4
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43,432 ratings
From internationally bestselling author and TikTok phenom Raven Kennedy comes the first book in a stunning fantasy series inspired by the myth of King Midas, perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas and Jennifer L Armentrout.
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.
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ISBN-10
1464224412
ISBN-13
978-1464224416
Print length
402 pages
Language
English
Publisher
Bloom Books
Publication date
March 25, 2024
Dimensions
5 x 1.01 x 8 inches
Item weight
12.8 ounces
It’s the arrogance of men, to think so little of women. And it’ll be their downfall too.
Highlighted by 11,200 Kindle readers
Does it really matter if your cage is solid gold when you aren’t allowed to leave it? A cage is a cage, no matter how gilded.
Highlighted by 8,257 Kindle readers
ASIN :
B08HJDG47W
File size :
4943 KB
Text-to-speech :
Enabled
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Supported
Enhanced typesetting :
Enabled
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Review
"TEN GILDED STARS! Gild is the 3rd book I've ready by Kennedy. Like all of her books, it was remarkably original and funny, and the prose, people...gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous." —Olivia Wildenstein, USA Today Bestselling Author
"Get ready to be enthralled from the first word, and begging for more by the last. Raven Kennedy crafts an astonishing world that's filled with captivating characters and a story you won't be able to put down." —Ivy Asher, Amazon bestselling author of The Osseous Chronicles and The Lost Sentinel Series
"I devoured this first book and it ended on such a nice cliffhanger that I am thirsting for the next one." —Emmie Hamilton, author of Chosen to Fall
About the Author
Raven Kennedy is a California girl born and raised, whose love for books pushed her into creating her own worlds. The Plated Prisoner series, a dark fantasy romance, has already sold in over a dozen countries and is a #1 international bestseller with over 2 million copies sold to date. It was inspired by the myth of King Midas and a woman’s journey with finding her own strength. Her debut series was a romcom fantasy about a cupid looking for love of her own. She has since gone on to write in a range of genres. Whether she makes you laugh or cry, or whether the series is about a cupid or a gold-touched woman living in King Midas's gilded castle, she hopes to create characters that readers can root for. The Plated Prisoner series is being adapted for series by Peter Guber's Mandalay Television.
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Raven Kennedy
Raven Kennedy is a California girl born and raised, whose love for books pushed her into creating her own worlds. Her debut series was a romcom fantasy about a cupid looking for love. She has since gone on to write in a range of genres, including the adult dark fantasy: The Plated Prisoner Series, which has become an international bestseller.
Whether she makes you laugh or cry, or whether the series is about a cupid or a gold-touched woman living in King Midas's castle, she hopes to create characters that readers can root for.
You can follow her on her social media sites or visit her website for more info.
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Customer reviews
4 out of 5
43,432 global ratings
Jennifer W
5
Excellent first entry to one of my fave series of all time!
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2024
Verified Purchase
Rating: 4.6/5 ⭐ Spice Level: 2.75/5
Tropes/CW: Dark Fantasy Romance, Retelling (King Midas), Single POV, Abuse, SA, Kidnapping, Imprisonment, Misogyny, Single POV
I've read this 3 times (so far), and each time I'm blown away. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite series of all time (reserving final judgment until the final book comes out). The worldbuilding, the writing, the pacing, the twists and turns are just chef's kiss
This series does have quite a bit of abuse and trauma in it. So please read the trigger warnings before starting it just in case. I don't find the dark content to be gratuitous though, and it's well-handled and adds to the story and characters. Auren in particular experiences the majority of the abuse as the FMC and boy does she go through it.
Auren is the favored, gold-touched "saddle" (a concubine with metallic gold skin/hair) for King Midas, the ruler of the 6th Kingdom, who keeps her in a golden cage that is strategically expanded throughout portions of the castle. He keeps her literally under lock and key, parading her about as needed for political purposes and as a demonstration of his power (turning things to gold).
Midas has his sights set on ruling more than just 6th Kingdom and ultimately ends up needing to head for 5th kingdom, later sending for Auren and the rest of this saddles (concubines). This leads to a series of unfortunate and fortunate events that puts Auren on a journey of self-discovery and growth.
The writing is phenomenal and portrays the mental side of abuse in a respectful and gritty way. There were several moments throughout where I literally stopped and said "damn, that's brilliant." The characters are all extremely well developed, even the bad guys and multiple morally gray characters. There are very explicit scenes (including the literally beginning of the book), so keep that in mind as well.
If you like dark fantasy and fairy tale retellings with some unique twists and beautiful writing, please give this one a shot (while considering the trigger warnings)
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9 people found this helpful
Kurt Mandry
5
Beautiful Gold Touched Book for the Gold King who Gold Touched his Love....
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2024
Verified Purchase
The golden sprayed edges are fantastic and add to the 6th kingdom's King and his magical gift plus the Gold-touched Woman. The book sleeve has a beautiful shiny gold foil lettering though the foil does not extend to the hard cover. The hardcover is slightly bumpy almost like the cardboard used was in pieces that were pressed together to form the cover instead of a solid smooth cardboard piece.
Story Review:
Overall there is great character development and writing that really makes you not only feel and root for the main female character but also some of the supporting characters also. There are a few twists and turns that gives the reader a better understanding of the past 24 years of her life plus her and Midas' 10 year relationship. A bit of world-building throughout this novel which helps to break it apart while adding to the ever growing instead of in one large section.
Gives a bit of the Tamlin ACOTAR vibe, but with a twist given the King has a Queen and the owner of the King's heart, Auren (or so he claims). His actions in this story seem to contradict this as I don't believe anyone would even put the keeper of one's heart in these situations.
SPOILERS and THEORIES Warning SPOILERS and THEORIES Warning SPOILERS and THEORIES Warning SPOILERS and THEORIES Warning SPOILERS and THEORIES Warning
The more and more we learn about Auren and Midas' pre-King relationship the more I'm leaning towards Auren being the one with the powers of gold-touch and the less I believe she was gold-touched by Midas. There can be an argument that Midas transferred some of his gold-touch powers to Auren when he gold-touched her which is why she can turn the Pirate Captain gold towards the end of the book. If Midas was born with the gold touch power, why is he a vigilante when he finds and saves Auren? She was only 14 when he rescued her, did she even know or have the gold touch ability or was that something that developed when she grew her ribbons shortly before Midas rescued her. Though if she was gold all her life I don't think she would have been coveted way before her 14th year. Midas also doesn't gold-touch any other human, though of course he wouldn't do this to his Queen who is so power hungry and one could easily see her trying to kick Midas out if she had the power for herself.
Thinking of the bird that Midas turned gold in his cage, I'm not fully convinced that Midas can gold-touch living creatures and not turn them solid. Her life was tough before Midas saved her, and because of her tough history, she is willing to stay in her cage. Tricks another King into a “golden saddle night” and significantly hurts their bond in return for the kings army to take them out and end the human trafficking the 5th kingdom's king participates in. On the way to 5th kingdom, she's captured by land pirates and then sold over to 4th kingdom's army. This book sets up the failed relationship of Auren and Midas going forward and I expect many additional cracks before the final break because she still feels like she owes him for saving and protecting her. I'm sure we'll see more to come in the
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2 people found this helpful
Mamatyalia
5
This Book is EVERYTHING
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2024
Verified Purchase
BLUF: Read the book. This is King Midas like you've never imagined before. Spice, but not like you're expecting in this one. Trust me, it's coming. This book introduces our characters and sets our story into motion deliciously. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Fantasy
Setting: First person, multiple POV writing in a realm with very little magic. The fae abandoned the realm long ago, and only those with fae ancestry retain magic and power. Our story mainly takes place in the frozen mountain castle of Highbell. Everything is gold because this is Midas' domain.
Meet the FMC: Auren is the king's favored saddle. She is in love with him and he with her. She is special and valuable beyond compare. So special that he turned her into gold. She lives in a gilded cage in his castle.
Meet the MMC: In this book, it would be King Midas so I'll introduce him here. Midas has gold touch. He can will the gold in his veins to gild anything he pleases. He is handsome and charming. He visits his favored from time to time and protects her from the world. He saved her long ago and proclaims his love for her, to her, to this day.
Short overview, no spoilers: This story unfolds slowly. We meet the royalty of Highbell and those in their orbit. We dig into the dynamics between our main characters. We learn a bit of the lore behind this world. The King is hard at work, forming alliances and building his legacy. He is at his peak, and his long-time friend, King Faulke, is poised to launch Midas to his greatest height yet. But Auren is caught up in the political machinations, and the betrayal has tipped the scales away from her beloved King. Will their relationship survive what is to come? Will King Midas get his heart's desires? Will our cage bird learn to fly?
I have a feral obsession with this series and this author. I've never felt so much so quickly. The writing is beautifully done. The descriptions, the imagery, the emotions woven into every chapter. The pace was perfect, and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I related to Auren immediately and yet sensed some secrets and needs that left me intrigued. I normally read very spicy books, but I didn't once feel that the story lacked passion. I would give this 🌶🌶 and the vibe of the scenes is lust and power, not exactly passion or love. You'll see. You'll be running to the next book as fast as your little feet can carry you! 10/10!
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5 people found this helpful
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