Gild is the first book in an (explicit) adult romantasy series that puts an intriguing spin on the traditional King Midas myth.
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Goodreads Rating: 3.67
My Rating: 4 Stars
I decided to pick up Gild by Raven Kennedy, because I kept hearing about it – and I’m not even an avid BookTok user, haha. I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical at first. I love a good “romantasy” book, but I’ve also discovered that I’m a bit picky about them. However, after a questionable first few pages, the characters and story managed to draw me in.
Spoiler free summary: Gild is a first person-POV book that follows our main character Auren, who has a traumatic past and is in a complicated and problematic (to say the least) relationship with the legendary King Midas. King Midas of course, can turn things to gold with just one touch, and it is revealed that Auren is considered special because she is the only person who Midas has gold touched. As such she is known as his “gold touched favoured and considered first among his “royal saddles” Yikes. Many people covet Auren because of her gold skin and Midas is terrified that he will lose her and so he keeps her locked in a gilded cage. Throughout the story, Auren faces many challenges and begins to wonder if Midas has her best interests at heart.
My thoughts: Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I will admit, I almost put it down after the first few pages because I could barely handle the term “saddle” – although I’m glad I stuck it out because I was invested in the characters, and the plot kept me engaged. Sometimes the dialogue seemed a little out of place given the fantasy setting, but I did not find that it spoiled the book for me. Orea is an interesting world, and I hope that the author will expand on the world-building in the next installment because I would like to see more of it.
Auren is an interesting, funny main character, and though I am definitely not a Midas fan, I still found myself wanting to know more about what makes him tick. Digby and Sail are favourites of mine, and I definitely want more of Commander Rip in the next book.
I will say that the language and sex scenes are very explicit, so if that’s not something you’re a fan of, then maybe steer clear of this one. I also recommend checking out the trigger warnings, because there are some pretty intense scenes.
Was this book deep and profound? No – but it was an enjoyable and entertaining fairytale retelling and I am looking forward to continuing on with the series. The book ends on quite the cliffhanger and I’m excited to see where Auren’s journey takes her next.
Have you read Gild yet? What did you think?
Happy Reading!
Liss
theclumsybookworm.com 