Disclaimer: This is an advance review copy and not the final version of the novel. Edits, corrections, and formatting adjustments are still being made. The finished book may differ slightly from this edition.

“Because… you’ll become a legend, Legionnaire. You just don’t see it yet. But I do. And the gods do too.”

Over forty years ago, a foreign ruler conquered a fractured kingdom and forged it into one Empire. Then, he purged the gods from history.

Elaine Lyanthian was only twelve when she joined the Imperial Army to escape poverty and starvation. Twelve years later, she’s one of the few women who have survived its brutal ranks. But despite enduring everything the army threw at her, greatness is not in her plans. After a messy affair with her general, she’s stopped believing her luck will ever change.

But there are forces, both ancient and new, that would bend her fate to their will.

When the Emperor himself Gifts her into the prestigious Legion of Barrymore, her world tilts on its axis. The Legion is led by the cold and feared Alexander Courtenay, and so Elaine finds herself not just a soldier among millions, but one of the elite Thirty Barrymore Legionnaires.

Determined and stubborn, Elaine rises to meet her new path. But Barrymore isn’t the end of her road—it’s only the beginning.

There, she will forge the family she never had, experience a forbidden and all-consuming love, and discover the strength to transform from the hollow, hopeless girl she once was.

As Elaine learns the true cost of loyalty, love, sacrifice, and friendship, a strange power begins to stir in her veins. And as the Empire trembles on the edge of rebellion, she’ll come to realize her role in its salvation may be far greater—and far more dangerous—than she ever dared to imagine.

A rebellion rises.
A Legionnaire is challenged.
A family is forged.

Hi everyone!

My name is Mavi. I'm a Brazilian native author, and Gifted is my debut novel. I wrote it at the height of the pandemic, in 2020, after a fight with my husband over what I truly wanted to do with my life (true story). I had one chapter in my mind, no clue where the story would go, but in 43 days, the first draft of Gifted was done.

I wrote Gifted during a time when I felt disconnected from many of the values and beliefs that had once grounded me. In giving them to Elaine (FMC), I found myself rediscovering their meaning. So Elaine is not only the heroine in the story—she's also one in mine.

Since then, I have written another three installments of the Gifted series and the first novel of my second series, which is also in the works.

I hope you all resonate with the characters, whom I deliriously love, and that this story finds a space in your hearts and imaginations. If you ever want to talk, feel free to reach out through my Instagram or email (linked in my Insta bio). Happy reading!