A review by rosemarieshort
Gild by Raven Kennedy

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

3.0

Gild for me was a bit of a rollercoaster read. There were times when I was fascinated, gripped by a plot point or piece of characterisation. There were also times when I decidedly wasn’t. First novels in any series are hard. As well as setting the scene and introducing characters, the author has to try and engage the reader. I enjoyed Auren for how real she was - a gilded prisoner who was both “spoiled” and horribly psychologically and physically manipulated and abused would naturally create a person with a conflicting inner monologue. At times Auren was painfully aware of her situation. At times her gratitude to her captor made her blissfully ignorant to just how bad her lot was. I also enjoyed some of the supporting characters (Digby, I hope we meet again in future instalments). Kennedy’s unflinching description of violence, sex and power enriched things significantly for me. However, the central concept felt a little flat. Midas’s drive for having Auren as his favoured and vaulting her so highly seemed painfully thin. Auren’s power (her threads) never quite read right. The fact that some people had powers also felt like a bolt on rather than part of the lore. Lots of small, jarring things threw me out of the things I did enjoy. I found myself faintly curious about the sequel, rather than ravenous for it.