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bucketsjen's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Imperial Russia Era inspired fantasy, where nobles get their power from dragon-gods caged in their bones and a commoner insurgency struggles against the corrupt ruling class. The commoners can't seem to get a good win but things are about to change - a couple decades ago, a rebel researcher with bad ethics discovered how to bind gods to two sisters, who are now grown and are out to take down the whole system... well, if they can figure out the final formula to max out their powers, avoid being caught out as traitors, and escape being accidentally killed by the god-hating rebellion.
This book was good but not overly complicated. The bad guys are bad, it's easy to root for the good guys (even the supposedly "morally gray" ex), and the characters are kinda more "presented" than developed, especially in the beginning. But it was engaging, the world is interesting, the prose is lovely, the two romances are great even if they aren't surprising (one has a vicious ex who can't stop blowing things up while the other is a raging sapphic who's trying to not fall for the princess-heir ). While there are on-page hookups, this isn't a smutty book and nothing is very detailed; the emphasis is more on how the characters feel about each other than about what they physically do).
It's part of a duology, the second isn't out yet - but this book stands as a complete story. I can see what plots the second book would probably have, but the author brought everything to a satisfying and finished conclusion for this book, so I'm happy.
This book was good but not overly complicated. The bad guys are bad, it's easy to root for the good guys (even the supposedly "morally gray" ex), and the characters are kinda more "presented" than developed, especially in the beginning. But it was engaging, the world is interesting, the prose is lovely, the two romances are great even if they aren't surprising (
It's part of a duology, the second isn't out yet - but this book stands as a complete story. I can see what plots the second book would probably have, but the author brought everything to a satisfying and finished conclusion for this book, so I'm happy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Terminal illness, Torture, Emotional abuse, and Chronic illness
Content warnings from the author: Depicts violence and the impacts of imperialism against the backdrop of a budding war and revolution. The ruling class in this book is ruthless, ableist, and openly practices eugenics. There is frank reference to grim eugenics practices. One character manages chronic pain and disability and is forced to keep her illness invisible because of this. In addition, another character is bonded to a god that demands self-harm, so please be aware of this if cutting is a trigger for you. List of additional CWs: Violence: murder, immolation, explosions, injuries, gore, death; Self-harm: alcoholism, suicide, stabbing (self-inflicted and not), cutting; Abuse: emotional abuse, manipulative relationships (parental); MISC: self-medication, eugenics, frank depictions of living with chronic pain, PTSDkayla_moerman's review against another edition
I did not like the writing style one bit. It had passages of text where it would give amazing description and detail to ‘show’ the characters situations and perspectives and the way their experiences have shaped them but then immediately undercut itself by ‘telling’ us exactly the same thing.
I'm not against a book telling us details that could else be inferred other ways, and overall from what I gathered of the themes bring explored, I feel optimistic that it would be quite nuanced and thoughtful in the concepts and topics introduce at the beginning. However I do fret for the execution as it felt like the author was almost working too hard to try and get her point across and didn't get a good balance between the showing and telling aspect of the book.
Saying that, the magic system sounded really cool and the upfront consequences and mechanisms the characters used to control the Gods grafted to their bones were interesting, though I wouldn't necessarily call it original. I did like the characters themselves a lot though because they were both very complex and immediately fleshed out by their inner dialogue and the banter between them. Once again, however, I felt it was overwritten in that despite this amazing display of showing the characters interact it would always tell us how they interacted too.
This is just a personal gripe for me as I'm very much a sucker for specific writing styles that have a certain flow to them. I don’t think the book was bad, what I read of it sounded good! But I just couldn't read it without losing concentration because I need slightly more vague writing to stay attentive.
I'm not against a book telling us details that could else be inferred other ways, and overall from what I gathered of the themes bring explored, I feel optimistic that it would be quite nuanced and thoughtful in the concepts and topics introduce at the beginning. However I do fret for the execution as it felt like the author was almost working too hard to try and get her point across and didn't get a good balance between the showing and telling aspect of the book.
Saying that, the magic system sounded really cool and the upfront consequences and mechanisms the characters used to control the Gods grafted to their bones were interesting, though I wouldn't necessarily call it original. I did like the characters themselves a lot though because they were both very complex and immediately fleshed out by their inner dialogue and the banter between them. Once again, however, I felt it was overwritten in that despite this amazing display of showing the characters interact it would always tell us how they interacted too.
This is just a personal gripe for me as I'm very much a sucker for specific writing styles that have a certain flow to them. I don’t think the book was bad, what I read of it sounded good! But I just couldn't read it without losing concentration because I need slightly more vague writing to stay attentive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
booksalacarte's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
To cage a god- 2.75⭐️ 3.5🌶️
Adult fantasy
Sapphic
30yo characters
Multi POV
Morally grey characters
Hidden identity
Dragons
Mythical beasts
Russian influence
Revolution
Alcoholism rep
Ptsd rep
Chronic illness/disability rep
Tw: self harm/cutting, suicide, murder, gore, death, emotional abuse, alcoholism, eugenics
I love the premise of this story! Commoners have unwilling dragon gods caged inside of them, something reserved for royalty, for a rebellion.
The entry into this story was abrupt, making it hard to connect to the main characters because we were dropped into the very middle of most of the character’s stories. but I just found it hard to feel caught up. I even was a kid fascinated by the Russian Revolution and the last tzar of Russia… and so much of the plot mirrored those true events.
The characters were flushed out well, for the most part. And the banter was good.
I found the magic system to be really interesting in how different magic manifested depending on which dragon god was caught.
The pacing wasn’t great, with the abrupt and slow start and rushed ending.
The spicy scenes didn’t feel as natural as I prefer. The timing of these scene was really NOT great.
Thank You Netgalley and DAW Books for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Violence, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Addiction, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, War, Classism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Alcoholism, Blood, Gore, Alcohol, Outing, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Ableism
gen_wolfhailstorm's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Thank you to Black Crow PR and Daphne Press for sending me a hardback copy for the book tour. All opinions remain 100% genuine.
I absolutely, whole heartedly adored this novel immensely.
May's writing in this is absolutely exquisite! I hadn't realised I had read another book by her. It was a duo author book, called Seven Devils and it was just okay to me (I think I would enjoy it more now having loved more sci fi recently), but I couldn't help but note that the contrast to her current fantasy writing is just so sharp. She definitely won me around in this beautifully rebellious novel.
The multi pov was rich and diverse, the characters so dimensional & I loved to love them & (even better imo) loved to 𝕝𝕠𝕒𝕥𝕙𝕖 them! Isadora was a particular favourite villain and I felt so swoony over Vitaly's criminal charm and Vasilia's ice cold, carefully crafted emotions.
The atmosphere & landscape demonstrated in To Cage a God was so vivid and descriptive, that I felt like I had been transported there. Every time I picked it back up, I felt like I was flying through the pages. The story was just so moreish.
The cultures, queer representation and themes of oppression and rebellion and the overal overthrowing of a corrupt hieracy felt so prevalent and empowering.
The tantalising & forbidden romance that Galina was battling through was a particular favourite character/relationship development. It was so addictive and made me all giddy and excitable for it all! The spice in this was unexpected. May did not shy away from those scenes and they were so good.
Another favourite character/relationship development was the sisterly bond between Galina and Sera. This relationship was beautiful to read and felt so fraught with shared trauma and experience. The love that bound them together was amazing.
There's so many different types of relationships in this story, that links the multiple perspectives, and I was appreciative of how complex and realistic each relationship felt. They were all necessary to the building of individual characters as well as carrying the story through and creating drive, ambition and bond between characters. It also strengthened my attachment to the book as a reader as I had to know what would happen to everyone.
Then there's the magic - it's so unique! Literally caging these dragon-like gods in the vessel of a human body and the price one pays for that? Ugh, absolutely fantastic. I loved the magic system and the study of the potions and medicines that Sera and Vasilia conducted, respectfully. Some of the godpower felt a bit overpowered but to explore that, I would love to learn even more about the gods and their dimension, what they can do and what their limits are. Does this become weaker once their bonded to a mortal? More of the lore from their perspective would be awesome.
Overall, I loved every moment of this book. I can't wait for the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Body horror, Bullying, Self harm, Slavery, War, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Cursing, Violence, Grief, Gaslighting, Police brutality, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Torture, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Medical content, and Physical abuse
bookstaash's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Sera and Galina, raised to overthrow a brutal empire, must carry on their deceased mother’s plans for rebellion and liberate the common people from their cruel alurean rulers. Galina attempts to infiltrate the empress’ inner circle - but her attraction to the princess threatens the sisters’ plans. While Sera works behind the scenes, she must ignore her attraction to her estranged husband and stop his violent attempts to destroy the empire (lest he also destroy her plans).
I enjoyed reading this and will probably consider picking up the second book. The story moves along quickly enough and the chapters are short (for those who like that). Vitally and Sera’s relationship was one of my favorite things about To Cage A God - fans of second-chance romances might appreciate their story. Throughout, I found myself caring more about Vitaly and Sera than the actual outcome of the empire.
The romance between Vasilisa and Galina fell flat for me, especially towards the end. It became very rushed (and felt like insta-love) but, I’m hoping that’s resolved or further explored in the next book. I also feel like the overall ending wrapped up too quickly and left me wanting more after the initial build-up.
Furthermore, the diversity amongst the characters was somewhat lacking - many of their descriptions were so similar that it felt like they could’ve been the same people. Some of the character descriptions and writing choices were… strange to me, to say the least. The author called out characters’ eye colors throughout the book multiple times, but not a single character was described as having brown eyes. (I did search for “brown eyes” after the endless descriptions of silver eyes, blue eyes and blonde hair). At a point, it became incredibly distracting and a bit frustrating that these were the only character descriptors that were included.
Romantasy readers who are fans of the movie Anastasia and those with an interest in Russian history/culture will likely enjoy this. Aside from my earlier diversity comment, there’s other non-POC rep here that’s done pretty well - disability, chronic illness, LGBT.
Thank you to DAW & NetGalley for providing an eARC of this! All feedback and opinions are my own.
Thank you to DAW & NetGalley for providing an eARC of this! All feedback and opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, and Self harm
Minor: Death of parent
devynreadsnovels's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Physical abuse, Torture, Classism, Drug use, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, War, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Ableism, Abandonment, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcohol
lovefromhannah's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Move aside Throne of Glass, Elizabeth May is in town.
To Cage A God combines high fantasy with all of your dark romantasy desires. Told in multiple perspectives, it combines deities and political fantasy as our characters gear up to begin their rebellion against their oppressors. The characters are written well and flip tropes on their heads from the beginning (the quiet protagonist doesn't cower away and the louder character is more than their snarky one-liners and has layers to their character). It is clear that May took great care when creating these characters and the world.
I've seen criticism of the title being misleading. However, without giving too much away, the 'caging gods' aspect is a fresh take on the deity trope. I hope you give this novel the chance it deserves.
---
thank you to the publisher for gifting me a free arc. all opinions and words are my own.
To Cage A God combines high fantasy with all of your dark romantasy desires. Told in multiple perspectives, it combines deities and political fantasy as our characters gear up to begin their rebellion against their oppressors. The characters are written well and flip tropes on their heads from the beginning (the quiet protagonist doesn't cower away and the louder character is more than their snarky one-liners and has layers to their character). It is clear that May took great care when creating these characters and the world.
I've seen criticism of the title being misleading. However, without giving too much away, the 'caging gods' aspect is a fresh take on the deity trope. I hope you give this novel the chance it deserves.
---
thank you to the publisher for gifting me a free arc. all opinions and words are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Violence, Ableism, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Death, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Murder, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Gore
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