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annux's review
4.0
I'm a little surprised at how graphic this book is, although I suppose I shouldn't be. The previous books aren't exactly a walk in the park; this one, however, makes them look mild by contrast. At any rate, it is quite good! All three books in this series are a solid four stars for me, which is impressively consistent quality. Yuri is more fun as a POV character than Ryan, and the romance between Yuri and Finch is nice, especially since basically everything else that happens is horrifying and sad. This book also has less slow bits than its predecessors; the only time things get a little draggy is toward the end when we re-experience some of the events of Burndive through Yuri's eyes. It's overall a satisfying read, and I am very much anticipating the next installment in the series, which I hear is tentatively titled Warboy.
coolcurrybooks's review
3.0
Trigger warning: rape, self harm, child abuse, child grooming…
Cagebird is the third novel in Karin Lowachee’s science fiction series exploring how a war psychologically impacts boys. The series starts with Warchild, which I still believe to be the best in the series. While each book has a different protagonist, I would recommend reading them in order.
At the age of four, Yuri Kirov’s home was destroyed in one of the initial attacks in the war between the humans/alien war. When the pirates found him, he was a child refugee who became trained as Falcone’s protege. Now at twenty-two he is a killer and a criminal serving out a life sentence on Earth. Then two men from the Black Ops decide that they’d rather Yuri return to the pirates to be their spy and weapon, but their plan puts him in more danger than ever.
In my review of Warchild I talked about how brutal and uncomfortable to read the book was. This is even more so for Cagebird, and at a certain point it just became too much. There are multiple, explicit rape scenes, all taking place before Yuri is fifteen. I question the necessity of showing such graphic scenes, especially as they were all flashbacks and not part of the current narrative.
Speaking of flashbacks, it felt like they comprised the majority of the book. I felt that this had the effect of putting the focus on all the horrible things that had happened in Yuri’s past instead of on a healing arc, which ended up feeling skimped. For a book where one of the end messages is “look to your future not your past,” Cagebird sure did spend a lot of time on the graphic details of Yuri’s past.
The current timeline did have a lot of promise, but I feel that much of it was underdeveloped. Take Finch’s character – he played such a large role in Yuri’s arc but he never felt like he was well characterized and developed. He seems to only exist in connection to Yuri.
So why did this book cross the three star mark? Because whatever the faults of the book, Karin Lowachee can write. She immediately establishes Yuri as having a distinctive voice, and I did end up feeling like I understood and sympathized with him, which from what I knew about him going in, I wasn’t sure would happen. There’s also some value in the messages of the current timeline, such as “you can get acclimatized to any environment, but it doesn’t mean the environment is a good one.”
What it comes down to is this: Does Cagebird‘s good points outweigh the focus on the sheer brutality? For me, it didn’t, and it’s not a book I’m going to ever reread. On the other hand, I am willing to continue with the series if Lowachee ever publishes a fourth book. I would still recommend Warchild and Burndive but I would advice anyone contemplating Cagebird to be aware of their own limits before starting.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
Cagebird is the third novel in Karin Lowachee’s science fiction series exploring how a war psychologically impacts boys. The series starts with Warchild, which I still believe to be the best in the series. While each book has a different protagonist, I would recommend reading them in order.
At the age of four, Yuri Kirov’s home was destroyed in one of the initial attacks in the war between the humans/alien war. When the pirates found him, he was a child refugee who became trained as Falcone’s protege. Now at twenty-two he is a killer and a criminal serving out a life sentence on Earth. Then two men from the Black Ops decide that they’d rather Yuri return to the pirates to be their spy and weapon, but their plan puts him in more danger than ever.
In my review of Warchild I talked about how brutal and uncomfortable to read the book was. This is even more so for Cagebird, and at a certain point it just became too much. There are multiple, explicit rape scenes, all taking place before Yuri is fifteen. I question the necessity of showing such graphic scenes, especially as they were all flashbacks and not part of the current narrative.
Speaking of flashbacks, it felt like they comprised the majority of the book. I felt that this had the effect of putting the focus on all the horrible things that had happened in Yuri’s past instead of on a healing arc, which ended up feeling skimped. For a book where one of the end messages is “look to your future not your past,” Cagebird sure did spend a lot of time on the graphic details of Yuri’s past.
The current timeline did have a lot of promise, but I feel that much of it was underdeveloped. Take Finch’s character – he played such a large role in Yuri’s arc but he never felt like he was well characterized and developed. He seems to only exist in connection to Yuri.
So why did this book cross the three star mark? Because whatever the faults of the book, Karin Lowachee can write. She immediately establishes Yuri as having a distinctive voice, and I did end up feeling like I understood and sympathized with him, which from what I knew about him going in, I wasn’t sure would happen. There’s also some value in the messages of the current timeline, such as “you can get acclimatized to any environment, but it doesn’t mean the environment is a good one.”
What it comes down to is this: Does Cagebird‘s good points outweigh the focus on the sheer brutality? For me, it didn’t, and it’s not a book I’m going to ever reread. On the other hand, I am willing to continue with the series if Lowachee ever publishes a fourth book. I would still recommend Warchild and Burndive but I would advice anyone contemplating Cagebird to be aware of their own limits before starting.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
wealhtheow's review
1.0
This seemed like tourism to me. Like visiting a very painful place, looking around, taking a few pictures, and leaving. I don't trust Lowachee to write authentically, at this point.
jjcrafts's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
New main character again but I loved how it interacted with events happening in the previous book. I worried that it would be completely separate but it happened along side the others and the other characters were involved by the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Rape
breadnet's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jkh107's review
4.0
Review for the entire series: These books are the stories of 3 young men: 1 captured by pirates as a child, who manages to escape and be recruited to the "alien" side of the Earthhub-alien war,;1 who is privileged yet traumatized by the war's violence; and 1 who is recruited by pirates as a child and grows up to be one. _Cagebird_ is the story of the third man, after his capture, when the government wants to cut a deal...The series is very good, but the material is heavy and most of the characters are damaged in some way.
WARNING: the first and last books contain descriptions of child abuse, particularly child sex abuse. Those pirates were very bad guys.
WARNING: the first and last books contain descriptions of child abuse, particularly child sex abuse. Those pirates were very bad guys.
ld2's review
4.0
Lowachee is not for everyone. Her writing style is unorthodox and she takes great liberty with grammar and invented jargon, yet despite this I found the novel totally engrossing. She has a talent for creating damaged characters who feel real--these aren't the Mary-Sue stereotypes that litter most stories. I definitely, suggest starting this series with Warchild, which is still my favorite book of the series. The plotline will make more sense if you read that one first and then Burndive, however, all of these novels are able to stand alone.
charst's review
4.0
I was really conflicted when I first read this, and even though I appreciate it for what it is a lot more this time around and my feelings on the narratives have basically inverted, I still am. I can't really recommend it and I'm not even sure it should Exist but I do like it and I love love love Yuri.
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