Aria is a Given. She waited on the beach for the Warrior who comes
to change her from a maiden into a woman. Her
best friend, Iliana, helped her find the correct man.
Aria and Iliana are Trancers able to mentally travel through a world that
lies between the physical and spiritual worlds. They
sing songs to the Goddess that is in the tradition of the Givens. Talon is her warrior for the night and they find
much more than they bargained for. Although
it is against the rules, they are able to become as one, joined and knowing each other’s
every experience and thought. In the morning,
Aria’s pale green eyes have changed to a forest green and that means she has blended
her soul with her Warrior and also was pregnant.
The Reapers come to
plunder and kill the Givens. Aria’s son,
Tarik, is born during this murderous time. She
tries to save her baby by giving the child to Iliana and telling her to flee with the
newborn. The Reapers kill everyone and
finding Aria in her own blood, think she is dead. Aria
knows Iliana and Tarik have been taken prisoner by Mako and the Reapers. When Talon arrives, he believes his child has been
killed and vows revenge. Although he wants to
leave Aria behind, she tricks her captor and catches up with him and convinces him to take
her along. The journey and adventure begins
as Aria and Talon join forces to confront the Reapers, she using her Trancer powers and he
using warrior cunning and strength.
THE GIVENS is a very
ingenious fantasy of a young girl who grows in strength and spirit as she experiences
womanhood. Talon is a strong warrior
with a soft spot for her and is heart-broken to think that his son is dead. Talon admires Aria’s determination as
they travel through the wondrous land of Ms McClellan’s imagination finding
disappearing temples, impenetrable walls and the power of love. There is a lot of adventure and a few twists along
the way. One of my favorite secondary
characters is Cam, Talon’s rohha, who protects, obeys and loves him. Aria’s friend is a friend indeed and Talon’s
friend, Lore, is there when he needs him. Perhaps
they will have their own story in Sharron McClellan’s sequel, THE SEEKER? They are both fascinating characters. THE GIVENS is a story sure to catch the readers up
in its fanciful and intrepid tale of acceptance, forgiveness and love.
Reviewed by
Marilyn Heyman for The Road to Romance
February 22,
2003
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