Book Review: Gleam by Raven Kennedy

Title: Gleam

Author: Raven Kennedy

Series/Standalone: Plated Prisoner Series (Book #3)

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, New Adult

Pages: 613

Publisher: Self-published

Year Published: 2021

Format: Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

First Line: "The sky doesn't sing here."

"King Midas made me the woman I am today. Notorious. Unattainable. His.

The thing about being confined is that you believe it's to keep the bad out... Until you realize it's about keeping you in.

I'm now in a strange kingdom surrounded by liars, with no allies of my own, but I won't sit idly by and let myself wither. No, there's something that's bloomed from the pit of my repression. Something dark. Something angry.

But the last thing I expected was for my anger to call out to him. King Ravinger.

He's sinister and powerful and entirely too seductive. I've learned my lesson with trusting manipulative kings, so why does my chest constrict every time he's near? I need to tread carefully, or I'm at risk of losing much more than just my freedom.

Regret and revenge war inside of me, and I need to figure out a plan fast before I get tangled up in the schemes of kings and queens.

Because I won't be caught in a cage again. No, this time, it'll be me setting the trap... I just hope my heart comes out of this unscathed."

My Rating: 5/5

This series just keeps getting more intense, even though this book was quite long I loved every minute of it. I would find myself being drawn in when I picked it up and rarely read less than 50 pages a night, even nights when I should have been in bed early for work. But we all know how that goes. If you are looking for a series that mixes tropes, new adult spicy scenes, fantasy and dynamic characters I would strongly recommend. If you don't like a slow burn though, this might not be for you. You've been warned.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Glint by Raven Kennedy

Title: Glint

Author: Raven Kennedy

Series/Standalone: The Plated Prisoner (Book #2)

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Pages: 441 

Publisher: Self-Published

Year Published: 2021

Format: Kindle Unlimited

First Line: "Gold, as far as the eye can see."

"For ten years, I've lived in a gilded cage inside King Midas's golden castle. But one night changed everything. 

Now I'm here, a prisoner of Fourth Kingdom's army, and I'm not sure if I'm going to make it out of this in one piece. They're marching to battle, and I'm the bargaining chip that will either douse the fire or spark a war.  

At the heart of my fear, my worry, there's him- Commander Rip.

Known for his brutality on the battlefield, his viciousness is unsurpassed. But I know the truth about what he is.

Fae.

The betrayers. The murderers. The ones who nearly destroyed Orea, wiping out Seventh Kingdom in the process. Rip has power sizzling beneath this skin and glinting spikes down his spine. But his eyes- his eyes are the most compelling of all. 

When he turns those black eyes on me, I feel captive for an entirely different reason.

I may be out of my cage, but I"m not free, not even close. In the game of kings and armies, I'm the gilded pawn. The question is, can I out maneuver them?"

My Rating: 4/5

This was almost as enjoyable as the first one, especially because there was no Midas throughout most of this story. I also loved that this book did a lot of flashbacks and different points of view. I liked that we spent time with our main character changing and evolving as a person. I also enjoyed learning more about the world and how the magic system works. All and all it was really entertaining but not everything I wanted. I plan to continue the series, but I will be taking a quick break because the next book is 600+ pages.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny 

Spoiler: Gild by Raven Kennedy

 This book was so much more than I thought I was getting into. If you are reading books from Kindle Unlimited, or at least if you're me you have certain expectations about what the book might include. I often expect romance or smut, and while this book had some it was more of a dark adult fantasy than those two things.

Does this book start in an orgy, yes it does. But it really makes sure you're comfortable with anything that could happen in the book. I think that the author did a wonderful job of making all the characters have an individual voice. 

Our main character is interesting to read from, as she's been with King Midas for the past ten years and has seen his rise to royalty. I'm sure we will hear more about that as we continue in the series.

 King Midas best not be our love interest because I will lose my ever-loving shit. What he offers is NOT love! 

Digby was one of my favorite characters and I'm optimistic that he might make a comeback.

Sail was such a heartwarming character I bawled when he died.

I'm interested in Captain Rip and what kind of Fae he will prove to be.

Highlights:

"'What is the king's favored doing out of her carriage?'

Saild scratches the back of his neck nervously. 'Well, see, what happened was... um, she-'"

-Pg. 228 

"It's the arrogance of men, to think so little of women. And it'll be their downfall too."

-Pg. 287

"I won't sit idly by and keep letting men crush me in their fists."

-Pg. 295

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Gild by Raven Kennedy

Title: Gild

Author: Raven Kennedy

Series/Standalone: The Plated Prisoner Series (Book #1)

Genre: Fantasy, Adult 

Pages: 393

Publisher: Raven Kennedy

Year Published: 2020

Format: Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

First Line:  "I lift the gold goblet to my lips as I watch the show of naked flesh through the space between my bars."

"The fae abandoned this world to us. And the ones with power rule.

Gold.

Gold floors, gold walls, gold furniture, gold clothes. In Highbell, in the castle built into the frozen mountains, everything is made of gold.

Even me.

King Midas rescued me. Dug me out of the slums and placed me on a pedestal. I'm called his precious. His favored. I'm the woman he Gold-Touched to show everyone that I belong to him. To show how powerful he is. he gave me protection, and I gave him my heart. And even though I don't leave the confines of the palace, I'm safe.

Until war comes to the kingdom and a deal is struck.

Suddenly, my trust is broken. My love is challenged. And I realize that everything I thought I knew about Midas might be wrong.

Because these bars I'm kept in, no matter how gilded, are still just a cage. But the monsters on the other side might make me wish I'd never left."

My Rating: 5/5

I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this. This book is more a high fantasy to me than a romance although it does have sex scenes and scenes that include rape, so if that is something that is triggering for you, I wouldn't suggest reading this book. I think that the author does a great job of laying out what can happen in the book with the first chapter. The first chapter starts in an orgy, so if you can make it through that you'll maybe be okay for the rest of the book. I thought that the fantasy aspect of the book and the plot were super interesting, and all the characters had their own unique voice. The one concern I have is whether the main love interest is who I think it is. There is one person I very much don't want it to be, so here's hoping that we get some clarification in book 2.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny