Joined in 2023 
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It scares me - what I did that night. Because I don't know my own power . . . But that's been the problem all along, hasn't it?' Many questions have been answered and I got more than I expected which I was very happy with. Many things readers have been wondering about are revealed and don't get me started on the plot twists. Thank you Raven for your generosity even if you broke and mended my heart many times throughout this book. But this is where I have to interject and say that this is the mark of an amazing writer or, rather, to get to a more direct point- it’s the mark of an amazing series that has stolen my heart so completely that even stretching the book out over many many many days over just waiting and binging over the weeknights didn’t change the fact that I loved it and know it’s worth. Am I as fangirly as I would have been had this released at a better or more planned out time for me? No. But the love is deep, it swims in my soul with a warm glowing feel of gold, and I know that I am still just as in love had I binged it-and I know that my re-read will bring all those neurotic feels I so desperately crave and covet and accept with each reading of my all-time favorite series’. Please note: This is an adult fantasy series with dark elements that may be triggering, including past emotional and physical trauma, violence, adult language, and explicit romance. Read at your own discretion.
To summarise, out of 66+1 chapters the side characters povs take up a whole 9 of them and none of them offer anything of relevance to the plot or progression of the story in the form presented for this book. They may shed a little light on possible further paths for the next book but to be honest, to finally go through with all those opened and continuously ignored plotlines, the finale of the series would need to have twice the size of Glow and probably still feel unfinished. Do I kind of expect RK to announce more books or butcher the series completely based on this? Absolutely, I do. Maybe it's because I'm getting overloaded with all of the fae romances leading to multiple realms and someone who didn't know they were a Queen and now they have to war against other kingdoms...it's just not an original thematic element to use to carry on a series anymore. I'd like to see Auren & Slade's story come to an end and for the focus to shift to one of the other kingdoms we don't know much about and develop the world overall rather than dragging this current story out. This book had a lot of soul in it, a lot growth- building of heart and mind and inner strength. Pushing yourself to the brink to release the evil that was pushed on you, that made you grow into a cowering shadow of yourself-to find who you are, what you are capable of, and who you are meant to be. And, while seeing this inner strength erupt from Auren and seeing her do it for herself-just this once, to embrace someone she didn’t think she’d ever find again-was nothing short of astounding and well-worth the wait (absolutely gratifying)….but, I’m sorry, she’d have never found this inner strength without a cer taaiiiinnnn someone helping her, encouraging her, and giving her support and strength along the way-giving her that confidence she truly needed-Rip. Regret and revenge war inside of me, and I need to figure out a plan fast before I get tangled up in the schemes of kings and queens.The sun,” Auren answers quietly, tone filled with a tentative, innocent joy. One that you’re afraid of saying too loud in case it breaks. “She’s singing to me.” Everything is reaching its crescendo. I cannot wait for the fifth book. I need someone to put me into sleep paralysis until the next book is released because how am I supposed to move on.. I don’t like how we have these healing girls getting out of abusive situations falling into love mere weeks later. It doesn’t make sense for that to happen twice in this story. After that massive cliffhanger from Gleam, I have been eagerly waiting for this next installment in the series. And overall, I enjoyed this story. However, as many have already stated, it was a filler book. There's nothing wrong with filler books. In fact, I believe they are necessary for most series longer than three books. So as far as filler books go, this was done well, but there were a few things that didn't work for me. Like a phoenix caught fire, I will need to rise from the ashes and learn to wield my own power. Because my wings may have been clipped, but I am not in a cage, and I'm finally free to fly from the frozen kingdoms I've been kept in.
Contrary to Auren's belief I'd like to add that there is power in submission, true, but only if your significant other respects boundaries, concepts of consent and "no" as a word in his vocabulary. Which leads us beautifully to another topic I am very, very concerned about: Consent in it's various forms. I don't think I have the right words to convey the magnitude of the emotional suffering and joy this book had caused me and I wouldn't have had it in any other way. He’s sinister and powerful and entirely too seductive. I’ve learned my lesson with trusting manipulative kings, so why does my chest constrict every time he’s near? I need to tread carefully, or I’m at risk of losing much more than just my freedom.
Goodreads Summary:
Read a full summary of Glow by Raven Kennedy below. If you can’t remember what happened in Glow and you need a refresher, then you’re in the right place. What happened in Glow? the sex scenes were…weird. Did anyone else find them weird? Like the dialogue in particular just did not match the vibe of the series. I have never been so throughly seduced by a character as I was by Slade Ravinger. His endearments drip like warm honey and his filthiness makes me want to forsake my own morals which I would more glaldly do so for him. I know what you went through was horrible, but for what it’s worth, I am glad that you’re here in this world with me,” I say quietly.
I let myself cry until all my tears dry up. It’s not ragged or turbulent anymore. Instead, it’s quiet. Slow. The kind of tears your expression lets fall without fanfare. There is no choked breathing or scrunched up nose. No pulled lips or furrowed brow. This is the suffering of the silent. A hurt so deep it doesn’t show itself on a face. I let out a shaky laugh, relaxing when they all start to drink and talk and eat, relaxing even more when I join in. GLOW resumes right from the explosive ending of Gleam and begins in a shroud of extreme dread within the first quarter of the book that will keep a tight hold on your heart. I was pretty late to the party and started reading the Plated Prisoner Series only a few days prior to the release of Glow, so I was able to binge through them all, ending the journey with Glow itself. And I will end my journey with Glow even though there might be more to come. This is not going to be a "OMG SO GOOD!!" review but in-depth discussion on why this book should never have been published in this form, at all. I'll provide a short review first and then dive into it later, so only read that second part if you don't care about spoilers. Auren wanders around the city for a bit, refusing to hide. She hears men at the market talking about her, saying that she jumps from king to king.
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The abuse came in shades of gray. Some were darker and more noticeable than others. Some, I probably haven’t even noticed yet. My healing from this isn’t going to happen overnight. But...I’m free now. Truly free. Now, the negatives: (and I am about to list a lot of them, but keep in mind the book still got 3 stars overall despite these things)
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