The Golden Raven first impressions review (no spoilers in the first part, will warn ahead when I add specific spoilers)
I'm going to tag it as spoilers just in case, but I can't help but put my thoughts out there.
My heart is so full after reading this. It also grew fonder and fonder for Jeremy and Jean to the point I felt almost suffocated by it. We got so much new lore and so much character depth. And Laila and Cat. Oh my god, did the found family go hard on this one. I've not been one to have very vivid reactions while reading but I spent the last ten minutes crying.
The character growth and depth, the ups and downs, the progress. I want to kiss Nora's creative brain. I'm so happy she decided Jean deserved a chance to have his story told. I'm so happy Jeremy got the time to shine he deserved. And boy did he SHINE. To see these characters that I've spent so long speculating over, so many years of wondering and imaging and dreaming of what they might be like grow and become fully fleshed, beautiful personalities with tender and raw interactions is making me stupidly emotional.
The romance. Ah, the classic Nora, burning slow but burning bright. How can I wait for the third book, having seen Jean and Jeremy interact in such a manner? Knowing they are already so important to each other? This dynamic, this love and care between them it's something so so raw and so so good. The sexual attraction, but also the want behind it. Stop me or I won't stop talking about it.
The Trojans shone through, but Cat and Laila, Xavier and Cody stole the spotlight on multiple occasions. Nora just knows how to hit you with that found family until it hurts. Laila and Jeremy and Cat and Jean and then all four of them together, I'm afraid that dynamic is unmatched and unlike anything Nora has ever written.
Of course, who would I be if I didn't comment on Kevin and his scenes? Just enough to feel like a treat, and all the interactions between him and Jean and him and Jeremy gave us so much insight from so many different angles, I feel spoiled.
Of course, all the foxes cameos where treats, all the little snippets we got to see with their continuation. Sometimes it felt a bit much, but I have a feeling I know where Nora will be going with this in the third book.
Despite the length of the book, I didn't really feel as if it was too long. I'll let my recency bias settle and probably write another review with more spoilers and details but until then I couldn't help but add my own dime on this.
Jeremy and Jean had my heart from the beginning of this journey, hell from even way before that, but now I'm absolutely ride or die for them.
SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT
