Romantasy

Review: Given by Elayna R. Gallea

July 2, 2026

Synopsis:

She’s born to die. He lives to hunt.

Wren was born bearing a Mark on her forehead. She’s always known she would be Given to serve the gods in her twentieth year, and she’s eager to work for them since they keep the kingdom safe. That is until she sneaks into a Giving Ceremony and watches as her best friend is slaughtered in the name of the gods.

Horrified, Wren escapes her village under the cover of darkness. Her plan is simple: flee the kingdom and stay alive. Surviving is going well until she stumbles upon an injured, unconscious man in the woods. Unwilling to leave him to die, she heals him. Only, when he wakes, she realizes he’s a Hunter. And his prey?

Her.

Now, he’s in her debt. Inexplicably drawn to her and caught in a moral quandary, he gives her a gift: one day’s head start.
Marked Ones must be returned to the gods. It’s the law. And when the Hunter catches her, she’ll do whatever it takes to get away…

Review:

I did not expect to enjoy this one as much as I did.

The world-building is not overly complicated, which I appreciated. Not everything needs to be super complex; adding enough context for me to understand where we are and who the main characters are is enough. I really appreciate when I understand things early on and bits and pieces get added along the way. Sometimes my brain just cannot handle something too complex after a long day 🙂 If you prefer your stories and world-building to be very nuanced and detailed, this one might not be for you.

In a world where marked (the Given) people are promised a future when they turn 20 and must leave home, this is the main premise of the story. Wren is one of them, and being eager to find out what exactly happens on that day, she sneaks in to see what happens to her best friend. She is devastated when she learns that it is not what is promised, and she runs away, not wanting to suffer the same fate.
But simply not showing up is not an option. Enter Gabriel, a Hunter whose job it is to ensure that the Given show up on the promised day. When they initially meet, they do not know who the other person is and have an immediate connection. Once they learn the truth, it changes everything.

Learning that everyone had been fed lies and the ramifications of that was harsh, and I felt for Wren. I’m very interested in learning the exact reason for it and what will happen if the truth came out. The connection between Gabriel and Wren was clearly there – and him trying to fight against doing the right thing while also having no choice – that felt heartbreaking to see.
Yes, the majority of the book is about Wren trying to run away and escape. I actually didn’t mind it; with it becoming clear to me early on, I was eager to follow along and hoped she wouldn’t have to suffer the same fate, while also trying to find out what is really going on.

🌙 Recension: Given (The Giving Chronicles #1) by Elayna R. Gallea
📚 Genre: Romantasy
📅 Release Date: November 18, 2025
📖 Publisher: ‎ Podium Publishing
📗 available in various formats – included in Kindle Unlimited
📱 Read as: Physical
💸 Bought
🗣️ Language: English
📆 Pages: 336
⭐️ 4.5/5