A review by deredere_dukes_and_dragons
Gild by Raven Kennedy
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Intriguing at the beginning, dipped in the middle, but picked up again when a new character was introduced around the end of the book.
I will not diminish the terrible things that are done and said in this book (see content warnings), but this is meant to be a dark story. And, quite frankly, the book did it's job: it made me want to at least read the next installment in the series.
However, this is not a fantasy romance, at least not this first book. The main character, Auren, is in a toxic relationship, blindly devoted to (and in love with?) her King.
In my mind, this could be considered more of a prequel; there's a lot that happens, but there's no real resolution. The last chapter begs for you to dive into the next book.
I will not diminish the terrible things that are done and said in this book (see content warnings), but this is meant to be a dark story. And, quite frankly, the book did it's job: it made me want to at least read the next installment in the series.
However, this is not a fantasy romance, at least not this first book. The main character, Auren, is in a toxic relationship, blindly devoted to (and in love with?) her King.
In my mind, this could be considered more of a prequel; there's a lot that happens, but there's no real resolution. The last chapter begs for you to dive into the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Rape, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Fatphobia and Kidnapping
Minor: Alcohol