Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Gleam by Raven Kennedy

4 reviews

homesweetread's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Aussitôt le tome 2 terminé, je n'avais d'autre choix que d'enchainer directement sur la suite et j'ai vraiment bien fait ! Ici on retrouve Midas qui m'a vraiment terrorisé pendant toute l'histoire. Il est tellement imprévisible, impulsif et manipulateur qu’il en devient terrifiant. 

De son côté Auren continue de déconstruire sa bulle de protection pour reconnaître les abus et sortir de ce schéma de maltraitance. Le développement psychologique est vraiment bien maitrisé et encore une fois, on ne peut qu’apprécier sa force. La quatrième armée et le Wrath m'ont vraiment manqué et je n’attendais qu’une chose : qu’elle quitte ce stupide palais au plus vite. 

La personnalité de Rip est hyper intéressante à creuser et je suis encore plus tomber amoureuse de lui. Côté intrigue, plusieurs passages m'ont briser le cœur et le cliffhancer était vraiment horrible ! Heureusement que la suite est déjà sortie, parce que je n’aurais pas pu rester sur cette fin.

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dani_reis's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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ka_ke's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The spice makes it worth it. Without the spice it would have been unbearable. I enjoyed the Wrath, if they had been more than supporting characters it may have helped the book. Ultimately the twist did catch me off guard, but I wonder what Glow will be about. 

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michellemaas's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

First Read: 4.5 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Second Read:
5 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I've seen a few other people say it as well, but I'll reiterate in case you missed it: best book in the series BY FAR! So many plot points finally came to rise in this installment, including but not limited too, Malina's rule, Rip and Auren's relationship, and Midas's relationship with Auren. There were also another few plot twists that were masterfully done, so that's something to look forward to.

Going on to some specifics, we'll start with AuRip. Kennedy has been teasing us with their undeniable sexual tension and chemistry since book one, so having that be resolved in Gleam was so satisfying. I enjoyed that their relationship wasn't immediately perfect and that Auren's feelings for Midas weren't immediately resolved as soon as Rip came into her life. Also, we get arguably one of the most iconic "Who did this to you?" scenes ever, so immediate props for that.

Next, I want to discuss the multiple point-of-views. Kennedy has been including multiple perspectives in this series since book 1, but this is the first book where I felt that truly added something to the stories. We got chapters from Auren, Midas, Rip, and Malina's perspectives and Kennedy did a masterful job of conveying each character's essence in their chapter. At the end of the book, we also get the climax told from both Auren and Rip's point-of-view which was especially cool as we always wonder what's going on in the other main charter' head when something big happens.

Then there was the inclusion of "the wrath". We got to see quite a bit more on them in Gleam and it was very refreshing. They are without a doubt some of the best charters in the series so having them be featured more was a definite highlight. I am crossing my fingers that some of them (I am totally talking about Lu) get their own chapters told from their perspectives in the next book.

I also can't do this review without mentioned Auren's meltdown. LEGENDARY I say. It was so well written and such a perfect end to her arc with Midas. Everything about the scene was brilliant and I want to give a shoutout to that.

Lastly, I just want to commend Kennedy for the way she resolved her plotlines. She brought an end to several storylines that started in book 1, without leeching the plot for future books. The way she resolved the plotlines she chose to end gave rise to new ones in a way that was fresh and makes me excited for the 4th installment. 

Great book and great writing. In case it wasn't clear, I am sitting on the edge of my seat until the next book gets released.

P.S. I am pretty sure I have mentioned this on every entry I've done on this series, but there are some major From Blood and Ash vibes to this series, so if you liked this series and are looking for something to read until Glow comes out, you should definitely give it a try.

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