This review is a tough one for me because my expectations were so high after thoroughly enjoying The Prison Healer. This is book two in what will ultimately be a trilogy and I struggled with it. While we start out a few months after leaving Zalindav, the Kiva we meet in book two seems very different from the Kiva we met in book one.

The plot for this book moved very slowly and it was more character focused, which is to be expected in book two of a trilogy… But I struggled with how naive Kiva was in most of the situations we found her in. I don’t often root against the protagonist, but in this book I found myself doing so after the decisions she made in this book. I did enjoy the back story and character building we saw for the side characters.

HOWEVER, I still have very high hopes for book three and I am interested in learning more about some of the characters we meet in this book. Aka give me more Caldon please and thank you! I’m interested to see where book three takes us on this journey and the hints at a potential love triangle (which at first I was against, but now I’m kind of torn) and the political intrigue we have going on after the cliffhanger.

Thank you NetGalley and Clarion books for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

After being blown away by The Prison Healer, I was super excited to receive this arc and see what happens next. Unfortunately, this fell a little flat for me. The Kiva we see in The Gilded Cage does not feel like the same Kiva we meet in The Prison Healer. I'm bummed about her lack of character development and overall naivety throughout the whole book. Her repetitive self-talk about how "torn" she was got old fast, especially after repeatedly being used and hurt by her family. Also, they abandoned you in a death prison for 10 years? I could not understand why she was confused about which side to choose.

What I did love and look forward to seeing more of: Caldon, possible love triangle vibes, and the introduction of a more complex political plot.

I will be reading the third book and hope it makes up for what was lacking here. I genuinely hope Kiva returns to her smart, thoughtful ways that we got to know in book one. I hated the cliffhanger more than I've hated a cliffhanger in recent memory, so I'm eager to see what happens in the finale.

Thanks to NetGalley and Clarion Books for this arc in exchange for a review.

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

My Rating: 4 Stars

The first book in this series was unputdownable. The writing, the plot and the characters had me addicted and obsessed and I absolutely stayed up late devouring it. It also ended on a cliffhanger, so when I got approved for the sequel, my relief was palpable.

Book two has a very different feel than book one, which is to be expected given the way that The Prison Healer ended. The characters are now in a very different place (literally) and the game has changed given the information revealed. Honestly, I spent the majority of this book stressed beyond belief. The TENSION I felt as Kiva reunited with her siblings and tried to reconcile her need for revenge with her growing feelings for a certain prince was overwhelming.

The plot was a little bit slower, which is typically to be expected for the second book in a trilogy. That being said, the events that took place in the book all felt important and necessary for the overall plot. Things were just more focused on politics and shifting alliances than the action that was present in the first book with the tournament.

Let me also say that for some reason I went into this thinking it was a duology and WAS SO FREAKING WRONG. There is a book three, and I can safely say that Lynette Noni is fantastic at writing cliffhangers. I’ll be dying a slow death as I wait for book three to be released. A slow, slow death.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC for an honest review!

This is the second book in the Prison Healer series and is set a few months after where the original book ends. The gap in time is explained throughout the book so you don’t feel as though you have missed anything.

This book has less plot than the first one as Kiva navigates through her current situation and spends time learning from others as much as she can. That being said, I didn’t find it to be any less of an enjoyable read and think it was perfectly set up for the final book of the series. I also found the plot twists to be less obvious than the first book, although there were a few that I predicted.

There were a few more characters introduced and much more of a focus on character/relationship building. I fell in love with a couple more characters and I’m sure you will too!

I was surprised at how naive Kiva was in certain situations as I thought she was a lot more thoughtful in the first book but I enjoyed watching her character development and how resilient she is.

This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster and I ended up finishing it in one day. I’d definitely recommend you read it if you enjoyed the first one!


P.S the slow burn is KILLING me!!!!!!!

A slow-burn, behind-enemy-lines, thrilling follow up to The Prison Healer, The Gilded Cage is a must-read!

Jared and Kiva's page-turning journey is one that, if you've read The Prison Healer, you will consume (or it will consume you).

Ending with a *gasp-out-loud* cliffhanger, you'll be eagerly awaiting the next installment.

4/5

Thank you, NetGalley and Clarion Books, for providing me with an e-ARC to review!

I was given an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.


I do not know where to start with this book. The end has me reeling, and I would like to name Lynette Noni the new Queen of Cliffhangers.
The plot was decent. But the writing was clunky and choppy instead of lyrical and flowing. It drove me up the wall, honestly.

And Kiva. I adored her in the first book, but in this one she drove me INSANE. She was blind and naïve and honestly, a doormat. Her personality on this one was so annoying!!
Regardless of the things that annoyed me, I still enjoyed this book. It was good extension of the first book, and I enjoyed how the world building continued in this book. I desperately need the next one! I can't wait to see how the story concludes!

With the end of The Prison Healer I expected this sequel to go a bit differently than it did. I wanted to see a bit more character tension but overall it was a good read and I’m excited to read the third book. I did struggle connecting with the MC in this one and her and Jaren didn't have as great of chemistry to me. I was highly nervous the entire book for what would happen and it read quickly. I really had trouble seeing things from the rebels pov so it made Kiva’s flip flop between Jaren’s family and her own harder for me to really understand. I wasnt sure why she had loyalty to them when they continually let her down and used her. I was angry a good amount of the book on her behalf.

A great follow-up to THE PRISON HEALER, a book I loved and enjoyed. I feel that this series is very, very fresh in the genre and is on that border between YA and adult. Without giving too much away, we follow Kiva in the aftermath of THE PRISON HEALER and watch her deal with the results of the happenings of the first book, and I love where this series is going. Kiva is so complex, and while she does make me SO MAD at some parts, I can't help but love her and her journey and story. Here's to the next one!

4/5 stars

Once again, I am wowed by a book. The Gilded Cage was an amazing sequel to the prison healer. We got to see more of the kingdoms, a larger cast of characters, and a developing romance.

The one reason I docked a star for this book was because of the pacing. The middle was kind of boring, and I feel like some scenes could have been cut.

This was an excellent sequel, and if you want to know what happens next after that crazy cliffhanger in the prison healer, I highly recommend reading this. I can't wait for book three!!!

Amazing sequel! The Prison Healer is an underrated gem in the YA fantasy realm, and it's not easy to follow such a wonderful debut in a new series with an equally engrossing sequel. But this certainly doesn't disappoint, and again, Noni takes things to a new level and gives you surprises along the way. This had me gasping as I did with the first! Happy to add this to our collection and recommend to our teen readers!

Lynette Noni is such a gifted writer--and a new favorite for me in 2021!
The Gilded Cage gave me all the same feels as The Prison Healer. I tried not to finish it in one day... But, the story is SO well-written and Noni, again, is such a smart writer with every choice and the path her characters take leading into more complex developments--either of the character's growth (and normally making them even more endearing to me) or making the plot even more captivating that I lose track of time outside the novel. She is taking the orphan trope we see in YA Fantasy and recreating it.
And, no, I once AGAIN did not see the twist coming!
All the stars to this series! 5+
...And, I can't wait to embrace the next book.

Fans of the first book are 100% sure to enjoy this one. I say that because, in many ways, they're virtually the same book. There were times the foreshadowing was clumsy enough to be mildly insulting, and it's weird to me that the main character doesn't spare a single thought for prison reform (given what she learned in the first book), but, it's a fun read if you can get past those issues.

The pace of the story started slow; however, it allowed you to learn more about the characters. When you get to the last third of the story, the betrayal, the anxiety of what is going to happen is high. You know it cannot end well, and it leaves you broken. You know it is coming and you cannot stop it; it makes you so stressed out! You keep wishing for some miracle to make it right. Definitely will be picking up the next read in this series