Raven Kennedy

While not original, the first 80% were at least entertaining but in the final stretch, the book plummets in quality.
In the final stretch, the book seems to aim to accomplish as many writing sins in as little time as possible.

I've rarely seen "show don't tell" done so incredibly badly (more specifically, not at all) in published writing.
We are constantly told what to feel, what to think, and how to interpret everything.

I don't think I have read a book that preachy before and I've read some whoppers.
Not only that but it's incredibly naive at the same time. It's insulting really. Not even middle-grade children deserve that level of condescension. Maybe I am the condescending one towards the author if she actually honestly believed she communicated wisdom but so be it.
I couldn't stop rolling my eyes, it's so incredibly stupid.

Common sense is also something that is severely lacking in this book but at first, there wasn't much happening that exposed this flaw. In the end, logic is just a faraway fantasy. The main cast doesn't have enough planning and decision power to actually be incredibly stupid but their alpha graciously takes that role instead. I would be fleeing in fear for my life if a superior of mine were that stupid.

I initially planned to write "While not being very original it was a light and entertaining read" but after that ending, I can only advise against wasting time on this book.
Don't read this.… (més)

This is a review about the series up to 80% of the third book which is where I abandoned it.
I can see why this first book was so much more successful than most other RH.
It's not because it's much better than the average but because it got a few very important things right in the beginning.
This first book is not at all a reflection of the quality of the overall series, not because it is intrinsically better, but because the stuff that shows the authors hand isn't brought up yet.
The entire book is just an intro to the actual story. The series doesn't use up all it's fuel immediately like 95% of the bunch.
The pacing is even and the romance develops naturally. There is some instant attraction as well as very obvious pointers for the reader in regards to the RH, but it seemed mostly believable to me nonetheless.
The writing style is really easy and pleasant to read and hits a sweet spot between floury and utilitarian for me. It's not very sophisticated but I didn't mind that.
Sadly, as soon as the author goes into the actual plot in later books things don't hold up so well anymore.
The plot couldn't be more stereotypical and clichée. The plot development is the most artless thing I've read in a long time. There is so much wrong around plot convenience and plot devices I don't even know where to start. We have all the classics. Not listening, not saying things for no good reason, misunderstandings, blatant stupidity and many many more. But my biggest frustration with this series is characters not using the most obvious and irrefutable retorts in conversations which would end lots of conflicts and discussions immediately just for the sake of extra drama. I expect that one is just a personal pet peeve of mine though.
The plot, in general, is entirely two-dimensional and doesn't gain any depth over time either. All parties involved act incredibly stupid for the entire plot to even progress as it does. There is no finesse anywhere.
The plot is more than a backdrop judging by the page-time it has but it's nonetheless all just a stage for the MC to interact with others, fool around, be badass or blunder around for general amusement.
I enjoyed the abundant humour most of the time but it became a bit much in places.
The smut goes from 0 to 100 somewhere in the second book and stays there for the rest of the series afaict. So don't expect any action in this first one. It's really just an introduction and all the juicy bits only come in later. No pun intended, but the author would've intended that pun. That's the kind of humour you can expect.
The smut is almost exclusively trying to do the steaming hot dominant male thing but it felt off at times. I can usually dig that stuff but in this case, they seemed too much like plain assholes sometimes to be sexy which was weird because I was totally on board with their loving banter and squabbling outside the bedroom. It just went a tad too far for me I guess. Probably just a taste thing.
I have to repeat myself one more time here because I really can't express how incredibly lame the entire plot really is. The plot is stupid and lame. It seems to me like the entire thing is lazy in the extreme. There you go. Now I feel better.

An honourable mention goes to the incredible variety of words and euphemisms in the smut department. I sometimes laughed out loud when she managed to surprise me with yet another one and at least to me they didn't feel weird or forced either which is something I experienced in other books.

There was no specific point that frustrated me so badly I dropped the book which is usually how it happens with me. I just gradually lost interest and at some point thought to myself I don't really care enough anymore and just stopped.

If you don't care much about plot and are willing and able to turn off your analytical mind for the time being you might be able to have a grand time with this series. If not, you will probably be more and more disappointed as you progress through the volumes as I was.… (més)

This is just terrible. Quite a few people wrote that the first one is bad and that it gets better later on and the average rating also seems to suggest this.
And I can see where they are coming from. The first book doesn't even introduce the male lead yet so it makes sense that many people might be unsatisfied after just the first book.
But beyond the actual romantic interest being introduced the second book is not in any way better.
There is just so much wrong with this book and at the same time, it is so popular as well that I don't think this deserves the effort required by me to peel apart all the layers of terribleness here.
There are almost certainly a lot of far more eloquent and better-structured reviews that explain what is wrong with this series already.… (més)

“But the eyes of liars are tricky things. They can show you what you want to see without ever reflecting the truth.”

Main points in the book:

-Two-thirds of the book is time Goldfinch trains and tries to learn how to control her magic. It is low on action but you will have insight to her emotional stress and character development.

-The secret behind the hidden town that King Ravenger added to his territory when he made a deal with King Midas (before his death).

-Understand RIP a lot more in this book through chapters told in his POV and shared information about his backstory.
More information about The Cold Queen than any reader is interested in… I understand the importance of her character and journey to the overall story arc, but I’d love to learn less about her. The reader is told everything she is doing when it would be a bigger shock if some of the information was withheld and revealed later during a tense situation. The Cold Queen shows you she is selfish. Any empathy you had for this character will dissolve after this book, and you will start to sigh every time you read her name and the beginning of a chapter because you are tired of submerging yourself into her POV.

-Learn about the Second Kingdom, a place where Goldfinch spent some of her childhood and she has now returned.
Goldfinch is summoned for a trial to pay for her crimes against society. Rumors of the Goldfinch having the ability to steal magic from others makes her a threat to everyone. As this plot thread develops it becomes one of the most interesting aspects of the book.

-If you are into romance, I’d say this book has more physical romance than the others in the series so far. So while the book is slow on some action, it is not the action in this category.

-Fall in love with Rissa and Osrik. This unexpected pairs relationship goes through many phases and lands perfect.
Kalia creates more chaos by trying to change the narrative of King Midas death to suit her needs and gain more power and control. She wants the love and support of the people and works to convince them Goldfinch is a traitor and threat to everyone. United royal trial anyone?

“You’re not the villain in my story.” “I am,” he says without remorse, his sharp jaw tight with tension. “But I’ll be the villain for you. Not to you.”

Glow is not as strong as its fellow books in this series. While there is some plot and character development, the first three fourths of the book’s pacing was too slow. The book isn’t bad by any means, I just think editing it a bit more and cutting around 10-15% would tighten it up. Kennedy had my heart at the end of this book. I was on edge and felt like I was drowning with Goldfinch. I was begging anyone to come to her aid; I wanted to jump into the pages. The ending is solid and I am looking forward to reading the next book of the series.… (més)