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prashiie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
“Our scars define us. They tell a story of courage and survival. They tell of who we are at our deepest being, of the challenges we've faced and overcome. Not all scars are as visible as this. I daresay you have many more on the inside. But never forget that every scar is beautiful. And you should never, ever, be ashamed of them.”
I didn’t expect to finish this book so fast. It was amazing and I will tell you why! Kiva goes to Vallenia with Jaren and Tipp, where she meets the Vallentis family, her sworn enemy. It seems they are not as bad as she’s been told. Despite their own problems, the royal family is inherently a loving family, akin to a normal family. Their acceptance and trust in Kiva are astounding and somewhat unexpected. This complicates her task further and, as expected, Kiva is torn between the two sides. She learns more about both sides and discovers some very interesting things about her own family. Prepare yourself for another set of twists. After reading the first book I was expecting there to be twists and I must say, they lived up to expectations. It seems that even outside of Zalindov’s walls the only person you can trust is yourself.
This book introduces us to more characters and one of my favourite, aside from Jaren (duh), is definitely Nanna Delora. This lady just wants to be left in peace to enjoy her book club with some scones. That woman is a vibe. I’m sure my fellow readers can also relate!
Another favourite character of mine is Caldon. This guy has great intuition and there's so much more to him than we think! Queen Ariana also deserves a special mention. She’s a loving mother who cares so much about her children. She gives them a shoulder to cry on and devotes her time to hearing them out. However, she still struggles with her addiction to Angeldust though. It's very mature of Jaren and Mirryn to remember that it's the drug and not the user. It’s one thing to hear Jaren mentioning it, but another to experience it through Kiva’s eyes. That was super scary and heartbreaking.
Overall it was a well-written book, definitely a page turner. I love the way this story is told and how everything is connected. I couldn't stop reading. It was a tense book with some wholesome & hopeful moments but also some really frustrating moments.In the first book Kiva talks to the Warden about Tipp’s release. He tells her that Tipp could be released to his guardian if they came for him, but at that moment I did not make a connection to Kiva. She too was very young when she came to Zalindov. This angers Jaren as well and he demands to know why Torr left her to rot in Zalindov when they had the opportunity to free her. I don't get why Tilda would rather break her out of the notoriously impenetrable Zalindov when they could also just go get her before she turned 12. That was honestly such a horrible thing to do and I don’t get why Tilda would wish that upon her daughter. And how ironic, or I should rather say diabolical, that Kiva ends up in Zalindov!
I am so excited to read the next, and final, book! Kiva might not have turned on Jaren, but as far as he knows she did lie to him and betray his trust. I wonder if there’s still hope for them…
I didn’t expect to finish this book so fast. It was amazing and I will tell you why! Kiva goes to Vallenia with Jaren and Tipp, where she meets the Vallentis family, her sworn enemy. It seems they are not as bad as she’s been told. Despite their own problems, the royal family is inherently a loving family, akin to a normal family. Their acceptance and trust in Kiva are astounding and somewhat unexpected. This complicates her task further and, as expected, Kiva is torn between the two sides. She learns more about both sides and discovers some very interesting things about her own family. Prepare yourself for another set of twists. After reading the first book I was expecting there to be twists and I must say, they lived up to expectations. It seems that even outside of Zalindov’s walls the only person you can trust is yourself.
This book introduces us to more characters and one of my favourite, aside from Jaren (duh), is definitely Nanna Delora. This lady just wants to be left in peace to enjoy her book club with some scones. That woman is a vibe. I’m sure my fellow readers can also relate!
Another favourite character of mine is Caldon. This guy has great intuition and there's so much more to him than we think! Queen Ariana also deserves a special mention. She’s a loving mother who cares so much about her children. She gives them a shoulder to cry on and devotes her time to hearing them out. However, she still struggles with her addiction to Angeldust though. It's very mature of Jaren and Mirryn to remember that it's the drug and not the user. It’s one thing to hear Jaren mentioning it, but another to experience it through Kiva’s eyes. That was super scary and heartbreaking.
Overall it was a well-written book, definitely a page turner. I love the way this story is told and how everything is connected. I couldn't stop reading. It was a tense book with some wholesome & hopeful moments but also some really frustrating moments.
I am so excited to read the next, and final, book! Kiva might not have turned on Jaren, but as far as he knows she did lie to him and betray his trust. I wonder if there’s still hope for them…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Violence, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Drug use, and Death
Moderate: Vomit, Child abuse, Confinement, and Death of parent
Minor: Murder and War
alielaine's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Addiction
Moderate: Terminal illness, Death, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Vomit
delandjessica's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was a mixed bag. I felt like I was reading a cheesy Hallmark romance screenplay for half the book. There was soooo much talk about feelings and Kiva's physiological reactions to Jaron and them lusting after each other in a not even remotely romantic way (there is a scene that builds up to them having a sexual interaction, but then they don't end up going that far, though there's a lot of aggressive kissing and other such things that happen). I also still have a problem with Jaren's character, who feels too good to be true. He has no flaws, no weaknesses, and is just perfect in every way, which is impossible and makes him come across as really fake and unrealistic. I personally really loved Cardan way better and would much rather see him as the romantic male lead since he feels like a real person and he and Kiva develope a real relationship that isn't just focused on physical attraction and surface qualities and cheesy pick up lines. But anyway.
At least another third of the book is spent on pointless descriptions and everyday activities and other such things that were terribly boring to read and nearly had me DNF the book multiple times. Also, everyone is always whispering or croaking or talking softly in like every dialogue tag and it got really old. Not to mention all the copious amounts of repetition end overexplaining and reiterating and Kiva standing around as a useless vessel as a writer crutch to convey information to the reader without her actually contributing anything. She really did/accomplishes very little on her own and was constantly being saved by others or having (often obvious) things explained to her. She also basically lost her identity as the gritty but effective healer from the first book, all of which was really frustrating since it made her character weak, indecisive, soooo naive/gullible (I have no idea why she's surprised when the people she expects to betray her do exactly that when she hands them everything they need), and occasionally straight up clueless, the opposite of the strong, independent, and intelligent person she was in book one. I also really missed the parts from book one where she was doing actual healing/medical treatments, and it felt like the author didn't even try to be realistic about injuries. Kiva gets a concussion at one point but then is left alone to sleep through the night unsupervised with a vague warning to wake herself up occasionally (how was she supposed to manage that?) and then is somehow fine enough the next morning to do an intense exercise regime...That would absolutely not be physically possible, and she would know better anyway as a healer. My point is that she just goes from relying on her wit and skills to resolve her problems to always turning to her magic and her self-admitedly nonexistent fighting skills, which was really disappointing. Plus, she has no lingering trauma or other effects from being abandoned in a death prison since she was seven, so during her formative years, which she very much would, and so it felt like the author was dodging those difficult issues by not addressing them.
But the parts that focused on the actual plot with her and her rebel siblings and them trying to take over the kingdom, that was interesting and hooked me back into the story about 2/3 in when I was about to give up on it. But then the ending got really jumbled with at least 12 different twists/big reveals/unearthings of convenient and overly complicated worldbuilding devices happening all at once, all of which were either super obvious from the very beginning of the book or so unpredictable that they came completely out of left field since there had been zero foreshadowing to allow the reader to figure them out themselves. I loved the single big twist revelation at the end of the first book and felt it was well handled, but there was just way too much going on at the end of this book with convoluted laws and politics and relationships to the point that I'm not even completely clear on what happened and why. Also, all of this is explained to Kiva by various people rather than her learning/figuring out any of it herself, which really took a lot of the punch out of it.
All that being said, the story was left in a tense spot that has me interested in reading more, so I'm planning to finish out the series. I'm just really hoping that Kiva does something in the next book other than listen to others talk at/around her and fret about all her various problems without actually doing anything about them.
At least another third of the book is spent on pointless descriptions and everyday activities and other such things that were terribly boring to read and nearly had me DNF the book multiple times. Also, everyone is always whispering or croaking or talking softly in like every dialogue tag and it got really old. Not to mention all the copious amounts of repetition end overexplaining and reiterating and Kiva standing around as a useless vessel as a writer crutch to convey information to the reader without her actually contributing anything. She really did/accomplishes very little on her own and was constantly being saved by others or having (often obvious) things explained to her. She also basically lost her identity as the gritty but effective healer from the first book, all of which was really frustrating since it made her character weak, indecisive, soooo naive/gullible (I have no idea why she's surprised when the people she expects to betray her do exactly that when she hands them everything they need), and occasionally straight up clueless, the opposite of the strong, independent, and intelligent person she was in book one. I also really missed the parts from book one where she was doing actual healing/medical treatments, and it felt like the author didn't even try to be realistic about injuries. Kiva gets a concussion at one point but then is left alone to sleep through the night unsupervised with a vague warning to wake herself up occasionally (how was she supposed to manage that?) and then is somehow fine enough the next morning to do an intense exercise regime...That would absolutely not be physically possible, and she would know better anyway as a healer. My point is that she just goes from relying on her wit and skills to resolve her problems to always turning to her magic and her self-admitedly nonexistent fighting skills, which was really disappointing. Plus, she has no lingering trauma or other effects from being abandoned in a death prison since she was seven, so during her formative years, which she very much would, and so it felt like the author was dodging those difficult issues by not addressing them.
But the parts that focused on the actual plot with her and her rebel siblings and them trying to take over the kingdom, that was interesting and hooked me back into the story about 2/3 in when I was about to give up on it. But then the ending got really jumbled with at least 12 different twists/big reveals/unearthings of convenient and overly complicated worldbuilding devices happening all at once, all of which were either super obvious from the very beginning of the book or so unpredictable that they came completely out of left field since there had been zero foreshadowing to allow the reader to figure them out themselves. I loved the single big twist revelation at the end of the first book and felt it was well handled, but there was just way too much going on at the end of this book with convoluted laws and politics and relationships to the point that I'm not even completely clear on what happened and why. Also, all of this is explained to Kiva by various people rather than her learning/figuring out any of it herself, which really took a lot of the punch out of it.
All that being said, the story was left in a tense spot that has me interested in reading more, so I'm planning to finish out the series. I'm just really hoping that Kiva does something in the next book other than listen to others talk at/around her and fret about all her various problems without actually doing anything about them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, and Addiction
Minor: Terminal illness, Vomit, and Cursing
There is a scene that builds up to characters having a sexual interaction, but then they don't end up going that far, though there's a lot of aggressive kissing and other such things that happen. Also, mild swearing throughout.stories's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Superb. I was worried it wouldn’t hold up to the first book but it absolutely does. Gripping, emotional and well woven with satisfying twists and turns, this book resists the temptation to flatten a rebellion conflict into a 2D “but what about the boy” angst fest and instead creates authentic and complex dilemmas. Great characters and characterisation, well embedded foreshadowing and far too many moments I had to pause and wriggle with glee.
Content Warnings
Minor: Kidnapping, Terminal illness, Vomit, Addiction, Confinement, Death of parent, and Panic attacks/disorders
Beware the cliffhanger endingbetweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
3.0
I feel pretty similar about this sequel as I did the first book. However, it almost feels like less happens in this book than the first book, given that most of the action is saved until the last like 25% of the book. There's a lot of politics and Kiva trying to find her place and reconcile with her family and it was...fine. Nothing necessarily to write home about.
Noni is great at writing plot twists (even I could predict most of them. I chalk that up to reading a lot of YA fantasy). The characters are also easy to love, Caldon was probably my favorite addition in this one. I loved him and I hope we get more of him in the final book. Which yes, I will be reading because I need to know how this all comes together. Especially for Tipp's sake. That boy deserves all the good in the world.
All in all, if you're looking for a YA fantasy with a strongly built world and a easy to love cast of central characters, you'll definitely enjoy this series.
Noni is great at writing plot twists (even I could predict most of them. I chalk that up to reading a lot of YA fantasy). The characters are also easy to love, Caldon was probably my favorite addition in this one. I loved him and I hope we get more of him in the final book. Which yes, I will be reading because I need to know how this all comes together. Especially for Tipp's sake. That boy deserves all the good in the world.
All in all, if you're looking for a YA fantasy with a strongly built world and a easy to love cast of central characters, you'll definitely enjoy this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Blood, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness
maple_dove's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Blood, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Death and Vomit
Minor: Terminal illness
sarahmreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read The Prison Healer earlier this year and was obsessed with its world and its characters. So when I was given the chance to read its sequel as an advanced reader's copy, I knew I was going to be in for a ride, as my good friend Chloe best described it.
Kiva has just escaped Zalindov and is now living out her days in the kingdom palace with Jaren and the rest of his family. What is now a peaceful life is now interrupted when Kiva's family comes knocking on her door, asking for her aide in the rebellion set to take down Jaren's family. Will Kiva stick to the vengeance she once sought out, or will her heart pull her elsewhere?
The characters in this sequel are still so complex yet so beautifully crafted. Caldon is the charismatic brother to Jaren but still holds a fierce, tainted heart close to his chest. Torell is lovable and caring but also defensive. Jaren is absolutely swoonworthy in all the best ways and you can't get enough of him on the page. And Kiva was smart and wise and may have made some (really) bad decisions, but you still root for her at the end of the day.
The worldbuilding, especially with the magic, is done so well. We learn more about Kiva's family history and what else composes the world outside of Zalindov and the rest of the kingdoms. Political intrigue, betrayal, engagements, so much that really pulls you into the story. I also loved the information that we find out about Kiva's true bloodline and what else it may entail.
One thing I love about Noni's writing style is how beautifully she writes scenes and dialogue. There's so much suspense, so much love. She knows how to tug at your heartstrings so that you're laughing one moment and wanting to throw your book across the room the next.
Which leads me to my next big point: THE PLOT TWISTS WERE SO WELL EXECUTED! I couldn't stop gasping the entire last 10% of the story. My dad literally had to ask me if I was okay because of this book. I wanted to punch people. I wanted to cry. It was a rollercoaster of emotions that I can't tell you the last time I experienced a cliffhanger like this. My friend and I had bets going on to guess the end of this book. And surprisingly we were both kind of right, even though our theories were completely different.
The Gilded Cage is so much better than its predecessor. With a slowburn romance, betrayal, and destruction, Lynette Noni has stolen her way into my heart with probably my favorite sequel this year, if not of all time.
I received a copy of this story as an e-arc on NetGalley. Any and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Kiva has just escaped Zalindov and is now living out her days in the kingdom palace with Jaren and the rest of his family. What is now a peaceful life is now interrupted when Kiva's family comes knocking on her door, asking for her aide in the rebellion set to take down Jaren's family. Will Kiva stick to the vengeance she once sought out, or will her heart pull her elsewhere?
The characters in this sequel are still so complex yet so beautifully crafted. Caldon is the charismatic brother to Jaren but still holds a fierce, tainted heart close to his chest. Torell is lovable and caring but also defensive. Jaren is absolutely swoonworthy in all the best ways and you can't get enough of him on the page. And Kiva was smart and wise and may have made some (really) bad decisions, but you still root for her at the end of the day.
The worldbuilding, especially with the magic, is done so well. We learn more about Kiva's family history and what else composes the world outside of Zalindov and the rest of the kingdoms. Political intrigue, betrayal, engagements, so much that really pulls you into the story. I also loved the information that we find out about Kiva's true bloodline and what else it may entail.
One thing I love about Noni's writing style is how beautifully she writes scenes and dialogue. There's so much suspense, so much love. She knows how to tug at your heartstrings so that you're laughing one moment and wanting to throw your book across the room the next.
Which leads me to my next big point: THE PLOT TWISTS WERE SO WELL EXECUTED! I couldn't stop gasping the entire last 10% of the story. My dad literally had to ask me if I was okay because of this book. I wanted to punch people. I wanted to cry. It was a rollercoaster of emotions that I can't tell you the last time I experienced a cliffhanger like this. My friend and I had bets going on to guess the end of this book. And surprisingly we were both kind of right, even though our theories were completely different.
The Gilded Cage is so much better than its predecessor. With a slowburn romance, betrayal, and destruction, Lynette Noni has stolen her way into my heart with probably my favorite sequel this year, if not of all time.
I received a copy of this story as an e-arc on NetGalley. Any and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Addiction, Vomit, Murder, Medical content, Kidnapping, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, and Blood
rayraytaylorr's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
I would like to request an apology letter from Lynette Noni. I am in pain. The Gilded Cage, the gripping, emotional sequel to the Prison Healer, is not one to be missed. I am in no way prepared to wait till next year for the final instalment, not after that ending. Lynette Noni is a Queen of Twists, as evident throughout all of her stories, but the Gilded Cage really tops them all. You think you know where she's going, and seriously I tried predicting everything, but then BAM, another shocker. My jaw was dropped (I'm still picking it up), I was punched in the throat and in the heart. Jaren, Caldon - I love you both to death. Tipp, my precious baby. TORELL! Stop it, I can't handle these beautiful characters anymore. And I just want Kiva to be happy, damn it. I seriously love delving into Lynette Noni's worlds and her characters. In fact, Lynette Noni ruins every other book for me - the ineffable feeling I have while reading her stories stay with me for such a long time, no other book compares. Despite the dark themes that are present throughout the story, and the pain from physical to mental and hard emotions our beloved characters (and not to mention myself) go through, it still has it's bright glowing moments (wink), the moments of hope and love, and don't get me started on how hard I cried at the scars quote (page 303), overall teaching us to find the light in the dark; something very much needed during the past two years. Incredible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Violence, Blood, Death, and Vomit
Moderate: Terminal illness and Suicidal thoughts
kaseybereading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Terminal illness
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