Katherine

Glint is book 2 in the Plated Prisoner series by Raven Kennedy and it is G O O D.

A much different speed/ storyline in book 2, as we follow Auren during her time with the Fourth Kingdoms army. She is petrified they will hurt her in more ways than she could imagine, but does that happen? Or does being around Commander Rip and the several kind people in camp crack her ideas of what ‘safe’ and ‘protected’ mean?

I really felt for Auren in this book, she is scared, she is essentially alone, she doesn’t know what is going to happen to her, and she doesn’t know how to protect herself. The other saddles don’t like her and don’t want to see her. She is not allowed to see the Sixth Kingdom guards. She has to sleep in the commanders tent, but he hasn’t made a pass at her yet so she is on edge.

I really enjoyed Glint. It was focused on Auren’s character development and poking holes in her previous ideas of what it is like to be treated well. There was also the dual POV from Queen Malina which was amazing.

Queen Malina was overshadowed and looked as lesser just because she was a woman. King Midas stripped away all the heritage and history of the castle, and now that he is gone in Fifth Kingdom, she is tired of being under his thumb and is going to make some much needed changes. She has so much anger pent up inside about how her life has changed the past 10 years, and she is done.

The Dual POV was great! While I enjoyed Auren’s POV more, I thought the twist in the story to focus on Queen Malina was really intriguing. I will be excited to see what happens next with her.

Honorable favorite character mentions go to Lu, Rissa, Keg, Hojat, Rip, Judd, Orsik.

My least favorite character is Midas (obviously), but I think that is what makes him a great character. He is clearly going to be a bigger villain for Auren as time goes on, and the author does a great job writing him as such.

Overall, Glint by Raven Kennedy was a riveting installment in the Plated Prisoner series, and I can’t wait to jump into book 3! I would recommend this book and the series as a whole so far to everyone.

I know there is a ton of hype around Fourth Wing, but I gotta admit, I think it is warranted. This book is fantastic, with incredible world building, character development, and a great plot.

Who doesn’t love a fantasy world where you bond with dragons and gain power (also called signets) that manifest as a combination of your power? Where you have to fight for your life every step of the way, and death is just a part of a normal day? Where you can challenge those you have issues with to fight and beat the shit out of them?

Basgiath War College is ruthless for those in the Riders Quadrant, and not for the weak. Which is why, with Violet Sorrengail as our FMC, it gets good right away. Violet is tiny, weak, and extremely smart. She was destined for the Scribe Quadrant and has grown up preparing to be essentially a scholar. So, it gets really interesting when she is thrown into the Riders Quadrant by her mother and expected to survive or die. We learn that Violet’s joints don’t work like everyone else’s, a condition in the real world known as ehlers danlos syndrome. So, you can guess that it won’t be a walk in the park for her to survive.

I love Violet as a FMC, thinks like a scribe and right away begins to come into her own strength and willpower, much to the chagrin of her oldest friend, Dain Aetos. From the moment he sees her cross the Parapet, Dain tries to get Violet to run away and hide from her mother in the scribe quadrant. At first Violet thinks it is sweet of Dain to try, but by the 239577365th time it naturally pisses her off… Who wants their best friend to continuously tell them they aren’t strong enough to be where they are? It really bothered me that her closest friend wouldn’t respect her decision and listen to her when she said she was staying, let alone reminding her that he thinks she doesn’t have what it takes.

Thankfully, Xaden enters the picture and while apparently Violet’s enemy, he seems to be doing a lot of advice giving and help for a person who supposedly wants to kill her. As they continue to interact and their chemistry grows, WHEW!! It is steamy and tense and oh so good.

Fourth Wing can boast a host of villains, all really well entwined in the story. General Sorrengail, Jack Barlowe, Xaden Riorson, Dain Aetos, The Venin, The riders, and a few sprinkled in I am sure I’m forgetting. for a book about your time at school it certainly doesn’t lack danger or death.

Both the villains and the rough-around-the-edges characters were brutal, sharp as a blade and tough as hell, and I appreciated that. There wasn’t a lot of gushy happiness or hiding behind fake smiles. It was all aggression all the time. You run from the dragons? Dead. You have an enemy? They will publicly announce they want to kill you. Someone hates you? You will sure as hell know. Scared? Well the leadership will not be telling you it is fine, that’s for sure.

The plot of Fourth Wing was great! I was interested in the story line the whole time, and was completely invested in everything happening. I love a good story of facing your weaknesses and bettering yourself, pushing your mind and body to the limits, and not letting any of your shortcomings hold you back. With fantasy, betrayal, spice, dragons, and magic sprinkled in? It makes for a great story.

My favorite characters were Tairn, Andarna, Rhi, Ridoc, Imogen, Obviously Xaden and Violet, and Liam. I don’t think I could pick from the crew who I liked best, because they all have a soft spot in my heart.

I loved all the dragons, the folklore, and how the bond works. Tairn and Andarna’s mental conversations with Violet were so interesting, and I loved the personalities they had. When Sgaeyl and Xaden were brought into the mix? it got even better. I loved the aspect of mind talking in ACOTAR, and love it just as much here in Fourth Wing! I think it was totally different but done just as good.

The signets were one of my favorite things in the book. There were so many different ones and we didn’t really see a repeat at all which I loved. With some of them being illegal, and the professor who helps hone your signet skills not appearing until the signets appear, it made for a very intriguing plot line. In general, the whole aspect of the school, classes, and professors was really interesting. Flight class, gauntlet training, challenges/sparing, battle review, signet training, history, etc. It all was interesting and a great way to weave additional world building into the story.

The ending though, WOW. I had no words. I will not spoil it for you, you will have to read it for yourself.

Overall, I LOVED Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. The plot, characters, romance, character development, all of it was fantastic. There were so many twists and turns, it kept me on my toes the entire time! This was my third time re-reading it, so I could prepare for Iron Flame, book 2 in the Empyrean series. I would definitely recommend Fourth Wing to anyone who loves good world building, great sexual tension, and high stakes in a tough world to live in.

Raven Kennedy just keeps making the Plated Prisoner series better and better as the books go on. Gleam is incredible, and I love it so much. I’m glad we picked up the pace in book 2, because this new plot pace is perfect for the story.

Our characters are now all together and interacting and I AM HERE FOR IT! King Ravinger vs Midas in a battle of who can out wit the other? Yes, 1000x yes.

I really wanted to focus on the growth of Auren in this review, because she made a lot of progress in book 2, but it is blown out of the water in proportion by the progress in Gleam. She is not going to take Midas’ shit any longer – she will NOT be in the cage, she will NOT be controlled, she will be allowed to LIVE or she will live on her own accord.

It simply was beautiful watching Auren deal with everything Midas threw at her, and he threw a lot to say the least. She stood up and took it and played the game just enough to have freedom to do what she needed, but she still stood up and went toe to toe with Midas on the big issues… and for the most part, won. She is amazing! For a woman who has been through this much abuse and trauma, it is incredible to see her stand up for herself against her abuser.

Now Midas is the ultimate perfect villain, and I say this because I was cringing with disgust several times throughout the book at what he did. the emotional abuse, attempted manipulation, drugging, physical abuse, needless murdering, torture, mind games, the fake golden happy facade… and I am sure I am missing stuff!! He was written so well, and I hated him so much.

Then we have King Ravinger – can he take me away to his rotted kingdom? I am ready. His persistence with Auren and his willingness to push her to her own conclusions was so heartwarming.

You’re not the villain in my story.”

“I am,” he says without remorse, his sharp jaw tight with tension. “But I’ll be the villain for you. Not to you.”

MY HEART <3 Now that is just the most dark romantic thing I have ever heard!! He is sexy, smart, caring, strong, kinda broody, and cares for Auren so much it is adorable.

I am SO GLAD we got to have the Ravinger + Auren pairing finally!! It took way too long for me, I wanted it so much sooner. I feel like it was written perfectly, but I am impatient and the angst and build up drove me wild! Their scenes were so spicy and sexy and I loved it so much.

The ending? Fabulous. Wonderful. Perfect. Amazing. OMG.

Let’s just say Auren is a badass and while I am crying I am also shouting ‘Fuck yeah go Auren’! This girl let’s nothing stop her and I am here for it. I can’t wait for what happens in book 4!

Overall, Gleam by Raven Kennedy as part of the Plated Prisoner series was an inspiring, amazing, intriguing, heart wrenching novel and I recommend it to everyone!

A Shadow in the Ember is one of my favorite reads of 2023. There is something about Sera and Ash that bring you into their story and keeps you rooting for them both throughout the whole book. Sera is strong, feisty and temperamental, beautiful, and desperately wishes her family would love her – especially her mother. Being the outcast allows her to explore the city on her own, but it comes with a high price: a hefty dose of depression and despair, and the belief that no one really cares for her.

Ash is strong and caring, quiet and passionate, and is constantly drawn to Sera’s spirit and strength. He has been through a lot of horrible things in his lifetime, a lot of them leaving their mark. But Sera seems to see straight through to his center and bring a warmth and peace to him he was unable to achieve before she came into his life.

Together they are a force to be reckoned with. A fiery passionate pairing, both trying and failing to resist each other, which makes the spice oh-so-good each time.

I loved that the book touched on Sera’s depression and emptiness, and mentioned the incident with the sleeping draft. Sera doesn’t seem to value her life and is so unhappy that she doesn’t mind that her outcome in life has always been death. Ash however takes great offense at this and constantly confronts her about her lack of will to live. I love that the book touches on these themes of mental health issues. It is relatable and helps normalize that people have these issues and are still worthy of a good life.

The dynamic between Ash and Sera is amazing, but so is the dynamic between Ash and his friends – Nektas, Ector, Belle, Saion, Aios, Raihn, etc. It is snarky and full of funny quips and pushing each others buttons and I love it.

The angle of Ash being the Primal of Death but working very hard to save people is really interesting. You’d think this was another bad guy who has a soft spot for a beautiful woman, but then you meet him and time and time again he proves how good he is. He cares for his people very much and it quickly becomes obvious we are dealing with a new type of tall dark and handsome – and I am here for it!

The storyline and plot in A Shadow in the Ember was really interesting and kept me hooked the whole time. I cannot wait to find out what happens next in book 2.

Overall, A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer Armentrout was a fantastic book and quickly became one of my favorites for the year. At this point in time writing this review, this is my 3rd time reading it in 2023. Does that say enough?

ACOTAR follows Feyre, a young woman who cares for her family until she kills a wolf (fae) and is captured by a beast who turns out to be an incredibly handsome but moody/grumpy fae named Tamlin. As she goes through her new life in the Spring Court, she begins to fall for Tamlin, while also realizing things around Spring Court are a bit off - something isn't right. Romance blossoms, problems grow, and she must figure out both what she can do to help and what she is truly feeling for Tamlin.

This was my first dip into fantasy-romance books and it ended with me diving full force into the deep end. I could not put it down, it was fantastic!

I really enjoyed the strong, stubborn, feisty FMC Feyre, she was great! I loved going along with her through her journey. Sarah J. Maas did a great job with world building and descriptions of everything, I felt like I was in the spring court and could visualize it perfectly, as if I was part of the book itself. Tension grew and I was sucked into the story, dying to know what happened next!

Reading ACOTAR opened me up to a whole world of books I never considered and I am so glad I gave it a chance.

If you like world building, fae, heated romance, strong FMC, and general fantasy, this is a must-read!

Honestly, A Light in the Flame ascended me to primalhood. SO GOOD. It is hard to write a review because all I want to do is gush about how much I love this book. I will attempt to be coherent in this review, but you have been warned.

While some readers may criticize A Light in the Flame for being slow and too much in Sera/Ash’s heads, I personally loved it all the more because of that. Their story is devastatingly beautiful, and wrecked me more than I care to admit. If you have a tendency for empathy, get prepared now because I felt every single emotion from Sera throughout this book. I left longing, heartbreak, I felt devastation, shame, joy, love, lust, happiness… just wow. My heart was in constant ache for her and Nyktos, never getting on the same page and always just out of reach. The insecurity she feels throughout the book is so sad was presented stunningly, as is her anxiety. I have never felt more seen in a book than I have in A Light in the Flame and the Flesh and Fire series as a whole. Not many books go into detail on these kinds of emotions and thoughts for as long as this one did, and I loved it.

The chemistry between Sera and Nyktos/Ash was insane and left me heated after every interaction. Their spice is simply perfection, and SO GOOD.

Moving into the world building and characters, Jennifer Armentrout blessed us with plenty and for that I am so happy. We learn a lot more history, we meet a lot more primals and gods, we get to know some wonderful and some horrible gods. There are feuds and battles, we visit multiple lands within Iliseeum, and watch Sera and Nyktos/Ash do lots of things. I have come to love Nektas, Jadis, Reaver, Aios, Belle, Rhain, Ector, and Scion so much.

The dynamic of Sera’s secret being out and the Shadowlands group disliking her was a very interesting and captivating angle. I really enjoyed watching her win them back over with everything she did.

We meet the Arae, learn about a prophecy, realize some terrible things, and see what people are truly made of.

I am not sure how to put everything I am thinking about this book into words. It left me emotionally exhausted in the best of ways, with one hell of a cliffhanger and a lot of heartbreak but also hope. I feel slightly betrayed by the book ending this way, but love it nonetheless.

Overall, A Light in the Flame by Jennifer Armentrout is a fantastic read, and I LOVED this second book in the Fire and Flesh series.