Given by Nandi Taylor

Sep 13, 2019 ♠ TABI ♠ added it

Shelves: nah-bro, netgalley

DNF @ 27%

"She's too sensitive," Weysh concluded. "Most women are. I just have to show her I'd never hurt her. Once she realizes that, she'll come running with open arms."

look I came for dragons not men with delusions of what they deserve & why did there even HAVE to be a crap romance? Why couldn't it just be Yenni learning a new culture, struggling with the bias against her own culture, and being badass??

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Feb 02, 2020 Kate (katereads13.blogspot.com) rated it it was ok

Thanks so much to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

my rating: 2.0 stars

Given follows Yenni, the princess of the Moonrise Islands, as she goes to school in Cresh as part of a ritual journey before she becomes queen. During her time in Cresh, she desperately tries to find a cure for her ill father. This being her main motivation throughout the story. While at Cresh, she meets Weysh, a dragon kind, and finds out she is his "Given," in other words, mate.

I desperately wanted Thanks so much to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

my rating: 2.0 stars

Given follows Yenni, the princess of the Moonrise Islands, as she goes to school in Cresh as part of a ritual journey before she becomes queen. During her time in Cresh, she desperately tries to find a cure for her ill father. This being her main motivation throughout the story. While at Cresh, she meets Weysh, a dragon kind, and finds out she is his "Given," in other words, mate.

I desperately wanted to like this story. The premise was good and it could have played out well if it wasn't ruined by the male protagonist. I felt Weysh, the main male protaganist, was needy, annoying and unnecessary. The romance was based on insta-love (which I did not like) causing Weysh to spend the entire story pining after Yenni and making statements of love during every interaction. The author then made the mistake of Yenni being reluctant at first, instantly changing her mind and being all in after 5 pages. After their acceptance of each other, Weysh and Yenni had a high school type relationship which I found annoying being that they are suppose to be new adults. This shut the door on the romance for me. I found it immature and annoying.

The story descriptors were amazing and this is one of the reason I held on to the end of the book. The world building was average which I was ok with and was obviously inspired by Harry Potter and the idea of a magical school. The secondary characters added to the story well and played necessary parts in the plot. Yenni, as a female protagonist was a strong female lead and moved the plot along well.

However, there were some things in the plot I did not like. First, the addition of Noriago as a villain was unnecessary. It was unclear throughout the entire story why he hated Weysh. It felt like the author unnecessarily added him because she needed to cause issues for Weysh. Also, the storyline was flat. There was no clear build-up, climax, and the ending did nothing beside make it clear that Weysh and Yenni might figure things out. There was more that needed to be added to leave the reader satisfied.

Overall, I would not recommend this story to another reader and I will not read it again. ...more

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Jan 26, 2020 Ahana M Rao (Heart’s Content) rated it really liked it

Shelves: cant-wait, arcs, netgally-arcs, fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. You can find this review of Given on my blog, Heart's Content!

Received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

This may just one of the hardest reviews I have ever written. There was a lot of thought I needed to put into writing what I felt, because there were many mangled thoughts and emotions and often they overlapped and I'm still unsure if I will do a good job. This review might be mildly spoiler-y, do not read if you haven't read You can find this review of Given on my blog, Heart's Content!

Received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

This may just one of the hardest reviews I have ever written. There was a lot of thought I needed to put into writing what I felt, because there were many mangled thoughts and emotions and often they overlapped and I'm still unsure if I will do a good job. This review might be mildly spoiler-y, do not read if you haven't read Given. It's probably going to be long, put up with me. <3

I've a bit of a soft spot for any Wattpad Novel and I often pounce on request anything that Wattpad publishes. There are very many amazing authors out there and Wattpad gives voice to them and I'll forever love them for that. Given by Nandi Taylor was a book I was very excited for and I was super super thrilled to begin reading it.

There are many aspects to Given that are very lovely. All the culture that we get to see and especially the deep thought that has clearly gone into the different practices, runes, rules and unique customs of the tribes and people. The absolute confidence with which all these details were laid out had me very impressed and kept me interested in the book. However, it felt to me as if because we don't get any introduction to any of this I didn't get to fully enjoy them or feel the depth with which the meaning of each ritual/custom was practiced.

Another aspect of this book, of course that was eventually something I truly began to enjoy, was how the idea of consent was handled. Even consent to be pursued. The ideology of fated lovers has a certain ... set of ideas it comes with--even for a reader. This book questions all those ideas and works on actually creating a relationship between the protagonists. A lot of the questions that are thrown at the male lead are those that we often would ask in reality, but never question when we read in a book. And of course, the questions the heroine asks (metaphorically) are hard questions to society on the so-called gender roles that everyone is made to be trapped in.

I do feel that the author naturally writes a healthy relationship, because it was then when I really fell into the writing. I did feel the parts where the hero was behaving all caveman, was a little stilted. I would've preferred that the relationship was healthy from the start, simply because the message would've come across beautifully without feeling the minor discordant tune of being shown how-one-shouldn't-be-in-a-relationship. Despite that, the growth of their relationship was lovely and healthy and I did enjoy seeing it blossom into what it was.

It did take a bit to get used to the heroine, given her rigidity to change of customs in the beginning and how she may come off as unbending. However, as the story progresses, there are a lot of changes that take place in Yenni as well and even if there are things she ought to have done/realized earlier, she does eventually, as best as she can.

There were many sudden incidents where things come together/fall apart and this happens many times--be it miracles immediately after a prayer, or an issue fizzling away or what felt like unexplained grudges that suddenly came to an end or just exploded--which felt a little unbelievable after the first two times.

Three point five stars. ...more

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Jan 28, 2020 Leelynn (Sometimes Leelynn Reads) ❤ added it

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Fantastic Flying Book Club, Netgalley, and Wattpad Books for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

YENNI AJANI GAVE ME OKOYE VIBES ALL THE WAY!

Ugh I was just so proud of Yenni Ajani and her strength, her determination to save her father, standing up for herself against the people that were low Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Fantastic Flying Book Club, Netgalley, and Wattpad Books for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

YENNI AJANI GAVE ME OKOYE VIBES ALL THE WAY!

Ugh I was just so proud of Yenni Ajani and her strength, her determination to save her father, standing up for herself against the people that were low key / high key racist to her in Creshen because of her being from the “Moonlight Isles” as they call it. I mean first they change the name of her kingdom to make it easier for them to pronounce – at least that’s what I’m assuming – the teachers think she’s dumb because she uses runes more than spells for her magic, and like UGH. It just irritates me how racist these people are! But I’m so freaking glad that she calls them out on it and she works so hard to prove that she’s not just some idiot islander.

Whoa okay I wasn’t anticipating ranting in the first paragraph but clearly I had to get that out.

“I am Yenni Aja-Nifemi ka Yirba, and you would do well to remember that!”

PUT SOME RESPECK ON HER NAME.

Yes I purposely spelled that wrong because that’s how you say it.

Okay also, I noticed that the book refers to her as Yenni, but she tells people that they should be calling her Yenni Ajani, and even then she feels weird about it because it’s so casual compared to how she is usually referred to back at home, but people butcher her name in Creshen so she had to give them a shorter one I guess. But I thought that was interesting.

Anyway, Yenni Ajani is why I love this book. Sure, Weysh is trying, but I didn’t like how pushy he was about the whole Given thing. Especially because Yenni Ajani doesn’t KNOW about the Given thing, so stop trying to push it on to her! I don’t care that she’s somehow your Given, give her time to process and don’t force her to do something she doesn’t want to do! Damn.

But then I was also sad at how his family – minus his sister – would treat him! Like, hello? That’s your family, despite his dragon. Don’t be so mean to him. I think that endeared me a bit to him, and then when he finally let Yenni Ajani breathe. It took a bit of explaining from his friends, which sucked, but then he respected her space for a bit and that helped me get on his side for a bit.

I need more stories from this world!! I need more books from Taylor! Like, I really enjoyed this one! ...more

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Oct 27, 2019 Monica (books_over_everything) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**

Title Given

Author Nandi Taylor

Release Date January 21, 2020

Description from Amazon

Yenni has never been this far from home. With only her wits, her strength and her sacred runelore, the fierce Yirba warrior princess is alone in the Empire of Cresh. It’s a land filled with strange magics and even stranger people—many of whom mistrust anyone who’s different. But Yenni will prove herself, and find a cure for ...more

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Jan 17, 2020 Kate (BloggingwithDragons) rated it did not like it

Shelves: unfinished, disappointments, netgalley, ebooks

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
DNF 52%

I really wanted to like Given by Nandi Taylor. The cover for the novel is absolutely gorgeous. Plus, it sounded like a more diverse take on Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon, a book I really enjoyed! Furthermore, the summary for Given promises a grand adventure with Caribbean and West African roots with tribal princess Yenni Ajani at ...more

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Jan 18, 2020 Bespectacled Petal rated it it was amazing

Given is the first book by Nandi Taylor. I can safely say that based on this book, I hope Ms Taylor is planning to write more books. The books is based on Yenni's life. Yenni is a princess of an island tribe whose father, the chieftain, is dying from a mysterious disease. She has to make a journey to find the cure to save her father. She goes to the Empire of Cresh, which is a new land to her full of strange people and magic she has never seen before. She meets Weysh, a dragon who insists that Given is the first book by Nandi Taylor. I can safely say that based on this book, I hope Ms Taylor is planning to write more books. The books is based on Yenni's life. Yenni is a princess of an island tribe whose father, the chieftain, is dying from a mysterious disease. She has to make a journey to find the cure to save her father. She goes to the Empire of Cresh, which is a new land to her full of strange people and magic she has never seen before. She meets Weysh, a dragon who insists that she is his destined mate, what the dragons call his Given. She cannot stand him but eventually she realizes he may be the only way for her to get answers.

From the beginning I was enchanted with the descriptions used to build the worlds Yenni inhabited. I was able to vividly imagine the strange colors of the people and dragons in Cresh while seeing in my mind's eye how striking the white runes must have been on Yenni's dark skin.

Honestly I knew other readers said he was full of toxic masculinity but I adored Weysh from the first time I read about him. He may have been a bit arrogant at first but that is because he was so excited that he was going to have something he always craved, a real family. And let's give him a little credit, he cleaned up so well later on in the book it was easy to forgive his bumbling errors earlier.

As a Caribbean girl, I was able to identify with Yenni, particularly when I saw the way other islanders spoke. 'Mam'selle' is used quite frequently in my country and curry goat is something all Trinis love. The use of 'de' instead of 'the' is something all of us islanders have in common. I think my favorite parts of the boon were when Yenni's fellow islander classmate, Deirdre spoke.

Unfortunately what I was also able to identify with was the prejudice she encountered. I have had ignorant citizens of other countries ask me if Trinidad & Tobago is part of Africa, they have asked if we have running water in our country. Some people were also quite surprised that we have internet and electricity.

I would love to continue this series and see what happens next with Yenni and Weysh. I hope Ms Taylor releases a sequel quickly. Anyone who is into fantasy would love this book and I think it would be appreciated even more by Caribbean readers.

Violence: Mild
Sexual Content: Mild sexual content. Teens can read this book.
Profanity: None
Religious Themes: Talk about gods and demons.
Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: One instance of drinking beer and another where a character is depressed and drinking whiskey ...more

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Jan 03, 2020 Sage Knightly rated it it was ok

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. *These are just some rants. Full rtc

I am utterly shocked that Yenni never had the thought to help her Given's stepfather after she found a temporary cure. Especially since she is portrayed as a compassionate, selfless, kind Princess who does all she can to help those around her.

Also, what the heck? This was such a different story than I was expecting based off the synopsis. I feel lied to.

We meet Yenni on her home island about a day before she is to depart for Cresh, and it feels like we get *These are just some rants. Full rtc

I am utterly shocked that Yenni never had the thought to help her Given's stepfather after she found a temporary cure. Especially since she is portrayed as a compassionate, selfless, kind Princess who does all she can to help those around her.

Also, what the heck? This was such a different story than I was expecting based off the synopsis. I feel lied to.

We meet Yenni on her home island about a day before she is to depart for Cresh, and it feels like we get this peek of her island home just to introduce her sick father and potential arranged marriage partner. Because honestly, those two things are constantly referenced throughout the book and we rarely hear about her culture, home life, and traditions. Not to mention the book fails to fully incorporate the racism and struggle Yenni must have (or should have) faced (considering her Island has not been in contact with Cresh for hundreds of years) in such a new environment.

We get drama (of the romantic sort) and a very predictable threat (which of course Yenni did not discover until near the end despite how obvious the culprit is), and of course her Rune magic. But otherwise, this story lacks the reality of the struggle and problematic encounters that some would face in real life, which makes it hard to connect with the characters and to feel fully immersed in the story.

I also did not enjoy the romance. It was there, and I did not hate it. But I did not love it. Yenni refuses to even listen to Weysh during their first few encounters, and afterwards she constantly belittles his feelings and doesn't seem to care that she may be hurting him. Weysh on the other hand starts off as a possessive brute (We WILL get married! Why you will do your womanly duties as my wife, of course! We are Given, you are mine!), and eventually realizes his behaviour and becomes more of a passive 'I will do as you say' character. He stays by her side and forgives her even after the countless times she has rejected and hurt him. I did not like them together. It felt like the only reason they even ended up together was because they were Given. Though thankfully, it was not insta love since Yenni fought him for so long. ...more

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Jan 09, 2020 Paige Green rated it liked it

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Given

Author: Nandi Taylor

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3/5

Diversity: West-African and Caribbean

Publication Date: January 21, 2020

Genre: YA Romance

Recommended Age: 15+ (romance, some violence, and… lots of romance)

Publisher: Wattpad Books

Pages: 352

Amazon Link

Synopsis: Yenni has never been this far from home. With only her wits, her strength and her sacred runelore, the fierce Yirba warrior ...more

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Dec 31, 2019 Paige (Illegal in 3 Countries) marked it as abandoned

Shelves: arc, fuck-yeah-diversity

Abandoned 100 pages in. Things were moving too slowly, the focus was very heavy on the romance when I wasn't expecting it, and when I put it down, I had no desire whatsoever to pick it back up. I'd rather just quit now and say this much than punish myself by finishing the book and writing a bad review for something that simply wasn't what was marketed to me.

This is the first time I've said this in nearly ten years of reviewing books, but Given reads less like YA fantasy and more like new adult ...more

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Nov 27, 2019 Rachel Penny rated it it was ok

2.5 stars.

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an e-ARC of Given in exchange for this review! (The Given e-ARC has 447 pages.)

During the first half of the story I was "hooked" on knowing what would happen to Yenni Ajani during her year in Cresh. The world and magic system was very well constructed, organized, and explained. Runelore magic really interests me and I'd like to know what will happen to Yenni and Weysh after the events in Given. Overall, the story was enjoyable, ...more

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Jan 17, 2020 Spira Virgo rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, romance, magic, dragons, male-protagonist, female-protagonist, dual-protagonists, m-f-romance, net-gallery-arc

I was given a free e-book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

Warnings: (view spoiler)

I think books tends to be misleading sometimes base on their summary and the pitch the companies are trying to sell us. For example one of my favorite authors, Amanda Hocking release a Valkyrie Duology series in 2017 or was it 2018? Can't remember... But anyway, I expected a full on fantasy Norse fun and instead I got ...more

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Nov 15, 2019 V.S. Santoni added it

I got an ARC of this book from Netgalley. This book is a gem, and Nandi Taylor is a great writer who will only get better with time. Other fantasy writers better watch out.

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Jan 19, 2020 Anais Piccoli rated it really liked it

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced reader copy of this novel!
(recensione in italiano sotto a quella in inglese)

The worldbuilding in this book is superb, articulated and so detailed, it makes the culture clash very realistic: we follow the journey of an islander princess to a country completely different from her own, and the author showed her disorientation with many, explicit experiences anybody could live when going abroad -therefore, creating an evolving, ...more

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Jan 30, 2020 Brooke Banks rated it it was amazing

Shelves: genre-fantasy, genre-romance, source-review-copy, written-reviews, blog-tours, format-arcs, age-new-adult, favorite, series, content-kickass-heroine

I loved Given so damn much, it’s all so…*perfect* that I just kinda want to throw up the 5 stars and call it a day.

description

Yenni is driven and clever. She’s a warrior, mage, and a scholar. Her father is sick and she is going to get to the bottom of this. She’s a princess that’s going to be promised to another that she’s not hot over, but whatever, she always does her duty.

Weysh is dragonkind with fa-mily issues and a…girlfriend? What? Until he gets his first sniff of Yenni. He’s in his last year at the ...more

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Oct 29, 2019 Aly rated it liked it

Shelves: arcs-ebook, age-young-adult, genre-fantasy, reaction-that-cover-tho, includes-romance, includes-other-creatures, pov-multiple, poc-author, poc-rep, includes-enemies-to-lovers

2.75/5 stars

I had a lot of trouble getting through this book. I found it to be very uninteresting for me most of the time, but the parts I enjoyed truly stood out. I found the description of the book a bit misleading, as I wasn't expecting to get academy vibes from this at all. I can see why we end up going to a school for a majority of the book, but I'm personally finding myself less and less interested in books that take place in an academy setting. I found the characters to be alright. Yenni ...more

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Jan 25, 2020 Bookishly rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arcs, ya, series, fantasy, tame-romance

I am beyond hesitant to call a book perfect but holy crap. Givenis absolutely perfect.

The world buidling is absolutely amazing.

The character development is top notch.

The relationships were defined and healthy.

The topics discussed were important, current and put into the story seamlessly.

Yenni, the princess to Yirba, goes to Cresh on a holy mission hoping to save her family with what she learns. On her first day there, she meets her Given, Weysh. A dragon.

Givens are dragons’ soul mates. Their ...more

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Jan 17, 2020 Orianna rated it liked it

Shelves: arcs

I really wanted to love this book, and for the most part I did like the concept. The one thing that really just kept tripping me up was how rushed and patchy some of the writing felt. Characters and scenes fell flat and there were times that I sped through and times that felt slow and I was easily distracted.

I was somewhat disappointed in the ending just because it felt rushed and not fully complete, if that makes sense. On the other hand, I did find Yenni and Weysh quite charming, and they ...more

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Jan 16, 2020 Ola Adamska rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed-2020

This book was a good debut of a new author. It had signs of this being a debut story as in some parts that story was unpolished and rough around the edges.
The description of this story I find not accurate in some parts as its misleading in some parts. There are some things I had not expected from the blurb like the school part/vibe and lots of growing romance parts.
I really liked the world-building and how this story was developing in that matter. It made this read really intriguing how two ...more

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Jan 19, 2020 alissa avaline rated it did not like it

I really wanted to DNF this because the plot was just too slow for me. The writing style was good but the slow pacing ruined the book for me.

It got so boring. What started of as something interesting ended up being a bit weird and overall just not my thing.

I had hoped for a book that was powerfull, but instead I got this and I’m not happy with it. The plot was really meh and I wasn’t invested with the characters at all.

Overall I found this a really weird book. I don’t understand the hype at all. ...more

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Nov 18, 2019 Marie-Isabelle Adriaens rated it it was amazing

Shelves: november-2019

I loved it. Really well written and amazing plot.

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Dec 05, 2019 Caitie Deranek rated it liked it

Books that feel like a strange mix of elements from other books are often disorienting. I found Given to be a strange mix of magic systems, dragons/shapeshifters, tribal lore/language, romance (kinda), and academia. Most of the ideas I have read elsewhere, and I'm just not sure they came together for a cohesive story in this novel.

Yenni, princess of her tribe and proficient practitioner of runelore magic, is forced to take a journey to the empire of Cresh to pursue a cure for her father's Books that feel like a strange mix of elements from other books are often disorienting. I found Given to be a strange mix of magic systems, dragons/shapeshifters, tribal lore/language, romance (kinda), and academia. Most of the ideas I have read elsewhere, and I'm just not sure they came together for a cohesive story in this novel.

Yenni, princess of her tribe and proficient practitioner of runelore magic, is forced to take a journey to the empire of Cresh to pursue a cure for her father's mysterious illness. While there, she enrolls in the most prominent magical school and is discovered by a dragon shapeshifter, Weysh, who declares her his "Given." This means they must eventually marry and create a child that will carry the dragon shifting gene. As you might expect, Yenni isn't thrilled with this pronouncement and drama ensues.

One of my major complaints here is the lack of depth for any of the characters. The background for Yenni is front-loaded and surrounded by terminology and structures within her tribe that are confusing, so by the time she heads out for her quest I still wasn't invested in her success. The cast of secondary characters is long and very shallow indeed. We have several professors, classmates, and family members that are all caricatures and only seem to revolve around Yenni and Weysh, which is exhausting.

Weysh, our dragon love interest, has more back story and is certainly engaging because of it. His advances on Yenni edged the boundaries of appropriate, but he is shut down and punished for it over the course of the book. Ultimately, he is the classic bumbling but lovable guy and that helps keep the book moving as you cheer on his success.

There are several plot points that are implausible, but quite honestly, I'm used to that in YA fiction and can normally role with the punches. This one pushed me beyond my comfort zone, though, and I found myself looking forward to it coming to an end.

The one thing I wanted more knowledge of was the history of how shapeshifting dragons became a part of society. It was hinted that it had something to do with some extensive wars in the past of these countries, but that before that dragons and people were separated. I would definitely have found that to be an engaging addition.

Given is a weird amalgamation of elements that don't quite gel. I likely won't be picking up book 2 (this one is a clear series starter), but could see how it might appeal to some readers, particularly those who like the "enemies to lovers" trope and romance more than substance. ...more

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Jan 12, 2020 Mahalia Gosla rated it liked it

Shelves: ebooks, arc, romance, fantasy

I didn’t finish this. I know that the character is supposed to go through this massive change, but Yenni is annoying. Yenni whines on and on. About how she is a princess, however, at the beginning of the book, she says that she doesn’t want to abuse her rank. Yenni finds her Dragon (soulmate) name Weysh, who I have pitied through the chapters I have read so far. Although he does do some creepy stuff in their first meetings, this is a school environment where Yenni is to learn how to heal her ...more

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Nov 16, 2019 Kira added it

Shelves: advanced-reader-copies

I struggled with this book, it's mostly likely me though and not the book itself. Why you may ask? It's the whole you are mine from a character to another character who goes from being strong and independent to changing themselves to fit together with the other character. Now, you give me two strong characters who stubbornly stay strong ,both independently and together, then I'm all there for that. When characters give up huge parts of themselves for others I struggle.

This was hard for me to ...more

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Jan 19, 2020 Sheila Goicea rated it liked it

Shelves: romance, dragons, netgalley, ya-fantasy, 2020-releases, arc-ebook, 2020-completed-reads

Thanks so much to The Fantastic Flying Book Club for having me be a part of the GIVEN Blog Tour!

I received an ARC of this book from Wattpad Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review.

description

All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.

Content Warning: Attempted murder, Violence, Sexism, Prejudice, Discussion of a past Rape, Mugging

Magic belongs to everyone, Yenni Ajani. Rich and poor.

...more

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Nov 01, 2019 Nicole marked it as to-read

Shelves: netgalley-tbr-pdf

Copy received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review to come soon!

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Nov 15, 2019 Fanna marked it as definitive-tbr

Shelves: 2020-releases

There's dragon, there's culture, there's POC. Isn't this all I want? Super excited to read this. Thank you, Wattpad Books for the digital copy via Netgalley!

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Jan 25, 2020 Cara Davis rated it really liked it

A copy of this book was provided to me by Wattpad Books in exchange for an honest review.

Well, I suppose I should start out by saying that the summary you just read above is kind of misleading. When counting off in my head all of the exciting things I was expecting from this book, the central setting being a boarding school was not one of them. If I were to give a more honest summary of the book, I’d still include what the book already has but add the missing tidbit about the setting. I’d also A copy of this book was provided to me by Wattpad Books in exchange for an honest review.

Well, I suppose I should start out by saying that the summary you just read above is kind of misleading. When counting off in my head all of the exciting things I was expecting from this book, the central setting being a boarding school was not one of them. If I were to give a more honest summary of the book, I’d still include what the book already has but add the missing tidbit about the setting. I’d also clarify that there isn’t so much traveling and adventure as there is a romance between two magical beings.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “the book is totally ruined, then, isn’t it?” Not really. In fact, I think not knowing key points of the story made it so that I was more surprised when reading. You know, when Wattpad Books first suggested I review this book alongside some others I had requested, I felt hesitant. I admittedly thought there was nothing left to be originated in the YA Fantasy genre. Even when I read the summary, I still kind of felt that way.

Then, I actually started reading the book, and my mind began to change. Nandi Taylor’s world building was a breath of fresh air from the bogged down villages and desert wars that are so common in fiction nowadays. Her strikingly descriptive language made it so that I didn’t know where I was at half the time — and that was great! I didn’t want to feel like I was stuck in the typical Fantasy era, and I didn’t. Instead, I felt immersed in a world of academies, mystery, and dragons. (Who doesn’t love dragons?) If I had to compare the world of “Given” to anything, I’d have to say The Elder Scrolls game series. That’s how you know it felt real. (I advise you to stop reading this review and play Skyrim if you have never. You’ll understand the immersion.)

As for the magical elements of the story, I wasn’t completely sold at the beginning. The system primarily used by the protagonist is runelore, which is something we have seen countless times. Admittedly, I don’t think it did anything too different with this system. If anything, it was one of the things that bogged the story down. Although, it was sort of nice to see how different cultures argue over different systems of magic.

Now, I mentioned earlier that there were dragons in this book. No, I wasn’t lying. There are full-fledged dragonkind that can transform from dragon to human, and back again. Honestly, this was the number one selling point of the entire book for me. I feel like we never see dragons much in modern YA Fantasy. Sure, there was a large niche for it in the early 2000s (specifically Eragon), but it’s seemed to die down over the years. No one seems to be talking or writing about dragons much, and I NEED MY DRAGONS. So, when Taylor so beautifully created a brand new species of dragon for this story, you best believe I was in love from the start.

Technically, I was in love with one dragon, I suppose. Weysh. He’s handsome, muscular, chivalrous, and downright obnoxious at times. But if he’s not the dragon claiming me as his Given, I’ll never marry. He wasn’t always sold on me like this, though. In the beginning of the story, Weysh seemed to have a way about him that came off arrogant and sexist. Admittedly, he keeps the arrogant part for most of the story, but he learns from his sexist remarks and becomes a better person for it. That, children, is what we call a dynamic character. It’s also why I’m so glad I stuck the ride out and saw this beautiful human/dragon become a perfect gentleman.

And a perfect gentleman he was — at least, to Yenni. She’s the book’s main protagonist and, honestly, kind of lackluster. For starters, she has this air of primness to her. It’s almost as if she thinks she’s better than everybody else just because she’s a princess. I can understand wanting respect, but you also have to understand that you are in an alien territory where no one knows your lineage. Besides this little hiccup, though, Yenni is actually an okay character. She isn’t the strongest protagonist I’ve read about, but she does justice for the story.

Weysh is still my favorite. Just saying.

Now, to tie all of these characters and plot together, there had to be some writing. Actually, a lot of writing. 447 pages to be exact. And almost every bit of it was terrific. As I mentioned earlier, the descriptive language used in creating the world was way beyond anything I could have hoped for. I will point out, however, that the dialogue did become a bit cheesy here and there. At times it just didn’t feel authentic when two characters were speaking to each other. Never fear, though, because this did not take away much from the overall story.

Overall, this book may not be perfect. While it may have a few kinks it could work out (as most books do), there is no denying that Taylor’s story is a fresh take on the YA Fantasy genre. Would I recommend this book? Absolutely. If you want dragons, romance, and an academy, this is the book you need to be reading. Do not skip out on Nandi Taylor’s “Given.” ...more

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Jan 20, 2020 Lauren loves llamas rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, dragons, read-in-2020

Well, at least the cover is gorgeous. First off, I’m still puzzling over how the blurb calls this a “subversive fantasy-romance” when honestly it’s pretty much exactly like every other enemies-to-lovers fated mates romance out there. At best, it suggests an unfamiliarity with either genre that explains a lot about this book.

“Well, because I am a woman who enjoys hunting, and learning about runes, and learning about combat, people act as if I am strange and unnatural.”
“Hmm,” Diedre and Zui said

Well, at least the cover is gorgeous. First off, I’m still puzzling over how the blurb calls this a “subversive fantasy-romance” when honestly it’s pretty much exactly like every other enemies-to-lovers fated mates romance out there. At best, it suggests an unfamiliarity with either genre that explains a lot about this book.

“Well, because I am a woman who enjoys hunting, and learning about runes, and learning about combat, people act as if I am strange and unnatural.”
“Hmm,” Diedre and Zui said as one.
“But it was once very common for women to do these things. You know what I think? I think it is everyone else who is unnatural.”

Yenni yearns for more freedom. As a princess, she’s expected to marry the prince of a neighboring tribe, and he expects her to give up her “unfeminine” activities – hunting, weapons practice, and runelore, the magic practiced by the people of the Sha islands. So, she undertakes a journey, sanctioned by the gods, to the empire of Cresh in hopes of finding a cure for her father’s sickness. Enrolling at a prestigious Creshen university to learn more about their magic may be the only way to save him, but navigating Creshen culture and prejudice is an almost insurmountable obstacle she hadn’t expected – as is the interest from one very pushy dragon.

I liked Yenni. She’s strong, regal, and not afraid to work hard for what she wants. However, she was painfully oblivious to those who meant her harm, both unintentionally and intentionally. There’s a lot of racism directed at her, but Yenni doesn’t understand why they’re treating her differently – for instance, a classmate asks to touch her hair and then is startled when Yenni asks to touch hers back. It’s 90% through the book before Yenni starts really calling people on the racism – and that’s after she’s revealed as a princess. Most of it’s of the overt variety, rather than microaggressions, and the actions and Yenni’s failure to engage with it made the book read much younger than I expected. One thing that sat uncomfortably with me involved names. Yenni insists on being addressed as “Yenni Ajani” because, in Sha culture, it’s rude to only call someone by their first name unless they’re very close. However, because one-syllable names are only for gods in her culture, Yenni changes her friends’ Creshen names – Harth becomes Har-tha and Weysh becomes Wey-sha – without their input. It was a minor thing, but I didn’t understand why she couldn’t just explain to them why it bothered her and come up with nicknames together.

Weysh furrowed his brow, confused. “So I should simply leave her be?”
“If that’s what she wants.”
“But why? How would that endear me to her?”
Zui threw a quick, fond glance at Harth. “Because respecting a woman’s wishes is one of the most seductive things a man can do.” Weysh shook his head. It seemed incredibly counterproductive, but everything else he’d tried so far had been nothing short of disaster.

And then there’s Weysh. Frankly, he’s awful. His main fault is that he’s painfully honest – blunt to the point of rudeness, and past that. It’s telling that Yenni finds him “less beastly as a beast.” Frankly, he’s awful to pretty much everyone around him. Somehow, though, all of his friends tell Yenni that he’s hardworking, responsible, good with women – but we never actually see that in the book, we’re only told about it. Even during Yenni’s darkest moments, when she goes to him for comfort, he automatically turns the conversation back to himself – obviously, it’s his fault that she’s having problems because he didn’t take proper care of her! It’s only after Weysh is left partially disabled – unable to smell, which is a big deal for a dragon – that he realizes how badly he’s been treating Yenni.

So, what did I like? I loved the magic systems, both the Sha runelore and the Creshen magic. I would happily have read more about Uhad’s 67 laws of casting or why all their incantations need to have “source” in them, but unfortunately the surface is just barely scraped. Runelore, with its hymns and patterns in special paint, was equally fascinating and I loved all the parts involving Yenni explaining it or using it. Disappointingly, while Weysh realizes almost right away that runes would allow him to work magic in dragon form – Creshen magic relies on spoken triggers, and dragons can’t speak – they don’t get around to trying it out until three-quarters of the way through the book.

This is the first in a series, so the book ends without much of the plot points being resolved, leaving the ending a bit jumbled. Overall, this isn’t a badly written book, but it felt like it needed tighter editing to figure out what story is being told. Is it about Yenni’s quest to find a cure for her father’s illness? Her relationship with Weysh? Her adventures in Cresh at the university? I was never quite sure. I think this would work for for middle-grade readers, but it’s a bit light for the YA audience.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review ...more

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Jan 28, 2020 Pavitra (For The Love of Fictional Worlds) rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, 2020-read, 2020-arc

Also Posted on For The Love of Fictional Worlds

Disclaimer: An eARC was provided via The Fantastic Flying Book Club and the Author as part of the Blog Tour. The Thoughts, opinions & feelings expressed in the review are therefore, my own.

I remember being a teenager when I discovered Wattpad and its world of mating romances (yeah, I was a sappy teenager, sue me :P) – so the blurb of this current book had me twice as interested – first, dragons and second mating, for it reminded of those ...more

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