The Books of Avo

by Bones McKay

While Juliet has never attended a single party or had even a sniff of booze, she has been spying on the last elf in the world. And after listening in on a few too many phone calls, a plant has sprouted from her ear. Now with her parents no longer wanting to pay for her bachelorette lifestyle, Juliet is being evicted from her apartment.

But on her last night in the big city, a dragon lands.

The dragon, Feria, knows all about Juliet’s curse. Feria is on a quest and Juliet’s snooping has now tangled her in it. Without a life to return to, Juliet agrees to join the dragon and help her however she can. That turns out to be a much bigger task than Juliet could ever anticipate…

The God of Shadows is waking from his eternal sleep, and they must rewrite the laws of the universe to stop him.

410 pages, ebook

Published September 11, 2023

About the author

Bones McKay is a writer of comics and such.

He works alongside his adorable partner Ursula Gray. Together they strive to showcase diversity and foster growth in the creative community.

Reviews

[Lisa Para · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Books of Avo is hard to describe because it is so much its own unique thing. The illustrations are jaw-droppingly gorgeous. I highly recommend the physical book so you can gaze upon them in all their glory.

The back cover copy talks about Juliet and Feria the dragon, but there is so much more going on than just the story between these two. There are gods, angels, spirits, sages, and elves; fights for love, family, friendship, and a place in the world; and all these characters are being drawn toward the goal of stopping (or helping) an evil god from rising again.

The concept of the laws of the world/universe being written out in physical books that can be re-written is such a cool idea. The supernatural beings are also unique, like how the dragons retain scales when in human form. I like how the 100s- or 1 000s-of-years-old beings act like it (sometimes bitter and ruthless, not caring for the insignificant speck of human lives) and not like teenagers or the age they look. There are a lot of different kinds of complicated relationships that are messy and realistic.

I had trouble keeping track of all the characters and lore, but was taken on a fun ride.

[K.A. Mielke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Legend of Zelda by way of The Great Gatsby. If that sentence does not make you run to the nearest purchase link, I don’t understand you. I love The Books of Avo so much. I’ve loved at minimum 3 different drafts of The Books of Avo. I’ve loved The Books of Avo for YEARS. The characters are vividly realized and a joy to follow, especially my precious baby angel boy, Aaron. The story is full of satisfying twists and turns that fill my writerly heart with pure envy. And as accurate as the above comps are, Avo never fails to feel like its own unique story. I’ve never been more in awe of Bones McKay’s creativity and if the McKay and Gray YouTube is any indication, Avo is only the beginning of Bones’s world-building indie fantasy takeover.

Accompanying the text are Ursula Gray’s gorgeous illustrations. I have no words that can do them justice. Buy the book and gaze upon them. And if you get the audiobook, she also narrates. Some people really have all the talent.

[Francesco Tehrani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet again another very unexpected but pleasant surprise that I got from Kickstarter! I really love not knowing what to expect in a book but loving the story that unfolds! Especially when said story is close and very similar to how I would want to write. And this story was beautifully written! The plot(s) and characters were some of the best I have ever experienced! More unpredictable than I expected! I definitely didn't see certain actions and events occurring; I like being kept on my toes that way! The emotions were real for this one too! I really hope that this is the beginning of a series because I want to spend more time with these characters and read what will happen next!

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a really good time with this book.