Avidian

The Demon and the Savior, Book One

By: Ashley O'Donovan

Narrated by: Leah Voysey

I can see the dead. They tell me their secrets. But this time, their secrets might get me killed.

My name is Kat Sinclair, and the Volkov family owns me. People like me, born with special abilities, are called Avids. But my gift doesn’t spare me from the demands of Marco Volkov, the ruthless family patriarch who keeps me in line with the ever-present threat of violence.

When a grisly double murder involving a family nephew and a cook shakes the household, I’m forced to uncover the truth. The whispers of the dead reveal more than I bargained for, unearthing secrets that could destroy the Volkovs—and me.

But I met a charming stranger who might be able to help. Except he doesn’t know about my gift, my scars, or the dark past I can’t escape. But in his eyes, I see something I thought I’d lost long ago—hope.

If I want to escape, I’ll have to play along. But this murder might be hiding something even more dangerous. If I’m not careful, I’ll be the next one the dead are whispering about.

©2025 Ashley R. O'Donovan (P)2025 Ashley R. O'Donovan

One of the best audiobooks

Surprised how amazing this audiobook was. Loved the story, the performance and was addicted from chapter 1.

Ok Story- Narrator was a little Stilting

Story was OK, typical romantasy, which they spent more time on the sci-fi than the romance, but overall good and easy to read. narrator sounded like she was paid by syllable pronunciation.

Just WOW!

Everyone is talking about Metal Slinger and the betrayal but Omg this was better in my opinion. Loved the voice of the voice actor.

A Bingeable Romantasy

Avidian is a great binge read featuring a fun blend of genres. It's basically a mafia romance, murder mystery set in a post-apocalyptic, fantasy world (some characters have supernatural powers).

What to expect:
💙 Fantasy romance
💙 1st person, single POV
💙 Post apocalyptic world
💙 Forbidden romance
💙 Murder mystery
💙 Paranormal / ghosts
💙 Supernatural abilities
💙 Forced proximity

⚠️ Read CW/TW

Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️ (insta lust)

Avidian takes place in a post-apocalyptic America where those with magical abilities are traff!cked by rich powerful families. This story follows Kat who is owned by a family that exploits her supernatural abilities to see and speak to the dead. A double murder within the extended family ultimately lands her the responsibility to solve the case.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with this book. It's very fast-paced and has a casual tone. I (personally) wouldn't consider this a spicy book, but there is a playful dynamic between the FMC and MMC. I struggled to connect with their chemistry at first, but it felt more believable towards the end.

Even though this is book 1 in a series, I was hoping for a bit more world building and development around the magic system. I'm not sure I feel entirely rooted in this world, yet, but I'm hopeful the author will give us more details in book 2.

As someone who reads a LOT of romantasy, I would consider this a palette cleanser read. I think it'd be a great book for readers who tend to read a blend of romance and romantasy/fantasy, or those looking to dip their toes into the romantasy genre and want a darker, familiar world.

I chose to immersive read this book (it's on KU), and I really enjoyed the audiobook (a sincere thank you to the author for gifting me a copy). I definitely recommend this experience (the narrators did a FANTASTIC job), and I plan to continue this series.

Refreshing and exciting!

This was different than what I normally read and I loved it! The ending! I’m so excited for the next book.