Book Review: Avery

Avery (The Chronicles of Kaya #1)

By: Charlotte McConaghy

Published By: Random House Australia

Publication Date: February 2, 2015

Page Count: 384

Buy it at Amazon 

Source: Kindly Provided by Publisher

New Adult - Fantasy

Kayans die in pairs, so when Ava watches her bondmate, Avery, die she knows that she will be next. Only she isn’t. The first person known to have survived the death of a bondmate, Ava is shunned by the people of Kaya. Determined to seek revenge for Avery’s death, she’s poses as a boy and travels to Parenti to assassinate the brutal queen who was responsible for killing Avery.  

Ambrose is second in line to the throne of Parenti. When he’s given the job of transporting a Kayan prisoner to the prison isle, he’s not pleased about it, but he’s soon surprised by the boy’s hidden strength. 

Thorne is crown prince of Parenti and struggles to control his inner beast. His bloodlust is readily fed by his mother’s brutality, and he struggles to control himself. If only his wife would do as she is told, he wouldn’t have to punish her so often. 

 Roselyn is Thorne’s wife and most people believe her to be stupid, but she is far from it. She may be terrified of water and spend all of her time counting, but she just might see more than anyone else in the kingdom. 

 Avery is told from the first person viewpoint of all four characters, which could lead to a disjointed narrative, but in this case works really well. We see the misapprehensions under which the characters are operating and we understand much more of the world than any one individual character does. The story deals with grief, gender roles, sexuality, OCD, trauma, domestic violence and other issues, but never in a heavy handed way. Despite the serious subject matter Avery is, for the most part, a fun read. Ava is a great character. She takes pleasure in tricking Ambrose and proving how tough she is, although she would deny that she was able to feel pleasure. Ambrose is a really complex character. Outwardly a brute, he disagrees with his country’s way of doing things and is open to change. What I found really refreshing was that despite his country’s views on the matter, he didn’t balk when he found himself falling for who he thought was a boy. 

 Thorne and Roselyn have a very complex relationship. By their society’s rules, she is essentially chattel and Thorne can do as he wishes with her, including having her killed if that is his whim. Neither is secure in the love of the other, and in the end it takes a tragedy to truly bring them together. Their relationship is, essentially, an abusive one and while Thorne is eventually admonished for this, Roselyn always returns to him. I found this aspect of the book uncomfortable reading, and it’s what has stopped me giving it the full 5 birdies. 

 I am so glad that I was asked to review this book. I spent two days solidly reading because I just had to know what would happen. This has slightly too much sex and violence to be classed as a YA title, so do be aware of that in choosing whether you will read it. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading the sequel.

Summary:

The people of Kaya die in pairs. When one lover dies, the other does too. So it has been for thousands of years – until Ava.

For although her bondmate, Avery, has been murdered and Ava’s soul has been torn in two, she is the only one who has ever been strong enough to cling to life. Vowing revenge upon the barbarian queen of Pirenti, Ava's plan is interrupted when she is instead captured by the deadly prince of her enemies.

Prince Ambrose has been brought up to kill and hate. But when he takes charge of a strangely captivating Kayan prisoner and is forced to survive with her on a dangerous island, he must reconsider all he holds true . . .

In a violent country like Pirenti, where emotion is scorned as a weakness, can he find the strength to fight for the person he loves . . . even when she’s his vengeful enemy?

Avery is a sweeping, romantic fantasy novel about loss and identity, and finding the courage to love against all odds.