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prashiie's review against another edition
- 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 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…
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
kottengoesbork's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Murder, War, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, and Blood
christina_chen's review against another edition
3.25
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Rape, Torture, Police brutality, Death of parent, Drug use, Gore, Violence, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Sexual violence, and Slavery
lotte5322's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, War, Bullying, Confinement, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, Murder, and Torture
zozo_reads's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Gore, Medical content, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Body horror, Blood, Gaslighting, Addiction, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent and Toxic friendship
Minor: War
theespressoedition's review
- 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
4.0
I had so many questions at the end of The Prison Healer and a lot of them were answered brilliantly in this sequel. I don't want to write too much about the plot because I know there's still a lot that needs to happen in the next book--and I truly can't wait to dive in! I can absolutely see this becoming a favorite series. I was worried The Gilded Cage would have a strong case of "middle book syndrome" but it didn't suffer from that in the slightest. It was mesmerizing from page one and I was hooked on every line until the very end.
Okay, I need to go gear myself up to jump into The Blood Traitor next!
Graphic: Blood and Drug abuse
Moderate: Murder, Death, and Domestic abuse
Minor: War
siglerbooknook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, and Addiction
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Death of parent
kiaratiara's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Blood
sarahmreads's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Addiction, Vomit, Murder, Medical content, Kidnapping, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, and Blood