Given by Nandi Taylor

Summary :

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 her father’s wasting illness. She will not fail.

No one warned her about the dragons. Especially not about him.

Yes, there is something powerful and compelling about the violet-black dragon known as Weysh. In human form he’s muscular, beautiful—and completely infuriating. What kind of arrogant creature claims a stranger as his Given; as his destined mate? Yenni is no man’s—or dragon’s—plaything. But other magics must be at work here, because Weysh might just be her best hope at finding the answers she seeks.

Only now Yenni can’t tell if she’s fighting her attraction to a dragon…or fighting fate itself.

Given is the story Yenni Anjani , daughter of the chieftain of an island who is ordered to go attend a magic school in another continent(?!). Given starts off with Yenni’s prep to go and ends with the end of her first year.

Besides the dragons and some of the outdated tropes like mating with only one person , shape shifting , Given failed to impress me.

I was honestly expecting some kind of black panther level fantasy with the fantastic cover , but this is just another book where the MCs are the only black people and face a LOOOT of racism.

But the book hooked me into reading in one sitting and the romance was so awesome! It’s kinda rare in YA contemps (yes I know I’ve read a lot of them) female straight MCs to have more than two braincells. Yenni is a straight up feminist with the “Don’t bullshit on me ” attitude.