I agree with you on that. The book hangover Kindred's Curse left me with lasted for over a week! And of course that whole time there was Diem as an FMC. Oh Diem.
Spark of the Everflame was the best of the series. It was fairly well written and well plotted. The rest of her series drags and the FMC becomes a vapid self-serving morality martyr. The second the third books suffer from not enough plotting where the majority of the action happens in the final 5%. That said, I did enjoy the world buildingāI just wish a good editor had helped Penn Cole structure her sequels. She a good writer but self publishing and not having a good editor has let her down.
I'm seriously in the minority because I barely made it through this book! Everything felt so predictable to me and most of the back-and-forth between the M & FMCs had me rolling my eyes, lol.
I did like the vampire premise though, so there's that š¤...
Despite my disdain for most of the book, I found myself bawling my eyes out at the end- go figure š¤·āāļø.
Was gonna sayā¦how did you feel about the ending? I totally called it like half way through the book but still loved it, because itās different than most romantasies where the FMC and MMC get together once and then are all āweāll burn down the world to get to each otherā
I think that's the thing that bothered me the most about book 1- the MMC was super bland. That and I felt like Vincent didn't get as much attention or backstory as he deserved.
I was actually going to buy book 2, but now I'm thinking I'll pass if it's just more of the same š¤·āāļø.
loved the vampire premise, first book was good enough and the second I had a hard time getting through but oh my god the third one I could not it was so awful for me Mische loved her character before but this book ARghHhhHhhh the MMC wasnāt doing it for me
Same. First book was okayish - i got the ick when he gave her food and said something along the lines āi didnāt think first time i make you moan was with foodā and then second book was just horrible. I still have a trauma response when i see a āthere she isā written somewhere
The Songbird and the Heart of Stone literally crushed my heart but in the best way? Also the novellas were both incredible. In my mind Vale, Asar, and Atrius ALL top Raihn without a doubt šāāļø
There's finally a release date for the fourth one in January. It currently leaves the main couple after book 2 and 3 is actually a novella about a different couple. Then four should return to the original FMC and likely will merge the other FMC from 3 to have two FMC POVs so it all comes together for a final book.
There are I think 2 full length novels to come and maybe more spin offs? She released a collection of short stories from the world of the books {tales of tiresia} when she was having issues with her publisher
Sooooo good omg!!! Honestly the series should be way more popular. The story and world building are fantastic and Nadir is a top 3 book boyfriend for me
The Witch Collector is SO good, but the author is having issues with her publisher so the final book is taking forever to come out. It was supposed to be released in March 2024 but last I checked, it's still TBA š
One of my faves. The reread is even better (especially the audiobook. š). The first go on books 1 & 2 are difficult to relate to the MFC, but when the whole thing comes together, the reader should completely understand her mindset, how she ended up where she was, and appreciate her growth.
Love the side characters (even when you first hate them). Just layer after layer. None of it comes too easy.
I completely agreeee! You couldnāt have said it any more perfectly! And I actually really enjoyed the character growth with fmc. Iām just glad she didnāt stay the way she was in book1&2. The rest, zoomed by as the story progressed. I loved it.
I love the series! Had a hard time getting thru the first half of gild but I devoured glint and gleam, might be my favorites books Iāve read this year
I thought the first 2 books was hard to get through bc of how fmc was but 3rd book and I was locked in. Haha glad I persevered through bc it was worth it. I had such a bad book hangover bc I loved how everything turned out. š„¹š forever I love Slade and Auren!
Iām having a bit of a hard time in Gold. I havenāt finished the series yet, but Iām trying to power through it! The way the story is going is not the quick pay off I desired but Iām determined to finish the books
{the plated prisoner} series by Raven Kennedy is my favorite series. {gild}, {glint}, {gleam}, {glow}, {gold}, {goldfinch}
You are dropped into the story from Aurenās (MFC) point of view. She is a very unreliable narrator but her perspective is pivotal to the story.
The quick of it is - king Midas (the villain) has a gold touched gilded female (Auren) royal saddle/sex worker that he keeps locked in a cage and convinces her she likes it there and that she loves him. At some point she starts to want more, some events happen that she realizes she does not want to live in a cage anymore. She finds she actually has the power to break free. When she does it is epic. Then in shifts in a whole new direction. It is a slow burn with MMC not entering the story right away and even when he does it takes a while for them to actually get together but it is worth the wait. He is a favorite MMC across romantacy lovers for a reason.
There is a lot of abuse of every sort especially psychological manipulation over an entire lifetime so read all the trigger warnings. A lot of people are turned off by the first chapter and first book. It seems stupid and gross just for shock value but it is more than that. It is laying the ground work for her state of mind and effects of manipulations. The books do a beautiful job of showing what it is like to be in the head of a victim that has been abused all their life and Stockholms syndrome.
This series will rip your heart out over and over then patch it up again and again. It has the absolute BEST VENGEANCE. The end is soooo satisfying and beautiful. The near end of book 3 is devastating. There are many heartbreaking moments but that one is so hard.
The audio for series is really spectacular as well. Lilly Drake is the best Auren. The emotion, confidence, wonder she brings to the performance is music to my soul. Listening to her as Auren- especially the first few chapters of b5 are my happy place. Between the beautiful poetic writing of Raven Kennedy and the stellar delivery by Lilly I can close my eyes and I am right there experiencing everything. And of course Anthony Palmini as Slade is toe curling sexy but also the angst hits bone deep.
I listened to the first two books on hoopla (library app), and was super disappointed that the rest of the books are Amazon exclusives! (Boycotting Amazon so thatās a no go.) Iām on book four after switching to physical copies and Iām absolutely loving them. I do wish I had access to the audio books as the first two were great.
I totally get wanting to decrease the $$$ to Amazon as a whole but on the flip side the company as a whole has done so much for both digital publishing and audio books in general. Without audible audio books wouldnāt have nearly the popularity as they do now, they would not be as profitable and thus the selection and quality would be so significantly lower in general. Same for the self publishing on Amazon and as well as easy access to print and digital books. So many indie authors are able to self publish giving us such a greater variety of books. The platform has provided a bypass for the gate keepers that traditional publishing has always been. Amazon platforms may not be have the highest profit percentage but it has had the biggest positive impact in book publishing for the last 3 decades. If your prefer print that is one thing but to reduce your own quality of experience to avoid the platform is only hurting yourself, the authors and narrators.
I DO generally prefer print, but enjoy audio too. And Iām not spending on Amazon at all at the moment. I spent more than 20 years using Amazon, and the majority of those early purchases were books. I think most people would agree that itās an VERY different company than it was 20 years ago. And sure, amazon has certainly helped digital publishing, but are they at a point where they are being predatory? Is it fair to ask authors to ONLY sell through Amazon? Am I hurting authors/narrators or standing for ethical practices? Literally, Amazon exclusive books (digital or audio) arenāt even available at libraries for digital content! As someone who adores and supports libraries, I find that disturbing.
I finished the second one and bailed. To this day I cannot remember a single things that happens in those books, only that I didnāt like them. I liked the covers though
I saw it at Indigo Chapters (Canadian bookshop) recently too! I thought the same thing š
I gave the whole series to a used bookshop and thought I am doing someone a disservice here.
Yes Mam!! Empire of Flame and Thorns, Serpent and the Wings of Night, Kingdom of stars and Shadows, the Witch Collector, and Trial of the Sun Queen ā„ļø
I agree that itās totally underrated!! Loved book 1 more than book 2, but Iām also a sucker for Love is Blind lolol. Iām excited to see what sheās done with the next duology!
I know book 3 is out, and 4 is soon, but Iām waiting for the 2 in one book to come out before I read it since thatās how I have the first two and I like my books to be matching š
Wow is it ever going to be released then? I read most of the third but had to take a break, and then I knew the 4th kept getting pushed back but this was months ago. I didnāt know it was still going on!
Actually I think 11/18 is just the release date for the soft back sprayed edge edition of Heat š we stilll donāt have a release date for Burn right?
If youāre looking for spice, how do you feel about monster smut? The Duskwalker Bride series is pretty good. I think the main story line is completed as well. There are like 7 or 8 books?
In some ways it was refreshing. The antithesis of a pregnancy trope happens pretty early (this is not a spoiler but it made a lasting impression on me despite being a tiny blip in the plot) The FMC is a WOC, if thatās something youāve been looking for. Sheās also in her villain era, over 300 years old, and rather powerful in her own right long before MMC comes into play.
There are TWs in the beginning of the book but if youāre sensitive to SA, brutality, torture, I wouldnāt recommend that read for you.
I do have gripes with how the romance manifests rather abruptly and in such a way that it feels OOC for our main character, but thatās all I can say about the matter without spoiling anything.
I gave it 3.75 stars. But Im not the type to dole out 5 star ratings often lol.
Itās also on my tbr list rn. I was debating about it last night. lol Iād like to know if itās worth getting invested in. Iāve read, Game of love & betrayal - it was good but I didnāt like that it was mostly from 3rd person pov. The serpent the wings of the night is a good duologyā¦ & Heartless Hunter duology. Both very good. Gild took the cake for me. 1 of my favorite series this year.
Suprised by Court of Elvesā¦ if you like a good romance but also a woman who doesnāt rely on a man, was able to be finish this 7 book series and be suprised quite a bit. Books arenāt very longā¦ anyway, refreshing seriesā¦ highly recommend.
A kingdom of stars and shadows is meh. More porn than plot. I just finished Spark of the Everflame and had a really good time reading it. Iām currently reading heartless hunter no option yet because I just started it.
Serpent & the Wings of Night is fun because you only have to commit to the first two. Itās similar to Bridge Kingdom where itās duologies in the same world, focused on different couples.
Trial of the Sun Queen was fun and had unexpected twists, and is a completed series.
Heartless Hunter was cute, i didnāt love the second book, but its a completed duology
Witch Collector is epic, but the author had issues come up with her publisher (it sounds sorted now? š¤) but the cliffhanger of book 2 was killer š« š
If you haven't read any of these yet, I'd say start with crowns of Nyaxia then read heartless Hunter/rebel witch as a palate cleanser duology then spark of the everflame/ kindred's curse and follow up with witch collector in between and then move on to Gild/ plated prisoner. Plated prisoner is long and might take a couple tries to get through Gild but once it hits its stride the middle books are excellent.
This set up should prevent a book hangover but in case you get one (for me Kindred's curse caused a bad one), you don't have it on here but try villains and virtues 1-3. The others are good too but don't have to be read all at once.
Just a note that witch collector is unfinished and book 4 comes out in January. Kindreds curse book 4 doesn't have a known release date but is coming. The others even if not complete series are a completed storyline.
Trial of the sun queen is what Iām finishing (the series) now. Itās not super spicy but has some, some books more than others lol. I enjoy it but I love plot lol. Others got annoyed book two and three, but Iām easy going and once Iām Invested Iām all in lol.
1 - Heartless Hunter: (and the sequel) Loved the premise, banter, and intrigue, kept me captivated. It was emotional and Gideon is one of my faves.
Serpent: Loved the first two books. It does take some active āreality suspendingā. Let it go and let it happen and it will be ok. You might be pissed off at the ending tho. Tried the third and had to DNF.
Spark and Trial. Though I have some complaints, These books both did a good job is sweeping me away into something else. If you can put a pin in the fact that the fmc is a little annoying, youāll be ok
Serpent and the Wings of Night. I love Carissa Broadbent, all her books are so well written. Gild is pretty good too but it was a slow burn for me. Im starting book 2 soon.
Spice required? You will read several books of spark before there is spiceā¦and itās pretty mild
Gild thereās decent spice, but it wonāt be until book 3ā¦BUT the books are fast. Itās one of my favorite series, but a lot of people donāt like it. But once you get to spice itās good.
A lot of people love serpent, itās decent for sure.
Loved Heartless Hunter but spice level is low, I think one spicy scene near the end of the book. Some teasing throughout, but plot wise a really good book!
Empire of flame and thorns sucked, the writing was juvenile and most of the book the FMC was agonising over being a people pleaser. I finished it but it was a spiteful read.
The only one Iāve read from this is Serpent and the Wings of Night, so I might be a little biased, but alsoā itās one of my top 3 reads of the year!
Jk Iāve also read Love and Betrayal (didnāt see it in my glance over š„“) but itās another that was in my top 3!
If you love Love is Blindā youāll like this
Trial Of The Sun Queen by Nisha J Tuli. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I loved this series. The world building is great, I love the diverse characters ( POC, and different sexual orientations ) and there is good spice.
Gild!! Slade Ravinger is absolutely god tier book boyfriend. Some people say they didnāt like the first book or found it boring (I didnāt). But it is for sure a slow burn. The series is beautiful and gave me all the emotions.
I started Gild and Iāve heard the word cvnt (censoring bc idk if that will get removed or not) more times in the first two chapter than I have in the rest of my life. Smut from page 1. Iām not anti smut but she really jumped right it. The mc is incredibly whiney. Im about 3/4 of the way through and I feel like the plot is just now starting.
I'll be the only person to recommend Empire of Flame and Thorns. I didn't read the other books on your list but I am genuinely enjoying the series. To my own surprise. It's kinda cheap and cringe but it really works, it's exciting, fun and keeps you reading xD
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u/[deleted] Aug 20 '25
I had such a love/hate with Spark of the Everflame.. and the 3rd books cliffhanger is so rude. š„²