just in power, but in consciousness. Her strength is born from suffering, regret, and the need to rebuild herself after choices that pushed her to the limit. It is impossible not to become emotionally invested in this journey of self-discovery.
Romance in the Right Place
The romance with Alexander Courtenay exists; it is intense and meaningful—but it never swallows the narrative. And that is a relief. Alex is not the center of Elaine's life; he is part of her path, a support, an important fragment... but not the axis of the story.
The priority remains Elaine: her identity, her power, and her confrontation with something much greater than any relationship: gods, prophecies, and the very control over who she is becoming.
The Only Potential Snag
If there is one aspect that might slightly break the rhythm for some readers, it is the detailed descriptions of the military training and routines. They make sense within the narrative's scope—showing discipline, effort, and evolution—but at certain moments, they might feel too long, especially for those who prefer more interaction or direct plot advancement. It is nothing that compromises the overall reading experience, but it is a valid observation.
Final Verdict
Gifted is a fantasy novel strongly character-driven. It is not about reaching the end—it is about transforming in the process. The book delivers a complex protagonist, a well-built world, and an ending that does not close doors but throws them wide open.
It is a read for those who enjoy stories that hurt a little, demand patience, and reward with emotional depth. A very promising start to a series that clearly has much more to tell.
I eagerly await the continuations.
⁂⋆⁺⋆ ⸼ ⁂⁂⋆⁺⋆ ⸼ ⁂⁂⋆⁺⋆ ⸼ ⁂
🌙 Review: Gifted (Gifted Series Book 1): A fantasy romance novel about discovering love, courage, and forging a family by Mavi Parolin
𓍊𓋼𓍊 5 ☆
🗡 Update (12/16/25)
❥๑━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━๑❥
Contemporary fantasy literature is vast, but few titles manage to anchor the grandeur of their world in such a raw and detailed introspection of their protagonist as Gifted, the debut novel by Mavi Parolin.
Here, we do not find the classic "chosen one" who is perfect, illuminated, and morally impeccable. Elaine is flawed, impulsive, burdened by trauma, and, above all, human. Her journey is much more about emotional and moral growth than about external powers or conquests—and that makes all the difference.
A Pace That Demands Patience (and Rewards It)
One of the most notable features of this book is, undoubtedly, the narrative pace. The author consciously chooses not to rush, not to skip steps, and not to accelerate the protagonist's development. Yes, the first 20% might give the feeling that the story is still "warming up the engine." But trust me: it is worth persisting.
When the plot finally kicks in, Gifted transforms into an engaging, dense, and emotionally charged read. The slow narrative time is, in fact, an essential part of Elaine's construction. Every decision, every mistake, and every consequence needs that space to gain meaning.
Elaine: To Err, To Lose, and To Survive
The book's greatest success is Elaine. Following her trajectory—especially her downfalls—is both painful and fascinating. It is a rollercoaster of emotions that can make you laugh and cry in the same chapter.
Elaine evolves not just in power, but in consciousness. Her strength is born from suffering, regret, and the need to rebuild herself after choices that pushed her to the limit. It is impossible not to become emotionally invested in this journey of self-discovery.
Romance in the Right Place
The romance with Alexander Courtenay exists; it is intense and meaningful—but it never swallows the narrative. And that is a relief. Alex is not the center of Elaine's life; he is part of her path, a support, an important fragment... but not the axis of the story.
The priority remains Elaine: her identity, her power, and her confrontation with something much greater than any relationship: gods, prophecies, and the very control over who she is becoming.
The Only Potential Snag
If there is one aspect that might slightly break the rhythm for some readers, it is the detailed descriptions of the military training and routines. They make sense within the narrative's scope—showing discipline, effort, and evolution—but at certain moments, they might feel too long, especially for those who prefer more interaction or direct plot advancement. It is nothing that compromises the overall reading experience, but it is a valid observation.
Final Verdict
Gifted is a fantasy novel strongly character-driven. It is not about reaching the end—it is about transforming in the process. The book delivers a complex protagonist, a well-built world, and an ending that does not close doors but throws them wide open.
It is a read for those who enjoy stories that hurt a little, demand patience, and reward with emotional depth. A very promising start to a series that clearly has much more to tell.
I eagerly await the continuations.
September 11, 2025
4.75 ⭐
This book is a chonker, but oh so worth it. Easily one of my favorite reads of the year — and it’s a debut?! I’ll be thinking about this one for a while.
I was completely hooked on the story and characters. Not gonna lie, I shed a few tears. It’s a tale of resilience, grief, family, and finding your inner strength. Normally with romantasy, I lean hard into the romance, but here I was equally invested in the world-building, the relationships, and the mystery: why the gods’ history was erased, the shady Empire, and how it all ties back to Elaine.
Lizzy:
She's such a firecracker and a known meddler. She drives Elaine crazy in that annoying-but-sisterly way, but their bond is so pure. She just wants Elaine and her brother to see what they are too blind to notice. Both have known loneliness, and watching them find family in each other was beautiful.
"War Band":
A group of characters Elaine befriends when she joins the Legion. I loved seeing how different they were from each other and how Elaine was able to navigate their distinct personalities. I especially loved her friendship with Michael — their banter and sibling dynamic had me smiling every time.
Elaine:
Initially, Elaine is living a stagnant routine. After everything she's been through, she wants to be in the background while still trying to learn to fight and get stronger. She slowly transforms into this badass, resilient FMC. She’s always relied on herself, but once she finds people worth fighting for, she finally opens up and learns to trust. I adored her growth.
Alexander:
He's not your typical alphahole leader. He has the respect and loyalty of his soldiers and runs one of the most successful Legions in the Empire. He has a grouchy exterior, but is a softie for his sister and Elaine.
And Elaine + Alexander? Perfection. The yearning, the slow burn — chef’s kiss. Their love isn't just superficial. They love and respect who they are as a person. Although they both have their flaws, they see it more as a strength. Also, watching Alex wanting to take things slow and Elaine reluctantly respecting his wishes was funny to see since it's usually the reverse. That said, with a book this long, I kind of wished they’d gotten together a little sooner, just so we could see them happy for longer before the storm hit.
The ending left me desperate for book two. Elaine and Alex have been through so much, and I need to see them get their HEA. Also, who is Elaine really, and what do the gods want with her? I need answers ASAP!
Thank you NetGalley and Mavi Parolin for the ARC.
This book is a chonker, but oh so worth it. Easily one of my favorite reads of the year — and it’s a debut?! I’ll be thinking about this one for a while.
I was completely hooked on the story and characters. Not gonna lie, I shed a few tears. It’s a tale of resilience, grief, family, and finding your inner strength. Normally with romantasy, I lean hard into the romance, but here I was equally invested in the world-building, the relationships, and the mystery: why the gods’ history was erased, the shady Empire, and how it all ties back to Elaine.
Lizzy:
She's such a firecracker and a known meddler. She drives Elaine crazy in that annoying-but-sisterly way, but their bond is so pure. She just wants Elaine and her brother to see what they are too blind to notice. Both have known loneliness, and watching them find family in each other was beautiful.
"War Band":
A group of characters Elaine befriends when she joins the Legion. I loved seeing how different they were from each other and how Elaine was able to navigate their distinct personalities. I especially loved her friendship with Michael — their banter and sibling dynamic had me smiling every time.
Elaine:
Initially, Elaine is living a stagnant routine. After everything she's been through, she wants to be in the background while still trying to learn to fight and get stronger. She slowly transforms into this badass, resilient FMC. She’s always relied on herself, but once she finds people worth fighting for, she finally opens up and learns to trust. I adored her growth.
Alexander:
He's not your typical alphahole leader. He has the respect and loyalty of his soldiers and runs one of the most successful Legions in the Empire. He has a grouchy exterior, but is a softie for his sister and Elaine.
And Elaine + Alexander? Perfection. The yearning, the slow burn — chef’s kiss. Their love isn't just superficial. They love and respect who they are as a person. Although they both have their flaws, they see it more as a strength. Also, watching Alex wanting to take things slow and Elaine reluctantly respecting his wishes was funny to see since it's usually the reverse. That said, with a book this long, I kind of wished they’d gotten together a little sooner, just so we could see them happy for longer before the storm hit.
The ending left me desperate for book two. Elaine and Alex have been through so much, and I need to see them get their HEA. Also, who is Elaine really, and what do the gods want with her? I need answers ASAP!
Thank you NetGalley and Mavi Parolin for the ARC.
October 14, 2025
I just got around to reading this and wowza was I not expecting any of that. I’m intrigued to see what the next book has in store cause I fear for Elaine.
But to get back to this story, I honestly loved the different dynamics in it. The rivals to lovers trope has got me smitten. I love some good tension between love interests.
I also like found families, they warm my long dead heart. Also I loved her love for that damn horse. I loved the horse myself. I want a stubborn loveable horse of my own please and thank you.
Now what really got me was that Mr dude man from the beginning has control of her and thats fucked up. I wasn’t expecting that with how he was calling her his queen at the beginning but then how he’s treating her like a fucking pawn … no bueno. Clearly he’s evil and up to no good. But I’m concerned with him thinking she’s his queen. Also what is she becoming? A goddess? A Demi goddess? I need to know more asap rocky.
Anyway if you haven’t read this and are thinking about it I suggest you take that leap into the unknown cause I’m pretty sure this series will become more epic as it goes along and you truly don’t want to miss out.
But to get back to this story, I honestly loved the different dynamics in it. The rivals to lovers trope has got me smitten. I love some good tension between love interests.
I also like found families, they warm my long dead heart. Also I loved her love for that damn horse. I loved the horse myself. I want a stubborn loveable horse of my own please and thank you.
Now what really got me was that Mr dude man from the beginning has control of her and thats fucked up. I wasn’t expecting that with how he was calling her his queen at the beginning but then how he’s treating her like a fucking pawn … no bueno. Clearly he’s evil and up to no good. But I’m concerned with him thinking she’s his queen. Also what is she becoming? A goddess? A Demi goddess? I need to know more asap rocky.
Anyway if you haven’t read this and are thinking about it I suggest you take that leap into the unknown cause I’m pretty sure this series will become more epic as it goes along and you truly don’t want to miss out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2025
Oh my stars I DEVOURED this book!!
There was so much packed into it and yet the pacing and layout of the story was so on point. it didn't skip over important details creating plot holes, nor did it seem to drag on.
The character development is a lot stronger than the world building (so far anyways) and the author has managed to walk the line of "predictability" and "Believability" perfectly. I couldn't peg the outcomes as I normally can. even as I hit the 80% mark in the book I still hadn't deciphered how it would all play out. I love that. I also love how much I cared for the characters, and how much Elaine, our super complex FMC felt about each of them as well.
The voice in this story is a strong warrior FMC who is finding her place and her people, with undertones of surviving sexism and assault. It's written in beautifully and respectfully. and I have to give a nod in this review for it.
There is a lot of slow burn, yearning, and tension in the second half but as far as spice goes it's very tame. There's also a bit of a cauldron going on with other tropes. we have enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, friends to enemies, enemies to friends. Then we have magic. Sort of? we have wars, duty, sacrifice, tested loyalties, etc.
This is probably my top pick of the year so far to read. I will 1000/10 recommend and will be yearning worse than Sam was, to read the next one.
Thank you so much #netgalley for the arc read!
There was so much packed into it and yet the pacing and layout of the story was so on point. it didn't skip over important details creating plot holes, nor did it seem to drag on.
The character development is a lot stronger than the world building (so far anyways) and the author has managed to walk the line of "predictability" and "Believability" perfectly. I couldn't peg the outcomes as I normally can. even as I hit the 80% mark in the book I still hadn't deciphered how it would all play out. I love that. I also love how much I cared for the characters, and how much Elaine, our super complex FMC felt about each of them as well.
The voice in this story is a strong warrior FMC who is finding her place and her people, with undertones of surviving sexism and assault. It's written in beautifully and respectfully. and I have to give a nod in this review for it.
There is a lot of slow burn, yearning, and tension in the second half but as far as spice goes it's very tame. There's also a bit of a cauldron going on with other tropes. we have enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, friends to enemies, enemies to friends. Then we have magic. Sort of? we have wars, duty, sacrifice, tested loyalties, etc.
This is probably my top pick of the year so far to read. I will 1000/10 recommend and will be yearning worse than Sam was, to read the next one.
Thank you so much #netgalley for the arc read!
September 4, 2025
Where to even begin. This was absolutely fantastic like not even for a debut novel just in general it was fantastic. I loved Elaine so much and her growth as a character was incredible. Elaine is an extremely flawed character but that's one of the reasons I liked her so much, she was so relatable to me even though I haven't gone through nearly the same kinds of things she has she's just so human. Even though this is def a romantasy, there weren't a ton of fantasy elements in this book but I can tell book 2 will be chock full of them and I cannot wait. I loved Elaine's relationship with Lizzie, it was so fun and real and raw and just everything you want in female friendship found family. This book was 849 pages long but I would have gladly read another 500 pages of it to have more of the story now. This is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year and I can't wait to see where the story goes from here. Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.
September 16, 2025
★★★★★ || @corriature on IG
Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
In my top 10 Romantasy already, and it’s only book 1. A girl carrying a large burden, and a significant amount of trauma has to fight her way through a very, very misogynistic world for the same chance at success in the army as all the men. As an orphan, it’s her only hope for a life at all. A problem with authority, hot superior officers, and weird magic flowing through her veins means she faces challenges each and every day. What is fate trying to prove?
Please, please can I have book 2? Let me beta read??
•forbidden romance
•magic & deities
•slow burn & yearning
•hate-to-love
•found family
•trauma/healing
•strong fmc
Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
In my top 10 Romantasy already, and it’s only book 1. A girl carrying a large burden, and a significant amount of trauma has to fight her way through a very, very misogynistic world for the same chance at success in the army as all the men. As an orphan, it’s her only hope for a life at all. A problem with authority, hot superior officers, and weird magic flowing through her veins means she faces challenges each and every day. What is fate trying to prove?
Please, please can I have book 2? Let me beta read??
•forbidden romance
•magic & deities
•slow burn & yearning
•hate-to-love
•found family
•trauma/healing
•strong fmc
September 22, 2025
WOW! Absolutely fantastic!!! And to think its a debut novel - congratulations, truly! Unputdownable from the very beginning with amazing characters and a plot so well written that I was drawn in from page 1!! Can’t wait for the next book!
September 23, 2025
I don't really feel this review needs a spoiler warning, but there may be things that could be considered spoiler-ish, so I am giving that warning here.
Wow... just wow. I have read many five star romantasy books this year. I was beginning to question my rating scale by going with "feels" and how well it kept my attention. There were a lot of good books this year, especially in romantasy. Gifted blows them all out of the water. That is not to say the other books still aren't great and I don't want to take anything away from them. But, Gifted was just everything I maybe didn't know I needed?
I would never believe that Mavi Parolin was a debut author. The world building was top notch, I never felt taken out the story, I was invested from the start.
Elaine... oh, my Elaine. I fell in love with Elaine. Her pain, her strength, her endurance, her guardedness. At the beginning, you see this loner who longs to just get by, not be bothered. After giving herself and her heart to her commander to be let down, she closed herself off. An orphan, alone, thinking its best. Never having or feeling she has a place to call home. I had this feeling right away that I wanted her protected at all costs. Every hand she had been dealt was crap. Her life was not her own and she was basically a pawn to be traded as a "Gift" to a well known governor known to possibly be cruel, to an elite military force that she didn't understand why she was chosen.
Elaine's growth is so beautiful and heart-wrenching to watch. To see her gain friends, a home, a family, strength, love, acceptance. It is just beyond. Her story is so worthy of reading by everyone. Will women gravitate to her and understand her more? Sure, but, I think men could really enjoy this story and see what women in positions that are held by mostly men, deal with in every field, in every world. Elaine is just everything to me. She has been through hell over and over again. The author has written her so well, you cannot help but love and adore and want to hold her and keep her safe. I could write my own novel about my love for Elaine, so let me stop there.
Alex, so damn near perfect Alex. Grief, fear, misunderstanding, confusion, and just loving someone with trauma and trying his best. Not always perfect, but close. He never hid his feelings, his affection, his care. Even when it hurt, even when his grief overpowered his emotions, he was at least honest. I have my worries for him going into the second book, we will just have to wait and see what happens... how long do we have to wait, lol...
Lizzie, sweet, wonderful, smart, witty, cunning, Lizzie. This girl cracked open Elaine after Grace pricked a pinhole for her to find. Lizzie was light, love, laughter, family for Elaine. So many of their interactions stole my heart, made me smile, made me laugh, made me cringe for Elaine! Just pure innocence and love.
So many side characters deserve their own recognition. There were many and yet each had their own personalities, you didn't get confused, they each had their own stories, even if we didn't know them. Truly spectacular writing to make me care for them all.
Agatha, someone Elaine needed so badly, who came in at just the right time. I adore her. I know we will get her story at some point and I look forward to it.
Michael, love love love, a true friend, a true confidant. His and Elaine's friendship is so beautiful and grew to be such a loving relationship.
The rest of the war gang, Otto, Li, Vincent, Ollie, each with their own relationship with Elaine, some not as fleshed out as others, but they would all fight by her side no matter what. They would come when she called. I loved how she helped Ollie, and then Otto and Ollie's relationship growing. I loved the teasing from Vincent to bring some lightheartedness. I think they were all a little in love with Elaine.
Hu... yes, I am including him. I think Hu knew something. He knew she was destined for more than him, the army, her place. I don't know if we will ever see why he did what he did, but I think he was drawn to her just like everyone else, but was stronger by letting her go. Or maybe I am just giving him too much credit.
Sam, I knew something was up with him. I wasn't surprised by most of what happened. There was something that definitely threw me off. Will he or was he starting to redeem himself? I don't know. But, I do know his mom is a raging b.
There are more characters that deserve to be mentioned, but I could go on and on, so I choose to stop there.
There are, what I feel to be, hints throughout the story. Little times that Elaine thinks something or feels something, or something strange happens that is unexplainable. It ties together so well with the "reveal", that's in quotes because we don't have any real answers at the end of book 1. I am in dire need for book 2... like my goal until book 2 comes out is to get book 1 printed some way. I need to have a physical manifestation of this book, no question, no ifs, ands or buts. I need it. Sorry, losing my direction here.
This book takes you on an emotional rollercoaster and you will keep asking for more. I cried more times than I can count. The yearning is top notch, the longing, the need, the adoration... more, more, more (imagine the Kylo Ren meme).
Elaine and Alex's journey is filled with so many roadblocks, so much pain, so much yearning, so much love.
***Spoiler-ish stuff here***
Some of my highlights (and I had a metric TON of them):
For the setting I kept expecting some olde world language like "ye"s, but that was not present. That was my first note lol. Not an issue I just laughed at myself for noticing it.
First sign of something more going on: a "similar place flashed through my mind, but I couldn't place it or hold on to it for more than a passing second before it faded away" my note: a memory perhaps of where she comes from?
Finding a place to call home: "everything about this place made me want to experience a different life" note: having heard Elaine talk about never feeling home anywhere, this response to Barrymore is hopefully foreshadowing that she's found her home.
She talked about the fire at the orphanage, my note: Unknown magic possibly? Is this why the med worked?
I highlighted a passage of a story Sybil told about the sun god, and I questioned if Elaine may be a daughter or granddaughter or some descendant of a god?
She also talked about how she began to care about the men on her tier, and started to make connections and build trust. How she started to be truly happy.
Signs the gods had her:
"But, suddenly it wasn't all dark at all"
"After awhile, the air around us warmed up a bit, though I didn't have a single logical explanation for that phenomenon either"
"It was probably a combination of the adrenaline and my new training, I told myself. There was no point in overthinking it"
"What the hell do the gods have to do with this?"
"Elaine, your body is connected to the Mother"
"It was a longshot but whatever lineage I came from was more prone to herbal medicines. I had no way of knowing, since my parents were long gone and finding them was a futile quest that I had given up a long time ago, It would be easier to find a god and ask them directly than to trace back my origins. It wasn't like there was even documentation proving I even existed until I got the orphanage"
"I had been born around the same time religion had been destroyed"
"Most of my childhood issues could only be settled with the gods, and it wasn't like they gave a shit anyway"
"The emperor thinks he's the last child of the sun god."
"Once upon a time, there was a land which had grown from the love between a goddess and a human man"
Like I said, to many highlights and notes, I haven't even begun on interactions between Elaine and Alex, Elaine and Lizzie, Elaine and her band, Elaine and the masters and commanders.
I haven't even touched on the trauma and PTSD. You will want to protect Elaine at all costs. I am telling you, this woman is everything.
The latter 20-30% of the book had me in tears and yearning back and forth, over and over again.
I cannot tell people enough to read this book.
***End of Spoiler-ish Stuff***
Ratings:
Overall: this book is greater than a five star rating. I cannot scale it against other books because it's on a level all it's own.
FMC: again, Elaine, is beyond a five star rating for me. I love her to the ends of the earth.
MMC: Alex... boy, you were so so close. He is a 4.9, for one lie that was unacceptable.
Spice: OK, technically no "spice" there are intense make-outs that are descriptive but I would consider fine for a 16 year old to read. I don't know what will come in future books. So, I will rate the yearning... and boy could these two YEEEEAAAAARRRRRRNNNN. A+ yearning and desire and want and love.
Read this book.
WHEN it gets printed, buy it. This author deserves all the support. And from her author's note, so does her Dad, so thank you Mavi Parolin's Dad!
Thank you NetGalley and Mavi Parolin for supplying me with a copy of Gifted for my honest review.
Wow... just wow. I have read many five star romantasy books this year. I was beginning to question my rating scale by going with "feels" and how well it kept my attention. There were a lot of good books this year, especially in romantasy. Gifted blows them all out of the water. That is not to say the other books still aren't great and I don't want to take anything away from them. But, Gifted was just everything I maybe didn't know I needed?
I would never believe that Mavi Parolin was a debut author. The world building was top notch, I never felt taken out the story, I was invested from the start.
Elaine... oh, my Elaine. I fell in love with Elaine. Her pain, her strength, her endurance, her guardedness. At the beginning, you see this loner who longs to just get by, not be bothered. After giving herself and her heart to her commander to be let down, she closed herself off. An orphan, alone, thinking its best. Never having or feeling she has a place to call home. I had this feeling right away that I wanted her protected at all costs. Every hand she had been dealt was crap. Her life was not her own and she was basically a pawn to be traded as a "Gift" to a well known governor known to possibly be cruel, to an elite military force that she didn't understand why she was chosen.
Elaine's growth is so beautiful and heart-wrenching to watch. To see her gain friends, a home, a family, strength, love, acceptance. It is just beyond. Her story is so worthy of reading by everyone. Will women gravitate to her and understand her more? Sure, but, I think men could really enjoy this story and see what women in positions that are held by mostly men, deal with in every field, in every world. Elaine is just everything to me. She has been through hell over and over again. The author has written her so well, you cannot help but love and adore and want to hold her and keep her safe. I could write my own novel about my love for Elaine, so let me stop there.
Alex, so damn near perfect Alex. Grief, fear, misunderstanding, confusion, and just loving someone with trauma and trying his best. Not always perfect, but close. He never hid his feelings, his affection, his care. Even when it hurt, even when his grief overpowered his emotions, he was at least honest. I have my worries for him going into the second book, we will just have to wait and see what happens... how long do we have to wait, lol...
Lizzie, sweet, wonderful, smart, witty, cunning, Lizzie. This girl cracked open Elaine after Grace pricked a pinhole for her to find. Lizzie was light, love, laughter, family for Elaine. So many of their interactions stole my heart, made me smile, made me laugh, made me cringe for Elaine! Just pure innocence and love.
So many side characters deserve their own recognition. There were many and yet each had their own personalities, you didn't get confused, they each had their own stories, even if we didn't know them. Truly spectacular writing to make me care for them all.
Agatha, someone Elaine needed so badly, who came in at just the right time. I adore her. I know we will get her story at some point and I look forward to it.
Michael, love love love, a true friend, a true confidant. His and Elaine's friendship is so beautiful and grew to be such a loving relationship.
The rest of the war gang, Otto, Li, Vincent, Ollie, each with their own relationship with Elaine, some not as fleshed out as others, but they would all fight by her side no matter what. They would come when she called. I loved how she helped Ollie, and then Otto and Ollie's relationship growing. I loved the teasing from Vincent to bring some lightheartedness. I think they were all a little in love with Elaine.
Hu... yes, I am including him. I think Hu knew something. He knew she was destined for more than him, the army, her place. I don't know if we will ever see why he did what he did, but I think he was drawn to her just like everyone else, but was stronger by letting her go. Or maybe I am just giving him too much credit.
Sam, I knew something was up with him. I wasn't surprised by most of what happened. There was something that definitely threw me off. Will he or was he starting to redeem himself? I don't know. But, I do know his mom is a raging b.
There are more characters that deserve to be mentioned, but I could go on and on, so I choose to stop there.
There are, what I feel to be, hints throughout the story. Little times that Elaine thinks something or feels something, or something strange happens that is unexplainable. It ties together so well with the "reveal", that's in quotes because we don't have any real answers at the end of book 1. I am in dire need for book 2... like my goal until book 2 comes out is to get book 1 printed some way. I need to have a physical manifestation of this book, no question, no ifs, ands or buts. I need it. Sorry, losing my direction here.
This book takes you on an emotional rollercoaster and you will keep asking for more. I cried more times than I can count. The yearning is top notch, the longing, the need, the adoration... more, more, more (imagine the Kylo Ren meme).
Elaine and Alex's journey is filled with so many roadblocks, so much pain, so much yearning, so much love.
***Spoiler-ish stuff here***
Some of my highlights (and I had a metric TON of them):
For the setting I kept expecting some olde world language like "ye"s, but that was not present. That was my first note lol. Not an issue I just laughed at myself for noticing it.
First sign of something more going on: a "similar place flashed through my mind, but I couldn't place it or hold on to it for more than a passing second before it faded away" my note: a memory perhaps of where she comes from?
Finding a place to call home: "everything about this place made me want to experience a different life" note: having heard Elaine talk about never feeling home anywhere, this response to Barrymore is hopefully foreshadowing that she's found her home.
She talked about the fire at the orphanage, my note: Unknown magic possibly? Is this why the med worked?
I highlighted a passage of a story Sybil told about the sun god, and I questioned if Elaine may be a daughter or granddaughter or some descendant of a god?
She also talked about how she began to care about the men on her tier, and started to make connections and build trust. How she started to be truly happy.
Signs the gods had her:
"But, suddenly it wasn't all dark at all"
"After awhile, the air around us warmed up a bit, though I didn't have a single logical explanation for that phenomenon either"
"It was probably a combination of the adrenaline and my new training, I told myself. There was no point in overthinking it"
"What the hell do the gods have to do with this?"
"Elaine, your body is connected to the Mother"
"It was a longshot but whatever lineage I came from was more prone to herbal medicines. I had no way of knowing, since my parents were long gone and finding them was a futile quest that I had given up a long time ago, It would be easier to find a god and ask them directly than to trace back my origins. It wasn't like there was even documentation proving I even existed until I got the orphanage"
"I had been born around the same time religion had been destroyed"
"Most of my childhood issues could only be settled with the gods, and it wasn't like they gave a shit anyway"
"The emperor thinks he's the last child of the sun god."
"Once upon a time, there was a land which had grown from the love between a goddess and a human man"
Like I said, to many highlights and notes, I haven't even begun on interactions between Elaine and Alex, Elaine and Lizzie, Elaine and her band, Elaine and the masters and commanders.
I haven't even touched on the trauma and PTSD. You will want to protect Elaine at all costs. I am telling you, this woman is everything.
The latter 20-30% of the book had me in tears and yearning back and forth, over and over again.
I cannot tell people enough to read this book.
***End of Spoiler-ish Stuff***
Ratings:
Overall: this book is greater than a five star rating. I cannot scale it against other books because it's on a level all it's own.
FMC: again, Elaine, is beyond a five star rating for me. I love her to the ends of the earth.
MMC: Alex... boy, you were so so close. He is a 4.9, for one lie that was unacceptable.
Spice: OK, technically no "spice" there are intense make-outs that are descriptive but I would consider fine for a 16 year old to read. I don't know what will come in future books. So, I will rate the yearning... and boy could these two YEEEEAAAAARRRRRRNNNN. A+ yearning and desire and want and love.
Read this book.
WHEN it gets printed, buy it. This author deserves all the support. And from her author's note, so does her Dad, so thank you Mavi Parolin's Dad!
Thank you NetGalley and Mavi Parolin for supplying me with a copy of Gifted for my honest review.
October 27, 2025
3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 | 0.5 🌶️ (slow burn)
Gifted by Mavi Parolin is an impressive debut — long, ambitious, and undeniably atmospheric and introspective — but one that, for me, struggled to keep its balance between realism and fantasy, as well as with the overall pacing. I wanted to love this story, and it was presented as a romantasy. However, being a reader more drawn to emotional connection, this read did not resonate with me, and perhaps I simply wasn’t the best fit for the intended audience.
Set within the Governor’s legion, we follow the story of 24-year-old legionnaire Elaine Lyanthian, an orphan who earned her place among the Emperor’s soldiers from the age of twelve. As part of an ancient custom (The Tithe Festival), she is “gifted” to Governor Alexander Courtenaye to serve within his elite legion. What unfolds is a slow, introspective journey through loyalty, loss, and power — though, to my surprise, the magical aspect of this romantasy only appears in the final chapters.
I truly appreciated the camaraderie within the legion and the author’s dedication to detail in depicting the daily life of soldiers — the ranks, training sessions, discipline, and emotional struggles. However, these same details sometimes overwhelmed the story, stretching scenes that didn’t move the plot forward and delaying the true emotional and fantastical core.
While the writing style is elegant and immersive, it felt overly dense, with a pace that made the 800+ pages feel much longer than necessary. The romance between Elaine and Alexander had potential — a stoic governor and his gifted soldier — but the slow burn might have been a bit too slow for me (ending in frustration), and it leaned heavily on tropes I personally struggle to connect with: the superior/subordinate dynamic, the constant push-and-pull, and the unresolved ending.
The magic system, teased throughout the book, only reveals itself in the final chapters — a powerful moment, but too brief in my opinion. I’m sure this will be developed in Book 2, and I’ll probably continue the series as I’m curious to learn more about the magic and the gods, and to see if there will be a resolution between Elaine and Alex.
Despite these drawbacks, Gifted showcases a promising author with a strong sense of atmosphere and character introspection. I hope that the sequel will deliver more answers to the world-building and offer a deeper emotional payoff.
📚 My ratings:
Emotional impact 3.5
World-building 3
Romance 3
Plot & Pacing 3
Writing Style 4.25
✨ Tropes and vibes:
Slow burn | Superior/subordinate | Found family | Forbidden love | Introspecitve heroine | Loyalty vs duty | Tragic loss | Hidden power revealed late
Overall: 3.5 ⭐️ — a beautifully written but overly long debut, with rich atmosphere but little magic until the very end. Perfect for readers who enjoy military settings, introspective heroines, and detailed world-building over fast-paced romantasy.
A respectful 3-star read. While I can see why many readers loved it, it simply didn’t spark the emotional connection I look for in romantasy.
Thank you to NetGalley and author Mavi Parolin for the trust and for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Gifted by Mavi Parolin is an impressive debut — long, ambitious, and undeniably atmospheric and introspective — but one that, for me, struggled to keep its balance between realism and fantasy, as well as with the overall pacing. I wanted to love this story, and it was presented as a romantasy. However, being a reader more drawn to emotional connection, this read did not resonate with me, and perhaps I simply wasn’t the best fit for the intended audience.
Set within the Governor’s legion, we follow the story of 24-year-old legionnaire Elaine Lyanthian, an orphan who earned her place among the Emperor’s soldiers from the age of twelve. As part of an ancient custom (The Tithe Festival), she is “gifted” to Governor Alexander Courtenaye to serve within his elite legion. What unfolds is a slow, introspective journey through loyalty, loss, and power — though, to my surprise, the magical aspect of this romantasy only appears in the final chapters.
I truly appreciated the camaraderie within the legion and the author’s dedication to detail in depicting the daily life of soldiers — the ranks, training sessions, discipline, and emotional struggles. However, these same details sometimes overwhelmed the story, stretching scenes that didn’t move the plot forward and delaying the true emotional and fantastical core.
While the writing style is elegant and immersive, it felt overly dense, with a pace that made the 800+ pages feel much longer than necessary. The romance between Elaine and Alexander had potential — a stoic governor and his gifted soldier — but the slow burn might have been a bit too slow for me (ending in frustration), and it leaned heavily on tropes I personally struggle to connect with: the superior/subordinate dynamic, the constant push-and-pull, and the unresolved ending.
The magic system, teased throughout the book, only reveals itself in the final chapters — a powerful moment, but too brief in my opinion. I’m sure this will be developed in Book 2, and I’ll probably continue the series as I’m curious to learn more about the magic and the gods, and to see if there will be a resolution between Elaine and Alex.
Despite these drawbacks, Gifted showcases a promising author with a strong sense of atmosphere and character introspection. I hope that the sequel will deliver more answers to the world-building and offer a deeper emotional payoff.
📚 My ratings:
Emotional impact 3.5
World-building 3
Romance 3
Plot & Pacing 3
Writing Style 4.25
✨ Tropes and vibes:
Slow burn | Superior/subordinate | Found family | Forbidden love | Introspecitve heroine | Loyalty vs duty | Tragic loss | Hidden power revealed late
Overall: 3.5 ⭐️ — a beautifully written but overly long debut, with rich atmosphere but little magic until the very end. Perfect for readers who enjoy military settings, introspective heroines, and detailed world-building over fast-paced romantasy.
A respectful 3-star read. While I can see why many readers loved it, it simply didn’t spark the emotional connection I look for in romantasy.
Thank you to NetGalley and author Mavi Parolin for the trust and for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 20, 2025
4.85✨ this book was so good!! It’s very very slow burn and I would say that we didn’t need about 30% of the book but can’t complain as I loved it. This book left me heartbroken 💔 and wanting more, the tension between the Fmc and Mmc was on 🔥 and it will make you crave for them to be together even more.
Our Fmc Elaine currently in the Imperial Army how has been attacked on multiple occasions due to her being the only female to join. She’s strong yet emotional drained especially after finding out she had now to be Gifts into the prestigious Legion of Barrymore. After saving a young woman from a sick brutal man she’s promised the young woman protection from the guy she’s left injured in the alleyway. Her journey to
Barrymore isn’t an easy one lead by Alex her new commander, no one bothers to acknowledge her existence except for Sam who’s harmless.
Alex is a Governor he’s a bit of an 🍑🕳️ right from the beginning he’s uptight, angry and seems to have taken all that angry and directed it at Elaine. Alex never even wanted her in his army from the get go and he certainly doesn’t want her near his sick sister who has taken a liking to Elaine. We see a vulnerable side to him when it comes down to his sister you can see how much he loves her it’s not just about her being sick it’s about his enemies that what to bring harm to him and would use his sister against him.
•Elizebeth is Alex sister just because she’s sick it doesn’t stop her have one of the strongest minds and being the smartest in the room. She’s wants to go outside and do normal things instead of trapped inside like a caged animal. Her brother overbearing with worry that he doesn’t know how far he’s taking it with not allowing her to see and do more.
•Sam your nice, sweet friendly guy who everyone can’t help but love, he was the first to acknowledge Elaine and treat her with respect and kindness. But a side of him comes to light that we don’t expect.
•I love Michael his honesty is really refreshing 😍 and he had me laughing a lot!! I also feel sorry for him as he clearly has feelings for Sam but got rejected because he’s straight. 😭
•Otto is a flirt and a charmer he’s once was the angry one who has definitely come out of his shell 🫢
•Ollie is quiet, shy, sweet and one of the youngest in the army but he’s willing to learn to fight and slowly but surly finds his voice.
•Vincent is a happy guy and will always been rooting for you.
Thank you NetGalley & Author for the arc 😍
Our Fmc Elaine currently in the Imperial Army how has been attacked on multiple occasions due to her being the only female to join. She’s strong yet emotional drained especially after finding out she had now to be Gifts into the prestigious Legion of Barrymore. After saving a young woman from a sick brutal man she’s promised the young woman protection from the guy she’s left injured in the alleyway. Her journey to
Barrymore isn’t an easy one lead by Alex her new commander, no one bothers to acknowledge her existence except for Sam who’s harmless.
Alex is a Governor he’s a bit of an 🍑🕳️ right from the beginning he’s uptight, angry and seems to have taken all that angry and directed it at Elaine. Alex never even wanted her in his army from the get go and he certainly doesn’t want her near his sick sister who has taken a liking to Elaine. We see a vulnerable side to him when it comes down to his sister you can see how much he loves her it’s not just about her being sick it’s about his enemies that what to bring harm to him and would use his sister against him.
•Elizebeth is Alex sister just because she’s sick it doesn’t stop her have one of the strongest minds and being the smartest in the room. She’s wants to go outside and do normal things instead of trapped inside like a caged animal. Her brother overbearing with worry that he doesn’t know how far he’s taking it with not allowing her to see and do more.
•Sam your nice, sweet friendly guy who everyone can’t help but love, he was the first to acknowledge Elaine and treat her with respect and kindness. But a side of him comes to light that we don’t expect.
•I love Michael his honesty is really refreshing 😍 and he had me laughing a lot!! I also feel sorry for him as he clearly has feelings for Sam but got rejected because he’s straight. 😭
•Otto is a flirt and a charmer he’s once was the angry one who has definitely come out of his shell 🫢
•Ollie is quiet, shy, sweet and one of the youngest in the army but he’s willing to learn to fight and slowly but surly finds his voice.
•Vincent is a happy guy and will always been rooting for you.
Thank you NetGalley & Author for the arc 😍
October 23, 2025
6⭐️
Not many books get my heart hurting that much, but a masterpiece certainly does. Wow, I'm so amazed and beyond words.
But before I start telling you what you are going to embrace in that wonderful novel, I want to thank NetGally and especially the author for providing me an eArc copy. A big big thank you to you, Mavi, because you gave me a story that lives rent-free in my head. I mean it when I said i'm beyond words. I can't explain how much this book affected me. And as always, this is my own opinion.
The gem in this masterpiece was definitely the found family. I love that trope in general but this time... it was different. It felt special, somehow? Words are truly failing me right now but I was giggling so damn much throughout the entire book that it didn't go unnoticed by my siblings.
And oh my... I love Elaine. She was brave, she was strong, she was reckless and selfless and so much more. The things she went through were surly nothing everyone is capable of even bearing but the way she handled it was everything I needed to know.
Every time she was handled unfairly i was angry at everyone who caused that.
Even though the whole book was drama itself (I loved that btw), everything went crashing down towards the end that it hurt so much. I was literally shaking. This is not an underestimated, so yes, i need book two IMMEDIATELY. This wasn't funny at all because I loved her so much. Too much (I hope you know who I'm talking abt). So yes, i'm furious about it because this was emotional damage itself.
Not many books can effect that, so yes, I mean it when i say it was a masterpiece.
The plots as well were really good and i was speculating and thinking with the characters together at some point.
The romance... i love slow burn. So, yes, you did everything right. I loved him and I understand him.
Lizzy is everything to him, to Elaine, to Muller, to Otto and now to me as well. Lizzy has such a strong soul, wow i can‘t.
I am genuinely confused why this novel isn't out yet in a physical copy. I can't stand it to know that this masterpiece isn't sitting on my shelf. I really hope we will get it soon because it deserved it.
And if anyone is asking themself wether its worth it to start this 800 pages-long novel, than there is only one thing i can say:
Do it. Without hesitation.
Not many books get my heart hurting that much, but a masterpiece certainly does. Wow, I'm so amazed and beyond words.
But before I start telling you what you are going to embrace in that wonderful novel, I want to thank NetGally and especially the author for providing me an eArc copy. A big big thank you to you, Mavi, because you gave me a story that lives rent-free in my head. I mean it when I said i'm beyond words. I can't explain how much this book affected me. And as always, this is my own opinion.
The gem in this masterpiece was definitely the found family. I love that trope in general but this time... it was different. It felt special, somehow? Words are truly failing me right now but I was giggling so damn much throughout the entire book that it didn't go unnoticed by my siblings.
And oh my... I love Elaine. She was brave, she was strong, she was reckless and selfless and so much more. The things she went through were surly nothing everyone is capable of even bearing but the way she handled it was everything I needed to know.
Every time she was handled unfairly i was angry at everyone who caused that.
Even though the whole book was drama itself (I loved that btw), everything went crashing down towards the end that it hurt so much. I was literally shaking. This is not an underestimated, so yes, i need book two IMMEDIATELY. This wasn't funny at all because I loved her so much. Too much (I hope you know who I'm talking abt). So yes, i'm furious about it because this was emotional damage itself.
Not many books can effect that, so yes, I mean it when i say it was a masterpiece.
The plots as well were really good and i was speculating and thinking with the characters together at some point.
The romance... i love slow burn. So, yes, you did everything right. I loved him and I understand him.
Lizzy is everything to him, to Elaine, to Muller, to Otto and now to me as well. Lizzy has such a strong soul, wow i can‘t.
I am genuinely confused why this novel isn't out yet in a physical copy. I can't stand it to know that this masterpiece isn't sitting on my shelf. I really hope we will get it soon because it deserved it.
And if anyone is asking themself wether its worth it to start this 800 pages-long novel, than there is only one thing i can say:
Do it. Without hesitation.
August 31, 2025
Dear Reader,
Prepare yourself to embark on a story unlike anything you have ever read before. Gifted is not just another page-turner; it is a journey of mind, heart, consciousness, and soul.
While most first-person narratives draw us in through passion, impulses, and inner monologues, this novel transports us to another world, another time, another civilisation—yet one that mirrors our own in its most essential truths. It is the deeply human core of these characters that pierces the conscience and speaks directly to the soul.
This is not a tale built on fleeting thoughts or superficial conflicts. Instead, it compels us to live through the most brutally honest experiences of our shared humanity. Beyond themes of romantic love, it plunges into the foundations of who we are: the choices between light and darkness, the complexities of good and evil, and the endless spectrum in between. Through friendship, courage, loyalty, forgiveness, sacrifice, love, growth, resilience, and faith, the author masterfully guides us into the depths of the human condition.
The interplay between gods, goddesses, and mortal characters not only enriches the mythological setting but also highlights the very qualities that make us uniquely human, and the beauty of the human experience. With gripping action, expertly rendered battles, vivid landscapes, and daring journeys, every scene serves a purpose. Nothing is wasted; each moment builds meaning, resonance, and weight.
The characters unfold with extraordinary subtlety, as real people do—layer by layer, with mystery still left to uncover. Their trauma, pain, healing, and growth are portrayed with raw honesty and courage. This novel does not shy away from anguish or fragility, but instead embraces them, weaving a narrative of resilience and hope. In distancing the story from our present world, the author sharpens the mirror of our own timeless humanity—in both its ruins and its glory.
This book will entertain and thrill you, but more than that, it will quietly guide you into an adventure within yourself.
Highly recommended. I cannot wait for the sequel. Gifted is nothing short of a masterpiece.
Prepare yourself to embark on a story unlike anything you have ever read before. Gifted is not just another page-turner; it is a journey of mind, heart, consciousness, and soul.
While most first-person narratives draw us in through passion, impulses, and inner monologues, this novel transports us to another world, another time, another civilisation—yet one that mirrors our own in its most essential truths. It is the deeply human core of these characters that pierces the conscience and speaks directly to the soul.
This is not a tale built on fleeting thoughts or superficial conflicts. Instead, it compels us to live through the most brutally honest experiences of our shared humanity. Beyond themes of romantic love, it plunges into the foundations of who we are: the choices between light and darkness, the complexities of good and evil, and the endless spectrum in between. Through friendship, courage, loyalty, forgiveness, sacrifice, love, growth, resilience, and faith, the author masterfully guides us into the depths of the human condition.
The interplay between gods, goddesses, and mortal characters not only enriches the mythological setting but also highlights the very qualities that make us uniquely human, and the beauty of the human experience. With gripping action, expertly rendered battles, vivid landscapes, and daring journeys, every scene serves a purpose. Nothing is wasted; each moment builds meaning, resonance, and weight.
The characters unfold with extraordinary subtlety, as real people do—layer by layer, with mystery still left to uncover. Their trauma, pain, healing, and growth are portrayed with raw honesty and courage. This novel does not shy away from anguish or fragility, but instead embraces them, weaving a narrative of resilience and hope. In distancing the story from our present world, the author sharpens the mirror of our own timeless humanity—in both its ruins and its glory.
This book will entertain and thrill you, but more than that, it will quietly guide you into an adventure within yourself.
Highly recommended. I cannot wait for the sequel. Gifted is nothing short of a masterpiece.
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