Avidian ARC
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☄️ Dystopian World ☠️ Paranormal Powers ✨ Fantasy Elements
🛏️ Forced Proximity 🔪 “Touch her and die” 💪 Strong FMC
🔥 Slow Burn 💀 Murder Mystery 🦴 Ghost Dog Best Friend
Synopsis
Kat communicates with dead people and has belonged to Marco of the Volkov family for years, using her ability to uncover long buried secrets. Right off the bat, she knows something about this murder is different - something is wrong. As she is strung along by the angry spirit of Marco’s nephew, Kat discovers there could be a glimpse of something she had lost long ago - hope. Hope for those like her: the avids, all with unique abilities who are being sold to wealthy families in power. And the charming man she met in the garden? He’s made an offer that sounds too good to be true. Can she play along and make it out of this murder investigation alive?
“His jaw tightens, and he hisses through clenched teeth. ‘Who did this to you?’”
Favorites
This story is so unique compared to anything I have read within the last few years! It really can’t be pinned down to just one genre and I think each one was fit together so well. Romance, fantasy, dystopian, sci-fi - it’s so rare to find a treasure that fits each of these categories! Kat and Malachi’s banter was my absolute favorite. It felt like I was falling in love right alongside them. The supernatural abilities paired with the world takeover felt so ironic. Like, of course wealthy and violent families are taking advantage of young and poor individuals with capabilities beyond their own. It seems so fitting for the world we are currently living in. 🙃 I did also really enjoy the sci-fi elements of Avidian. I find myself veering away from this genre due to having a tendency of getting really lost when it comes to anything scientific LOL! Not this time; Ashley O’Donovan poured the PERFECT amount of science and magic into this book. It was so easy to understand what was happening and what their goals were. I’m eager to watch this develop further among the series, too!
Kat is the true definition of power. I am so sick of the “damsel in distress” trope and thankfully, did not even get a glimpse of that here! Malachi had a way of watching out for her that never crossed the line of swooping in to save her. He gave us the perfect median with phrases like, “ I never said I wouldn’t let you fall… I said I wouldn’t let you get hurt.” Come on, why does he have to be fictional? Kat was intelligent in knowing her limits and when to push boundaries while Malachi was always there as her support system. I am simply obsessed with these two!
And last but not least, our baby Misch. I will not lie, I was skeptical about the idea of a “ghost dog” fitting into the plot but I was more than pleasantly surprised! From her introduction, to her heroic moments, Misch absolutely stole my heart. It really was endearing to think about the comfort seeing one of my past pets would bring and I was so envious of Kat for this. Ashley O’Donovan is so clever for this piece of her novel and I’m so hopeful for more Misch moments in the next books!
“Your eyes - f*cking hell, Katja. You could start wars with them.”
Final Thoughts
I knew halfway through this book that it was going to be one of my new favorite romantasy reads! It has so many elements that I love within this genre: supernatural beings, slow burn, enemies to lovers, powerful beings, strong main characters, and so much more. I also forgot how much I enjoyed reading dystopian books - this aspect was so well-done and I can’t wait to see this grow as the series continues. I need everyone to read this immediately and DM me your thoughts! I’m thinking of offering it as one of my picks for book club, too. So make sure to add Avidian by Ashley O’Donovan to your tbr and start it right now. Go, go, go!
“Touch her, and I promise your death won’t be a slow one,” Malachi growls...”
