Reviews

The Gilded Cage by Lynette Noni

ventitretrentini's review against another edition

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4.0

Apparently the author’s style is to keep a slow pace until the very last few pages of her books (the only reason I gave 4 stars instead of three).
This book was so frustrating to read due to how the main character is acting throughout all the story, she’s always one step behind, always so naive that even the reader knows more then she does. And this I didn’t like. However the plot twists are good and some things I didn’t foresee, so I’m very curious to know how the situation will evolve in the third and last book.

A side note: in my opinion, this is too slow burn/mutual pining even for a YA.

zimme's review against another edition

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4.0

Much, much better than the first one. Even though the twists were still a bit predictable, I had not seen all of them coming. The writing style was also not really my cup of tea. But aside from these things, this one was good, fun and engaging

noni_jena's review against another edition

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4.75

This book was a solid 4.75 ⭐️ WHEN I TELL YALL I DON’T LIKE A CHARACTER LISTEN TO ME BC I

amandapage1395's review against another edition

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4.0

It’s very slow in the middle, probably 200 pages could have been taken out and you wouldn’t miss much. But the ending was soooooo good, bumping it up to a 4/5 for me.

my_bookedshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

nonnaanna's review against another edition

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3.0

I'm honestly feeling really conflicted about this series. I have so many mixed thoughts and emotions. But overall, it's good/decent?

Pros:
- Some interesting world elements, huge fan of the avatar elements, and there being a character who can wield all of them but considering that he's supposed to be a young adult/older teen/potentially in his 20s, he's a bit too naive
- Caldon: just give him the crown at this point because he seems like the smartest person in this series so far
- I am VERY intrigued by the perversion of healing powers into killing powers and how those are developed. An interesting element to add to the story, indeed.
- If those four other old women who live in the mysterious forest don't resurface in the third book, I will riot. But I love them.

Cons:
- It's low-key predictable, which is whatever. I think it's because the author was dropping a lot of hints in here, which I'm totally fine with, but it would've been nice to have some more convincing red herrings.
- The plot twists weren't plot twisting: basically just an extension of my previous point
- Some things are a little too convenient, too Diabolus ex Machina
- Kiva needs to get a grip. I swear to god, every couple of chapters, someone kidnaps her or she gets knocked out, like come on girl
- Not enough of the grandma. I absolutely love crazy, old, witchy women in stories for some reason, and this book killed her off way too soon. I really think she could've added an interesting element if she continued to play a role

Pros / Cons:
- Zuleeka: she is a grade-A bitch, but she's also a villain, and villains need to villain, and I respect that. But she's being a little too bitchy. I love complicated and multi-faceted villains and right now, she's just a villain without all the fun parts.
- The monster in the grandmother's swamp. What is it? Why is it? When do we get to see it? If it doesn't come back in the third book, I will also riot

doreni_01's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

rikinkaaa's review against another edition

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challenging tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.0

zwergo's review against another edition

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adventurous

3.5

echthema's review against another edition

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5.0

Heel tof! Boek 1 had halverwege een soort langzamer stuk, dat was bij deze helemaal niet gaande. Erg benieuwd hoe boek 3 aan gepakt gaat worden!!