I will always admire Raven's ability to create such an intricate world for this series. In this book we're taken from Orea to Annwyn, the Fae realm. We're introduced to a new cast of characters and get to follow along where book 4 ended with the ones we've already come to love.

While I enjoyed this book, I did feel that there were parts that were very much filler and feel that a lot of this could have either been condensed or combined with book 4. There's a lot of loose threads that I thought would be resolved in this book, and while some were addressed (like Mist), they weren't completely resolved. Hopeful to see that those get addressed in the final book and aren't just a loose thread that's lost to the rest of the plot.

Speaking of the plot, there is a LOT going on. You're essentially following 4 different plot lines. Auren in Annwyn trying to get to Slade and helping the rebels, Slade trying to get to Auren and going on a rampage through Orea, Malina in Annwyn discovering herself and (slightly?) redeeming herself, and the fae vs Oreans contention. Even though there are a lot of things going on, at no point did I feel that anything was too difficult to follow. That's a credit to Raven's writing and her skill at storytelling. Several of these plot points also managed to merge in key places.

Where Glow allowed Auren to grow as a character and discover she was with Slade, I wish we had seen a bit more of who she was on her own. Every decision she makes here is driven by her desires to return to Slade. While I can understand this, I wish there had been more independent thought process.

We see a lot of Queen Malina. A LOT. She does redeem herself a bit in this book, and she did surprise me, but I also just don't care for her storyline for there to have been that MUCH of her. A lot of her chapters could have easily been condensed to be shorter and this goes back to the feeling that a lot of this was just filler.

Overall, a great continuation and very clear setup for the final book.

So far my least favorite of the series. And I really like this series! But this book falls into the hole of ‘let’s separate our two main characters and have them travel around with other people while giving useless POVs as breaks’ trope. And I hate that. Feels very second lord of the rings or final Harry Potter.

There was filler in the previous book too and a lot of filler in this that if they were edited down to the actually important stuff we would have one less book but a really good book.

As mentioned Slade and Auren are separated for all of this book. Each is traveling around doing crap. Slade’s POV was actually good because he was getting revenge for what happened to Auren in the last book. But a lot of her POV was so boring. Just a bunch of traveling and her trying to figure out the fae world.

We also get some other PoVs too. Dont care about Ostrick his story isn’t super necessary. Don’t care about Malina while some of what happens to her is important we didn’t really need her POV to learn it and honestly I don’t love her redemption arc. She deserves to suffer and die let’s not make her a hero.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I enjoyed this book as I’ve enjoyed much of this series, I love how raven kennedy writes romantasy so seamlessly. But this installment does suffer from a bit of slump not unusual for mid-series lead up to the finale kind of book like this is. Could’ve been shorter, got a little too slow, but obviously still ate it up and can’t wait for that finale.

Absolutely phenomenal. Thank you so much for this ARC opportunity, I have been waiting to read this one after seeing everyone’s reactions, including my husband and best friend and decided to leave it closer to book 6 and thank the gods I did. This was an absolute rollercoaster full of emotion and depth and development. It was a hard read and took me a while to get through it but it’s soooo good and I can’t wait t for the epic finale coming our way. A fantastic series overall

3.5⭐️3🌶️

Book 5
Adult Romantic Fantasy
Dark Romantasy
Multi POV
King Midas Reimagining
Fae
War
Separation
Revenge
Rebellion
Secondary POV slow burn
Redemption



I waited too long and have forgotten basically everything. But I’m almost glad I did. The recap was drawn out, but by chapter 10 I remembered what I needed to remember with a few little helpful parts. But for the most part this was a slow paced book. RK was comfortable skipping long periods of time between POV chapters in her previous books… I’m not sure why this one had to include every second.

This was a heavily side character building book. It felt like filler for the over arching plot and main characters. For a 600 page book… that’s not a good thing. We get a redemption arc and romance for one character. We get Auren’s backstory. We get some world-building in the fae realm… but we don’t get resolution to anything.

There is one spicy scene between side characters and it really was out of nowhere and not good timing. At. All. Like normally grey timing… which I guess fits, but it still gave me the ick.

There is quite a bit of repetitive internal monologue. Nothing new for the series with that.

But the ending plot twist is interesting. I will finish the series.

The Plated Prisoner Series Book Reviews:
Gild- 4⭐️3🌶️
Glint- 4⭐️2🌶️
Gleam- 4⭐️4🌶️
Glow-3.5⭐️4+🌶️
Gold-3.5⭐️3🌶️
Goldfinch- August 29th, 2024

Thank you NetGalley and Sorcebooks Bloom Books for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Raven Kennedy has done it once more! She dragged me back into her amazing world of Anwynn and made a 752 page book feel fast! First off this book was SO sad. But obviously in the best way, as you’re back in a new adventure with Auren and Slade! Auren is still in her journey of understanding who she is, while Slade is all about being in his villain era! (Which is wickedly delicious!!) Kennedy has always had the ability to seamlessly blend fantasy and romance into books so perfectly, that you can’t help but close them wanting more! I cannot WAIT for Goldfinch, to see how she wraps this series up! (But at the same time I don’t want it to end!!)

Favorite quote: “If there is ever a choice between her or the world, it’s going to be her.”

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book! I have loved the series and had already planned on purchasing “Gold” before I was given the opportunity to read it. I am glad however that I did get to read it as I know our library members are going to love this book as much as they have loved the series. Excited to add Gold to our collection!

Setting up the final book in the series, Gold amps up the drama. Slade and Auren are separated by that cliffhanger from the previous installment and trying to figure out how to reunite, literally, across world. In the meantime, Slade is wrecking vengeance against those who separated them, and Auren is learning about the land of her birth and her people.
There was lot I enjoyed- Slade's vengeace was brutal and deserved, Auren's homecoming, the Cold Queen coming into her own (and finding something to care about other than herself).... but there were times I felt the whole thing dragged a bit.
A lot of what happened could have happened a couple hundred pages faster.
Can't wait to see the conclusion of the series, and how it all gets wrapped up in the final book, Goldfinch!

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

"Gold" by Raven Kennedy is a captivating tale that seamlessly blends fantasy and romance into a spellbinding narrative. Set in a richly imagined world where magic and intrigue collide, Kennedy weaves a story of resilience and discovery. The protagonist's journey from uncertainty to empowerment is portrayed with depth and authenticity, drawing readers into a realm where secrets unravel and destinies unfold. The chemistry between characters sparkles with intensity, adding a delightful layer of romance to the plot. With its lush prose and engaging plot twists, "Gold" is a shining gem of a novel that leaves readers eagerly anticipating more from this talented author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this arc.

The storytelling in this series just gets me with every book. This one in particular left me heartbroken, and with the cliffhanger, as expected, wanting more. I desperately hope the memory loss isn’t permanent!

THIS BOOK WAS SO SAD. Reading it a second time made it sadder! Personally I love this series so much and the cliffhanger devastated me. I genuinely only allow certain tropes in my repertoire and the memory loss was so just left field for me. I honestly hate it as much as the miscommunication trope which was heavily used on Auren’s part throughout this series. Personally, I pray that Auren really doesn’t lose all her memories- RAVEN WE DID NOT FIND OUT THESE TWO WERE FATED MATES JUST FOR HER TO FORGET!!! For that sole reason, I am giving this book a 4.5. I LOVED the world building and felt like a new adventure hitting Anwynn the ground running. SO Excited for the final book!!!

Gold - 4.5 ⭐️
I love this series so much. For it being my favorite series, it took me a while to commit to reading it. Knowing that the characters would be separated and that so many people were emotional about the ending had me holding off for a while even though I was waiting impatiently to get my hands on it. I also wanted to savor it! Even after starting Gold, it took me a little longer than normal to get invested/hooked. I did get hooked though! Especially in the second half of the book where I felt like a lot more was going on/moving forward. There were a lot of revelations and tidbits of information to bring together mysteries or open plot points. Auren is always growing in the series, and she had a lot of new information to digest. Slade is in his villain era, and I’m here for it! I’m very excited to see what happens and how it wraps up in Goldfinch! Like usual, we have a cliffhanger!

When Auren falls into the void, she isn't quite sure where she's going, but she's confident Slade with eventually find her. What she finds, instead, is the story of her own beginnings.

I downloaded this thinking it was the final book in the series only to realize I was re-reading something I'd already read. However, that doesn't change how I felt about the book- this series is one of the most engaging and interesting series I've read in a while. I'm a librarian, so I don't often pay for the books I read with my own money, but you better believe I bought every single book of this series when it was self-published so I could keep reading it. I do remember being slightly annoyed that Gold focused less on Auren and Slade and more on Malina, but her character arc is fascinating, so I eventually got into it; it also, clearly, will play a big part in the final book of the series. I can't wait to see how it all ends!

Title: Gold
Author: Raven Kennedy
Rating: 4.25⭐️

Thoughts:
Every time I think that this series can't get any better Raven Kennedy surprises me with another amazing installment! Gold is the 5th installment in the Plated Prisoner series, and my gosh, does this series have me in it's grip.

On thing I really loved in this book was the many different story lines. At first I was confused at the point of them all (ehm, so much Malina and not enough of my man Slade), but now, I can tell, they are leading up to something big for book 6, and by the end I was actually excited to read those other story lines.

I am SO SO SO excited for Goldfinch to be released, to see how this amazing story will end.

Make sure to check out Gold, when it is re-released on July 30th. (Seriously run and get your copies ASAP).

Favorite Quote:
"𝐼𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓈 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒶 𝒸𝒽𝑜𝒾𝒸𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝓉𝓌𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓁𝒹, 𝒾𝓉'𝓈 𝑔𝑜𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝒽𝑒𝓇."

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books, NetGalley, and Raven Kennedy for the eARC for an honest review!

Plated Prisoner Series Ratings:
Gild: 3⭐️
Glint: 4⭐️
Gleam: 5⭐️
Glow: 4⭐️

Love the series – it really keeps me on my toes! I always think I know what each book will bring, and am nearly always wrong. It’s a wonderful feeling to have! Raven Kennedy has such a fantastic imagination and the world-building shows it.

I can’t wait to read the next book!

The fifth book in this series begins immediately where the previous book left off. I remain invested in Auren and Slade's journey, but felt that this book was lacking in comparison to the previous ones. There is a lot of filler plot mixed in with late-series world-building. We continue to Malina as an additional narrator, and it remains unclear exactly why this is necessary or what it is intended to add to the story. I am glad Bloom is re-publishing these books so that it has a wider audience, but I feel that Kennedy would have benefited from working with a strong editor to tighten up this story instead of self-publishing on her own. She is undoubtably talented, but the scope of this series and its worlds have expanded to the point of overwhelming the reader. Despite my criticisms I did remain interested and am really hoping that the sixth and final book of the series will bring a strong and rewarding conclusion.

Kennedy has a unique ability to write a chonky book that doesn’t feel long. She is able to sweep you away into the story where the outside world doesn’t exist — just Auren, Slade, Queen Malina, and those around them. Gold picks up following the devastating events of Glow and man oh man was there a lot of story covered in Gold. The bulk of the story is told through Auren, Slade, and Queen Malina, though there are other POVs as well. Through Auren we’re able to learn more about the world of the Fae as well as experience further world building. I really love the new characters introduced to Auren. Queen Malina and Slade are on the other side of the divide and bring news of what’s happening across the 7 kingdoms. Both lands are rife with heartbreak and betrayals that will leave you in complete shock. I, personally, thought the book was paced well - there was plenty of action and political intrigue to keep me invested. After finishing this, I’m so glad Kennedy decided to break the final story into 2 separate books. There was so much that still needed to be explored, and I think the story would have suffered to try and complete it in one book. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see how Kennedy wraps it up.

This series is so fantastic! Gold begins right where Glow left off. This book messed with my emotions. I love Auren and Slade and the development of them as a couple. It was great to see the character growth of them individually.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for the arc of this book.

Many strong feelings about everything that happened in this book.

Let's start by saying, this book was a lot, but at the same time, it wasn't. The overall plot was fine, but in reality, this book was too much world-building and info-dumping for this late in the series. This book by the end felt like it was almost unnecessary in my opinion. Yes, it was journey of self-discovery for Auren, but look what happened at the end? Was it even worth it? And did it need to be an entire book's plot?

This book was multiple POV, and that was a big part of it's undoing for me. Queen Malina needed her own novella, not POVs in this book. In my opinion, it took away from everything else happening in this story. It felt detached from the main plot. I didn't mind Slade and Auren's POV mainly because they were separated throughout the entirety of the book. This book felt like one big set up for book six. But I also felt like I was reading the same thing over and over for the duration of the book: Slade rampaging, Auren learning about herself, Malina trying to be worthy, etc.

Now, it may sound like I didn't like this book, and that's not the case. It wasn't bad by any means. But I feel like it either could've been a way shorter novella, or the plot could've been spread out differently in the other books to avoiding needing a sixth book. What really got me was the ending...we had all this self-discovery for Auren for THAT to be the ending...I just don't know how to feel about it. It felt like a cop-out ending. It was a nail in the coffin because this book, for Auren, was discovering things about herself, her heritage, her power, but then poof...it's all gone. It made the whole book feel pointless (mainly for Auren if anything).

Overall, I think this book had potential, but it just struggled to execute what it was trying to. I personally don't think this book was bad by any means, but it missed the mark on many fronts. It was just a lot of build up to essentially nothing. It'll be interesting to see how it gets wrapped up in book six.

Thank you to NetGalley for this opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 4/5

I will preface with the note that I love Raven Kennedy. I think she’s a great writer and I’ve enjoyed her Plated Prisoner series since the beginning. However, I think book 4 should have been the last book.

This book felt like it was 80% filler. It was Auren discovering her history and Slade going on a rampage because he misses her. And the whole side plot with Malina is absolutely unneeded and unwanted. The story is about Auren 👀 not about Malina becoming a semi decent person.

There was a huge twist at the end but it was a cop out! Right as you get to the last pages and hope this whole thing can end *WHOOPS* Auren has her memory wiped 🥱🙄 like really?!? I hate when authors do that and have to redo a bunch of shit they did in the first books. This series has devolved and is not really interested I'm continuing😑, if I was reading this for the first time I’d stop at book 3 or 4