Hi ForeverBookers,
How are you all today? I hope you’re well!
I’ve just finished reading “Gild” by Raven Kennedy, book 1 in the Plated Prisoner series and I enjoyed it! It wasn’t all that it could have been, I don’t think but I have hope for the rest of the series.
“Gild” follows Auren, a unique saddle (sex slave), I won’t say why she’s unique, to king Midas and how she copes with being the plated prisoner, living in her gold cage. She’s fine being known as Midas’s favored, because she feels significant to someone and after her past as an orphan she needs that. She gets thrown into quite a few difficult situations, some of which I mention below in the spoiler section. This book is best to go into not knowing much, I think though, so I haven’t gone into great depth below. Just enough to explain who characters are and the basic plot.
“Gild” is an ADULT book, that has graphic sex scenes as well as scenes of physical and mental abuse!
3 stars!
I read “Gild” for a couple of readathons. They were:
The Cardcaptor-a-thon - The Lock Card - Read a book with a key on the cover - there isn’t a key on the cover but under the dust jacket of the hardcover of “Gild,” there’s a lock, so it fits the theme, if not the prompt perfectly! This is my 47th book read for the Cardcaptor-a-thon! Only 5 more to go! I’ll be creating round 2 soon - stand by for updates!
Reading Rivalry - Mythology - The story of King Midas is a myth, so it works for this, I think.
Spoilers below
We start the book being introduced to our main character, Auren. The whole book is told from Auren’s point of view apart from the last chapter. I enjoyed this as I love getting inside a female character’s head. Auren is watching a sex show, where her master, King Midas is taking part. She’s in love with Midas. She wants him to want only her, but he likes having multiple female partners, and even one male partner too.
“He decided to have his pleasure in the atrium tonight, probably because of the acoustics in here. To his credit, the moans do echo nicely.
“Yes, my king! Yes! Yes!”
This shows how much the female saddle, not Auren, is enjoying the sex. The sex slaves are referred to as saddles throughout “Gild,” and I imagine the rest of the series as well. It’s almost as if King Midas doesn’t care for any of the other saddles, at least that’s how he came across to me. Midas wasn’t in the book as much as I thought he’d be, however, so I don’t know this for a fact yet. Midas was a murky character, if I’m to be honest. In “Gild” we’re not sure what to make of him! At least I’m not.
“Right now, five women and one man are catering to his carnal needs. The servants bought up a bed so that he could be comfortable while he’s getting his thrill. It seems like a big hassle for them to take apart the enormous bed, walk up three flights of stairs, and then put it back together again, only to have to remove it again later. But what do I know? I’m just the king’s favorite saddle.
I wrinkle my nose at that term. I prefer it when people call me the king’s favored. It has a much nicer ring to it, though it still means the same thing.
I’m his.”
Here, Auren is telling us, the reader that she doesn’t like being called “the king’s favorite saddle.” She feels used and like all the other saddles. She wants to be Midas’s only partner, as I said above. She wants to be his only lover. Does she get that? You’ll need to read to find out! Midas is in fact married to Malina, a side character that hates Auren and hates Midas almost as much. The only reason Malina married him was to get her kingdom, because her father wouldn’t give it to her after he died. Malina is a horrible woman who gets a guard of hers to hurt Auren.
“You’re not like one of the common saddles to be ridden daily, Auren. You’re worth far more than them. Besides, I like you always there, watching me. It makes me hard,” he says with a heated gaze.
It’s funny how he can make me feel both immense desire and crushing disappointment at the same time.
Even though I shouldn’t, I push back. I blame the coiling forlorn want in my stomach.”
Midas is telling Auren that she’s special. Of course, she believes him at first, does this continue throughout “Gild”? All she wants is sex with Midas. Does this change later in the book? Midas has other saddles that are side characters, Rissa and Polly. Both of whom are horrible to Auren at first. Do they improve and how far will they go to hurt or save her? You’ll need to read to find out!
The plot starts rather slowly. It only really starts getting interesting at around 80 pages in. Here, Auren is ‘given’ to King Fulke, a greedy, nasty man that wants her for his own physical pleasure and nothing more.
“Midas looks over at his ally. “Apologies, King Fulke. You’ll have to excuse her innocence. I’ve always spoiled her. She will not misbehave again.”
I can’t tell if Fulke is assuaged, because I don’t look at him. Midas’s eyes flick behind me to the guards. “Escort Auren to King Fulke’s rooms.”
“No!”
Midas gives Auren to King Fulke as part of a treaty to sexually abuse as he sees fit. Midas is only concerned with war and action at this early stage in the story. Does this change? You’ll need to read to find out! Auren is sticking up for herself with the “No!” at the end of the above quote. Before this point in the story she’s very placid, only doing what Midas wants. Here, though, she actually starts to become a person with some get up and go. I liked seeing this change. It made Auren become a character who’ll stand up for anything good. Does this continue throughout the novel or are there people or things that subdue her into her former self?
The novel starts to pick up in the second half when Auren leaves Highbell, where she was kept as the “plated prisoner” by Midas and goes to Fifth Kingdom to live with him. As Midas’s plated prisoner, she was locked in a cage in the first half of the novel but she thinks that in Fifth Kingdom, she’ll be free. Is this just a fruitless hope or will it happen? You’ll need to read to find out!
Auren gets captured in the last third of “Gild” by snow pirates, and she develops feelings for Sail, a guard on the perilous journey to Fifth Kingdom. I really wanted this romance to go somewhere! Does it? You’ll again need to read to find out!
The last chapter of “Gild” is told from Midas’s perspective as he learns what has happened on the journey for Auren and who has taken her! I’m excited to learn what’ll happen in the next book, “Glint”!
At the end of “Gild,” there’s another twist in a character entering the story who I think will play a big role in the next books in the series. I’m not super excited to read book 2, but I am still anticipating it. I thought “Gild” would have a LOT more romance and passion than it actually did, as it’s about sex slaves and their freedom. Also the plot was somewhat lacking up until Auren left Highbell, That’s why I’m giving it 3.5 stars! Have you read “Gild”? What were your thoughts and feelings about it?
I’m going to read a few manga next so you won’t hear from me for a while because I don’t review single volumes and “One Piece,” by Eiichero Oda the series I’m going to read is in single volumes. I might review the boxset as a whole when I finish it briefly! It’ll be a reread.
Reread of Gild - January 2023
I read Gild for a few readathons this time:
Reading Rivalry - A book gifted to me - For my birthday last year, I got the gorgeous Waterstones edition of GILD with sprayed edges!
Popsugar Reading Challenge 2023 - A book with a map in it. Most fantasy books come with maps.
Always Fully Booked 2023 Reading Challenge - A book with a ONE WORD title - GILD.
“On the Cover” Reading Challenge - Something Gold - The title, GILD is written in gold.
“Reading Rainbow” - Reading Challenge - My Waterstones Special Edition of GILD is white with gold text, as I said above.
Genre Reading Challenge - GILD could be fantasy or romance but I think I’ll class it as fantasy!
I ADORED GILD on the reread. Amren really does grow into an independent girl come the end of the novel, when before she was completely controlled by Midas. I enjoyed the side characters more, this time reading it too. I still like how we get the story from Auren’s POV! It really adds to the novel I think, seeing her trauma and her working to better herself.
The end of the novel is my favourite bit, although I did like seeing mentions of a certain character that’s revealed at the end of the second book, GLINT. I liked working back through my thoughts and seeing this character for a good person and not the evil villain they’re portrayed as here. Of course, this is all hearsay to Auren, who hasn’t experienced life outside the palace of Highbell or even outside of her cage until the middle of GILD. She doesn’t know what to believe or think at first. What will she decide? Will she still love Midas? Or will she come to see someone else as her forever?
You’ll need to read to find out!
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