The Gilded Cage

Title: The Gilded Cage
Author: Lynette Noni
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Year: October 2021
Pages: 429

Series: The Prison Healer #2
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Reading Time: 3 - 4 Oct
Binding: NetGalley e-arc
Goodreads

Stars:
★★★★★

Blurb: 

 Kiva Meridan is a survivor.
 She survived not only Zalindov prison, but also the deadly Trial by Ordeal. Now Kiva’s purpose goes beyond survival to vengeance. For the past ten years, her only goal was to reunite with her family and destroy the people responsible for ruining their lives. But now that she has escaped Zalindov, her mission has become more complicated than ever.
 As Kiva settles into her new life in the capital, she discovers she wasn’t the only one who suffered while she was in Zalindov—her siblings and their beliefs have changed too. Soon it’s not just her enemies she’s keeping secrets from, but her own family as well.
 Outside the city walls, tensions are brewing from the rebels, along with whispers of a growing threat from the northern kingdoms. Kiva’s allegiances are more important than ever, but she’s beginning to question where they truly lie. To survive this time, she’ll have to navigate a complicated web of lies before both sides of the battle turn against her and she loses everything.

Review:

 Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with the arc via NetGalley, I'm so grateful I was able to pick this up straight away after finishing The Prison Healer. I rated The Prison Healer 4/5 stars as I found the pacing a little slow, The Gilded Cage is the sequel so go and get yourselves on to the first book if you haven't read it already! For me, this did not fall in to the disappointing sequel we often see with a series. For me it was actually an improvement on the first book and I am absolutely pumped for the next book. Looks as though this is set as a trilogy so prepare yourselves, we're not done with these characters yet!

 There was so much going on with this book I could hardly put it down. I rarely finish a book in two days and that's how the 5 star rating has come in. I could put the first book down and give it paus as things slowly developed but in this book I just had to know what was coming next. I was addicted and have some catching up at work to do as a result!

 If you've read the previous book you're aware we're completely changing settings from the restrictions of Zalindov prison. Going outwards in to that fabulous map, we're based now in the capital and more specifically the palace. We do venture outside the walls of the city and of course have far more news of what's going on across the wider continent. It gives an opportunity for the world building that was restricted by Zalindov's lack of information in the first book. It's not overwhelming as we don't experience too much first hand but it was refreshing from the first book.

 We've got a range of new characters, I feel diversity was set up quite well in the previous book with LGBTQ+, disability and race coming in and we have some more characters hitting these areas. Not only do we meet and spend a lot of time with the royal but Kiva's family as well. Caldon is one of my new favourite characters, briefly seen in The Prison Healer but revealed in all his glory in this book. Kiva's family, well . . . I have conflicting feelings as I think most of us will. Kiva is still a little naïve, Tipp is still a sweetie and Jaren is still a romantic. I think we see growth in each of their characters, understanding their history, ambitions and lives outside of Zalindov.

 We get to delve more in to the fantasy element of this series in this book, seeing what Jaren is truly capable of as well as understanding more of Kiva's family magic and the history to it. I enjoy that the magic is relatively limited as to what and who has it, it makes it feel more organic and unique rather than trying to introduce a whole new world of magical capabilities. The displays are bigger and more frequent than the previous book bringing some further entertainment and understanding of what's at stake and the danger presented by some of our characters.

 The plot in terms of the overall series is still moving somewhat slowly, it still feels like the beginning to a much bigger series, there are many questions to be answered! However with all the expansion to the setting, magic and characters there are side tasks and stories coming in that kept me incredibly wrapped up and entertained. I'm almost annoyed I've read it. . . I want the next book NOW! The writing as with the prior book is easy to read, a good balance of description, dialogue and plot movement.

 I was pleasantly surprised by this instalment to The Prison Healer books, some fluff, much laughter, shock and sadness. All the feels and a fantastic expansion to carry us towards what is supposedly the final book in the series. Be prepared to leave with questions, or perhaps save yourself from the turmoil and wait until all the books are out!

The Prison Healer

Title: The Prison Healer
Author: Lynette Noni
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Year: April 2021
Pages: 403

Series: The Prison Healer #1
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Reading Time: 26 Sep - 3 Oct
Binding: Fairyloot Hardback
Goodreads

Stars:
★★★★☆

Blurb:

 Here at Zalindov, the only person you can trust is yourself.

 Seventeen-year-old Kiva Meridan is a survivor. For ten years, she has worked as the healer in the notorious death prison, Zalindov, making herself indispensable. Kept afloat by messages of hope from her family, Kiva has one goal and only one goal: stay alive.

 Then one day the infamous Rebel Queen arrives at the prison on death's door and Kiva receives a new message: Don't let her die. We are coming.

 The queen is sentenced to the Trial by Ordeal: a series of elemental challenges against the torments of air, fire, water, and earth, assigned to only the most dangerous of criminals. Aware the sickly queen has little chance of making it through the Trials alive, Kiva volunteers to take her place. If she succeeds, both she and the queen will be granted their freedom.

 But no one has ever survived.

 And with an incurable plague sweeping Zalindov, a mysterious new inmate fighting for Kiva's heart, and a prison rebellion brewing, Kiva can't escape the terrible feelings that her trials have only just begun.

Review:

 As I've said before, I avoid reading blurbs of books I receive in book box subscriptions, it leaves more room for surprise. Typing out the blurb for my blog I realise quite how much is given away. Interesting indeed and makes the main reason this didn't get 5 stars (the pacing) seem even worse. Towards the end I looked back and realised how slowly this book seemed to develop and now I realise if I'd read the blurb I'd probably have been seething waiting for things to develop past the blurb.

 There are more characters to hate than like in this book but then what can you expect from a prison setting filled with murderers, rapists and thugs? Kiva is a driven character, driven by her role as a healer and driven by her ambition to get out of Zalindov. She is unliked by other prisoners and generally appears to be a relatable character until she appears to dive in to a pool of stupidity in volunteering for the Trial by Ordeal. Someone taking their job a little too seriously. . . Tipp is a wonderful young character bringing some energetic youth and a stutter to our otherwise dreary setting. Then come Jaren, Naari and even Mot. A mix of characters that are somewhat crazy, reliable, mysterious, teasing and more than they seem.

 The fantasy element to this book is subtle. It's briefly explained, with further background given part way through the book. We don't see an awful lot of the magic in this book but the foundations are there for expansion. I think the concept is strong and really enjoyed seeing how this all started and also gave a background to the wider setting of the world.

  We don't go outside of the prison, Zalindov, in this book so there is a small amount of world building given the lack of news coming in to the prison. It's appropriate and allows more detail to be given to the setting we're actually in for the majority of the book, time to expand later.

 All in all, it's quite a long book for the amount of content, there are the beginning of a really good series and I'm excited to see how it develops. My enthusiasm and the rating may not have been adequately explained by the above but the twists towards the end gave the whole book the elevation it needed for me.

The Devil Makes Three

Title: The Devil Makes Three
Author: Tori Bovalino

Publisher: Titan Books
Year: August 2021
Pages: 383
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Horror
Reading Time: 23 - 29 September
Binding: Illumicrate Hardback
Goodreads

Stars:
★★★★☆

Blurb:

 When Tess and Eliot stumble upon an ancient book hidden in a secret tunnel beneath their school library, they accidentally release a devil from his book-bound prison, and he'll stop at nothing to stay free. He'll manipulate all the ink in the library books to do his bidding, he'll murder in the stacks, and he'll bleed into every inch of Tess's life until his freedom is permanent.
 Forced to work together, Tess and Eliot have to find a way to re-trap the devil before he kills everyone they know and love, including, increasingly, each other. And compared to what the devil has in store for them, school stress suddenly doesn't seem so bad after all.

Review:

 This is not a book I would have expected to pick up myself but that's the beauty of having subscriptions such as Illumicrate. Receiving something that may push the limits of what you may have picked and introducing some variety to our reading experiences. I think the general theme of the ink and books makes this a generally good pick for a book box subscription and with Illumicrate often toeing the line between adult and young adult this book perfectly represents a book that is young adult based on the main characters ages however has creepy and gory elements pushing it towards adult.

 This book is a major mix of genres, I don't think it fits cleanly in to any genre. Young adult in that it's characters are of the required age. Horror in the gore. Thriller in the suspense. Fantasy in the supernatural. Urban fantasy in the real world setting. Minor romance.

 The horror element is what is going to make people pick this up or stay far, far away. So let's talk about that first. I was not overwhelmed and I am by no means a horror movie or book fan, it's something I only occasionally venture in to however others on the Illumicrate readalong were switching their reading time to ensure they read in daylight and were getting very creeped out. We have gore, lots of gore. Some self harm so trigger warning there. There is general creepiness that you see in paranormal books. I thought it was pretty tame but it is all very subjective. Perhaps if it was a film I would have been worse, I think visuals get to me more than words.

 I thought the setting and immersion in to the real world as an urban fantasy was fantastic. A library being our main setting, what better way to appeal to readers? We're mainly set in the US but have references to the UK. It doesn't require a whole lot of world building and we're kept to a few other buildings and personal spaces so that it's more personal. What really impressed me was the situational setting, our characters experience money and health problems and it is just so relatable and real. It added a whole other element to the book for me outside of what I usually feel in fantasies I read more regularly.

 We centre around Tess and Eliot, two characters from wildly different backgrounds. Tess is overworked and stressed out due to family money troubles. She's got the responsibility of her sister (who's a little brat) and herself. Throughout the book it feels like she's somewhat burned out and it give this edge of blasé that I think dampened the horror elements when she experienced them. She's a trooper and just gets on with things which I can totally relate to. Eliot is a rich boy with and English accent and a very different motivation to protect his family. Separated parents with an ill mother, he is on a mission and his drive is admirable.

 I did get to a point during the middle where I felt the plot was moving quite slowly. It just seemed like nothing was moving and side characters and plot were introduced as a bit of filler. It got better and it didn't necessarily stop me from wanting to read at any point. It probably developed that same as a typical horror/thriller plot. 

 As much as young adult fantasy has it's tropes I think thriller and horror really lends itself to some clichés, the ending had me rolling my eyes at how cliché it as. I don't particularly care for things 'fitting the genre', that doesn't make it good. So I found a few areas were quite predictable in this way, not in that I knew where things were going like I often do with a YA fantasy but that I wasn't very often surprised by the book.

 As far as we can currently see this is set up as a standalone and I don't think has any business in expanding further than this, it was an enjoyable break from my norm but taking it further I think would be stretching the capabilities of the story too much. It was a good book, let's leave it at that!

Jade Fire Gold

Title: Jade Fire Gold
Author: June C.L. Tan
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Year: November 2021
Pages: 449
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Reading Time: 13 - 22 September
Binding: Netgalley arc
Goodreads

Stars:
★★★★☆

Blurb:

In an empire on the brink of war . . .
Ahn is no one, with no past and no family.
Altan is a lost heir, his future stolen away as a child.
When they meet, Altan sees in Ahn a path to reclaiming the throne. Ahn sees a way to finally unlock her past and understand her lethal magical abilities.
But they may have to pay a far deadlier price than either could have imagined.

Review:

 I'm really grateful to Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with this arc via NetGalley. Looks as though I am guaranteed a few copies of this book through my various subscriptions!

 We travel through this book from Ahn and Altan's perspectives. Ahn is a supposedly orphaned girl with magic in her veins that must be hidden at all costs. Altan is an orphaned royal, hiding from his families' murderers whilst he plots his revenge. Their paths could never have crossed yet they are linked by a greater purpose. It's not going out on a limb in terms of YA fantasy but you don't fix what ain't broke!

 Ahn is a fantastic character to follow, she has little ambition from the beginning which I find is somewhat relatable when you first step in to a book where you know nothing about the setting. She wants to know who she is, her Ama to be healthy and her belly to be full. Perhaps leaving the damn desert too. Simple things. She has a magical gift very unexplored in the beginning which also adds to the developing of her character throughout. She's somewhat naïve which can be irritating from time to time but then the book would have been over far too quickly!

 Altan is more sure of himself, or so he thinks. The would-be emperor that was ousted from the throne has a plan to return to his birth right. He is skilled in both combat and his own magical abilities. He's quite bitter, stubborn and generally a little stiff for my liking. The set up as a character is great though.

 The Asian setting is one I seem to be getting swamped by in 2021 but I am yet to be fed up of it. It provides for a range of settings such as desert, ocean, forests etc. The mythology is also somewhat of a mystery to me so I can't comment on how much of it is inspired by or lifted from it. It allows for a nice way to bring in the fantasy element including magic by our characters and creatures making an appearance. It's not overkill but well placed in the setting with good contributions to the plot.

 We've got a range of characters in both strong and manipulative men and women. Individuals with scarring and disabilities as well as LGBTQ+ relationships. A snarky and fun female assassin, a drunk yet humble emperor and comforting old lady. I can't go in to too much detail without spoilers.

 I really like the writing style. It was simple enough to read easily but not so much that it became juvenile. Nothing made me think the author was trying to had and there was a good balance of description, plot and dialogue.

 It occurred to me as I was reading that whilst there was plenty of action happening the actual plot was moving relatively slow and that this must mean the book was going to be a series. Alas, the story wrapped itself up quite quickly in the last 120 pages or so. This made the previous parts of the book feel even slower in comparison. Feels like some re-jigging could have fixed that and some of the really entertaining bits towards the end could have been extended.

 So, we have some romance. If you are expecting to be swooned you will be disappointed. The romance was lacking actual emotion and feeling. It was all snarky remarks, annoyed glances and avoiding each other. It was so frustrating and towards the end had me questioning how any kind of relationship could come from it.

 That epilogue though, damn! I'm gonna need that character to come with their own novel and I shall be there for it.

Six Crimson Cranes

Title: Six Crimson Cranes
Author: Elizabeth Lim
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Year: July 2021
Pages: 454

Series: Six Crimson Cranes #1
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Reading Time: 6 - 12 September
Binding: Fairyloot Hardback

Goodreads

Stars:
★★★★★

Blurb:

 Shiori'anma, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs in her veins. And on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted, but it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.

 A sorceress in her own right, Raikama banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes, and warning Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.

 Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and uncovers a dark conspiracy to seize the throne. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in a paper bird, a mercurial dragon, and the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she's been taught all her life to contain - no matter what it costs.

Review:

 Fairyloot have blessed me with dragon fantasy novels TWO MONTHS IN A ROW! Utterly magnificent. The dragons are briefly mentioned in the blurb above, hold their own in the beginning of the story and, it seems, will be a large part of the next book. That's it, I said it, the next book. Currently confirmed as a duology on the author's website. I can tell you now I'll be waiting for it!

 I seem to be finding myself in an Asian setting really frequently this year and it can honestly still be so different. Shiori travels a range of places and Lim sets up the world fantastically in this way (helped by a beautiful map in my version). We see the capital, the ocean and the snowy mountains just to name a few. 

 Shiori is a great character to follow. She's a female with a more modern mind, resentful of being married off to a man she doesn't know, and motivated by food. She's hidden her magic for years and thus hasn't really learned it's extent yet. She cares deeply for her family and is generally a pretty likeable character. Stubborn and impulsive, sure but not in any way that I found frustrating. It's a rare day I actually like a main character so this was an absolute win.

 The six brothers are our main other characters for the first portion of the book and Lim gives us a range of characters just within them. The intelligent, the stubborn, the joking, the understanding. There are enough of them to fill in a lot of side character space and no single time is spent on any of them quite enough to build up a dislike of any of the more stubborn brothers. 

 I really enjoyed our range of other characters. Seryu is great fun and with him as an introduction to a whole other world hosted by the dragons under the ocean is going to be fascinating. I'm excited to see more of him and his magic. Raikama was fantastically written and our other main characters only come in around half way through so I don't want to say too much. It was all fantastic though, the good and the bad intentioned characters.

 The other thing I enjoy about the Asian themed settings is that I have a little less of an understanding of their mythology and what kinds of magic are going to be present in their world. Dragons are a difference I'm aware of but it generally leaves me with a lot of wiggle room of understanding in terms of other magic. I enjoyed the magical integration in to the world, it wasn't too fantastical but subtly enough to work in a land where magic is forbidden.

 We change settings a few times in this book which amends the direction of what we expect from the plot. I think it was paced really well, it wasn't something I really thought about in this book in terms of think it was slow or moving quickly so that means it was likely just right for the story behind it.

 So . . . what are you waiting for? The second book to come out? Ah, understood.

This Poison Heart

Title: This Poison Heart
Author: Kalynn Bayron
Publisher: Bloomsbury

Year: June 2021
Pages: 370

Series: This Poison Heart #1
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Reading Time: 5 - 11 September
Binding: Owlcrate Hardback

Goodreads

Stars:
★★★☆☆

Blurb:

 Briseis has a gift: with a single touch she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms.

 When Briseis's aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents hope that surrounded by plants and flowers, she will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they never expected - it comes with a mysterious set of instructions, a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world, and generations of secrets. There is more to Bri's sudden inheritance that she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it.

 From the bestselling author of Cinderella is Dead comes an enchanting story about a young woman with the power to conquer the dark forces descending around her.

Review:

 Bayron's writing style is very easy to read which is really required when the plot begins in the last quarter of the book. Having said that, I genuinely wrote in my notes it felt kind of juvenile so this was certainly the young side of young adult.  As much as I enjoyed the overall premise of this book the plot took a really, really long time to go anywhere. The majority of the book is changing settings and meeting new people. A couple of interesting moments which make us think the plot is beginning and then managing to downplay it until the last few chapters. A bit disappointing. It was nice to see things tying together to a bigger plot but it took so long to get there that the mystery throughout the book built up to a point of frustration rather than satisfaction.

 The general story is actually very interesting. Plants are attracted to Bri, unnaturally so and react to her manipulations as well. A 'Poison Ivy' kind of gift. To then tie this in to a part of Greek Mythology was fascinating for me, it was not a story that I had heard before and it added an additional element to the book that elevated it slightly.

 The main character, Briseis, is Black, adopted, bisexual and wears glasses. Don't know what more representation you could want! She's a little naïve, which will either endear or irritate you. For a girl with parents like hers she's far too trusting of people. It was very at odds with her apparent background. She's oddly courageous but it's not in an impressive way. I feel like I've set her up badly, I actually quite liked her, she's a pretty genuine normal person but on reflection can't really pull anything else out to highlight.

 I'd like to say we've got a range of characters but I'm not sure that's quite accurate to say. Bri's adopted parents are two Black women, Mom and Mo. At first I really like them but after a bit I found them unbearable annoying. Their overbearing mothering was just a bit too much and cliché. They also exhibited a lot of. . . I don't know. Annoying mannerisms? I'm trying to tread carefully as I'm not sure in New Yorkers actually speak and act this way. I'm from the UK, we don't carry tasers or mace, don't burst into rooms carrying them. And I've never heard anyone talk the way they and Bri do, I was physically rolling my eyes and cringing at points.

 Other characters like Karter and Marie had interactions with Bri that were just unbelievable. No one becomes friends that quickly in a strange new town. Regardless of any later information, it came across strangely and is part of why I described Bri as I did above. Karter's clumsiness was unfounded, Marie's interest even more so. They just didn't seem well padded out characters.

 One this I did enjoy was the little input of details about hair care for Bri as a Black person. Not something I have seen before and a good, normal thing to be putting in to a contemporary setting. I have actually read a Black reviewer complaining about some of this and the dialogue feeling forced in terms of representation. I wouldn't necessarily be able to highlight the dialogue but perhaps that was what I was spotting up above? I can't really tell and of course it's very much for individuals to make up their own minds about!

 So, after the plot really opening up at the end it turns out more of the story is likely to come up in the second book. I can only see a second book in plans on Goodreads which isn't too much of a further commitment. I'd quite like to see the full extent of the potential of this premise, if I spot it in the library and wanted and easy read, I'd probably pick it up.

She Who Became the Sun

Title: She Who Became the Sun
Author: Shelley Parker-Chan
Publisher: Mantle

Year: July 2021
Pages: 411

Series: The Radiant Emperor #1
Genre: Fantasy
Reading Time: 22 - 30 August
Binding: Illumicrate Hardback

Goodreads

Stars:
★★★★☆

Blurb:

 In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, a seer show two children their fates. For the boy, greatness. For the girl, nothingness.

 In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is only found in stories. The Zhu family is mystified as to how Zhu Chongba, their eighth-born son, will achieve his lofty future. But for a daughter, no matter how clever or capable, an early death would be no surprise.

 Yet when a bandit attack orphans the two children, it's Zhu Chongba who dies. Desperate to survive, his sister steals his identity to enter a monastery. There, disguised as a male novice, Zhu learns she can be ruthless to avoid her fate. But when her sanctuary is destroyed, Zhu is cast back into the war-torn world. To change her ending, there's only one thing she can do: claim her brother's great destiny as her own.

Review:

 Just to clarify, I know absolutely nothing about the history of China, so comparison to real historical events isn't going to happen with me. My interest in the subject has increased and I may very well go in to some research but my expertise is so low it's probably in my best interests to leave that to others! I also don't read blurbs of my book boxes, just join the readalongs so any links I could have made the chance to make in advance weren't given a chance. Helpfully the author has added a historical note at the beginning of the book for the setting which is always a fabulous idea.

 Despite what the blurb may have you believe, we experience more than just Zhu Chongba's POV in this book. They come in later and I don't want to spoil too much though. Our two main characters are Zhu Chongba who, as described in the blurb, was born female and identifies as male. An extremely dangerous situation in this time period. Our other main character is a eunuch with an appearance that could have you believing he is either gender. A very interesting duo. The determination behind each character is astounding and their backstories superb. Make no doubt, these are both dark characters and towards the end I begin questioning who I'm really rooting for.

 1435 China is of course a real world setting with issues such as famine, war and superstition. A small fantasy element is brought in by the presence of the ghosts seen by Zhu which I didn't expect whatsoever. I'm not sure we really got an explanation as to why they showed up or if I completely missed it. It did however add a new mysterious element to the religious side of things.

 In the Illumicrate discord I saw someone mention how slow they thought it was after 100 pages and I'm not sure they were reading the same book I was! We are with Zhu for the beginning as they meet the seer and then to the monastery. This was a few chapters and I felt we absolutely rocketed through this as a backstory. It gets us interested in Zhu and understanding how such thinking and ambition came about. We had continuous action throughout the book and I only had a feeling of the book being slightly slow in the middle as we began to be introduced to more characters. It was a brief section really halted by some long chapters but the quality of content in those chapters remained high.

 At this point I should highlight that this is a fantasy book and not a book I would classify as young adult fantasy. We see Zhu through a range of years ageing but the content of this book reminded me slightly of The Poppy War series in that it does not hide away from violence. It's not on the same level but doesn't shy away from a few quite brutal deaths and other acts of violence. There's also a short scene of sexual content which I was surprised by as it seemingly came out of nowhere. So you've been slightly warned.

 So why did this book not get the full five star rating? Questions. I have so many questions. Zhu's name? The ghosts? More I'm sure I'll find out in the next book. I also had a little trouble keeping track of some characters and completely missed the death of one side character, probably where things slowed down or too many names came in to play.

 All in all. . . I shall be keeping an eye out for this series as it continues and would recommend for fans of The Poppy War that are happy seeing a little less fantastical elements.