The Ladies Have It

 Gild by Raven Kennedy. 

Hm. I can’t say I loved this book, but, neither can I say I hated it. If I were asked to describe Gild by Raven Kennedy in ten words or less, I would say “BDSM Billionaire Sort-of-Romance Wrapped Loosely in Fantasy.” Let me start by focusing on what I thoroughly enjoyed about this book.

Kennedy does an excellent job building the world of Orea, with its Six, albeit unimaginatively named, Kingdoms. The kingdoms are quite literally named, First, Second, Third, you get the picture. Nevertheless, she imparts each kingdom with defining and distinctive characteristics, cultures, geography. Only those with power can rule. In Orea, rulers must possess magical abilities, and should an heir not possess any special talents, well, the throne is up for grabs by whomever can claim and keep it by virtue of their own magic. The kingdoms are represented as extensions of their rulers. Snowy, perpetually cold Sixth Kingdom, the setting for most of Gild, is insulated from her neighbors. And, by all outward appearances, Sixth Kingdom is wealthy in reflection of Midas’ ability to gold-touch anything. Fourth Kingdom, realm of King Ravinger (or King Rot) is marred by his gift of decay. Fifth Kingdom is ruled by King Fulke, a lecherous and greedy man with the gift of duplication. His prosperity relies on his alliance with Midas. Midas turns items to gold for Fulke; Fulke duplicates those items. As ever in politics, allies are often the other side of an enemy’s coin and fortunes may be decided on the toss.

Kennedy delivers royals with magic abilities, fantastic beasts such as gigantic snow cats with flaming paws, snow pirates who’s ships glide over glistening fields of powder through the harnessed fire claws, pulse-racing plot twists, taut political tensions, heart-breaking humanity, and wretched villains. Her prose is often breathtakingly beautiful. The snowfall hasn’t stopped and continues to drop in a slow, delicate descent, the flakes landing on shaking shoulders. Another burden to carry on our backs.

Auren is the favored “saddle,” (concubine for those with gentler constitutions) of King Midas, the ruler of Sixth Kingdom. He rescued her from poverty and a certain future of slavery during a raid on her village. You’re safe now. Let me help you. I was done being exposed and vulnerable in the world, so he made sure I didn’t have to be anymore. She became his trusted lover before he married Sixth Kingdom’s magic-less princess and ascended to the throne by dint of his magical golden touch. Once Midas became king, he still treasured her as his “favored” but in reality, she is just as much a slave as she’d once feared being. She is the only person he has ever “gold-touched,” and he keeps her locked away in a gilded cage. She is precious and safe and bored out of her mind. Midas may have loved her once, but his love has twisted into a love of novelty.

King Midas is as duplicitous as the Greek mythologies suggest. King Fulke of Fifth Kingdom is his gullible ally in a plot to attack Fourth Kingdom, the domain of King Rot. Midas barters a night with Auren for Fulke’s cooperation in the attack; never intending to deliver his favored to fulfill his end of the bargain. Rather, he uses Auren as bait to lure Fulke’s armies to defeat at the borders of King Rot’s lands and depose Fulke. Thus leaving Fifth Kingdom vulnerable to Midas’s power grab.

Midas sends orders for his harem of “saddles”, including Auren, to join him in Fifth Kingdom’s capital. Their journey is the first time Auren has been outside in more than ten years. Along the way, Auren takes every opportunity to escape the confines of her gilded carriage and breathe freely, befriending one of her guards along the way. When the party is hijacked by the Red Raids, Auren realizes and regrets the danger her status as “Midas’ Favored” has placed upon the others in the caravan. Her despair deepens as she discovers there may have been a spy in the entourage; a spy willing to sell the lot of them to King Rot’s fae warrior, Commander Rip. Action, adventure, espionage! So far, so good!

Now, for what surprised me most about this book. Perhaps I should have read the synopsis more closely, taken it more seriously, something. I love a good sex scene. While there is a lot of sex in Gild, not much of it is very good. I did not anticipate a full-on, graphically described orgy within the first ten pages. I still wonder why this was entirely necessary. I don’t mind coarse language (full disclosure: my own language is often very coarse). However, in a work of fantasy, I was unprepared for modern speech patterns and shock-factor slurs. They feel gratuitous and redundant.

I kept waiting for Auren to NOT be the damsel-in-distress. I kept wanting her to claim her own agency. I kept wanting her to be more than the plaything of a childish king. I wanted her to recognize her own value and stop drinking so much wine. I needed her to not acquiesce so readily. I kept waiting for Midas to redeem himself. I needed him to not be an ass. I don’t regret reading Gild, but I probably won’t be reading further into this series. I didn’t care about the characters enough.

The Lost Queen by Signe Pike

Now this story, I can't say enough good things about it. Based on long-forgotten and dismissed parts of the Arthurian legends, The Lost Queen by Signe Pike centers on the story of Languoreth the alleged twin sister of the man who would become Merlin. 

Like most women of the period, Languoreth knows her options her few and she will have little say in how her life path unfolds before her feet. However, it doesn't mean she meekly accepts her fate or keeps her thoughts to herself. Rather, I found her to be a wholly believable representation of how a woman of noble birth might have actually behaved. She knows her role as the only daughter of a minor king in early Britain/Scotland and plays her part, rebelling in small ways whenever possible. Still, Languoreth generally chooses duty over desire and the consequences of those choices haunt her at every turn. 

The Lost Queen isn't a galloping adventure book. No, you're invited to follow Languoreth from childhood to middle-age at the same pace by which seasons turn. You get to know her and understand her frustrations, foibles, jealousies, mistakes, and triumphs as intimately as you know your own. The men in her life who would become legendary are merely uncles and brothers to this impressive and impressionable young woman. Languoreth shines just as brightly as they do in their armor. She wields her loyalties and loves as fiercely as their swords and spears.

Pike includes just enough romance to add to the humanity of Languoreth and her wanted, but unattainable lover, Maelgwyn. Their impossible, decades long love provides vulnerabilities more potent, more relatable to modern readers than the threat of Angle invasion or political maneuverings. Languoreth's political marriage to Rydderch is not without love but it does lack passion; he is not cruel or unsympathetic. He is as much a pawn of his king as she and together they must navigate intrigues if he is ever to be named heir to his father's throne. 

I love Pike's exploration of the forgotten women in history and legend. So many of our favorite heroes have the women in their lives to thank for their fame; the women who have become footnotes in the heroic tales. Pike refuses to let these women hide in the shadows or be overlooked when creating these works of fiction and I heartily approve.