Gild

"Read this a second time and had to give it 4 stars. I appreciated how she wrote this book so much more. Raven just sets this series up so well. I couldn’t put it down."

"I’m hoping this was a prequel to something good. How can you not introduce a possible dark toxic love interest until the very end smh"

"Did I love it or did I hate it? I honestly couldn’t tell ya just as much as I couldn’t really tell you the plot of this book because not much happens yet, could I put it down? No. Make it make sense. Will I continue the series? Maybe if I don’t have anything else to read or need a pallet cleanser then yeah I would but I’m not going to rush to the next book."

"3.75 star. <br/><br/>Rarely do you find an author who doesn't glorify Stockholm syndrome when it is introduced. At first I was wary because of course often in this genre the lines get blurred and I am not one to sit back. Yes Auren has Stockholm it's blatantly obvious but also her awareness starts tickling her mind that things might not be as perfect as she originally thought. Unfortunately this makes Auren's character very weak and I began to get frustrated with her lack of trying. Without sounding cruel I'm willing myself to come to terms that she has been through a lot even though she let's these things go on. So in a way I'm learning as Auren does.<br/><br/>Most of this story was easy to eat up. But I have noticed after reading the rest of the seires that Raven Kennedy's writing style can be long-winded as hell which makes it torture to read. There's a very unique story here it just got clogged up by repetitive thoughts, key symbols taking from other books, and such a very slow plot it was like watching hardening gold flow from a cup. When I got to book three it almost came do a dead stop. To be frank I even blurred over lines here and there because I had already heard them a dozen times.<br/><br/>Even though I'm complaining I did fly through these books. Still I was having to pull my feet out of the mud the whole way. Honestly there were too many Acotar vibes. While reading, though not always, it felt like something I've seen before, just in different skin. There is also a big lack of backstory for the characters. It slowly gets filled somewhat as you progress the series but more holes get added as you meet new characters.<br/><br/>Auren was unique. The author leaves out a lot of information to make you question yourself which I liked. I still didn't know the ends and outs of her characters till books later. The ribbons where my favorite. Kind of strange but I got use to them after awhile. Also I began to care for the other characters and their little quirks even though like I said no backstory.<br/><br/>The magic characters had too many attributes that do no fit. It's almost as if the author put pieces in a bowl and drew them at random. Fangs, spikes, scales.... ok I think we are good....nope. Sadly this happens often especially in smutty books where men not only have a huge attribute they also have horns, of course fangs, wings, unending stamina. Just highly unrealistic even in an imaginary world.<br/><br/>The lack of a map always disappoints me especially when you have a big Kingdom divided and even more so when the characters travel. To me it's just a missed opportunity to draw the reader in even more so. So many complaints but it didn't dampen my curiosity."

"I found this book a little tough to read, at times. There are some triggering situations, so make sure you read the trigger warnings. Overall it was a good read. Really interesting, with a few twists. I’ll definitely have to read the next book. "

"Trigger warning for rape and sexual abuse. The story has a lot of foreshadowing to the point that you read and go, ok, so in 5 pages that’s what’s going to happen - the worst case scenario. Not enough, I didn’t see that coming to keep me on the edge of my seat, but still a decent read. Was hoping for a page turner. Still entertaining though. Hoping the next books in the series get better."

"This book series is addicting. So well written and sets everything up perfectly. Just finished book 3 and I can’t get enough. "

"⭐️⭐️⭐️ & .5"

"My cover didn’t look like this one. At first I didn’t know if I liked the story. It was giving me a Crowned Prince vibe. But the ending really had me getting into the story. Adult fantasy book with Fae? Yes please! Make sure to check trigger warnings before you decide to read. "

"I loved the idea of Gild, the idea of a retelling of King Mitas had me hooked. However, most of this book fell flat for me. The heroine, Auren, seemed to be an iteration of many heroines I’ve read before. She’s different from all the other girls, but wishes to be a part of the “clique” while also having no idea why she could possibly be disliked. She also seemed to fall into the habit of believing everything she is told without question which can get frustrating. Despite all of that, the ending left me intrigued enough to start book two."