This was good, but the concept is overdone & it may be a hard sell to students since it is compared to Hunger Games. The romance was more prominent than the action.

Oh I really wish I had read this book sooner, when I was a teenager cause it would have made me dream even more. It is a good mixture between The Selection and Red Queen.

Monroe is goddess touched and it means she can control fire and must compete to become the next queen against innocent girls who have other dangerous powers. Only the last one remaining living will become queen and marry the charming Prince Cohen. It may seem like a fairytale, but when you feel another’s girl life slipping away at your hands, then it becomes a nightmare and someone needs to stop it! The love story is very cute even if a bit naive especially for Prince Cohen, who does see the flaws in this way of ruling but is not ready to stop it before becoming king (“if you die at least we had this” well no boy if I die it’s your fault as well and I’ll hate you from the afterworld’).

It seems very strange that a kingdom has been able to survive with such incompetent guide: the king is always drunk and the queen is like super evil and heartless. I would have loved to know the queen’s thoughts at least to empathize a bit with her, in this way she only comes out at a villain with no sentiments, more like a sociopath.

I loved the friendship between Monroe and the princess, it’s very genuine and gives us something to focus apart from the love story but it is counterbalanced with the hatred another goddess touched girl feels for her. I know this girl has been brainwashed since she was little and her hatred makes sense, but it just feels a bit old school: the rival who is ready to do everything to win the crown vs the heroine who pities her.

In general the story really kept me on edge and I devoured the book even if it’s not flawless. I especially appreciated the prologue where the world building is created, with a completely new and fascinating religion.
Thanks to NetGalley for the e-copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book.

4.5/5 Stars

I came into this book knowing nothing other than it somewhat like the Hunger Games, and wow was I hooked. This book nailed down the nostalgia of the Hunger Games. I could not seem to want to put the book down, holding me in anticipation throughout the entire novel. This book has interesting magic system, world-building, and characters. I am excited to see these evolve in the next book, and to explore more of Erydia. I will be picking up a physical copy of this book!

I highly recommend you picking up this novel if you are a fan of the Hunger Games or the Grishaverse. It will bring you right back to the fantasy / dystopian era we all loved.

12 hours removed from finishing this book and I'm still not sure how I feel about it.  I like the premise of the story and the characters were interesting, but there was something with the execution of the story that didn't work for me.  Or maybe it was the relationship between Cohen and Monroe that was the real issue.  Monroe was just a girl who wanted to be herself; not goddess-touched or the next queen.  She didn't want to participate in the Culling, knowing that it mean the demise of 9 girls.  She just wanted to be Monroe.  So it was interesting, the relationship that began to grown between her and Cohen.  He's been treated horribly by his family (talk about a Mommy Dearest) and really can't do much until he inherits the throne.  But from the outside, you could tell that he was never going to get what he wanted:  crown or queen.  I would have thought he and Monroe a bit of kindred spirits and really wanted the relationship to grow.  But where Monroe did think of those around her and would often put herself in a horrible position for the good of someone else, Cohen didn't really do that.  He might got 90% of the way, but it was always that last 10% that made you think he was really looking out for number 1.  Which meant he really isn't the person Monroe should be with.

When the book ended, I wasn't really sure if there was more to the story.  It felt like there was, but there wasn't a mention.  I ended up on the author's Wattpad page to find out there are indeed 3 books to the series.  I'm not sure if I'd want to continue on with the story, it I do end up doing so it would be to see if Monroe does find someone worthy of her...because I'm not sure it's Cohen.

An interesting read a little too much like The Hunger Games. I think I would have enjoyed it much more if I haven’t already read all of The Hunger Games books. Similar to that series a group of young adults and children will compete in an arena to the death. In this series it is between 10 females competing to the death to find who will be the next queen. It is called the culling. There are various groups in this universe. Some who actively work to overthrow the powers that be. Some who believe in the culling. Most just trying to survive. The females who are “chosen” for this fight to the death are born with a mark in their hands and are said to be goddess blessed.

I really didn’t enjoy this book very much, mainly because this plot has been done before. But many fans of YA and dystopian novels will enjoy it I’m sure.

I really enjoyed this one! The plot was exciting, and it reminded me a lot of Hunger Games and the Selection. I liked the beginning a lot more than the last half of the book, though. Halfway through, it slowed down and got a bit predictable. I also wasn't a fan of how the romance became the main focus of the story. I wanted a bit more action and less of the romance. But other than that, this was a fun read!

I really enjoyed this fast-paced, enthralling YA fantasy! The premise of ladies competing for the hand of the prince may have been done before, but not quite like this! This was definitely darker and grittier as 10 “goddess touched” girls are forced to fight each other to the death.
I really liked the main character Monroe, who had great character growth throughout the book! The other characters were well written and likable too. I loved Uri, who was rebellious and kind hearted. Prince Cohen was also a great character, and I really enjoyed his chemistry with Monroe.
I thought the plot was well written and definitely had me on the edge of my seat at times! There were a couple small plot twists that I did not see coming! I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book!

LATE ARC REVIEW
This started off really slow but eventually it picked up pace, the world building is great and it gave me Red Queen vibes. It ends on a divergent type cliffhanger and im excited for a sequel. This was such a good read.

The ending for this book was phenomenal! I definitely get the like “Hunger Games meets fantasy world” vibes. This will be perfect for my kids who loved Hunger Games and Furyborn!

I thought this novel was good for a debut! It was very reminiscent of “The Selection” and “Red Queen”. There were some differences, but I think it was almost a little too similar. I hope the other books veer into another direction and become more unique.

I do think the characters could have been more developed and that the relationships could have been deeper. The relationships felt a little surface level at times.

I was going to rate “Of Cages and Crowns” a 3, but because of the ending, I’m giving it a 3.5 (rounded up to 4). I will read the next book of the series when it comes out!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: November 22, 2022

A riveting first in a series to come. Fans of The Hunger Games will enjoy this one. This will hook you early and the relationships and drama will keep you turning the pages. Left on a bit of a cliffhanger—this will have you yearning for what comes next!

Monroe has grown up hiding her whole life – the mark on her hand indicates her as goddess-touched, which means she will have to fight to the death in this generation’s Culling. There are always ten girls born with this mark throughout the empire, and all must participate in the Culling to determine who will reign as the next queen. Tensions are also high between neighboring countries, and it appears that war is imminent. But there’s no outrunning fate. Will Monroe be able to navigate the court and survive all that the Culling will entail?

When I first began reading this, I was afraid it was going to be too reminiscent of the Hunger Games for me to enjoy. While there were similarities, this book contained many unique and fresh ideas. I would have preferred a little more information concerning the setting early on – it took a little bit of time to identify what sort of place the setting was (fantasy vs. post-apocalyptic vs. historical fantasy, etc.). But through bits and pieces, the world became clearer. The lore was fantastic – I loved the creation story told at the beginning and how the whole setting revolved around those religious beliefs. The concept of the Videra Priestesses was also quite intriguing – I would have loved to see more of them!

The characters were very well written. Monroe was an engaging protagonist, one that was relatable and had the perfect amount of fear and wherewithal to make a great main character. The secondary characters were also generally well developed; I especially loved that some of the other female contestants got more page time toward the end of the book. Cohen was well written and likeable. I was grateful that the love story wasn’t the typical insta-love. The character even acknowledged that it wasn’t love but more of an attraction and situational thing – I was pleasantly surprised by this.

There were unfortunately many errors and typos in the kindle version that I received. The formatting was also horrible, making it difficult to become fully immersed in the book. If it weren’t for the typos, errors, and formatting issues, I would have given this book a five-star rating. Since I received an ARC of this work, it is possible that the final published work won't have any of these errors.

Y’all need to read this. If you love magic, fights to the death, soft romance, rebellions, and dangerous rulers, this is the book for you. Many thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this work.

Oh my gosh, I loved this book so much! I cannot wait for the rest in the series to release. It had a Hunger Games vibe to it, but instead of everyone fighting at once, it’s one on one and with powers.

This book has everything you want in a fantasy story. There’s unlikely friendships, outcasts, magic or powers, epic battles, betrayal, longing, love… everything!

I loved that nothing was as straight forward as it seemed and I was kept guessing throughout. I was on the edge of my seat with nerves so much of the time, and then grinning like a fool for a lot of it too. There’s the perfect mix of action and romance, and in a way, a found family.

One of my favourite reads of the year.

The story of ten goddess-touched girls fighting against each other so that one ultimately becomes queen is what intrigued me. There was a lot more going on besides the competition like how imperfect the royal family was, an impeding war, a rebellion group against the royal family, and Monroe who wanted absolutely nothing to do with the Culling. I especially loved Monroe's friendship with Princess Uri and eventually Nadia. The love interest Cohen wasn't that spectacular and the instant love between him and Monroe was a let down. I predicted one reveal but did not see the other one coming and so I will definitely read the next in the series for all the unanswered questions. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

This book is soooo good. It really is a mix of The Hungry Games and The selection. Our main character is super likable and I love the struggle she has as she’s figuring out how to be a girl but also feel comfortable in her own skin. The relationship between her and the prince is super cute. All of the characters are exactly written and all so different from each other. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Let’s start with this: Don’t go into this thinking it’s a standalone novel. Neither Amazon or GoodReads list it as being part of a series, but it ends on what I’d call a semi-cliffhanger, with the story long from resolved, so it’s either part of a series or I’ve misread the book entirely and am very embarrassed. I’d rather not be that embarrassed, so I’m going with it being the first book in a series and the rest of the series just hasn’t been announced yet. So, are we all on the same page now? Good.

So, okay. This book really, really, isn’t original. It was pretty clear from very early on in this book that the plot (of this entry at least) is Hunger Games meets Throne of Glass meets The Selection. That’s a whole lot of YA lore to be whipping into a batter and baking a cake out of, but I just couldn’t help but inhale it greedily, my brain and soul loving the empty calories. This kind of book isn’t like reading some of the books I read where I come away full of feels and needing to take time to contemplate the experience. It’s not even like the romance novels I read on the regular, where I giggle and sigh and swoon. No. Books like “Of Cages and Crowns” are like spending the evening watching rom-coms and eating ice cream: just pure comfort and relaxation. Books like these are enjoyable because they ask nothing of you but to lay back and enjoy the fantasy fluff.

That’s not to say Brianna Joy Crump doesn’t have talent. She really does. Her characters aren’t complete cookie cutter cut-outs. They’re multi-faceted and interesting. Have I read books with a “culling” trope that did better with the characterizations of the females involved? Yes. But I enjoyed Crump’s efforts to bring depth and breadth to the sociopolitical and geopolitical situation for the people and the country in the book as well as the central plot in the book.

It’s not a perfect book, but it’s a lot of fun for us people who gobble up fantasy romances like candy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wattpad Books for granting me access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.

File Under: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy/YA Fantasy/Paranormal Romance/Fantasy Series/Coming of Age/Steamy Romance/YA Fantasy Romance

3.5/5 stars

If you are a fan of the Hunger Games, Red Queen and the Selection, then this is the book for you!

We learn the history of the world in the prologue, which explains to us the reasoning why Erydia uses a battle royal culling to determine their next queen from a group of 10 goddess-touched girls.

The main character Monroe is likable except for anytime she thinks about her love interest. The “but why little old me” trope is fairly annoying and really played out in this book.

My favorite parts were the action scenes, and the twist at the end that I didn’t fully see coming. I will gladly read the sequel as I hope Monroe will continue to gain strength and confidence in her power.

Of Cages and Crowns was so intense and engaging that I could not put it down! It successfully delivers a hunger games-like fantasy novel that really delivers. The chemistry is very present and the plot twists are true did NOT see them coming twists! Consider this a mix between The Selection and The Hunger Games.

2.5 stars

I wish I had liked this book more than I did but I think the plot fell short for me. I found it hard to get through and I pushed myself to finish it. I liked the dialogue but found the plot to be a bore. I wish there was actually more plot and deaths from the actual trials instead of the queen killing most of them. I don't think I'll be continuing the series or reading anything else by the author. I will say that she is a talented in her actual writing though.

✨𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙤𝙧 𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜.✨

𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯.
Of Cages and Crowns follow Monroe Benson, one of the ten goddess-touched girls destined to participate in the Culling, an age-old competition to determine the next queen of Erydia, where the girls must fight (using their supernatural powers) until one remains.

Monroe's family tried their best to hide her from this brutal fate, but she was caught while fleeing and taken to the palace to participate in the deadly competition. With a war looming around and rebellion brewing all over, Monroe finds herself in the front line of the rebellions circle.

But her growing affection for the queen's son, Cohen, is making it difficult for her to betray him. She must now face her destiny whether she wants to or not.. and the choices Monroe makes will reverberate through the kingdom... and her heart forever.

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀.
To start with, the prologue literally gave me goosebumps.. and I loved the way the backstory, tbe emotions and the world building was introduced. It showed us everything we needed to know about the Culling, why this world revolves around the competition and why Monroe's life is the way it is.. looved the world building🤩🤌🏼

𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳, we see the beautiful bond between Monroe and her family. How her mother sacrificed everything to keep her safe and away from the fate the goddess has set up for her.. how her brothers do everything in their power to help her grow.

Ambrose grounded her, taught her self-defense and how to use her powers, gave her flowers whenever he came back from the market as she can't roam around freely in town. He did everything in his power to keep her safe, such a great brother he is.. And Kace, he can go to hell.

𝗔𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗱-𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, Monroe is caught and sent to the palace to participate in the deadly competition. From there, we get to see two plotlines - 1. Where the romance blossoms between her and Cohen, and 2. Where she has to practice hard in order to win the trials and NOT DIE.

✨“𝙄’𝙢 𝙖 𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙖. 𝘼𝙣𝙙, 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙣 . . . 𝙄𝙛 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙣, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙖 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛.”✨

These two aspects of the story are in a 2:1 ratio where the romance part is more prominent than the other (and I wanted the opposite to happen). I wanted to see the action, the fights and how Monroe fights hard to win the competition and become the queen...

But there were more of etiquette lessons and ball rooms, and worries about whether the prince will like her in the gown she is wearing🙄

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝟳𝟬% 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗳𝘂𝗹. Something or the other kept happening and there was not a single moment of peace during this phase of the story. It included amazing actions, deceptions, rebellions and politics along with super sweet and heartwarming romance.

And the best part was the "last part" of the storyy...it was super exciting and thrilling. Everything was a chaoss..total chaos🤯 There was so much action, fights, twists and turns that I was almost jumping from excitement. Looved it. The ending was also beautiful and although there's no cliffhanger, I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀.
Monroe was such a simple and relatable yet complex character. She didn't deny being scared of the competition and running away didn't seem cowardly to her. It was the most natural response to something like 'The Culling' and she didn't try to hide her fear behind the mask of being strong.

✨"𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨: 𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙧 𝙗𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙. 𝘿𝙞𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙗𝙚 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙚𝙣."✨

But, when it was time to be strong, she did not shy away and fought hard in the trials to stay alive, and did everyything she can (even when it would be treason) to bring a change in the world and to end this awful tradition.. Although her inner monologue was a bit too much and her emotions took a large majority of the plot, I liked her.. and her character development was amazing.

✨"𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮, 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚."✨

Cohen was a such a sweet gentleman, kind and caring, and oh so romantic.. His sweetness made me smile so much and I loved how he opened up to Monroe and trusted her with his life, good or bad.. he was incredibly sweet🥺🥺

His strength was also amazing, the way he rebelled against his mother even when he knew the consequences, he did not back down. He stood up for the people he loved and cared for, and did everything in his power to change the world.

✨“𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙛 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚?” 𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙬 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙚𝙩. “𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”✨

Ambrose, Uri, Nadia, Tallis and Juno, they all have my heart.. Even though we don't see much of their character except for Ambrose and Uri (whose personality I loove💖).. they become an integral part of the plot soon and will always be there in my mind whenever I'll think about this book.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻. Even though she's an evil and vile person, her character was well-written. An incredible villian, for whom there's only one thing one can feel. HATE. There was no humanity in her and all she wanted was power, no matter if she hurt her children for it.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.
Overall, it was an amazing young-adult fantasy with an incredible world-building, action-packed scenes, sweet romantic moments woven around rebellion, deceptions and politics.

Though the pacing was very slow in the middle, this book was quite eventful and never gave a dull moment as the plot becomes a chaotic mess. Totaly recommended for young-adult fantasy/romance, dystopian fantasy lovers😄

𝗧𝗪: Violence, Blood, Death, Deception, Manipulation, Graphic Scenes.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆, 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝘆 𝗖𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗽𝗮𝗱 𝗪𝗘𝗕𝗧𝗢𝗢𝗡 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗲-𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄.