Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - To Cage a God

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To Cage a God by Elizabeth May

10 reviews

hailstorm3812's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I really enjoy a lot of the elements of this even if it wasn't the most well written thing I've ever read. We have dragons, sisters, sapphics, a charming thief, revolution. It definitely has some meandering and simplicity to the writing style but it's also so fun and interesting that you can get past it.

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kpturner90's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book is a bit of a twist on your classic fairytale princess love story. I love the characters and their commitment to making the world a better place no matter how dangerous it may be. They see the unfairness and cruelty done to the people and are determined to do what it takes to make things right at any cost. The fierce protectiveness these characters have for each other is the type of loyalty everyone should have from at least one person in their lives, and these characters have it from many- sisters, friends, and lovers. They will do anything to protect and save one another. The romance aspect adds a nice touch without overpowering the main story that's being told. The couples are well-matched, and you can't help but love seeing them together. This book was relatively slow-paced, particularly in the beginning and middle, but picked up closer to the end. I'm not a big fan of slower-paced novels, but it's to be expected from the first book in a series because it needs to take the time for world-building so the story can be told in a way that pulls you in. Overall, I enjoyed this book well enough, and although it isn't one of my favorites, it has the makings of possibly becoming a favorite series. I am excited to see what happens next, and can't wait for the next book!

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linhsreadinghour's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

Thank you Daphne Press for the ARC of To Rage a Dragon.

Overall, it was a good, mid book - I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love or feel wowed by the end of it.

I did enjoy the slow burn of both relationships (one being sapphic), and the second taking a twist on the romantasy. That was pretty cool and refreshing, but overall, was ok (it’s also spicy 🌶️).

There are quite a lot of POVs in the book that I wasn’t expecting. It was fine and I could distinguish who was who via the voice, but overall I didn’t feel particularly connected to the characters, despite everything they went through. I can’t really picture them in my head either, they don’t really stick with me.

It took a while to get into, I thought the beginning and end was very quick/rushed. It also needed a map to understand the world. Many places are referred but I had nothing to visualise, they were just words on a page.

The writing is nice and easy to read, and the chapters are also short. Unsure if I would continue the series.

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booksalacarte's review

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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.

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gen_wolfhailstorm's review

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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.

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bookstaash's review against another edition

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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.

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persephonefoxx's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-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? Yes

3.75

“I’d rather spend an eternity hoping we cross paths than resign myself to a single moment without you”

This is a romatasy that wins in the romance category and struggles in the fantasy category.

I was as a fan of the romances in this book, actively rooting for both major romance plot lines wholeheartedly. However, when it came to the fantasy side things got a little hazy. I definitely enjoyed this story more for the romance aspects it had to offer than what it brought to the table in terms of fantasy and there is a clear moment within the narrative itself where despite the incredibly dire circumstances, the characters find themselves more focused on intimacy than the villain in their midst.

I don’t think this book had any business having five POVs. Personally I don’t believe the characters were different enough in their depiction, to constitute the switching perspectives. The story could have been achieved with POVs from Sera and Galina alone (although I will give Vitaly a pass for his solid ‘wife guy’ energy).

I really did enjoy the representation in this book. Particularly the inclusion of someone experiencing chronic illness and how she had to navigate the world in light of that. Also huge props for said character experiencing romance where at no point was she seen as a burden on her partner.

This book was enjoyable. But I wouldn’t say it was groundbreaking. It was cliche and a little tropey at times, but that isn’t always a bad thing. The story, and more importantly the relationships between the characters, has intrigued me enough to continue with this duology.

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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? Yes

4.0

An exquisitely thrilling Fantasy Romance that’s set in a lush, yet ruthless (Imperial Russian-esque) world full of god wielding rebels, tyrannical rulers and high stakes political tension that I couldn’t get enough of!

As someone quite new to Elizabeth May’s work (this being the first of her books I’ve ever read) I was really impressed with the deeply emotional, character-driven narrative and adored the intriguing magic system (Dragon Gods magically removed from their own realm and forced into the bodies of humans, so said humans can harness their powers)—though I was hoping to delve a little more into the lore surrounding each the dragon-esque gods.

The second chance romance between Sera and her estranged husband, Vitaly more than made up for it, however, thanks to the slow-burn, and swoon-worthy intensity of their enemies to lovers style dynamics. Galina’s romance with the Villainous Empress’s daughter, Princess Vasilisa, was also incredibly delicious as well. But, it was the bond of sisterhood and trust both Galina and Sera place in one another that really captivated me.

I loved exploring their shared experiences and the emotional journey that sees them survive such unrelenting cruelty at the hands of the Empire’s ruling classes—as well as their own rebel leader mother, who had sought to weaponise them for her own gain (before her capture and execution four years prior.)

I do admit, I was a little surprised by just how many POVs we got to explore (I had assumed it was gonna be a dual POV story between sisters Galina and Sera.) But actually, really enjoyed exploring all five of our POV characters, delving into their motivations, secrets, struggles and choice which lead each of them to that spectacularly satisfying (and rather pacy) conclusion.

Overall, a magic and romance filled romp teeming with gods, complex family dynamics and endearing, morally grey characters that’s perfect for both Romantasy lovers and fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow & Bone series. Though I do suggest checking TWs beforehand.

Also, a huge thank you to Daphne Press and Blackcrow PR for the Proof

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devynreadsnovels's review against another edition

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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

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anastasiamakes's review

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

If you liked the way the Shadow and Bone TV series blended SaB and SoC, you might like this - it's got that same blend of court intrigue balanced with plucky rebels.

I really enjoyed the premise of the magic system, but it didn't get fleshed out as much as I would have liked. Though imagine it will do in future books.

Main issue for me was that I just wasn't a fan of one of the "sub-storylines" / character sets and POVs. Had it just been the others I probably would have bumped it a star 😂

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