Finished Gleam and immediately needed more? Same. The dark pull of this book doesn't come around every day, but we've spent hours finding reads that capture exactly what made Raven Kennedy's writing hit so hard. Not surface-level genre matches — we're talking mood, trope, and vibe alignment. The kind of books that actually fill the void.
We broke down Gleam into the elements that made it hit — and found books that match each one.
Looking for more dark and romantic and war after Gleam? A Light in the Flame by Jennifer L. Armentrout is the book your TBR has been begging you for. Fair warning: it's spicier.
The dark and romantic and war that made Gleam unforgettable? A Soul of Ash and Blood channels that exact energy. 704 pages of romantic, dark that'll fill the void.
If Gleam's dark and romantic and war energy had you one-clicking at midnight, House of Flame and Shadow delivers the same rush with a romantasy twist. Sarah J. Maas knows exactly what you're craving.
If Gleam's dark and epic and war energy had you one-clicking at midnight, God of War delivers the same rush. Rina Kent knows exactly what you're craving.
The dark and epic and war that made Gleam unforgettable? Caliginous channels that exact energy. 500 pages of dark, steamy that'll fill the void.
You loved Gleam for the dark and epic and war? Queen of Myth and Monsters is your next obsession. Same emotional frequency, different story — and Scarlett St. Clair might just become your new auto-buy author.
If Gleam's dark and romantic and war energy had you one-clicking at midnight, Lord of Shadows delivers the same rush with a ya fantasy twist. Cassandra Clare knows exactly what you're craving.
You loved Gleam for the dark and romantic and war? Smoke in the Sun is your next obsession. Same emotional frequency, different story — and Renée Ahdieh might just become your new auto-buy author.
Looking for more dark and romantic and war after Gleam? A Light in the Flame by Jennifer L. Armentrout is the book your TBR has been begging you for. Fair warning: it's spicier.
Answer one question and we'll point you to the right book.
Based on mood, trope, and pacing analysis, the most similar books to Gleam include A Light in the Flame, Lord of Shadows, A Soul of Ash and Blood. Each matches on specific elements like dark and romantic that made Gleam resonate with readers.
We recommend starting with A Light in the Flame by Jennifer L. Armentrout — it shares Gleam's core Dark energy while bringing something fresh to the table.
Gleam is a standalone novel. You can jump right in without reading anything else first.
Gleam has a spice level of 4/5. The recommendations on this page range across spice levels — each one is labeled so you can find your comfort zone.
Yes — several recommendations on this page have lower spice levels while keeping the same Dark energy. Look for the ❄️ or 🌶️ (1/5) tags.
Every "Books Like" page on Sort By Cravings is built from element-level matching — not surface genre tags. We compare mood profiles, trope density, pacing, heat levels, and emotional tone across our entire library of 12 profiled books to find reads that match on the things that actually matter to readers. Read our editorial standards.