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“Gild” by Raven Kennedy Book Review

Book: Gild

Autor: Raven Kennedy

Series: #1 Book of The Plated Prisoner  

Pages: 393 pages

Published December 1, 2020 by Raven Kennedy

Price at Amazon

There are six kingdoms in the world of Orea. King Midas, or the Golden King, rules the sixth. On the throne of each kingdom can sit only one person who has magic. Midas, like his namesake in the saga, can turn anything he touches into pure gold.

Auren is an orphan who grew up on the streets. Her life is anything but easy until the charming Midas shows up, rescues her from her misery and promises her a better life. When he ascends to the throne of the Sixth Kingdom, Auren becomes his favorite and he lends her his golden hand. Everything in Midas’ palace is made of gold, including the cage in which the heroine has lived for 10 years.

The myth of Midas

Raven Kennedy’s idea of reinventing the myth of Midas is something I had not heard of before, and I definitely enjoyed it. The world of Orea looks very promising as well and if the author can expand its scope, it will become even more appealing. In the first book, we barely get a glimpse of the kings ruling over the other kingdoms. I wish Raven Kennedy had spent a few more pages on the setup of the other 3 kingdoms. Unfortunately, we only get a glimpse of a few rulers and their magical powers.

Conflicting human relationships

The relationships between the characters are another interesting part of Gilt. For example, the main character is madly in love with Midas, who has kept her in a cage for 10 years. Fortunately, there is a bit of backstory in the chapters to justify this attraction to Auren. Still, everything about Midas’ character is one big mystery. For most of the book I could absolutely hate him and suspect him of all sorts of things, but there were also moments when some form of affection was evident in his attitude toward Auren. Obsession or heightened protectiveness?

Not all is gold in Gild

Fortunately, Raven Kennedy manages to surprise with a few interesting plot twists. Although at times I found the book to be sluggish and not particularly dynamic, the author keeps the reader’s attention. “Gild” is a typical first book, where the author liberates her main character, literally and figuratively, and shows us the real her. Of course, there are many unknowns that have yet to be revealed, which hopefully will happen in book two. And what intrigue it would be if it did not come to a love triangle…

The thing that I would rate negatively and that influenced my rating is the abundance of sexual violence in the book. Yes, “Gild” is an adult read! I do not think there was a chapter where women were not treated roughly and vulgarly by men. Auren is a kept woman in Midas harem and that probably predisposes such elements to be in the book, but it is over the top.

If this was a clever approach to grab the reader’s attention and address the mistreatment of women and their treatment as sexual objects, then Raven Kennedy definitely succeeded.

I rated “Gild” three stars because the plot idea is interesting and the “magic” in the world of Orea is so very different. I have high hopes that the second book can raise my opinion of the series, and I will definitely give it a chance.

Gild

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.

The myth of King Midas reimagined. This compelling adult fantasy series is as addictive as it is unexpected. With romance, intrigue, and danger, the gilded world of Orea will grip you from the very first page.

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Dora

Hello, my name is Todora, but now also known as Dochka or Docheto. I have two wonderful dragons at home (boys ages 5 and 7) that I am trying to raise in the love of books. I was quite a chatterbox as a kid when I had required reading in school, and now I am trying to make up for it. I love reading fantasy, sweet endings are not my "thing". I love it when there are struggles, intrigue, and surprises in a book that shake you to your core. If I fell into paranoia that all the characters were traitors, my rating would be 5 stars. In short, I love to read and if one day I find a way to make this my sole occupation and get paid for it :D, I will have stumbled into heaven.

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