The Plated Prisoner series by Raven Kennedy

Genre: Adult – Fantasy – Romance

Books in series:

• Gild (Book #1) – Release date October 16th 2020 – 3,5 stars
• Glint (Book #2) – Release date January 11th 2021 – 4,5 stars
• Gleam (Book #3) – Release date May 31st 2021 – 5 stars
• Glow (Book #4) – Expected release date May 19th 2022

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:

The fae abandoned this world to us. And the ones with power rule.

Gold.

Gold floors, gold walls, gold furniture, gold clothes. In Highbell, in the castle built into the frozen mountains, everything is made of gold.

Even me.

King Midas rescued me. Dug me out of the slums and placed me on a pedestal. I’m called his precious. His favored. I’m the woman he Gold-Touched to show everyone that I belong to him. To show how powerful he is. He gave me protection, and I gave him my heart. And even though I don’t leave the confines of the palace, I’m safe.

Until war comes to the kingdom and a deal is struck.

Suddenly, my trust is broken. My love is challenged. And I realize that everything I thought I knew about Midas might be wrong.

Because these bars I’m kept in, no matter how gilded, are still just a cage. But the monsters on the other side might make me wish I’d never left.

The myth of King Midas reimagined. This compelling adult fantasy series is as addictive as it is unexpected. With romance, intrigue, and danger, the gilded world of Orea will grip you from the very first page.

Please Note: This book contains explicit content and darker elements, including mature language, violence, and non-consensual sex. It is not intended for anyone under 18 years of age. This is book one in a series.

MY THOUGHTS (spoiler-free):

“A cage is a cage, no matter how gilded.”

Get ready for me to talk about nothing else but this series for the next few weeks and months, because BOY AM I OBSESSED!

The Plated Prisoner series is an adult fantasy romance and a super dark and twisted retelling of the myth of King Midas (yes, the one that turned stuff into gold). Though it’s actually more the story of Auren, who is King Midas’s favorite. So much so that he turned her skin golden and is keeping her in a golden cage. She is there as his pet, there to be admired from afar, to play music for visitors and let herself be gawked at. But Auren looks on the bright side: Midas rescued her all those years ago, is keeping her safe, and she loves him. Until Midas turns her into a prize to be won, a pet he can gift to greedy kings in exchange for his own agenda, and she starts to lose trust in her King.

Though the story is a bit slow at first (the first half of book one is mostly setting up the story and it only really gets going in the second half), once it gets going, IT IS SUCH A SOLIDLY AMAZING READ. I don’t understand why I haven’t seen this around the blogosphere more.

Let me tell you just 4 reasons why this series deserves all the love:

Character development of healing and growth

When we first meet Auren in book one, she’s a tough character to like because she’s so in denial. Though she is such a kind person with a heart of gold (pun not intended), she also has severe Stockholm Syndrome and while we as a reader can immediately tell something is iffy about the whole situation, Auren herself can’t. In fact, she’s very much in love with her captor and has no intention of trying to escape. So to say book one can feel a bit frustrating is an understatement. But the journey Auren goes on throughout the books is just so exquisitely written. You’ll root for her, you’ll cry for her, you’ll cheer for her. It’s empowering, it’s inspiring, it’s healing.

Slooooww burn

I can’t get into detail because of spoilers, but while the main focus is on Auren and her personal journey, there’s still a fabulous slow-burn romance in here. I want to rave about this romance for ever and ever because wow. The buildup, the chemistry, the banter and the steam… Be still my beating heart. I can tell you that this love interest is up there among my top 5 favorites, that’s how much I loved him.

Found Family Fabulousness

When stuff goes down and Auren gets out of her cage, she comes across a group of people where she finds some unexpected friends and allies. And the way this group of people care for each other and are so loyal to each other – it warm my heart.

Plot twists galore

Wow, there are so many plot twists in this series! Every twist, every reveal feels super epic and though some I kind of guessed at, others completely hit my by surprise and I was totally shocked when they happened. It’s just one of those series that’s so addictively readable and unputdownable.

Overall, I highly recommend this series. If you love Sarah J. Maas or Jennifer L. Armentrout books, this is for you. If you’re into dark retellings, this is for you. If you love a good slow-burn, this is for you. Only warning: the wait for book 4 is still a while to go, so be prepared. Other than that, I’d say: go for it, you won’t regret it!

Trigger warnings: explicit/mature language, graphic violence, and non-consensual sex (rape).

Overall rating of the series so far:

Tell Me:
Have you read The Plated Prisoner series?
If yes, what did you think about them so far?
If not, do you think it’s something you’d like?