Book Review: Goldfinch by Raven Kennedy

Title: Goldfinch
Author: Raven Kennedy
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Publication Date: September 24, 2024
ISBN: 9781464224522

Synopsis:
One king caged my body. Another has caged my mind. War has broken out, though that’s not the only battle being waged. There’s a fight inside me, and it’s one I’m determined to win, no matter how hard they try to erase me. Because they’ve forgotten one thing. The ancient magic of the pair bond. Slade and I are connected by more than just fated magic, and we will always find each other. In any life…

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A preemptive apology to anyone who loved this book. Read on at your own risk. I am not one of those people.

As someone who has spent years working on my own fantasy series (and hope that one day it will be published), I have to give the author so much credit for her devotion to writing this series, especially given the length. The skill and stamina to put together this series must be marvelled, I can only imagine how many years were spent writing and editing, and that in itself has to be respected. Still, it wasn’t for me, and while I hate to give a bad review, this one just really struck the wrong chord for me, and I have to be honest to my readers.

Ugh. Just ugh. This series has been SO over-hyped. I’m honestly astounded that I could make it to the end. It’s been such a difficult series to get through, and this final book was just a slog. What gets to me the most is that it has the potential to be so utterly great, and maybe that’s where all the hype comes from. If you’re able to get past the anachronisms, the subpar dialogue, and the generally blasé writing, then perhaps this is a good book. I, personally, could not stomach this book, only making it through because I’d paid for the series and couldn’t not read it.

This book is interesting in its descriptions of the various kingdoms throughout this realms, each unique and expansive. There is a lot of beauty, despite my criticisms, in what Kennedy has written. But the world-building is the highlight of this series, with the content itself falling far too short of what was needed to really hit this one out of the part. It’s a disappointment, especially because the reviews are full of people who are devoted to this book and their love for it. I wish I could say the same.

This series reads like a self-published book that could have used a few more rounds with an editor before it hit the shelves.

Learn from my mistakes: not every pretty book is worth buying.

Happy reading!