Spoilers for the second book in the series Glint below I’ll admit Auren does have some rather severe Stockholm syndrome that’ll have you yelling “why can’t you see he’s manipulating you”, but her quiet resilience really had me rooting for her in the end. She’s a woman in the worst of situations but manages to remain kind throughout this first book, you can really feel her desperation to make connections with others despite being imprisoned. So, for me at least, this first book isn’t spicy in any sense of the word as most of the sexual content in this is either sexual assault or Midas using it to manipulate Auren.Īuren is the golden light in the dark with this first book. It is worth mentioning that there’s a graphic rape scene in the last third of Gild, and a lot of uncomfy moments as most of the men in this book openly harass and assault the women. It doesn’t get going until we make our way outside of the castle, with Kennedy throwing some rather dramatic new situations our way and Commander Rip. The book is essentially a set up for the series and establishes Auren’s rather iffy relationship with Midas, alongside long (slightly boring) paragraphs of Auren explaining her life as the gold-touched favoured. Gild is the worst offender in all things honestly, and if I wasn’t currently enjoying a free trial of Kindle Unlimited I would have stopped there. Gleam (the third book in the series) does finally bring the spice up to hot under the collar levels, but TikTok definitely fooled me into thinking this series was going to have me pausing to fan myself with its pages. Review: I think I may have to stop taking spice recommendations from TikTok because just like with A Touch of Darkness these books be lacking, so if you’re looking for all out spice you’ll find yourself out of luck. But the monsters on the other side might make me wish I’d never left.

Because these bars I’m kept in, no matter how gilded, are still just a cage. And I realize that everything I thought I knew about Midas might be wrong. Until war comes to the kingdom and a deal is struck. And even though I don’t leave the confines of the palace, I’m safe.

He gave me protection, and I gave him my heart. I’m the woman he Gold-Touched to show everyone that I belong to him. Dug me out of the slums and placed me on a pedestal. In Highbell, in the castle built into the frozen mountains, everything is made of gold. Gold floors, gold walls, gold furniture, gold clothes. Synopsis: The fae abandoned this world to us.

Raven kennedy glint