Glow

The Plated Prisoner #4

by Raven Kennedy

'It scares me - what I did that night. Because I don't know my own power . . . But that's been the problem all along, hasn't it?'

My life has been shaped and controlled by the greed of others, but that ends now.

I have burned down the court of King Midas and from those flames, I will rise and wield my own power.

The problem is, when you turn against a King, everyone turns against you.

But with Slade by my side we will fight the monarchs that come for us.

And if we need to become the villains, then so be it . . .

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Fae, Magic, Audiobook

688 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 18, 2022

About the author

Raven Kennedy is a tea and dark chocolate kind of girl and can often be found binge-watching The Office or The Great British Baking Show.

She enjoys writing all kinds of books, because each one brings a different experience. Whatever the genre, she hopes she creates characters you can root for.

When she’s not reading or writing, she’s with her family, probably messing up a recipe or going on a hike that she thinks she can do, but in reality she can't because she remembers that all she does is sit at a computer all day and write her heart out.

You can connect with her on Facebook in Raven Kennedy's Reader Group, as well as @ravenkennedybooks on Instagram.

Reviews

[The Glassed And The Furious · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listen, don't gild me but I didn't like this installment as much as I wanted to. So, before I'm cast out let me explain:

1. We suddenly get so many different POV narratives. Queen Kaila, Slade, Osrik, Rissa, Auren... I just didn't like it. If this had been a consistent factor in all of her books, maybe I would have liked it more, but this was not the original style of this series and I didn't enjoy the constant jumping back and forth.

2. I also have to say that while I did enjoy some of the character backgrounds we got, especially for Rip, I felt it was kind of misplaced. The fourth installment of a series seems a bit late to start building up a character that has been the main focus for the past two books. It just felt like this effort to explain Rip to us came a little late but in full force. So many chapters are dedicated to showing us his childhood and I don't know, it just felt off for me.

3. I did not care for this Rissa- Osrik arc at all. It was misplaced and misguided in my opinion and made no sense at all. Also, it was incredibly unoriginal, because basically, it is just a repetition of Rip and Auren in the second book. He gives her a nickname, practically sleeps next to her, and is all cocky and sexy, while we're supposed to see Rissa, who for three books was a strong, but nasty and self-centered woman, as a delicate and almost helpless little thing, who only wants to be free. It felt forced and I cannot stress how absolutely unnecessary and misplaced this romance was.

This brings me to my main complaint about this book: for the most part, this story is not a continuation of the cliffhanger from the third book but goes in a completely different direction. I've already mentioned in my review of the third book, that I had to be honest and say there really wasn't all that much story and plot development going on. To be brutally honest, I felt like most of the book was kind of unnecessary and could have been shortened down to fit into the second installment. And I have to say, this trend continues. My kindle version of this book has 705 pages and I believe that I had to reach about page 500 until the story picks up and even then, it's not really a lot that is happening. What did I get for those 500 pages? Slade whining about almost rotting Auren. Auren whining about pretty much everything. Osrik lusting after Rissa. Digby being overly fatherly. Ryatt yelling at Slade to stop moping. Lu and Judd being nothing but comic relief. Oh yes and a whole lot of kinky, overly explicit sex. Because it's important to say that fae can be overly animalistic, dominant, and lustful creatures. Does this move the plot along? No. Is it relevant to the story? No. Is it really necessary? Again, no. But it fills lots and lots of pages.

Now if the story would move along and we'd get all this kinky sex, I would have been fine. But after more than 500 pages of nothing happening, I was tired. I mean, what are the unresolved issues from the third book?
- Midas, King of the Sixth Kingdom is dead. Who will take over?
- Fifth kingdom is left without a king. Who will take over?
- Third kingdom wants to claim Sixth, how's that going? We don't know.
- Auren is accused of stealing Midas' power and all hell is about to break lose. Should we deal with that? Nope, it's more important we have Auren behave like a petulant child for hundreds of pages. It's more important to have Slade fall into self-pity and then fae-horniness. It's more important to have Auren sunbathe and discover all kinds of fun characters in fourth's capital than to actually get to work on how to prevent an all-out war. And after everything that this series has built up, this was really really disappointing.

I also have to say that while in the third book I at least had the characters I enjoyed immensely to make up for this lack of story, I can't say the same for this book. It was all just too much personal drama. Slade is no longer this powerful, feared commander and king. He is a horny dirty talker who whines a lot. Osrik is what Slade was two books ago. Auren is still horribly stupid and behaves like an annoying brat a lot. Ryatt makes no sense to me. Lu and Judd are no longer badass and just the funny sidekicks.

When I finally reached the end of this book (and yet another cliffhanger...) I was not excited. I was not on the edge of my seat and I doubt I will be as enthusiastic about a fifth book. Frankly, I don't understand why we can't just end this series. For two books, we've barely had any story at all. Hundreds of pages drag out maybe 100 pages worth of story. I think this series could have done with a whole lot more editing because I find 5 books (or more?) for this story just way too much. If all the diplomatic intrigues, the wars and battles and conflicts would get developed and turned into an epic man vs fae type war, it could have been enough for so many installments. But the way the way these past two books have dragged on with barely anything happening, I doubt the fifth one will pick up the pace and deliver the action-packed sequel I have been pretty much waiting for ever since the second book.

[✩ Yaz ✩ · Rating 5 out of 5]

First read: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Second read: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Raven Kennedy and The Nerd Fam for gifting me with an eARC of GLOW

Disclaimer: this review may contain minor spoilers but nothing major that would spoil the book.

I don't think I have the right words to convey the magnitude of the emotional suffering and joy this book had caused me and I wouldn't have had it in any other way.

GLOW was nothing short of devastatingly emotional, powerfully evocative and exquisitely filthy.

Raven continues to craft such an exceptional story that skillfully navigates through healing, trauma, depression and empowerment while gifting us with such a beautiful romance and an intriguing political overarching plot.

GLOW resumes right from the explosive ending of Gleam and begins in a shroud of extreme dread within the first quarter of the book that will keep a tight hold on your heart.

The game has changed and many wicked plans are at play. Many revelations and secrets begin to surface. A King with a golden touch is found dead leaving a Kingless kingdom and the Rot King stole away his gold-touched favored whose hands are drenched in royal blood. Auren must face the consequences of murdering a King.

There were new POVs I did not expect but I enjoyed and they were appropriately sprinkled around the book but they don't overwhelm the POV chapters of Auren and Slade, those extra POVs are integral to the plot and there's a new romance on the horizon.

I will say that this time round, this book is more focused on fleshing out the characters and the plot slowed a bit, but Raven does moves the plot to a new direction I'm very happy with.

100% more Slade content? 100% more Slade content.

I expected to see more of Slade but I was delighted to get to know him in a new light and on a much deeper level. I got to understand and see the many facets of him: from Slade to King Rot and to Commander Rip.

Slade is a villain through and through. He is unapologetic about it and he fully embraces his Fae nature and it's ruthless urges. I'm glad this is something Raven did not erase or attempt at a redemption arc and while he does have good intentions but he is ready to unleash the villain if anyone as so much harms a hair on Auren.

I'm even more delighted to spend more time with his Wrath and witness the turbulent sibling relationship between him and his brother Ryatt. Digby also remains the precious father figure to Auren.

There is a new character I think readers are going to be very excited to meet. I won't spoil who but she is an important figure for one of the characters.

Many questions have been answered and I got more than I expected which I was very happy with. Many things readers have been wondering about are revealed and don't get me started on the plot twists. Thank you Raven for your generosity even if you broke and mended my heart many times throughout this book.

The romance peaks but there are things that must be dealt with. There is tenderness, there is passion, there is clashing, there is love, there is wildness, and of course... it gets deliciously filthy.

I have never been so throughly seduced by a character as I was by Slade Ravinger. His endearments drip like warm honey and his filthiness makes me want to forsake my own morals which I would more glaldly do so for him.

I'm happy with how Raven dealt with Auren's arc especially after the events of Gleam. Her healing journey is one of my favorite fictional journeys of all time and the trauma and grief she had to come to face with after she had awoken simply shattered my heart. Auren is also still at the stage of understanding the world around her since she is a grooming victim so she has plenty to come to terms with. Raven truly did it justice.

Everything is reaching its crescendo. I cannot wait for the fifth book. I need someone to put me into sleep paralysis until the next book is released because how am I supposed to move on..
Apparently the 5th book is called ✨GOLD✨ and the release date is: 8th June 2023!

"If there's something you crave, if there's some freedom you want to try the taste of, then you will do it, and I will be right there with you, watching you devour your wants. And then I will devour you."

Trigger Warnings: this book contains dark and adult themes and explicit sexual content.

[jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

other than the general premise, i forgot pretty much everything that happened in the previous books… but the more i read, the more i could vaguely recall certain events, and luckily this is pretty much filler.

the plot is very transitionary. it takes the final events of the third book and gives the characters (and reader) time to process it all by world-building and developing characters. which made me so happy. this book is all about slade. we learn more about his past, his family, and his origins. i like auren, but im so glad for a little respite where the story isnt all about her. and slade is the perfect character to learn more about.

and once all the processing is done and the characters are in a place to move forward, the final events of the book happens, which sets the stage for the next book. so yes, this is all filler, but its good filler. so i cant really complain!

↠ 3.5 stars

[charlene ✿ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars  

★★★★★

✧ June 2022 ✧

REVIEW TO COME BECAUSE U BET I HAVE FCKIN THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS

u know what I was right. I need a lawyer for all this emotional and mental damage.


✧ May 2021 ✧

I HAVE TO WAIT A YEAR FOR THIS BOOK

you will be hearing from my lawyers. you know... once i get some.

A YEAR!!!





The Plated Prisoner series reviews: 
#1     Gild: ★★★★
#2     Glint: ★★★★★
#3     Gleam: ★★★★★
#4     Glow: ★★★★★
#5     Gold: 8th June 2023 release date

My review of Gleam is here ☀︎
My review of Gleam is also posted on my blog ☀︎

Blog ✿ Goodreads ✿ Twitter ✿ Instagram ✿ Pinterest ✿ StoryGraph ✿ Discovery ✿

[Laurens.Little.Library · Rating 2 out of 5]

2⭐ Oooh boy oh boy oh boy...

Before I begin, let me remind everyone that I never set out to dislike a book. That would be an astoundingly miserable use of my time. I also have no interest in being contrary just for the sake of it. Honesty is my only objective.

Right, with that out of the way, let's get to it: In my opinion, it is unacceptable to ask readers to endure a 714-page novel where nothing of substance happens until the 85% mark.

"BuT iTs ChArAcTeR dRiVeN!!!!" You cannot look me in the whites of my eyes and tell me that Auren experienced anything close to the growth we saw in Glint and Gleam, books that were a fraction in length.

For argument's sake, let's agree that everything Auren processes in Glow and how she processes it was absolutely necessary. Just because there are few major plot points happening with Auren doesn't mean we can't have movement and momentum by way of the other characters. BECAUSE WE CAN. We've had multiple POVs for a while now. Surely there could have been exciting challenges and adventures occurring on the periphery.

My favourite chapters of the entire novel were those from Os and Rissa's POV because I'm a sucker for delicious tension and chemistry. Why didn't we get more from them?

Pacing has always been a struggle for Kennedy within this series, and I was so disappointed to see her take a step backwards, doubly so when I remembered that Glow should have gone through the rigorous editing of a big publishing house.

I was so angry and frustrated that by the time the narrative did pick up, I had approximately one f-ck left to give.

You can quote Slade's dirty talk all you want, but for me, none of it countered the slog that was this book.

Will I be reading the conclusion? Yes.

And I'll be praying that we'll finally be cured of the endless waffling and utter lack of pacing that plagued book 4.

[Krisha · Rating 1 out of 5]

There's only so much fillers a book can contain.
Raven kennedy: Are you sure?

740 pages for THIS?? This should've been a fucking NOVELLA. Hell, even novellas have more plot than this book did. I wanted to bang my head against the wall for being INCAPABLE of dnfing but then I realised, what wrong did the wall do? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗙𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗦 to the extent, it's not even funny. No book has the right to pick up after 𝟲𝟵𝟬 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦.

To anyone reading this book, save your time by only reading the last few chapters (60 to 65). Trust me, it will make sense. Even the continuation of the last book's cliffhanger takes place after Chapter 60. As you may imagine, nothing happens until the end. I wish someone had told me this; I wouldn't have had to sit through 700 pages of nothing. But I still did, so you don't have to. That's the silver lining, I suppose.

[Leonie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was pretty late to the party and started reading the Plated Prisoner Series only a few days prior to the release of Glow, so I was able to binge through them all, ending the journey with Glow itself. And I will end my journey with Glow even though there might be more to come. This is not going to be a "OMG SO GOOD!!" review but in-depth discussion on why this book should never have been published in this form, at all. I'll provide a short review first and then dive into it later, so only read that second part if you don't care about spoilers.
While struggling a little with Gild and Glint, Gleam stole my heart, which is why I had such high hopes for Glow. The characters had grown on me (mostly) and I was so curious about all those plotlines that might be possible going into Glow. Well, to say I was utterly disappointed would be a massive understatement. I usually refrain from giving 1 star reviews because I feel like it takes away a little bit of credibility for the review (1 star reviews often stem from very subjective points of view) but ... no, there's no other way here, I'm really sad.

One question before we start: Have all those ARC readers, giving 5 stars, received a different copy than we did? A different book, maybe?

The short and no so sweet review: Someone probably told Raven Kennedy at some point that she can't plainly copy someone's homework, slightly alter it and produce a book that ticks all the boxes to ride on the current fantasy-fae-book-wave, but RK simply said "hold my feminism and concept of consent" and proceeded to mangle every single previously likeable character, wreck entire plotlines and sprinkle unreadable spice on top. That's basically like copying someone's homework and still producing endless mistakes.
Out of 700 pages maybe 50 were plotrelevant. Read that again. Those 50 were riddled with inconsistencies, out of character behaviour and spice anytime someone might raise some questions about what's actually going on in the book. There is a blank space of 30% where nothing of relevance happened at all, at 60% still nothing consequential was to be reported and the final 100 pages felt too short, rushed and blown way out of proportion at the same time.
RK opens various plot lines throughout the book, mostly done by newly introduced POVs and she fails to follow through with a single one of these plot lines. They all fade into nothing during the whole length of this book.
You could actually reduce Glow to maybe 150 pages and you would miss nothing. Possible threats to the main characters stay obscure and are not explained, thus there is no connection to be felt to why this even is a threat or why they fear it. The general pacing is off, almost 30% of nothing, then mastering everything within a few pages and going back to doing nothing up until the last 100 pages pick up a little bit of speed and still fail to pull the reader in.
The spice was indescribable and not in a good way, but in a cringeworthy, please go back to sex ed kind of way.
Plus the obvious calculation by inserting quotes and copy-pasting well-known quotes almost word for word into the book leaves me with no other choice than to drop the series, leave a one star review and steer clear from any future publications.
Short review end.

If you're interested in more in-depth commentary with quotations and examples, read on. If you still plan to read this book and don't want to be spoilered do not read on.

#### MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOWING ####

Plot
There is so much to unpack her and I'll need to start somewhere, so we'll go into the plotlines first. Of course we have different POV chapters and as we all probably knew from the previous books, the added POVs did nothing to add to the book itself but prove, how far the focus of the author strayed from the actual plot. We received POVs of the following characters:
Auren 37 out of 65
Slade 19 out of 65 (two starting with flashbacks to his childhood, two to his teenage years)
Queen Malina 3 + Epilogue
Queen Kaila 2
Osrik 2
Rissa 1

Please read those numbers again and tell me, those povs were relevant to the story. They were not. 37 for Auren is okay, don't mind that at all, she's the female main character we've been following around for four books now. 19 for Slade were way too many in my opinion, especially because the major part of those were in the first 30% of the book and you could have reduced them to a fourth of that, without losing much (or anything at all), and most of those later ones focus on his spice-appearances while the first few were blown up so much.
We get 3 chapters for Queen Malina whose entire plotline seems to be the most important one going into Gold. 3 plus the epilogue showing what I stated in the previous sentence. She's the one building the road for an entire book and she gets 4 chapters out of 66 (if we include the epilogue), that equals 6% for someone who was the most relevant for the plot going out of Glow? Wow. But - it gets worse.
With Queen Kaila as our main antagonist in this story, I expected to see her work her political magic - and I received two absolutely inconsequential chapters. We received TWO chapters for our main antagonist. TWO. And that was it. Do you need further proof of how RK valued porn over plot?
Continuing, Osrik, our charming Cassian-Clone gets two POV chapters and their sole purpose is to start off an arc of insta-love and insta-erection, err, insta-attraction of course by stating how much he would like to fuck Rissa but at the same time won't do it, before she agrees (wow, so she does know, what consent is). The fact that this character still is the most likeable of the whole story shows how much lower the bar can get: it can't.
Oh, and then there was the one chapter from Rissa's point of view, in which she simply states how much of an oaf Osrik is, how much she despises him and oops, goes up to kiss him. Sounds irrelevant? You get the drift.
To summarise, out of 66+1 chapters the side characters povs take up a whole 9 of them and none of them offer anything of relevance to the plot or progression of the story in the form presented for this book. They may shed a little light on possible further paths for the next book but to be honest, to finally go through with all those opened and continuously ignored plotlines, the finale of the series would need to have twice the size of Glow and probably still feel unfinished. Do I kind of expect RK to announce more books or butcher the series completely based on this? Absolutely, I do.
Not only do the plotlines fade into nothing, the plot itself is so inconsistent and partially forgotten about, that you don't even care what happens to the characters. The obscure threat of a "Conflux" is mentioned but there are various reasons why that fails to instill fear in the reader: first of all, the description of a conflux is found on page 572, the first mention on page 126 though. Read. that. again. Out of 700 pages, you hear about that major and main threat for the FMC first after 18% and then have to wait for 65% more to finally have explained what that threat actually is at the percentage of 83. Secondly, none of the main characters or their supporting acts (as the side characters are not really more than that, sadly) act like they have to be worried about this thread, except for Ryatt who seems to be the only one to have at least one brain cell working at a time.
Another point of critique concerning the plot for me was the dip into space, maybe even time, travel by adding the layer of "Rip" and his rip into the world, which is mentioned, then forgotten about and picked up again at the very end of the book, because the rest of the main content needed to be brainless smut. The same "mentioned it once, only picked it up once again"-argument can be made for the rot left inside Auren, which used to be one major source of worry for Slade and then was never mentioned again, until RK needed to frame Auren even more as the thief of powers, when the gold touch and the rot dripped out of her while standing trial.

As we've now seen, the focus of the book is solely on Slade and Auren instead of side characters or even plot, right? There should be so much room to recover from traumatic experiences, to deal with past trials and unprocessed trauma, right? Well, there was - and RK filled that room with porn. The main characters deal with their trauma by either forcing each other to talk about topics one of them is not ready to share yet, coercing sexual situations or simply fucking the thoughts away, if suppressing them for the sake of the other one's comfort is not an option anymore. This is a major list of problematic trauma responses or rather, problematic coping mechanisms which become even worse, when looked at in detail, as some sentences, that could probably provoke a major flashback to, in this case, Auren's past are mindlessly used in porn-like scenes: Remember Midas telling Rip/Ravinger in Gleam that Auren "lost the privilege (of using her ribbons)"? Well, Slade is as well-versed in copying someone's homework as his creator is and therefore states in one particular spicy scene on page 593 “You lost the privilege of your hands, my lady.” Really? That turns you on? Wow.
Also, Auren dealing with her traumatic experiences on her own is a work of art, abstract art that has very, very loose connections to reality, but you might call it art nonetheless: If she is not currently suppressing her power, any thought to what she did or tries to atone by getting Slade to hate-fuck her as punishment (this is not an exaggeration), she is telling herself at various points to simply stop her trauma responses and is done with it. Need examples?
In chapter 26 Auren hates, that her initial reaction to Slade is "snappishness" and then goes on to simply drop it. If it only were that easy, right?
The same procedure is used when she felt herself "hit rock bottom" in Chapter 18: on that lowest point of low, Auren discovers a crossroads of paths leading out of her situation. The problem I see with this description? When hitting rock bottom, you could actually stand on an illuminated sign showing you the way out and you wouldn't be able to see it - that's how it feels, I guess for most. If you still clearly see your paths, I hate to break it to you, but then that's not rock bottom yet. Rock bottom rather feels like being caught under a wave after a wipe out - you don't even know where up neither down is, and you probably don't see your "way out of trauma" at a crossroad, clearly and in broad daylight. This is massively overromanticised, in my opinion.

Another way of dealing with or facing her trauma is found for Auren in submission, at least that's what she repeatedly claims in the book, while also not wanting to rely on others (especially men), yet continuing to do exactly that:
"With the right person, there is power when you kneel. There is adoration with submission. There is balance with control." page 395
"I may be the one kneeling, but there is power here on my knees, with him in my mouth, with him beneath my grip. Such power here." page 522 (Such power, much wow)
Contrary to Auren's belief I'd like to add that there is power in submission, true, but only if your significant other respects boundaries, concepts of consent and "no" as a word in his vocabulary. Which leads us beautifully to another topic I am very, very concerned about: Consent in it's various forms.
The first violation of consent, to me, is Slade repeatedly pushing Auren to face her trauma, to talk, to do whatever is most convenient for him. He uses vocal cues, sexual coercion and blatant ignorance of her telling him "no" in various scenes (it's basically any sexual encounter in the book, I'm not going to list them here). He uses physical contact and sexual experiences to "encourage" here to face her trauma (the kiss scene while there was still daylight e.g.), even after Auren tells him "no" explicitly. A very cynic part of me wants to say that he only pushed her to touch him during the day because he now is able to fuck her even more. This is not the only scene in which Auren voices her discomfort by actually saying no and being repeatedly ignored, talked over or simply overpowered by Rip/Ravinger/Slade. There is three of them and no one seems to know what consent actually means, so let me give you a quick recap on the various concepts of consent and maybe the "Wish"-Version of Rhysand in form of RRS listens:
- No means no.
- Hesitation or clear signs of discomfort or even fear, means no.
- A coerced yes means no.
- A revoked yes means no.
- Consent can only be given conciously and enthusiastically and it can be revoked at any given time.

Out of the three ground rules of any sexual encounter, no matter how kinky, Slade and Auren score a solid 0/3 for safe, sane and consensual play. Great.
A very unfortunate situation in itself, but to make it even worse, it's not only one character unaware of the necessity of consent especially for sexual encounters, as Auren also completely ignores what Slade wants but simply threatens him to, and I quote, "knee you in the balls so hard all that cum you want to paint on my body will be choked up for a week" if he doesn't give her what she wants (a vaginal orgasm). Great, right? Or that scene, where she took "velvet wrapped steel" a little bit too literal and actually gilded his cock. Right, the girl still afraid she might do irredeemable damage with her gold touch gilded her lover's cock. Girl, if you want a toy, you can ditch the rest of the problematic dude and simply buy one.

Newsflash: two characters ignoring consent don't make it right. It makes it worse.

So there could be 100 more lines in which is claimed that there is power or calm in submission - if the other part of that encounter doesn't understand consent, it's nothing but garbage recounted over and over again to make it seem okay. It's not. It's harmful and disgusting. And it's an offence to all those other authors managing to actually pull powerful submission off. End of story.

End of story? Unfortunately not. While our cheap version of Rhysand pretends to be winner of "feminist of the year" he is nothing but possessive, constricting and encroaching. He will allow Auren any type of "freedom" she wants, as long as he is present, consenting (WOWWWW) and taking part in some way or form. Sounds captivating, right? He goes on to prove her independence by excluding her from crucial decisions about HER attendance at the Conflux, making said decision for her without her present because - and I wish I'd make this up - he fucked her to unconciousness before, so he could actually decide over her head ["He basically sexed me into unconsciousness so he could go off to give Manu his final answer at dinner without me being able to discuss it at length beforehand.", page 602; "once again, he’d distracted me with sex. This seems to be a theme.", page 603]. Feminism, right? Auren can do whatever she wants, as long as it pleases Slade.
He also shows some very alarming signs of similarity to ... drumroll, Midas. At the end of Glow Wish-Sand aka Slade (thanks for that, @stephanie) is basically a darkhaired version of Midas, thus Auren did not only trade one king for another but also one captor for a new, even more wicked one.
He wants to pluck the eyes of people out, who took a look at her - sounds familiar?

Now we have already dipped our toes in the spicy scenes of the book but I'm nowhere near done. While we may have wondered how Slade is able to live without any kingly duties, we are informed he actually has people doing those for him which allows him his obvious full-time career as a mediocre porn-star for a cringeworthy company producing porn for the male gaze only. Where I was completely convinced spice as a subplot for fantasy should be written like it has been done in Gleam, the spice scenes in Glow have to be written by a completely different person. There is nothing remotely sexy about those scenes and it read like any male-gaze-favoring porn watches. You know what had me laughing my buttocks off because I felt so right in that assessment of Auren and Slade actually only being porn-stars? This quote: "My moans start coming in earnest." [page 525] Do I even need to say more? Let me just leave another few quotes for you to decide, how wonderfully executed these spicy scenes were done:
“That’s right, drool all over my cock, baby. Get it nice and wet and sloppy, because I’m going to fuck you with it soon, and I want you dripping.”
“You are gorgeous, and I want nothing more than to watch my cum flood your mouth, but I want to sink myself inside your pussy even more.” (Nothing more, but something more, sure, dude)
“Fuck me, Auren. Bounce on my cock.”
“It makes me want to sink my teeth into your neck and leave a mark in your skin. Makes me want to strip you down, your mouth open, tongue out, and cum all over your chest, your pussy, your face. Makes me want to smear it over your tits, rub it against your pouting lips, watch you swallow it down as I smooth the cream right over your throbbing pussy.”
“Mmm, all this wet cream just for me.”
“My dirty fucking girl wants her clit licked?”
"But I don’t even feel when my head cracks against it [the wall]"
“Choke my cock and make me come with you.”
"It’s also his cock. He has a really good one."

I'll stop here but boy oh boy. I've read some truly bad spice but this? Next level shit. You could probably ignore it, but Raven Kennedy solved her plotholes by smothering the book in spice and you can't even skim past these scenes, because they are everywhere.

[CONTINUING IN THE COMMENTS]

[Lia Carstairs · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG OMG WHY NO NO WHY DID IT END I WANT MORE😭

that last line actually gave me chills IM SO EXCITED FOR BOOK 5 all thats going to happen !! skdhgks for a 730 paged book this went by way too fast😩

getting Slade's past WAS A BLESSING. somehow i fell even more in love with him. it was the littlest things he did that just had me swooning omg get me a man like him.

AND AUREN. she only just escaped from the cage she was in and now her coming to terms with everything skdhgks and just the growth >>>

Auren and Slade content was so so beautiful and precious, i swooned so much over those two.

AND THE LOVE I HAVE FOR RISSA SHE DESERVES MORE SCREEN TIME my heart actually stopped for a second when i thought she died😭😭

anyways excuse me while i once again suffer with another cliffhanger and go through an agonizing wait😃

full RTC

__________

the release date is so far away *sobbing*

[Uswah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.35 ⭐️ I’m so scared 😭

The ending?? Absolutely terrifying 😭😭 I can’t…
Is everyone okay?? They need to be. I don’t think I’ll ever heal if they’re not 😭 I need confirmation!!!

Let’s start from the beginning. Yes, this book was slower compared to the previous ones. It mostly follows Slade’s past and Auren’s healing journey, so I get why some people found it boring 🙂‍↕️ but honestly, I really enjoyed it. My heart broke every. Single. Time. while reading about Slade’s past 😭 Like Slade, ARE YOU ACTUALLY OKAY??? DO YOU NEED A HUG? Actually, nvm, at this point I shouldn’t ask. I should just HUG HIM because trust me, guys, HE NEEDS IT 😭😭😭

How can someone survive all THAT??? I… I’m literally speechless because DAYUMM, this guy is STRONG & BRAVE AF. The things he went through 😭 and reminder, he was only 8 years old at the time. 8. GUYS. 8!!! That 8-year-old child? He didn’t just survive, he endured, and that’s a whole different level of strength. 🥹😭 I just can’t… He had no one except Ryatt and his mom 🥹🫂 I love them both sooo much. And I’m really worried about his mom rn 😭 She better be okay, IDC 😭🫂

Auren’s healing journey was so good 🥹🫶 My girl is SO strong. She was like, “Oh, lemme show you what a STRONG FMC really means!!!” and DAYUMM, she DID. I’m sooo proud of her 🥹💛 The pain, the struggles, the trauma she’s gone through… It’s just—OMG—this girl needs a hug too 😭🫂 I VOLUNTEER TO HUG ALL THE GOOD CHARACTERS IN THIS SERIES 🙋‍♀️ because they all NEED IT 😭

Currently, there are three characters I hate with my whole chest 🙂‍↕️ but I don’t want to taint my review by writing their names, so we’ll ignore them ☺️ okay?? If you’ve read the book, then YOU KNOW who I’m talking about 🙂‍↕️

Now… let’s talk about the ending 😭 The ending WRECKED me 🫠😭 I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!! Slade and Auren, please don’t lose hope 😭🫂🫶 Queen Malina, I love you, so please stay strong 😭 I know you’re in a really tough situation, but hey, you’re strong too 🫂 so keep holding on 🫂🫶 Oh, and I love everything that’s happening between Osrik and Rissa 👀 but I’m SO scared 😭 Please, I need happy endings for all of you. PLEASE.

Yes, that’s the end of my review… or basically, a rant 😭 Love you all mwah 💋

——————————————————
.𖥔 ݁ ˖𓂃.☘︎ ݁˖pre-read .𖥔 ݁ ˖𓂃.☘︎ ݁˖

Missed Auren and Slade 👀💛🤭 BUT NOW I’M BACKKKK!!!!

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, the positive: despite its flaws, this series is compulsively readable. I never want to put the books down, even when they annoy me.

Now, the negatives: (and I am about to list a lot of them, but keep in mind the book still got 3 stars overall despite these things)

- the first 450 pages in this book should have been edited down to about 150 pages. This section was so drawn out despite very little actually happening in it.

- the final act was way too rushed, despite being 100 pages long. This is partly because nothing happened in the prior 600 pages, so it feels very weird to pack 90% of the book’s action into the last 15% of the story. Also, though, the actual trial lasted all of, what, 20 minutes? And they’re sentencing her to death that quickly? What the hell is happening? This was such a mess, honestly. This part of the book should have been much more drawn out and overall just written a lot better than it was.

- the sex scenes were…weird. Did anyone else find them weird? Like the dialogue in particular just did not match the vibe of the series.

- Slade in this book (and honestly in the last book) felt like a very cookie-cutter fantasy romance hero. More specifically, he felt like a knock-off Rhys from Maas’ ACOTAR series. I get that authors want to capitalize on Maas’ success by emulating her stories, but to me it’s kind of like the rule that you don’t mention a movie IN a movie? Like if I’m writing a movie I’m not going to mention The Godfather, because my movie is obviously not going to be as good as The Godfather, and I don’t want to push people into making that comparison because it’ll make my movie look worse? That’s what all these ACOTAR-inspired stories remind me of. You can’t imitate ACOTAR unless you’re sure your book is better than ACOTAR. Otherwise, your book will just come across as a worse version of Maas’.

- The Malina chapters felt like they didn’t belong in this book, which is a problem considering how critical they ended up being to the book’s final twist.

All in all, there were some major issues with this story. That said, I will be reading the next one. See you guys next year.

———-————————————

wait why did i think this book was already out fuck my life

[chaptersbydani · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF’d at 460 pages.

Raven Kennedy, please, I beg, find a scrap of originality or creativity. Please.

Every female character is the exact same weak, helpless, whiny petite figure who hates a specific male but can’t do anything unless a new male helps her do it.

Every male is either (a) rapey misogynistic ass that is insanely triggering to read or (b) secretly traumatized powerful tough guy.

You could Google character tropes and pick different ones and see how they mix! Each character doesn’t have to be the same person with a different name.

This book was entirely Auren being a petulant child, Slade being guilt ridden and reliving his daddy issues, and yet another pending war entirely hinged on that Auren is just a worthless evil saddle. Honestly, the writing is so repetitive. It needs a good editor. And again, we see the same insta-love nonsense beginning with Osrik and Rissa, copying Auren and Slade’s romance arc almost word for word. The side characters hardly mattered at all in the time I read it.

This book also played into my least favorite tropes: traumatized women can only be healed by an equally traumatized man, slut shaming, insta-love, miscommunication, etc. My eyes were rolling like marbles when Kennedy did the whole “mention a mysterious Her but surprise it’s his mother not his lover” bit. Tired and played out.

The jumping back and forth in time with characters and the nonsensical jump between POVs gave me a headache. I get why Kennedy wrote it this way. But it wasn’t truly necessary. If Kennedy had put more effort in developing her characters in the last three books, then there wouldn’t have been this roller coaster of character exploration.

I really, initially, admired how Kennedy decided to tackle and actually show the ugly side of living through and healing from domestic and sexual violence. I thought it would be somewhat relatable, potentially inspirational. But it’s not. I feel like it’s almost fetishization at this point, especially with the introduction of Rissa’s potential romantic arc. The women aren’t really given a chance to heal or anything. They don’t even seem to process what’s happened to them before they’re thrown in an insta-lust relationship that they’re not even ready for. I know some people use sex to heal but I very much hate the message that you just need a “better” (arguable) man to heal from a man who hurt you. It’s just gross and damaging.

Final thought… this is also started to feel like a darker ACOTAR ripoff. You have a stupidly powerful male with an abusive father with “dark powers”, mommy issues, who everyone believes is the most evil thing to walk the earth (but surprise he isn’t!) who has an entire city hidden away just because of the strength of his power, who has to heal a damaged woman who also great power, but she doesn’t trust herself because she was harmed by a man that was her first love… tell me it doesn’t sound a little like Rhys and Feyre?

[toointofiction · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You are mine, and I am yours, and whatever pleasure you seek, I will be there to watch you get it, and I will feed it to you tenfold afterward because you are mine, and I will see that you get what you need.”

Spice Meter: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

I was happy! For the first time since I started this series, I felt happy and safe. Then I reached the end and now all happiness drained right out of me. Talk about a major cliffhanger. My brain is on overdrive theorizing what's to come in Gold. Also, can't someone other than Auren suffer for a change? I bet that would spice things up a bit more. An even better choice is to make everyone happy, kill all the assholes, and just fill the whole book with dirty smut. I wouldn't mind that one bit.


Furthermore, Auren has finally grown into her own, even as bitches keep testing her. That poor girl is the goddess's most unfortunate soldier from the looks of it. She's gone through so much shit, her suffering is far from over, yet instead of crumbling beneath that weight, she rises against it. Not only that, but she is still the kindest most wonderful person in the book, and the most inspirational one. I've said it before and I'll say it again, she has the most amazing character development ever. Nothing has ever come close to Auren's character arc. Many badass female protagonists wouldn't be able to go through what she has gone through. If she doesn't get the happiest ending in literary history Raven Kennedy will be speaking with my lawyer. Besides, what adds insult to injury is that even though she changed kingdoms for the third time, there are still people who hate and distrust her. She literally hasn't done anything other than exist. What the fuck? Can't people just leave her the fuck alone?

Moreover, Daddy Slade owns this book and my heart with his textbook dotting boyfriend attitude and his bedroom skills. He is protective, yet not pushy or controlling, he supports Auren's feral fae side, and he always puts her above all else. Also, there's a lot of exposition on his backstory in this book and he has gone through his own suffering to get to where he is now. His life may not have been as horrific as Auren's, but hardly any better. A tree with a penis carved onto it would've been a better father to him, but he only became stronger and kinder. He learned how to fight back. He deserves a happy ending as much as Auren does and he better get it.

In addition, this is the hottest Slade and Auren have been so far. Seriously, the things they do to each other made me weak in the knees. They are insatiable. It's all that pain and despair that takes their sex life to a whole other level. Not that their fluffy, romantic scenes are any less overwhelming. The things they say to each other are so sweet and wonderful, they make me squeal louder than their dirty talk.

Lastly, I love and hate the same people I did in the last book. Slade's Wrath is still magnificent, and everyone else pales in comparison. They are as precious as they are scary. Queen Malina and Queen Kaila are horrible and I hate them. How Malina still lives after being a total dumbass the entire book is beyond me. At least Midas is dead. Also, I'm pleased to say that Rissa finally realized how precious Auren truly is and what a wonderful friend she can be. She also has her own point of view in this book, along with Osrik, one of Slade's Wrath. It was a ton of fun watching them interact with each other. He teases her and she pretends (badly) that it doesn't affect her. Their dynamic is adorable and their substory promises a lot more interesting interactions in the next book. While I am not a fan of their sort of insta-love romance, I'm a total whore for forced proximity and unwanted attraction that I'm willing to look past it. I am fully invested, I want them to be as happy as possible, and I can't wait to see them doing the no pants dance soon.

[emmy; fire breathing kitty queen · Rating 5 out of 5]

wHY do we have to wait a YEAR FOR THIS BOOK. I cannot deal with this fact. My heart is going to break. I need another five books and I need them NOW.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ Filler book. A slow but good addition to the series


Trigger Warning (18+): This series contains explicit content and darker elements/themes, including human trafficking, Stockholm Syndrome, gaslighting, non-consensual sex, violence, and mature language.


After that massive cliffhanger from Gleam, I have been eagerly waiting for this next installment in the series. And overall, I enjoyed this story. However, as many have already stated, it was a filler book. There's nothing wrong with filler books. In fact, I believe they are necessary for most series longer than three books. So as far as filler books go, this was done well, but there were a few things that didn't work for me.


Here's what I liked:


Osrik & Rissa. Honestly, they were my favorite part of the story even though we barely see them.

“You are the worst bad mistake I’m glad I never made,” she hisses.
“And you’re still the best mistake I can’t wait to make,” I retort with a smirk.

Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers, but all I know is that I need them together! It's just so adorable how big of a simp the big, burly Osrik is for Rissa.


Queen Malina's side story. Her importance to the story has been a mystery to me, and I never really enjoyed her POV chapters in any of the books until now! Her role in what happens at the end is a huge deal, and I'm curious to see what she does moving forward.


Slade's flashbacks. I absolutely LOVED this. I've had many questions about Slade's parents, magic, and past trauma, which are all answered in this book. His character development is beautifully done and helps us understand why he is the man he is today. I especially enjoyed seeing his connection with his mother and brother, but damn some of those flashbacks broke my heart. 😭 I'm so glad he has Auren and is still willing to open his heart after so much pain.

PS: His father can rot in hell. I know he will show up in the next book, and I hope Slade makes him pay!


Auren's healing and growth. After the events of Gleam, Auren is broken and absolutely terrified of her magic. There is so much trauma Auren has to unpack, and I really enjoyed seeing her work through everything in her own time. You can't force the healing process, and while this aspect of the story was soooooooo slow and often repetitive, it felt right. So I really appreciate that Raven Kennedy allowed Auren that time and space to heal.

PS: I'll be devastated if Auren's ribbons don't grow back. However, I feel like there are a couple of hints at her getting wings (she was caged, Slade's nickname for her is Goldfinch, there's a reference to her as a Phoenix rising from the ashes), and if that's the case, how freaking cool!


This beautiful scene. Honestly, out of the entire book, this is the most memorable scene for me. It's such a subtly important moment for Auren but also for Slade. It definitely made me tear up.

“Can you hear it?” she whispers.
I pause, ears straining, but all I hear are faint sounds from the city below and the constant draw of the waterfall at the base of the mountain.
“Hear what?”
And she smiles, through the tears dried on her cheeks, through the glassiness of her eyes. The sight is so damn beautiful that it’s hard to breathe.
“The sun,” Auren answers quietly, tone filled with a tentative, innocent joy. One that you’re afraid of saying too loud in case it breaks. “She’s singing to me.”
Emotion clogs in my throat as I watch her tip her head back again. Watch her eyes close. I draw a knuckle down her soft cheek. “And what does she sing, Goldfinch?” I murmur.
Her smile breaks through like the sunlight above us. “The song of home,” she says. “The sun is singing the song of home.”
My chest swells, and when she reaches a hand up and tugs at my arm, I lie back with her, situating until we’re arm to arm, leg to leg.
“Listen,” she whispers.
So I do. I thread my fingers through her own, and I listen.
But my song of home doesn’t come from the sun. Mine comes from her.


Auren's Cleansing for the Conflux seemed like a nod to Game of Thrones, and I LOVED it! Honestly, all I could think about was the similarities between this scene and Cersei getting ready with Septa Unella and her walk of atonement. Reading about fanatical religious groups that try to cleanse the body/spirit brings up my religious trauma. I absolutely hate them with a passion and would love nothing less than to see them burn. I hope Queen Isolte and her fanatics get what they deserve.


The cliffhanger ending. Raven Kennedy is an evil genius because the endings of the last two books have nearly sent me to the hospital due to heart failure. While reading the last few chapters, I was genuinely afraid for Auren and Slade. It felt like my heart was being painfully squeezed, shredded, and stabbed, all at the same time. I just know the next book is going to be INSANE. Since it's the last installment in the series, I'm assuming we'll get answers about Auren's past (her parents and why she was brought to Orea) and more world-building about Annwyn. I am foaming at the mouth for the next book! June 8, 2023 cannot come fast enough!



Here's what I didn't like:


The slow pace. This book is 700 pages, and nothing truly exciting really happens until the last 80 pages. The story mostly focuses on Auren's recovery and Slade's past, which, again, are important for the development of the characters and story. Still, it really wasn't exciting, and there was a lot of repetitive content. It took me forever to finish this book because it didn't captivate me in the same way the others had.

I was also disappointed that Gleam ended on a massive cliffhanger, and it takes 130 pages for Auren to wake up. I just wanted to know she was okay, dammit. lol

There are also so many questions that I've had since the beginning of the series that are still unanswered, and since Gold is the final book in the series, I'm worried things might be rushed to wrap things up, or the book will be 1000 pages long. Either way, I'm eager to read!


The dirty talk during sex scenes. I've come to realize the way Raven Kennedy writes these is not for me. While the actual sex scenes are creative and unique (like the carriage scene 🥵), it's ruined for me by the dirty talk. For example:

“Get that slick pussy all over my cock.”

“That’s right, drool all over my cock, baby. Get it nice and wet and sloppy, because I’m going to fuck you with it soon, and I want you dripping.”

“Your pussy is clamping down on my dick like it wants to milk me dry.”

“I want your slick to coat my cock. I want your pussy to clamp down around me so hard that it demands me to come with you. I want to burst inside of you until my cum and your gold comes dripping from this hot”—thrust—“tight”—thrust—“cunt.” Thrust.

“Mmm, all this wet cream just for me.”

“Choke my cock and make me come with you.”

You get the picture. Unfortunately for me, this wording takes away from the moment and makes these sex scenes incredibly unsexy. I know a lot of other people who enjoy the spice though, so I think it comes down to personal preference.



Overall, Glow is a good addition to the series because it provides a lot of background information and character development. I seriously cannot wait for Gold: Book 5. My heart will not know peace until I find out what happens next.



Thank you so much to The Nerd Fam and Raven Kennedy for sending me a physical ARC copy. I didn't get to read or review it before the publication date since I was in the middle of moving, but I'm so grateful for receiving an early copy. As always, all opinions are my own.

-

The Plated Prisoner Series:

#1 Gild — 4 Stars
#2 Glint — 4 Stars
#3 Gleam — 4.5 Stars
#4 Glow — 3.5 Stars
#5 Gold — 4 Stars
#6 Goldfinch - (no release date)
-

Favorite Quotes:


I’ve always been treated like treasure, but with Slade, I’m simply treasured.

——————————————

The abuse came in shades of gray. Some were darker and more noticeable than others. Some, I probably haven’t even noticed yet. My healing from this isn’t going to happen overnight. But...I’m free now. Truly free.

——————————————

“If you’re a villain...then I’ll be a villain with you.”

——————————————

I knew it was going to be him or us. And I choose us.

——————————————

“Oh, Goldfinch. I would’ve found you in whatever world you were in. In whatever life.” My lips tip up in a soft smile, because I believe him. “You would’ve found me in them all.”

——————————————

With the right person, there is power when you kneel. There is adoration with submission. There is balance with control.

——————————————

My body sings for him in all the right notes.

——————————————

He doesn’t keep us face-to-face, he has me like this with my back still bared to him, and when he places kisses there again, it’s like he’s replacing the violence and marking me with tenderness instead. Reminding me that I’m not ruined. That despite it all, we’re here, together, and that sometimes, our worlds have to rip in order for us to end up where we’re meant to be.

——————————————

“One person’s pain doesn’t negate another’s. Our heartaches are not competition, but the bridge to empathy. So that we can look at one another and know that on some level, we understand. That’s one beautiful thing about grief, I think. That sometimes, we can find someone in the world to look at from the other side of the bridge of our torments and know that we are not alone.”

——————————————

“I don’t give a fuck what other people think.”
“That’s such a man thing to say,” I reply with a slight roll of my eyes as I take another bite. “Women in this world have to be more careful. Perceived reputations can be life or death.”

——————————————

“You can say something until you’re blue in the face, and it won’t do any good. People rarely change their opinions when they’re argued with. They only tend to listen to the voices of those they already agree with.”

——————————————

“I mean you’re mine to please. To pleasure. You’re mine to protect. To adore. To hear. To see. To experience. To love.”

——————————————

“You’re mine, Auren. As wholly as I am yours. If there’s something you crave, if there’s some freedom you want to try the taste of, then you will do it, and I will be right there with you. Watching you devour your wants. And then I will devour you.”

——————————————

“With gold and rot, we will protect what is ours. We will be our worst when we need to and be our best together. And at the end of the day, we will fucking destroy our enemies.”

——————————————

“You are my equal. My female. My partner. But when it comes to your pussy, I’m in charge.”

——————————————

But maybe, it’s simply the fact that the person I love is willing to destroy the world to protect me. And that is its own kind of power that not even this enclosure can drain away. So long as we’re together, everything is okay. Because I will fight for him, and he will kill for me, and if we need to be the villains, then so be it.

——————————————

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

“If they want to make me a villain, then I’ll fucking be one.”

To be honest… this series took me a while to REALLY enjoy. The first book is intensely toxic and I think I originally rated it 2 stars. But looking back, it was so important to set up and show Auren’s journey from being the “favored GOLDEN saddle” aka royal whore or part of a king’s harem, to where she is by the end of Gleam.

This book shows how she attempts to face those incredible traumas, and the love interest’s troubled past. I would highly suggest checking TW, because even though I’m not very emotional or easily triggered, the horrible things they’ve both gone through… made me sob by the end. Raven Kennedy does such an amazing job walking you through the conflict of emotions these characters work through.

Although it helps to have a great and hilarious support system like The Wrath, and the love interest. The understanding, and emotional intelligence in this male character and the found family are almost unfathomable. He somehow sees straight through her facade, anticipates her every move & word, while simultaneously building her inner self up, and showing her how powerful she really is. I could go on, and on about this character… but really I think you just need to experience him for yourself. Be warned, he’s quite vocal. 😉 This is a dark fantasy romance, so it’s not always sweet and cuddly.

Overall I love the world building, these heart felt characters, the slow burn romance, magic system, political intrigue, and I’m always a softy for an animal companion aka Argo the timberwing. If you enjoy fantasy romance I highly suggest this series! The first book is tough, emotionally… but I promise it gets better!

[Bailey Chadwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was gifted an ARC of this book.

If Goodreads allowed me to give this book 1 million stars, I would do it. It's an absolute fantastic continuation of the story. I literally read this book in a day. Fantastic, plain and simple.

[clicktojointhemafia · Rating 4 out of 5]

pre read: GIVE BACK HER GOLDEN RIBBONS 🔪🔪🔪🔪

post read: the author is a cruel woman (i love her)

warning, this review will NOT be spoiler free!


this book... gosh, it did feel like it was lacking slightly at first but goddamn, raven kennedy pulled out all the stops at the end. chapter 64 broke me and i was not okay. the side romance between osrik and rissa- lemme just say i called it in the last book!!!!!! their personalities are so compatible?? the spice- lemme just say there was no shortage. i really loved how her trauma associated with losing her ribbons wasn't glossed over but then it also kind of broke me reading about it??? i cried too much y'all.

we saw auren come out of her shell so much more in this one and finally own her magic. i feel like her controlling her powers happened so fast and deserved more attention. there was also alot of this book which i felt like was just filler for the series, but i'm happy about getting to know the characters more. i was laughing, giggling, gasping and talking to myself to much while reading- i really do adore this series :))

anyways- RAVEN KENNEDY HOW THE FUUUUCCCKKKK COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?????? LIKE WDYM HE COULDN'T GET TO HER AND ACCIDENTALLY MADE ANOTHER RIP AND TRANSPORTED HER BACK HOME TO ANNWYN BUT NOW HIS FIRST RIP IS GONE?????????????? bruh. I DIDN'T WANT THEM APART. NO FAIR. !!!!

i love u raven kennedy nevertheless

rating: 3.75-4 stars

[Ashlee » libraryinthecountry · Rating 5 out of 5]

*screams* OH. MY. GODS. WHAT!?! Somebody sedate me. *screams some more*

It’s not often that you find a series that starts off strong and only keeps getting better, but this is one of those rare gems of a series for me.

Reading The Plated Prisoner series is like standing on the coast on a foggy day and watching the fog bank withdraw and reveal the beauty of the horizon. Your worlds starts small, but you know there is something more out there and the characters slowly come to realize it as well. It’s a beautiful unveiling that rewards the patient and dedicated.

Glow was, without a shred of doubt, a five star read for me and I’m excited to see it out in the world and in everyone’s hands now, too!

If you love Slade, well … this is Slade’s book. He owns it. We learn so much about him, past and present. Just when I thought I couldn’t love him more, too. I was very happy and completely enthralled with every piece we learn about him. I think everyone will be very happy.

Glow answers questions, opens many doors, grew the worldbuilding by leaps and bounds and kicked up the spice several notches from Gleam. 😏 AND THAT ENDING! Yeah, Raven went there. 😱

Happy reading everyone!


Original, June 7th, 2022:
eARC received: ✔️
physical copy set to be delivered tomorrow: ✔️
daily thoughts of Slade in that chair: ✔️✔️✔️
times I’ll let Slade be the villain for me: ♾

[Lucie V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

✅✅ Last 30%
✅ Characters
✅ Dark and angsty
✅ Romance and smut
✅ Writing
✅ World-building
✅ Multiple POVs
✅(🆗) Plot and politics
✅(🆗) Pace
❗️❗️Cliffhanger
❗️❗️Trigger warnings: mentions of emotional manipulation, physical and psychological abuse, and drug consumption.

_______________________
Second read:I enjoyed more Slade's flashbacks the second time around, but I still find that the pace drags a little near the middle...

_______________________

This one did not feel as heavy or dark as the previous ones, and it had this "filler book" feeling for a while, and it just felt long. The last 30% were insane though, definitely worth 5 stars, and I can't wait to read the next book, but the middle part was a little too slow to my taste.

My lips curve up, and I hold up the bottle in a toast. “No longer live the king.”
His mouth curves in a rare smile that I’m not sure I’ve ever seen. “No longer live the fucking king. And may you kick anyone’s ass who ever tries to hurt you again.”

Glow picks up right where Gleam ended, with Slade on the run from the Fifth Kingdom, with Auren in a rot-state, and it's a race against the clock because Slade needs to get far enough to keep Auren safe from the Fifth Kingdom, and people safe from her gift that seems to be out of control, but he also needs to hurry because she can't remain in this rot-state for too long. After Queen Kaila spins her tale about how Auren killed Midas out of jealousy and stole his power, Auren is called to the Conflux to answer for her crimes.

The pace is slower than in the previous book, and Glow focuses more on fleshing out the characters than moving the plot forward, but I think the character growth was necessary for the direction the next book will take. I just think that the middle part could have used a little more action.

Queen Malina still has a few chapters, and honestly, they still bored me, but at least now I understand why she was important to the plot, and why I had to read about her journey. I still don't like her, and I still find her storyline boring, but at least I can see the huge impact it will have on the last book now.

That’s the thing with trauma to the body—it shows up instantly. In breaks and bruises, in burns and in blood. But the trauma on the inside, that’s harder to see. It creeps around your mind, poisons you with disquiet. It can hit you out of nowhere, debilitating and ruinous. There are no marks visible for those. None, save the shadows in your eyes.

After everything that she's been through, Auren first needs to heal, but she also needs to build back her trust in her power and her capacity to control it. She is afraid after she lost control at the end of Gleam, and the first half of the book focuses a lot on her fight to push through the block she created, and to learn how to control her power so she becomes the master of it instead of being controlled by her power and her fears.

I won’t allow another storm to touch Auren. She has been flooded and wrung out, left to take the barrage without shelter. But so long as I’m here, I will be her shelter.

I said in my review of Gleam that I wanted more of Slade, well I got more of him alright in this book. I was really happy at first to see all the chapters he had, and how much more insight we had when it came to him. There are a few flashbacks too, and I liked seeing how he went from a "normal boy" to being King Rot and Commander Rip, it did give me some answers to questions I've been asking myself since book 2 (and we finally know why he got the nickname "Rip"!).

I shake my head. “No, you wouldn’t. You’re good. You’re—”
“No, Goldfinch,” he interrupts. “I’m good to you. But I am every bit the villain that I warned you I was.”


I level him with a look. “I think I’m starting to learn that you’re just as unhinged as some of the Orean rumors have claimed.”
His devilish smirk only grows. “Oh, love, I’m worse.”

I also really like the fact that while Slade is the love interest and we all adore him, he remains a ruthless character, that could even be considered a "villain" at times. He embraces his Fae side when it comes to his violent urges and fierce desire to protect, and he is not ashamed to let the world see how violent and destructive he can be when it comes to protecting the people he cares about and his kingdom. He was not "tamed" because he fell in love, and he kept this wild edge, without trying to romanticize it, and I enjoyed this part of him too.

I’ve always been treated like treasure, but with Slade, I’m simply treasured.

There is romance in this book, of course, and it's a delicious mix of sweet moments, dirty talk, spicy smut, serious conversations, and some clashing between Auren and Slade. On a little side note, while I have nothing against dirty talk in books, I struggled to get on board with it a few times during this book... I can't really explain why, because I don't mind graphic details or very spicy smut, but the dirty talk kinda clashed with the intense moments at times... But that’s really just personal taste.

Back to Slade and Auren's relationship, Slade continues to always let Auren know that she can choose for herself what she wants to do now that she is free, and I love him so much for that. He is not trying to force her to remain at the castle by his side, but he makes it clear that if she decides to travel and explore the world, he will accompany her... The only time Slade does not really listen to Auren is when it comes to her safety, and while I totally understand that he is willing to do anything to keep her safe, I also kind of agree with Auren and Ryatt that choosing her wellbeing, if it means that all of Fourth will suffer, is not a very kingly decision. I can't wait to see how Slade and Auren will continue to grow stronger, and while I'm 99% sure that they will both be okay and have their HEA, there is 1% of me that is REALLY scared that something will happen to them in the next book.

“You are the worst bad mistake I’m glad I never made,” she hisses. “And you’re still the best mistake I can’t wait to make,” I retort with a smirk.

There are three new POVs in this book. The first one is the nasty queen from Third, but nobody cares about her except if it's to slap her and kill her. The other new POVs are Rissa and Osrik, and I LOVED their tense relationship, even if we saw so little of it. There is OBVIOUS sexual tension there, but Rissa "hates" Osrik because he's a gruff and undistinguished soldier, while Osrik knows she feels this way and will not let himself get involved with her only so she can have regrets later. Those two were not a huge part of the book, but I loved all of their chapters, and the hint of hate/lust that we saw in this book was so promising!

We also saw more of the Wrath in this book than in the previous one, and it was nice to see that Auren was with people who loved her and cared about her, and seeing their banter and silly rivalry added a lighter touch to the darker aspect of the book such as healing from intense trauma and physical torture.

Slade opens his mouth to tear into him, but Digby beats him to it.
“Don’t speak about my lady in that tone,” he grounds out.

I was so happy to see more of Digby! He was a gruff guard with a kinda hidden sweet spot for Auren in the first book, but now we can see that their connection runs deeper than that. He really cares about Auren, even though he tried not to show it too much when he was working for Midas, and we realize that with the years he spent with Auren, he became a kind of fatherly figure to her. He's a sweetheart beneath all that grumpiness and grunting, and I love him!

“Can you hear it?” she whispers.
I pause, ears straining, but all I hear are faint sounds from the city below and the constant draw of the waterfall at the base of the mountain.
“Hear what?”
And she smiles, through the tears dried on her cheeks, through the glassiness of her eyes. The sight is so damn beautiful that it’s hard to breathe.
“The sun,” Auren answers quietly, tone filled with a tentative, innocent joy. One that you’re afraid of saying too loud in case it breaks. “She’s singing to me.”
Emotion clogs in my throat as I watch her tip her head back again. Watch her eyes close. I draw a knuckle down her soft cheek. “And what does she sing, Goldfinch?” I murmur.
Her smile breaks through like the sunlight above us. “The song of home,” she says. “The sun is singing the song of home.”
My chest swells, and when she reaches a hand up and tugs at my arm, I lie back with her, situating until we’re arm to arm, leg to leg.
“Listen,” she whispers.
So I do. I thread my fingers through her own, and I listen.
But my song of home doesn’t come from the sun. Mine comes from her.

1. Gild ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
2. Glint ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Gleam ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


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[Laura Jane ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Find me in another life.”

Rating: 4.75 stars ☆
Absolutely my favourite in the series so far!! The character development, the back stories, the growth!! The plot, the twists and developments, immaculate. I loved it so much!!! Everything is just balanced out perfectly. I think I am going to go cry myself to sleep now though, because I refuse to believe what I just read. 😭

Now I need you to take a seat for what I am about to say.... I think Slade just became number 2 book boyfriend. I said what I said! THIS man is everything. He is so supportive of Auren, he never stopped believing in her even when she didn't believe in herself. He sees every single part of her and loves her wholly. I cannot. The kind of man who would burn the world down for her but would also stand back and encourage her to do it herself. I am weak. So, so weak.
Then the things that come out of his mouth. Someone sedate me. This is about to become a Slade appreciation review.
‘But my song of home doesn’t come from the sun. Mine comes from her.’

“Oh, Goldfinch, I’d follow you to the end of the world and tip right off the edge, all because of a crook of your finger.”

“You’re mine to protect. To adore. To hear. To see. To experience. To love. You’re mine, Auren. As wholly as I am yours. If there’s something you crave, if there’s some freedom you want to try the taste of, then you will do it, and I will be right there with you. Watching you devour your wants. And then I will devour you.”

“Turn around, baby,” he tells me. “Brace your hands on the rim of the pool.”
LISTEN, the way I literally blacked out at this point & this isn't even close to half of the highlights I have for this man. Every time he called her baby? Yeah my soul vacated my body and drifted off to Pluto.
The romance in this book is actually perfection, that slow burn never paid off so well, the spice is insane. Their love is my new religion.

Auren, THIS was her time, her time to heal, let go of everything everyone put her through and grow into the powerful woman she is!!! Her realising what it is to be truly loved and cherished for just being herself, no hidden agenda, no-one using her. All her choices belong to her. I want to cry, my girl deserves it all. The love, the friendships and found family!!! I need her to catch a break PLEASE.
“This is it, isn’t it?” I ask quietly, feeling so soft and secure in his arms. “This is real love.”

One final quote that I couldn’t not include:
“One person’s pain doesn’t negate another’s. Our heartaches are not competition, but the bridge to empathy. So that we can look at one another and know that on some level, we understand. That’s one beautiful thing about grief, I think. That sometimes, we can find someone in the world to look at from the other side of the bridge of our torments and know that we are not alone.”

[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 4 out of 5]

”So long as we’re together, everything is okay. Because I will fight for him, and he will kill for me, and if we need to be the villains, then so be it.”

i’m so glad i didn’t stop reading this series despite hating the first two books because Slade is worth every page the minute he got introduced. i loved getting his backstory, there were so many questions i had about his character and this book helped answer them. Auren has come such a long way since the start, but i do still think she falls victim to a lot of self pitying that manages to annoy me slightly. it’s a good thing that she has someone like Slade who cherishes her and makes her feel comfortable but also doesn’t let her wallow in her feelings and pushes her to be a better version of herself. i also 100% love Slade’s crew, especially Lu and Judd — i also was not mad at whatever was happening with Osrik and Rissa. Slade is definitely one of my new fav mmc’s, everything he did at the end of this book? the entirety of chapter 50? HELLO??? he’s insane

more quotes ——

💛 “With gold and rot, we will protect what is ours. We will be our worst when we need to and be our best together. And at the end of the day, we will fucking destroy our enemies.”

💛 “With the right person, there is power when you kneel. There is adoration with submission. There is balance with control.”

💛 “I won’t allow another storm to touch Auren. She has been flooded and wrung out, left to take the barrage without shelter. But so long as I’m here, I will be her shelter.”

💛 “Your desires are not to be staunched or controlled. I am not intimidated by your curiosities, because they’re natural—and because you have been restrained for far too long. I’m never going to clip your wings, Goldfinch.”

💛 “Slade...” My voice doesn’t come out as more than a whisper, but he hears me. He always hears me, even when I don’t say a thing.”

[Karolina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could not wait for the release of this book and had been counting down the days until I could immerse myself in this world again. Unfortunately, this instalment simply did not deliver.

- Nothing happens in the first 500 pages of the book. Nothing. Yes, Auren grows into herself and starts overcoming her trauma, but it’s very poorly executed. She holds no animosity towards Slade for what he did to her (despite him taking away her free will at the end of book three) and the only thing she’s worried about is the sliver of his rot that is left within her… only to barely play a role at all throughout the book until the very end. (Which, I’m calling it, she either held on to herself because she loves even that part of him, hence it being in her heart, or is in her because she’s pregnant.)

She’s scared of her magic, then she’s afraid to face that she can’t use her magic, and as soon as she reconciles the two within a few chapters, she can suddenly use ALL the magic without having to break a sweat. It felt too easy. At no point of the first 75% of the story were there any stakes… because of course everyone chose to simply ignore the giant elephant that was everyone accusing Auren of stealing magic! Because that makes sense of course and is what a monarch in charge of a whole kingdom would do. Duh!

There really could have been so many things going on to drive the plot. Auren being accused of stealing magic, the food supply being cut off, the power plays needed to replace the lost kings… all these things could have provided so much friction, made for an interesting and complex and engaging story! Instead, there was nothing really happening until the last 20% of the book, because the MCs decided to bury their heads in the sand and simply ignore the world around them… for over 500 pages. And even then, when we actually do reach the “plot” part of the story, I am very disappointed that Auren doesn’t drive any of it. Things continue to happen to her rather than due to her actions and choices. Which is very disappointing considering that the whole purpose of the series is for her to come into her own agency, which she supposedly does in this book… I don’t see how, though, when she’s continuously a victim trying to react to the situations thrown at her rather than the one causing them. She didn’t even choose to attend the Conflux at the end - which would have made sense given her emotional development at the time. No, she had to be kidnapped!

- There were also at least a couple of deus ex machina moments thrown in too, though more so on Slade’s side when inevitably trying to rescue Auren from all the things happening to her.

- While I love Slade, his character definitely took a hit between this and the last book, though there were a few memorable moments and interactions between him and Auren (especially after the second and before the third time they slept together - when she asked if this is what love is and he confirmed, and when she told him she wanted to explore the world and other people and he was all for it whilst making it clear that he would still ultimately be endgame because… he said so). He most definitely did not act like the calculating king/commander that he was in the previous books. While I liked his softer side, it was a bit too guilt ridden for me. And when it came to Auren he was more shortsighted than a 15 year old whose girlfriend called him up to tell him that the house was empty… all he cared about was Auren, whilst claiming that he always did what’s best for his people. That was simply not true, and, in fact, some of his decisions were so callous that I truly wondered how his Wrath had not put him straight yet. Ryatt was the only voice of reason in this, and even he somehow came to admit that he was wrong by the end… it was just… disappointing, because it shows an inability of the author to balance and explore more complex issues and dynamics.

- The attempt at creating an interesting sibling dynamic between Slade and Ryatt failed. The whole thing was underexplored and underdeveloped. Given that nothing was happening in the first 500 pages of the book, more emphasis could have been given to this. There was plenty of opportunity.

- There was absolutely no point to including a new budding romance. It was clear that it was only inserted because the author new that this particular dynamic worked, as proven by the fact that it was a copy paste of Auren and Slade’s relationship in book 2. Only worse, because apart from insta lust, this was also insta love (cue: Osrik’s reaction to the stabbing). Can’t complain too much though! At least Osrik in this book was closer to what Slade used to be!

- Just like the sex in the last book, the sex scenes in this book were fucking weird. At least the first two out of four times they slept together in this book. The crudeness of the sex just didn’t fit the remaining tone of the book, especially since we witnessed both Auren and Slade’s first person POV and got used to their thought patterns and expressions. It doesn’t fit the characters and where they were supposed to be emotionally and physically in these moments. Which is sad, really, because it greatly subtracts from the value of the story and the reader’s experience. It simply cheapens the book. And this is coming from someone who enjoys a lot of explicit smut in my reads. But the sex was more befitting of a mafia romance than a fantasy romance, and it’s clear that the author has more experience with the one than the other. By the third scene, it got better. But the first two scenes still left a foul taste behind.

- Still, looking forward to the last book in the series.

[•°Dahlia ( hiatus ) · Rating 3 out of 5]

𓏲 ๋࣭  ࣪ ˖3.5 🌟
To say that I want to burn thus book is an understatement..

Am VERY disappointed this serie was doing so good until this book.. I really wanted to love it I really tried too but PLEASE ? what happened for God's sake ..

90% was pure spice and crying like sure there was some trauma dump and all , and the last 10% action overpacked with nothing that made sense 🙏

That ending ? yes I probably will finish this serie but definitely not now (who knows) because I just have to know what will happen 🤷‍♀️

--
do not ask me how .

[Julezreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25⭐️! Diese Reihe hat mein Herz, wirklich. Eine Protagonistin mit starker Entwicklung, liebenswerte Charaktere und eine faszinierende magische Welt. Nachdem Band 3 ein Highlight für mich wurde, erschien „Glow“ mir eher wie ein Übergangsband. Wir haben unfassbar viele Seiten und alle Ereignisse sind wichtig, um die Welt weiter auszubauen, Charakter-Dynamiken zu inszenieren und Handlungsstränge zu verweben. Dennoch wirkte es beim Lesen doch sehr gestreckt, als würde nichts "wirklich" passieren. Die extreme Sog-Wirkung, die die Reihe innehat, war nicht sehr ausgeprägt. Trotz der Längen habe ich das Buch gerne gelesen, weil die Charaktere längst einen Platz in meinem Herzen einnehmen und mich Szenen und Zitate immer wieder begeistern konnten🫶🏼. Auch wenn dieser Band sich im Sinne des Storytellings als etwas schwächer erwies, hat er vor allem mit dem rasanten Ende sehr viel Potential für Band 5 etabliert. Ich bin HYPED🥰!

[Cass (wonderlandandwhisky) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Plated Prisoner series came out as my second most recommended series that people love so you can only imagine I was utterly gobsmacked and speechless when Raven was kind enough to send me through an ARC of Glow, the fourth instalment.

I highlighted 80% of this book. That is no exaggeration.

It is very difficult to give a thorough review without giving spoilers so I’m just going to leave a few vague points and quotes.

📕 If you thought you loved Slade before, I will tell you now, you were wrong. You will come out of this not remembering any of your other book boyfriend’s names.
📕 We get A LOT more backstory on Slade.
📕 We get some new twists.
📕 We get even more delicious banter and time with the Wrath (Hi Os 😉)
📕 Piggy backs can be s€xy as hell.
📕 I cried. A lot. I laughed. A lot.
📕 The character growth we know and love throughout the series continues.

Non Spoiler Quotes:
“It felt like a friendship squeeze.”
“Oh Goldfinch, I see you.”
“Breathe with me.” (This one made me sob uncomfortably because it’s soooooo relatable to me).
“F*ck Midas.”
“Huh. You’re shiny.”
“I need you all to tuck your d*cks in for a second and try to think rationally. Like a woman.”

I’m not a star giver but there is no doubt this would get every single star in all of the galaxies. I’m in awe. Shock. I can count on one hand the books that have made me feel how I about Glow. Raven, you are a flipping genius. Thank you for these characters and these stories.

[Poppyflowerjj · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/ 5⭐
3/5 🌶️

This book was beautiful.

I’m utterly destroyed. It’s absolutely wonderful. 💔💔💔

WHY do we have to wait a YEAR FOR THIS BOOK. I cannot deal with this fact. My heart is going to break. I need another five books and I need them NOW.

#1 Gild — 3 Stars
#2 Glint — 3 Stars
#3 Gleam — 5 Stars
#4 Glow — 4.5 Stars

Quotes:
“If they want to make me a villain, then I’ll fucking be one.”

“If you’re a villain...then I’ll be a villain with you.”

“I mean you’re mine to please. To pleasure. You’re mine to protect. To adore. To hear. To see. To experience. To love.”

"But maybe, it’s simply the fact that the person I love is willing to destroy the world to protect me. And that is its own kind of power that not even this enclosure can drain away. So long as we’re together, everything is okay. Because I will fight for him, and he will kill for me, and if we need to be the villains, then so be it."

[°❀⋆.monica ೃ࿔*:･ · Rating 4 out of 5]

slade 🥰😛🙂‍↕️🙂‍↔️😩🥵🤗🫠🤤🤲🏼🫦👅🤰🙇🏼‍♀️🧎🏼‍♀️‍➡️

[Em Lost In Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[☆EmilyEverAfter☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The middle of the book dragged a bit, but the end! Whattttt!? Ahh. 🙀
Find me in another life. Find me in them all.. 😭😭😭

[• Lindsey Dahling • · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I didn’t love this one as much as books 2 and 3.

I was glued to it during the beginning and the end. It’s the middle section that sort of drags. And drags. And drags. It got to the point that for a while I preferred the Malina chapters more than Auren. The characters just…don’t really do much or have much to do.

I also like the other budding romance in here, but it was entirely too rushed for me to really be invested in it.

Also, why did I miss Midas as the villain? That was annoying. But…Queen Kaila is just…eh.

This review was probably 0% helpful. I’m not even sure what the point of these ramblings are. Cutting myself off now.