Reviews with content warning for Drug abuse - Gild

In my typical fashion, I'm writing this review after reading books 1-4 of the series cause I didn't feel like pausing in between to review each individually. So this review encompasses all 4 books. First off, trigger warnings galore: rape, abuse, violence, child grooming, child abuse, misogyny, it goes on and on. A friend warned me ahead of time, so I hesitated to read it, but I'm glad I finally did. It's definitely a series that builds and gets better as it goes. Reminded me of ACOTAR that I wasn't into the first book that much, but then the real winners come after the first. After the first, I devoured it, though I did lose steam in #4, but I'm chalking that up to my own ADHD. While I never really grew to like the main character, I thought the author does a good job of showing how deeply trauma can affect a person and how hard it is to undo that conditioning from trauma. The other characters are delightful though & deliver the witty banter I love. And the villains!!! Ooooo she can write a villain! I was seeing red at some parts. The spicy scenes are also a fun kind of spicy that stands out from the typical tropes you read. Another thing the author does an excellent job at is the slow reveal. She frequently drops a nugget in one book and later you're like, "wait, will we ever find out ______??" and then a book or two later she reveals. I'm a big fan. By the end of book 4, there are multiple viewpoints happening in the book. I haven't decided yet if I like the multi-POV, but it does add a new dynamic. More political intrigue which I'm always a fan of. My biggest hang up is there were some fairly big plot holes that had me scratching my head. I chose to just suspend belief, cause it's a book and I'm here to be entertained, but it did detract from the escapism. Overall, I'd give the series 4 stars so far. I'll be back for book 5, for sure.

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