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A review by alliesannotation
Goldfinch by Raven Kennedy
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
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? No
5.0
⭐️: 5/5
🌶️: 4/5
Format: 📱
The reason for this rating is that I just loved the reading experience of this book. I cried multiple times, I love the characters viscerally, and I was not able to predict how things would turn out (and I prefer when plots are not transparent). It was just enjoyable and thrilling to read.
There are still things that I didn't love as much. Several plot points, especially to do with magical occurrences, seemed to come out of left field, retconned in. For example,I thought Slade's dragon would have made a lot more sense if there had been any lore dropped earlier in the series. Similarly, Auren's heritage and legacy as the rightful queen. I felt like this was a major retcon because that could have played a huge role in Gold. Same with Slade and Auren's päyur bond. I wish there was most depth to the meaning of it foreshadowed throughout earlier books, or even just more background. I felt like these things had an info-dump effect because there wasn't enough development to them earlier.
I did really love how this installment made me love more characters, and turned it a bit more into an ensemble piece. I love an ensemble cast, and I just wish it had happened earlier! I never anticipated crying during Malina's chapters, and I was surprised to see Rissa's character get more depth. I want more from those characters.
For the spice rating, I liked that our different pairings had some different spicy tastes, which is what ratcheted this up for me. There was more spice, and it was at a higher level than previous books!
Even with the things I'd have liked to see done differently, this is one of my top books of the year. It closed out the series with an emotional, layered end, and I'll be coming back to Orea and Annwyn again and again.
The reason for this rating is that I just loved the reading experience of this book. I cried multiple times, I love the characters viscerally, and I was not able to predict how things would turn out (and I prefer when plots are not transparent). It was just enjoyable and thrilling to read.
There are still things that I didn't love as much. Several plot points, especially to do with magical occurrences, seemed to come out of left field, retconned in. For example,
I did really love how this installment made me love more characters, and turned it a bit more into an ensemble piece. I love an ensemble cast, and I just wish it had happened earlier! I never anticipated crying during Malina's chapters, and I was surprised to see Rissa's character get more depth. I want more from those characters.
For the spice rating, I liked that our different pairings had some different spicy tastes, which is what ratcheted this up for me. There was more spice, and it was at a higher level than previous books!
Even with the things I'd have liked to see done differently, this is one of my top books of the year. It closed out the series with an emotional, layered end, and I'll be coming back to Orea and Annwyn again and again.