Glint: The Plated Prisoner Series, Book 2

This series has been okay. I have heard that after book 3 the series comes to life. I will say if I could have changed a few things would have put the last quarter of the first book and the middle to end of this book all as one. I think this may have been the author’s first series and I wish I loved it more as it seems like an interesting story, but it has been a bit difficult to get through. Fingers crossed for the next book.

If Gild was about surviving the cage, then Glint is about realizing the cage was never safe in the first place. Raven Kennedy drops us right back into the brutal and glittering world of Orea. Auren is no longer locked in King Midas’s golden castle, but still very much a prisoner of his psychological power. After ten years as the king’s favored saddle, Auren has been taken by the Fourth Kingdom’s army and is marching toward a war she never expected to be part of. She becomes a bargaining chip and she’s starting to realize she may be something far more dangerous. Standing at the center of her awakening is Commander Rip. Kennedy layers the journey to King Midas with revelations that slowly dismantle everything Auren believes about herself, Midas, and the world she’s been taught to fear. The soldiers she expected to be monsters turn out to be surprisingly honorable. They fight by choice, they train together, and they protect one another in ways that contrast sharply with the manipulation she endured in Midas’s court. That contrast becomes the emotional engine of Auren's internal monologue. Early on, Rip delivers a line that feels like a prophecy aimed straight at Auren’s awakening, “I hope you stretch your golden wings and burn your precious King to ashes when you know who you are.” That line lives rent-free in my head and made me swoon. Watching Auren slowly process the possibility that her devotion to Midas might be misplaced is one of the most compelling arcs in the novel. The psychological hold he has over her feels painfully real. At one point she even sends a warning letter to him about Rip’s approaching army, despite every kindness Rip's army has shown her. The moment perfectly captures the trauma bond she’s trapped in. Meanwhile, the politics of Orea begin unfolding in the background like a fantasy chess match. Queen Malina quietly plots against Midas, often while in bed with her favorite saddle. Alliances shift. Kingdoms maneuver for territory instead of gold. The intrigue reminded me of Game of Thrones politics. Kennedy rarely pauses to explain the stakes outright. Instead, she shows them through tense conversations, negotiations, and strategic betrayals that constantly push the story forward. Then, there’s Rip's role in the politics. Without spoiling anything major, Rip becomes far more interesting the deeper you get into the book. His connection to Auren carries both tension and tenderness. The slow reveal of who he really is delivers one of the most satisfying twists in the story. By the time the truth is revealed, it completely reframes everything you thought you understood about his motivations. The audiobook narration also deserves a shout-out. Anthony Palmini’s voice is ridiculously smooth and fits Rip perfectly. Lilly Drake occasionally leans a little breathless in her delivery, with her frequent gasps sometimes pulling me out of the story. That said, the duet-style narration where each narrator voices their own character works beautifully and makes the emotional moments even sexier. My only real confusion came at the very end. The book closes with a poem that feels like it’s hiding clues for the next installment. It’s cryptic enough that I wasn’t entirely sure what I was supposed to take from it. I suspect it will make more sense once the series continues. Glint absolutely succeeded at what a second book in a fantasy series should do. It deepens the world, raises the stakes, and pushes its heroine to question everything she thought was true. Watching Auren start to break the bars of her own gilded cage with pure rage? That’s the kind of character evolution that makes you desperate to pick up the next book.

Better than Gild (though that’s not saying much) and good enough that I’m invested in the story. The bones are there for some enthralling storytelling, but something is just missing the mark for me.

Book 1: Gild - ⭐⭐
Book 2: Glint - ⭐⭐⭐
Book 3: Gleam - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Book 4: Glow - ⭐⭐⭐
Book 5: Gold - TBD

Had to make myself go to sleep! ❤️

Such a good plot twist!