Review & Giveaway: Gilded by Renita Pizzitola

Gilded by Renita Pizzitola

Book Synopsis:

True love comes with a price.

Kyla Ashbury, half-fae, must learn to wield her Earth magic to protect herself from the king’s guard. Fleeing her betrothal to the prince, she takes refuge among the woodland fae, who are experts at Earth magic. Before she can learn to control her gift, she has to return to the castle to undo some of the damage done when she ran away with Grant. Wielding power she can’t control makes the situation worse.

Grant will do anything for the girl he loves. Even with his power to foresee danger, keeping Kyla safe is a constant challenge. As answers lead to more questions, he wonders if he is endangering her further.

Kyla’s growing talent destines her to a power struggle she doesn’t want. Every choice she makes seems to jeopardize those closest to her. She must learn to control the angry magic coursing through her if she ever hopes to live a normal life with the man she loves.

A Lyrical Press Young Adult Fantasy Romance


My Review:

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Renita Pizzitola once again delivers a well-constructed and beautifully written young adult story about the Fae.

GILDED continues the story of a half-faerie girl named Kyla (Kylie) who was raised by humans but brought back to the faerie realm upon turning 18. In GOSSAMER, Kylie escaped from the faerie kingdom to avoid a betrothal she didn’t want. Woodland fae teach her how to wield her fae magic but before she can master her abilities she is forced to return to the faerie kingdom to save a friend.

GILDED is truly a coming-of-age story wrapped in a faerie package. It’s the story of an extremely strong and powerful girl struggling to recognize what everyone else sees in her. Kylie is only just beginning to realize how special her magic is and finds herself wrestling with the responsibility that so much power brings. She doubts herself just as any 18 year old would, wondering if she’s really as strong as everyone thinks she is, or if she’ll fail everyone who believes in her.

I loved the journey Kylie is on; the entire story is detailed – easy to grasp but constantly adding something new. Kylie finally figures out why King Alastar is so determined to control her and she must figure out a way to convince him she’s not a threat before he inadvertently forces her into doing the very thing he fears most. GILDED ends on the perfect kind of cliffhanger – not so frustrating that the reader is in a heartrending panic until book #3 comes out but enough of one that the reader is definitely going to want to continue the series to see what happens.

The reason for my 4 (versus 5) star rating is that while I loved the fae world the author created, I didn’t quite feel the romantic element in this story. I realize that this is a young adult story and as such there is a fine line in how much can be described – but I’m actually referring more to how I felt about Kylie and Grant as a couple versus what they did. When Kylie described her love for Grant, I just didn’t experience it for myself. When she was kissing him, I was just reading about the kiss versus getting swept up in it. And while I love a good paranormal story – it MUST have that intangible emotional experience for me to truly gush about it. In this case, I wanted to feel the angsty, torturous ache that I would feel if I fell in love only to have it ripped away from me. That for me would have taken this fantastic story and incredible world and pushed it into the next level of stardom.

**Copy provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.

**Reviewed by preppea on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews and The Romance Reviews.




Excerpt:

        Worried my reluctance to leave would irritate the king, I trudged to my escort but while walking away my skin prickled and back tensed.
        I spun around.
        Alastar nodded at a guard and in seconds, even more uniformed men surrounded Grant.
        Conor was shoved to the side and almost lost his balance. He raked a hand through his hair and shook his head.
        My heart sank and I raced back to Grant, slamming into the wall of guards. Clawing at the impenetrable barrier, I tried to find a crack to slip through.
        A large guard jerked Grant’s hands behind his back and shackled them, an unnecessary step. He’d put up no resistance.
        “What are you doing?” I screamed, not even caring I spoke to royalty. “You promised.”
        Alastar stood tall and his voice boomed. “Grant, you are charged and convicted with kidnapping the future princess of Tir na nOg. You shall be taken to a cell at once. Since I am a fair man and promised no harm--” He glanced at me, a smug expression plastered on his face. “You will not be sentenced to death but instead to lifetime imprisonment.”
        My world stopped.

Author Bio: 

Renita lives in Texas with her husband and two children. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with an English degree. She writes both fantasy and contemporary romance for Young Adult/New Adult and Adult readers. While splitting between magical worlds and contemporary stories, she promises romance. Lots of it! She writes about swoon-worthy boys and the girls who love them! When not writing, she enjoys reading everything she can get her hands on, drinking copious amounts of coffee and playing referee to her two typically adorable children.

Social Media Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Blog | Goodreads | Amazon

Buy Links:

Amazon | Barnes & Nobles | iTunes | Kobo

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