Scan barcode
whimsicallymeghan's review against another edition
4.0
Roa and Essie were the closest of sisters, until one day Essie had an accident leaving her soul wandering. Wanting nothing more than to help her sister, Roa has decided to make it her mission to save Essie and seek vengeance on the person whose fault it was for the accident, Dax, the King of Firgaard and her husband. The reader really liked that this could be read as a standalone; it takes place in the same world but you don’t need to have read the first book to understand the events of this one. Sure, there are moments where things from the first book are mentioned, but the author does an amazing job of describing how that benefits this story and this book that the reader never felt lost. Speaking of the writing, Ciccarelli is a master of her craft in writing this poetic, not quite purple prose, way that really gripped the reader and had them so invested in the story and the characters. In this novel, we don’t really see Asha, who was the main character in the first, but this one focused on her brother, Dax. The reader didn’t really care for him when we first met him, and it felt like the author was trying to give him a redemption arc, but it still didn’t really warm us up to him. He had good moments throughout, but they didn’t really redeem him to this reader. Roa was a fun main character, she had a lot of different hats to wear; her sisterly bond was so beautifully written and executed. As much as she wanted to do everything in her power to help save her sister, the lies and deception were strong in this novel, but so good and fun to read, yet in the end she knew what she would have to do; it was heartbreaking, but felt really justified and selfless. As for the plot, it was so fast-paced; as soon as the reader started they were sucked in and they didn’t want to leave. They liked that there were these little intermissions between chapters that gave us exposition into the character’s pasts without completely taking us out of the story; it was really well done. The reader is curious to see where the last novel will go, who the main characters will be and how it all fits into this world. In the end, this was a fun fantasy novel with many twists and turns that had the reader on their toes wanting to know more.
andrealpz14's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
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
4.75
ambeesbookishpages's review against another edition
4.0
The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz
Thank you so much to Wunderkind PR for sending me THE CAGED QUEEN to read and review in preparation for THE SKY WEAVER! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
As I said in my review of The Last Namsara, why did I wait so long to read these books?! The Caged Queen was full of twists and turns that left me on the edge of my seat for the entire book, gave another view of the rebellion that Dax, Roa and Safire successfully pulled off and continued to build onto the magnificent world that had Kristen created.
Instead of The Caged Queen following Asha, this book focuses on Roa, the Scrublander and heir to the House of Song turned Queen after marrying Dax in The Last Namsara. Tensions between the Scrublanders and the Draksors are at an all time high, and many are looking upon their new queen with disgust and contempt. Never mind the fact that every believes that the King has been sharing everyone's bed but his wife's. Roa only agreed to the marriage to help save her people by creating a stronger alliance, but it isn't going as planned. Before Dax showed up in the Scrublands several weeks prior, Roa hadn't seen him in eight years. Not since the night that her sister, Essie died. Dax isn't the King she imagined him to be and soon in desperation to save her people Roa is plotting against him. But soon she begins to fall for the King she swore to hate.
The tension between Roa and Dax through out this book is thick enough to cut with a knife. I found them both to be very prideful characters and at certain times that got in the way of them actually seeing each other. Roa spends a huge chunk of the novel believing that Dax is sleeping with someone close to her and Dax assumes that Roa is still in love with the boy she betrayed back home. I think what I loved most about Dax and Roa relationship was that their story wasn't neat and linear. It was messy and scattered. They had their highs and they had their lows but at the end they found where they belonged. The romance in The Caged Queen pulled at my heart strings, something that a novel hasn't done in a long long time.
For all the mystery that surrounded Ellie's death and why Dax was at fault, I was dissapointed. I expected something a lot bigger and dramatic then when actually happened. Especially for the amount of hatred and contempt that Roa had held for Dax.
Overall I really loved The Cage Queen and loved being able to see the brief return of Asha and Torwin at the end. I am super excited to read The Sky Weaver and finally have my hands on Safire's story and her adventure. She has become one of my favorite characters through the series so far and I can't wait for more of her. Thank you so much Wunderkind PR for the opportunity to read and review this series!
Thank you so much to Wunderkind PR for sending me THE CAGED QUEEN to read and review in preparation for THE SKY WEAVER! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
As I said in my review of The Last Namsara, why did I wait so long to read these books?! The Caged Queen was full of twists and turns that left me on the edge of my seat for the entire book, gave another view of the rebellion that Dax, Roa and Safire successfully pulled off and continued to build onto the magnificent world that had Kristen created.
Instead of The Caged Queen following Asha, this book focuses on Roa, the Scrublander and heir to the House of Song turned Queen after marrying Dax in The Last Namsara. Tensions between the Scrublanders and the Draksors are at an all time high, and many are looking upon their new queen with disgust and contempt. Never mind the fact that every believes that the King has been sharing everyone's bed but his wife's. Roa only agreed to the marriage to help save her people by creating a stronger alliance, but it isn't going as planned. Before Dax showed up in the Scrublands several weeks prior, Roa hadn't seen him in eight years. Not since the night that her sister, Essie died. Dax isn't the King she imagined him to be and soon in desperation to save her people Roa is plotting against him. But soon she begins to fall for the King she swore to hate.
The tension between Roa and Dax through out this book is thick enough to cut with a knife. I found them both to be very prideful characters and at certain times that got in the way of them actually seeing each other. Roa spends a huge chunk of the novel believing that Dax is sleeping with someone close to her and Dax assumes that Roa is still in love with the boy she betrayed back home. I think what I loved most about Dax and Roa relationship was that their story wasn't neat and linear. It was messy and scattered. They had their highs and they had their lows but at the end they found where they belonged. The romance in The Caged Queen pulled at my heart strings, something that a novel hasn't done in a long long time.
For all the mystery that surrounded Ellie's death and why Dax was at fault, I was dissapointed. I expected something a lot bigger and dramatic then when actually happened. Especially for the amount of hatred and contempt that Roa had held for Dax.
Overall I really loved The Cage Queen and loved being able to see the brief return of Asha and Torwin at the end. I am super excited to read The Sky Weaver and finally have my hands on Safire's story and her adventure. She has become one of my favorite characters through the series so far and I can't wait for more of her. Thank you so much Wunderkind PR for the opportunity to read and review this series!
clesh01's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.5
mjdunowwhite's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
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
3.5
amybraunauthor's review against another edition
5.0
And we're back with another epic story and romance from the ISKARI universe! Since this story mainly focused on Roa, I wasn't sure where it would go and how she would compare to Asha. I'll say right off the bat that it's a much more political intrigue and conspiracy story. The level of betrayal was waaaaay steeper than the previous instalment, and I felt that between the two, this is the stronger of the two in terms of the story.
To be clear, I LOVED this book. It's everything THE LAST NAMSARA was, just a different type of story. There are a few nitpicks, but honestly, I was just as invested and holding my breath as the pages turned. The story was heart-wrenching and complex and tense. The characters were even more complicated, and the core of the book.
I definitely wanted to keep reading, and even though there were some things I managed to predict some plot elements, I still wanted to know how else the character's plans could go awry. There were a few unanswered elements and actions that didn't seem to have the consequences I'd anticipated or expected, but I still have no complaints!
As before, the side characters are all very interesting and have their own strong backstories that add to the main plot. The two big draws however, are Roa and Dax. I'll say right now that I always liked Dax, but completely fell in love with him in this book. He's just so GOOD. Not perfect, but good.
By contrast, Roa is delightfully complex. While I never hated her, even when her choices frustrated me, I understood her motives and sympathized with her. I was surprised by the depth of her loyalty, and wish she'd been willing to trust more. She's still a strong, conflicted character, and not a conventional hero.
I'm absolutely loving this series and can't wait for the next book, and the next young woman who's got a story to tell.
To be clear, I LOVED this book. It's everything THE LAST NAMSARA was, just a different type of story. There are a few nitpicks, but honestly, I was just as invested and holding my breath as the pages turned. The story was heart-wrenching and complex and tense. The characters were even more complicated, and the core of the book.
I definitely wanted to keep reading, and even though there were some things I managed to predict some plot elements, I still wanted to know how else the character's plans could go awry. There were a few unanswered elements and actions that didn't seem to have the consequences I'd anticipated or expected, but I still have no complaints!
As before, the side characters are all very interesting and have their own strong backstories that add to the main plot. The two big draws however, are Roa and Dax. I'll say right now that I always liked Dax, but completely fell in love with him in this book. He's just so GOOD. Not perfect, but good.
By contrast, Roa is delightfully complex. While I never hated her, even when her choices frustrated me, I understood her motives and sympathized with her. I was surprised by the depth of her loyalty, and wish she'd been willing to trust more. She's still a strong, conflicted character, and not a conventional hero.
I'm absolutely loving this series and can't wait for the next book, and the next young woman who's got a story to tell.
readingwithgd's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
jane_kelsey's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars. I was really excited for this novel as I did enjoy The last Namsara and the world. Thus novel however, did not live up to my expectations at all. Initially, the story was interesting, loved the relationship between the sisters and the concept - and that was the highlight of the whole story for me - but beyond that, it used too many tropes that I was not a fan of, which in turn made the story so predictable. I knew the ending before I even finished the first quarter of the book!! It put a lot on the dynamics of the main protagonists and their miscommunication which is something that I truly hate in books!
esmewasreading's review against another edition
3.5
not as good as the first but I still enjoyed it! only one more book to go in this series! 🙌🏻