Where to begin...

I really have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I missed AurenSlade something fierce and having them back on a paper brought me entirely too much joy. On the other hand... Gold felt pitifully like a filler book. Maybe it's because I was expecting amazing things from this book- with it supposedly being the last book of the series and then suddenly being just one more book instead - but this felt underwhelming.

I think I'd rather just read an enormous book than just read this and now have to wait 8 more months until I can get my hands on the actual series finale.

Spoiler

I was expecting at the very least an AurenSlade reunion. I knew a lot of the plot wouldn't be solved in this book, but I genuinely didn't to not have them getting back in this book - mainly since the reasons don't really make sense to me. A lot of things were left unresolved, and while I know I will get my answers in Goldfinch, it still feels like something was stolen from me.
Why was Slade suffering so much while Auren barely flinched at their distance?
Did we really need all those Os chapters? Don't get me wrong, I love him and Rissa but his POV barely moved the plot along.
I ended up liking Malina's chapters in this book but at times, her story felt more important than Auren's.
Why was I supposed to care about Auren's new adventure when Orea was being devastated and when I knew little to nothing about these people she suddenly found herself surrounded with? If Raven wanted me to care, I feel like we should've learned more about them in the past.
WHY DIDN'T I GET AURENSLADE REUNION? I'M PISSED OFF

Like I said, I feel very conflicted about Gold. I have a very soft spot for AurenSlade and I missed them so much, but at the same time I feel like more could've happened in this book. That being said, my expectations for Goldfinch remain very high and I can't wait to get my hands on it.