I'll find you, Goldfinch. I swear to you.
Now fly.
Now fly.
Glow
Raven Kennedy
Plated Prisoner, book four
Kindle edition, 738 pages
Paperback, 832 pages
Published June 25, 2024
ASIN B095G183J6
ISBN 9781464224447
"I was nothing but a road to Midas. A means to get to where he wanted to go, and I paved that path in gold."
My life has been made up of gilded lies. But death has been shaped from rot.
Like a phoenix caught fire, I will need to rise from the ashes and learn to wield my own power. Because my wings may have been clipped, but I am not in a cage, and I'm finally free to fly from the frozen kingdoms I've been kept in.
Yet the world doesn't want to let me.
That's the thing when you turn against a king—everyone else turns against you.
Good thing I have a different king in my corner.
But even with the dark threat of Slade Ravinger, the other monarchs are coming for me.
So I will fight for him and he will kill for me, and if we need to become the villains, then so be it.
Because so long as I live in this world, I won't be used again.
Please note: This is an adult fantasy series with dark elements that may be triggering, including past emotional and physical trauma, violence, adult language, and explicit romance. Read at your own discretion.
True to form, this book picks up right where book three, Gleam, faded to black. The castle is in chaos.
Auren lost control, almost burning out. Molten gold ravaged the place, killing countless in its path. Midas included.
Ravinger begged Auren's forgiveness as he was left with one recourse, to use his powers against her in order to save her from herself.
Queen Kaila of Third Kingdom survived, and tah-dah! We've unlocked another POV. It's with her that the first chapter opens up. And with the very pregnant saddle, Mist, spewing all kinds of ridiculousness about Auren stealing Midas' powers.
Convincing Kaila that Auren could steal hers as well.
With her would be fiance dead, Kaila pulls out a backup plan for seizing power over Sixth and Fifth Kingdom. Make the people, who are still rioting over Midas' wife, Queen Malina's seizure of the throne (her rightful throne, mind you) and her alleged murder, love her. Accept her.
Slade has fled Fifth Kingdom, with Auren, on the back of Argo, a timberwing. And now, the fanart finally clicks into place.
He's counting the seconds, well the fuck aware of how crucial it is that he pull his rotting power out of her before it's too late.
They land. He pulls. Most of it flows freely but there's one last speck that resists. He panics. He curses. And he tries once more to rip the last of the rot out of her, sending his body careening backwards into the snow.
But the speck remains.
And Auren still doesn't wake up.
And again, Slade is counting the seconds.
And Digby is shouting.
And the Wrath is sensing the alarm.
And this series is something else, because how are we only four percent in and my heart is pounding in my chest! Paragraph after paragraph. Page after page. Until finally, Ryatt slams his fist into Slade's face and the spell of panic is finally broken. Sort of.
Back on his feet, Slade scoops Auren back into his arms, hauls them both back onto Argo, and we're off to Deadwell while the Wrath is directed to go back for the army.
But does anyone listen to orders anymore? Apparently Lu and Ryatt have transcended that bit of expectation. And Judd just doesn't follow orders that he deems stupid.
So chapter after chapter, we're riding in Slade's POV while taking trips into his past with his brother and mother and father and then talks of Lu's past of when she came into Slade's army at just fourteen years of age. Talula Gallerin.
“She’s gonna wake up, you know.”
I swallow hard, all the light amusement draining back out of me. “You sound sure.”
“That’s because I am,” she says before she unfolds herself and gets to her feet. “You took my belligerence and tossed a uniform in my face. You met Osrik’s kill drive and decided to give him your sword. You saw every jail cell that couldn’t hold Judd and, instead of tossing him in another one, let him keep the keys. This time, you found your goldfinch and watched her leave her cage. She’ll open her eyes, just like you got the rest of us to do.”
I swallow hard, all the light amusement draining back out of me. “You sound sure.”
“That’s because I am,” she says before she unfolds herself and gets to her feet. “You took my belligerence and tossed a uniform in my face. You met Osrik’s kill drive and decided to give him your sword. You saw every jail cell that couldn’t hold Judd and, instead of tossing him in another one, let him keep the keys. This time, you found your goldfinch and watched her leave her cage. She’ll open her eyes, just like you got the rest of us to do.”
Throughout the beginning, I was in awe as the author takes King Rot and shows him for the human that he half is. For the boy that he was, and the man that he became. One that makes mistakes, that doesn't think of everything, that loses himself in panic and desperation but has the loyalty of his comrades and the grounding of his friends to hit him, distract him, comfort him—whatever needed to get him through. And as much as I was ready for our Lady Auren to wake the hell up, I was there for Slade's story. There, beside Ryatt, and Lu, and Judd, and Digby.
Osrik alone has gone back for the army, kicking their butt into high gear to get out of dodge with haste. And cue happy dance because...
Osrik and Rissa's side quest has commenced!
Frowning, I straighten up, and then my eyes adjust to the darker lighting and the warmer air, and my gaze immediately zeroes in on the woman wearing some fancy ass dress that has no business being worn out here in these conditions. The little coat she has on isn’t doing shit either.
The blonde stands up to face me, crossing her arms in front of her indignantly. “And just who are you?” she demands.
I blink at her, then at the second woman who’s lying on the pallet next to her, white as a sheet as she sleeps. “I’m captain of the whole damn army right now. Who the fuck are you?”
The blonde stands up to face me, crossing her arms in front of her indignantly. “And just who are you?” she demands.
I blink at her, then at the second woman who’s lying on the pallet next to her, white as a sheet as she sleeps. “I’m captain of the whole damn army right now. Who the fuck are you?”
Give this woman one hell of a romance! She deserves it!
And then the words I've been waiting for...
"I'm finally going to tell you why they really call me Rip."::squeal::
Nope. There was no expecting that.
Home is Annwyn.
I truly believed Gleam would win out as my favorite of this series, but Glow was proving to be a notable contender as time went on. Of any of the books, this is just as much Slade's story as Auren's, if not more so. He's an open book here. Sure, he prefers to turn the pages slowly, but gone is the deception. And he's his mother's son to the core.
Auren stands trial for her alleged crimes: killing Midas and stealing his powers. But, like our own system of justice, the process is rigged in one side's favor. But this time, Slade is there. Rip is there.
And the Bridge of Lemuria is restored.
Bring on the Fae!
5 out of 5 stars. Despite each book picking up right at the end of its predecessor, I've never really felt there was much of a cliffhanger. But the ending of this book? Holyfruckingshyt.
Available in ebook | hardcover | paperback | audiobook
Previously in the series:
