Plated Prisoner Series in Order: Raven Kennedy's Gild to Gold (2026)

Raven Kennedy’s Plated Prisoner series is one of the great dark-romantasy success stories of the BookTok era — a gold-soaked reimagining of the King Midas myth that has sold millions of copies and inspired an intensely devoted fanbase. If you have just finished the first book and want to know where the story goes, or you are wondering where the companion novel fits, this guide lays out the complete reading order.

The short version: read Gild, Glint, Gleam, Glow, and Gold in order, then continue with the companion novel Goldfinch.

The Plated Prisoner Series at a Glance

Best starting point: Gild — the beginning of the main saga and the only place to start.

Start Here: Gild

Gild introduces Auren, a woman whose skin, hair, and very body have been turned to gold — the prized possession of King Midas, who keeps her gilded and caged in a literal golden palace. The first book is a dark, atmospheric reimagining of the Midas myth that establishes Auren’s gilded captivity, her complicated devotion to the king who possesses her, and the cracks beginning to form in the story she has told herself about her place in his world.

Kennedy’s prose is lush and sensory, and Gild sets up both the slow-burn romance and the larger arc of Auren reclaiming her own power. It is a darker, more morally complex opening than many romantasy debuts, and it ends in a way that pulls readers straight into Glint.

The Heart of the Saga: Glint, Gleam, and Glow

#2 — Glint (2021)

Glint continues directly from Gild, deepening Auren’s journey and the dangers that surround her as the world beyond Midas’s palace intrudes. The politics of the Sixth Kingdom and the wider realm grow more prominent, and the relationships that will define the series develop further.

#3 — Gleam (2022)

Gleam raises the stakes again, pushing Auren toward greater agency and testing her against new dangers and revelations. The series’ exploration of power, possession, and self-reclamation intensifies as Auren moves further from the gilded cage of the first book.

#4 — Glow (2022)

Glow carries the saga toward its climax, developing the romance and deepening the conflicts that have grown across the series. The emotional and dramatic stakes are at their highest as Kennedy sets the pieces for the conclusion.

The Finale and Beyond: Gold and Goldfinch

#5 — Gold (2022)

Gold concludes the main five-book arc, resolving Auren’s transformation from gilded possession to reclaimed power and paying off the romance and conflict the saga has built across five books. It brings the core Plated Prisoner story to its culmination.

Companion — Goldfinch (2023)

Goldfinch is a companion novel that extends the gold-soaked world beyond the main arc, offering devoted fans new perspectives and more time with the characters and world they love. Because it builds on everything the core saga establishes, it is best read after Gold rather than as an entry point — a treat for readers who weren’t ready to leave Auren’s world behind.

How to Read the Plated Prisoner Series

The reading order is straightforward: the five core books — Gild, Glint, Gleam, Glow, Gold — in publication order, followed by the companion novel Goldfinch. The series is one continuous story with each book picking up from the last, so it rewards reading the volumes close together. Goldfinch should come last, after the main arc concludes, since it expands the world rather than beginning it.

A note for new readers: the Plated Prisoner is dark romantasy, with mature themes and a morally complex central relationship that evolves significantly across the series. The discomfort of Auren’s early captivity is deliberate, and her arc toward reclaiming her power is the heart of the saga.

Why the Plated Prisoner Inspired Such Devotion

Few recent series have generated the intensity of devotion that the Plated Prisoner commands. Part of it is the prose — Kennedy’s gold-soaked, sensory style turns the world into something you can almost touch — and part of it is Auren herself, whose journey from possession to self-possession gives the saga a genuine emotional spine beneath the romance and the spectacle. The series also rewards patience: it is a true slow burn, building its central relationship and its world across five books rather than rushing to payoff, which is exactly why its readers grew so attached. By the time the main arc concludes with Gold, fans are so invested in the world that the companion novel Goldfinch feels less like an add-on and more like a gift. If you are just beginning, settle in — this is a saga designed to be savored across all six books.

If You Love the Plated Prisoner, Read These Next

Kennedy’s lush, dark, atmospheric style pairs well with several other dark-romantasy favorites. For another morally complex, vampire-tinged dark fantasy romance, read The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent. For a viral dark-academia romantasy with a similar intensity, try Quicksilver by Callie Hart. And for adult romantasy at the same heat level with a richly built world, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas is the natural step.

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