Title: Gleam (Plated Prisoner #3)
Author: Raven Kennedy
Genre: Fantasy, fantasy romance
Publisher: Independent- N/A
Publication Date: 2021
Format: Paperback
Length: 673 pages
Read if you like: enemies to lovers, retellings, fae, “who hurt you”, morally grey male and female characters, found family, slow burn

Rating:

The Plated Prisoner series is quickly becoming one of my favourite romantasy series out there. With a highly original premise based loosely on the tale of King Midas, Raven Kennedy has crafted such an absolutely beautiful story that has a binge-able quality to it, and Gleam was the best instalment yet.

I devoured this book and was SO GLAD to see Auren finally come into her power. The slow-burn romance and explosive finale also had me gasping out loud. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series because I feel like Kennedy has set up the plot and characters with so much potential that it can only get better from here.

Fair warning: spoilers ahead for anyone who hasn’t read this book or the other books in this series.

The Book: Gleam by Raven Kennedy

In Gleam, the plot picks up where the Plated Prisoner series left off, with Auren having discovered that Midas was simply using her their entire relationship, while also grappling with the discovery that Rip is King Ravinger, or King Rot. This revelation has her feeling equally betrayed by Rip as she was from Midas, and she uses the betrayal to fuel her desire to regain her independence and escape the gilded cage she’s been forced into.

While Midas promises Auren that things will be different and she’ll be afforded more freedom, she quickly comes to learn that this isn’t true, and she begins to hatch an escape plan alongside Rissa. As she slowly works towards determining how she might get both her and Rissa out of the kingdom, Rip continues to step in and help her whenever she’s in peril, and she slowly begins to trust him once again. This tentative trust grows as Rip consistently proves his desire to see her happy and empowered, and over time, Auren comes to the realization that while she’s been fighting for her freedom, she’s also been falling for the commander. The slow burn between them finally reaches a pinnacle that neither of them can fight, and Auren begins to listen to her heart.

Auren and Rip’s happiness is short-lived as Midas begins to implement his nefarious plans to maintain control over Auren and her gold-wielding abilities. At the same time, Queen Malina has her own challenges unfolding in her power struggle for her home kingdom, and other royals attending Midas in his new territory attempt to move forward schemes of their own. The novel culminates in a show-down between the royals across kingdoms with Auren at the centre and ends so explosively that it’s clear everything is immediately about to change.

The Review

My goodness is this series ever addictive. It’s been a bit of an investment to get to this book as the pace of this series is a touch slow, particularly concerning Auren’s character development, which is a slow climb out of her cage and into her power, but I’ve found that by this book, the plot has so much momentum that you can’t help but binge directly through the books from start to finish.

I loved seeing Auren finally come into her own and move past some of her traumas. It’s completely understandable how she feels and how she’s ended up in the circumstance she has, but I found myself really wishing that she would grow beyond it, and in this book she finally does. I also LOVED the relationship between her and Rip. It’s so satisfying to see her with someone who loves how powerful she is and wants to see her succeed in her own right instead of owning her powers for himself. Rip is the ultimate morally grey male main character and I loved it.

I’m also SUPER interested in seeing where the plot goes from here because the end blew me away. I won’t give away the major twist, but I will say I didn’t see it coming. I had hoped that Auren would manifest more control of her abilities, but what transpired was far beyond what I’d anticipated, and I feel like we’ve only barely scratched the surface of Rip and what he’s capable of. I’m looking forward to seeing them return to Rip’s kingdom and all that it will entail.

I can’t emphasize enough how compulsively readable this series is. If romantasy is your thing and you haven’t picked up The Plated Prisoner series, I’d highly recommend you do, especially before the final book comes out this year.