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.

This was so amazing. I need more from this author. The characters are so good. I need more. I can’t wait to see what’s next for this story!

Wow! I don’t even know what to say other than this book was absolutely fantastic!

I loved everything about it and I already can’t wait for the next book!

If you love Dystopian Fantasy and are a fan of The Girl of Fire and Thorns, The Selection, or the Hunger Games, you’ll definitely love Of Cages and Crowns!

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for a copy of this title to review!

One would think being marked by the goddess would be something someone could be proud of. Yet being marked means that you will have to participate in the culling. An extremely outdated practice where the 10 goddess marked girls must battle each other one on one till one girl is left standing. That last girl is then made queen. Monroe wants nothing to do with the Culling. She wants to live. So when the crown calls for all the marked girls to come forward Monroe does the only thing she thinks she can do run. Yet there is no escaping her fate as she is found before she can make it to safety. In the palace she is tested day and night. Learning to use her skills, trying to avoid the Queen who can control poison and is not afraid to kill those who get in her way, and trying to fight feelings that she has for the next King Cohen. Can Monroe find a way to escape her fate and possibly save some of the other girls in the process or will she end up dead.
This is a great story. One is easily swept up not only by the world but the plight of the girls and all the trials they are put through. I do kind of wish we had gotten to know a couple of the Culled girls better, but I understand that would have drawn out the story unnecessarily. Teens are just going to love reading this story and they will be waiting for the next installment. I can’t wait to see where the story goes.
Thank you so much to Wattpad Webtoon Book Group and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

This book follows the trope we all know and love: disadvantaged girl gets forced into a game for her life where the prize is the prince. The familiarity with this trope led to some parts of the plot being predictable and took away some of the suspense, but it was still a really enjoyable read. There were definitely some parts that I did not predict (I won’t say what, but it was a brilliant surprise!). I really connected with Monroe, and was happily rooting for her from the start. The character development was there and has left me wanting to see more (in particular from Uri - I believe there’s so much more to this princess that what we’ve seen so far. I hope she plays a big part in book 2!). There is still so much room for these characters to grow and for the story to continue. I will definitely be picking up book 2!

***Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.***

Rating: 5/5
Pub: 11/25/22
I received a eARC of this book for my honest opinion

Have you ever just loved a book so much you didn’t want it to end? That is how this book made me feel. I loved everything about it from The Hunger Games/The Selection book vibes. I couldn’t put it down, honestly, I didn’t even want to fall asleep but since I had to work, I knew that I had to but right when I woke up, I finished it.

The world building and the plot with a lot more blood shed then I was thinking but honestly that is what took this book to a different level for me. I liked that it was just sugar coated, you got to see a little politics, blood, so for me you got to see the world for what it was, and I enjoyed that she did that. This book was fast paced at the beginning, slowed a little in the middle and then back to fast paced for the ending and wow that ending! I can’t wait to see what is next for this rebel team.

I really enjoyed getting to know the characters throughout the book. I thought Monroe was a well-rounded character, she had her flaws, and she had her strengths. Plus, you really got to see the growth of her character throughout the book. Cohen, I loved that he was a hopeless romantic. I can see the good in him and what he would bring the kingdom, but I think he does have some more growing up to do. I liked that at the end of the book you really got to see the fight come out of him. As for the other characters there were ones I didn’t like and ones that I really loved and can’t wait to see if they’re in the next book.

This book was published on Wattpad but it is now getting to be “traditionally” published and I am so happy for Brianna Crump.

With all that being said I could go on and on, but I don’t want to chance a slip up and spoil anything so instead all I am going to say is, if you love HG and The Selection, if you love books with twists and turns, heartbreak and love, then you really need to pick up this book and read it for yourself to see the greatest.

I want to thank NetGalley and Wattpad for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this amazing book.

Thank you Netgalley and Wattpad Books for allowing me to read and review this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you enjoyed:
The Selection
The Grace Year
Castles in Their Bones
The Hunger Games

You will adore Of Cages and Crowns!

"This is a beginning for you. This is your freedom."

Holy cow, this book is good!
Of Cages and Crowns left me speechless and wanting more, in a good way. I absolutely loved Monroe as a main character. Her personality felt so realistic and relatable to me. I loved her reactions to the Culling and to the people around her. I would have been disappointed if she felt ready to fight for her life with no training or control over her goddess-touched powers. Even when she was training she was still realistic in the way of wanting to focus on her training and not the distractingly handsome prince.

"Girls like me had two choices: kill or be killed. Die or be queen... No one had ever escaped it... Until now."

Of Cages and Crowns is about a world devoted to gods and goddesses. One half is trying to start over and remove the ideology of worshipping the goddesses and the Culling, the other half has decided to go to war over their ideologies and religious ways. The Culling is taken place when the prince of the kingdom turns eighteen and is ready to marry a goddess-touched girl. Ten girls are picked no matter their age and are willingly, or forcibly, brought to the castle to fight against each other until one is left standing. The winner will marry the prince and become queen.

"I imagined all the girls who had died before me - the hundreds who would die after me. And I imagined all the things I hadn't done yet, all the places I hadn't seen and the experiences I'd missed out on. While those thoughts didn't make me unafraid, they did remind me why I was fighting."

Brianna Joy Crump did a fantastic job developing her characters and the world-building. I loved Tallis, Juno, and Uri. They were my favorites, besides Monroe. I liked the friendship that built between Uri and Monroe so I'm hoping we will see more of that in the sequel. I wanted to strangle the villains of this story so much but I also wanted to read more about them. I would love to read a novella on Queen Viera - she's such a b*tch but I loved her scenes and the surprise villain of the story.

Of course there is a romance between Prince Cohen and Monroe and a side one between Uri and the Captain of the Guard, Dellacov. As much as I liked the development of the main romance, I wanted so much more of Uri and Dellacov's forbidden romance. I love them and I hope in the sequel we will get more insight and development.

The actions scenes were cinematic, the romance was entertaining and fun, and I'm so pumped for what is to come for these characters and the rebellion!

5 stars

FOR FANS OF THE HUNGER GAMES, THE SELECTION AND RED QUEEN, Monroe Benson is goddess-touched, one of ten girls born with supernatural abilities. Being goddess-touched is of the highest honor, because one girl will become Queen...after a fight to the death known as the Culling. Monroe has spent her 17 years hiding from this destiny. But when the Culling comes for her Monroe has no choice but to face it. With rebellion blooming underfoot and her growing feelings for the crown prince will Monroe have what it takes to survive?

This novel completely blew any expectation that I had out of the water. I was completely enthralled the entire time I was reading. The high stakes and captivating romance kept me flipping the pages. There were shocking moments and betrayals that literally made me stare at the pages in awe.

As the main character, Monroe drives the story forward. Her story is so easy to fall into and you can really understand her motivations. You can't help but root for Monroe to live through the Culling.

I absolutely love the concept of the Culling. It's the Selection but with the high stakes of the Hunger Games. As you follow Monroe through this event the stakes loom over dauntingly. And every moment that happens is equally shocking and horrifying, I loved it!

I would absolutely recommend this novel to anyone who loves YA Fantasy romance, especially novels like the Selection, the Hunger Games and Red Queen.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wattpad Books for an eARC copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions contained within this review are my own.

I wanted to read Of Cages and Crowns since I saw it compared to The Hunger Games and The Selection. The Hunger Games is one of my all-time favorite books, and I was intrigued by this unique-sounding dystopia. This book is so good!! I loved the world-building, the storyline, and the romance. There’s so much action and political intrigue, and it’s a pretty intense read. I can see why others have compared it to The Hunger Games and The Selection. The stories revolve around deadly competitions and take place in horrific dystopian societies where people are under surveillance, and extreme measures are used as a means of control. Of Cages and Crowns is similar, but it still feels unique and new.

In a world where some girls are goddess marked and gifted with a unique ability lives Monroe, a goddess-marked girl who can summon fire. Monroe has been hidden for her entire life to avoid being forced into the deadly culling, but when she is caught trying to flee, the unwilling Monroe is forced to compete against other girls in the culling. The culling ends when only one girl remains, and with her life and the throne on the line, Monroe must train to compete. Monroe doesn’t want the crown, and she becomes entrenched in a rebellion against the throne. But as she grows closer to the prince, she must make difficult choices that will change her world.

Monroe has all of the great qualities of a dystopian protagonist. She is smart, strong, and brave, and she is a survivor. She defies people’s expectations, and her power is incredible. She’s a well-rounded character, and I like that we get to see her flaws and weaknesses, as well as her more vulnerable side. Throughout the story, Monroe makes friends in unexpected places, and the more she gets to know them, the more she begins to question her loyalties, principles, and more. It’s interesting to see her change once she isn’t hidden away and is more informed and knowledgeable about society, the royal family, the history of the kingdom, and the culling. She goes from being a scared and reclusive girl who didn’t embrace her gift to a brave and powerful young woman with a strong voice and an even stronger ability.

I love Cohen too. He’s so different from what I expected, and I love his relationship with his sister Uri. She’s another great character. Love her! Her enthusiasm and fun personality are infectious, and it is a refreshing contrast to the dark and deadly threats around them. Monroe’s relationship with her brother, though mostly at the start of the novel is as strong as the one between Cohen and Uri, and there are some interesting themes about the lengths people are willing to go to to protect those they love.

Of course, my favorite relationship in the story is the romance. Monroe and Cohen have some great enemies-to-lovers and America/Maxon vibes going on, and I was totally here for it! Between the love story, the friendships, the intense plot, the magic, the world-building, and character development, I found it difficult to put the book down. It’s exciting and unpredictable with many twists and turns and heart-pounding intensity. The story is gory and suspenseful and filled with lies, betrayal, sinister plots, and that ending left me speechless! I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

I really wanted to love Brianna Joy Crump's OF CAGES AND CROWNS, but I really just couldn't. I am truly baffled by all the glowing reviews and cannot see myself recommending this to anyone. The premise itself is interesting, but the execution leaves much to be desired. The prologue was the best part of the story; it was, unfortunately, downhill from there. It's very much THE SELECTION meets THE HUNGER GAMES, but I don't feel like the narrative voice is nearly as polished. Monroe feels like a less developed and interesting Mare from THE RED QUEEN. For a story about girls supposedly having to fight each other to the death, there is a surprising lack of tension. The relationship between Cohen and Monroe felt lackluster at best, and the banter between them can barely be called that. I was never convinced by any real sparks between them. The action sequences feel rushed (again, not nearly as much tension as there could be). Beyond the actual storytelling, there were a couple aspects that really bugged me. First of all, how is it in 2022 we have the prince telling the protagonist that she should smile because she looks prettiest when she smiles? Secondly, why on earth is Kinsley being described as "entirely exotic"? How these choices made it past an editorial team shows that there is still truly a lot of work that needs to be done in the publishing industry.

This is probably one of my favourite YA Fantasy books of this year! I went into it not expecting much but I was blown away by Brianna Joy Crump’s beautiful writing skills. The world building in this book was phenomenal and I was instantly captivated and mesmerised by this world that the author has created. I cannot wait for this book to be published and to see what other works this author has in store

This book reignited my 2010s YA dystopian days. I was hooked from the first chapter and this book was a pleasant surprise that did not disappoint!
This book is giving the initial vibes of Hunger Games and The Selection series. When Monroe is sent to fight in this generation's Culling she is forced to accept her fate of marrying the crown prince or die. Ten girls, all with a goddess-touched mark on their bodies and special abilities, are forced to manage courts, challenges, and each other.
This book is also giving me a little The Folk in the Air series, but you are going to have to read it to find out why ;)
Overall, I loved this book, but the formatting errors and typos on the Kindle version took me out of the book at times.

If you love Defy the Night, The Hunger Games, The Selection, or The Folk in the Air series, I highly recommend you give this a chance.

Thank you, NetGalley for a complimentary copy. All opinions in this review are my own.

Overall: 4.5/5

I rated this book 4.5/5 stars.

Wow. This book. THIS BOOK. Based off the description, I expected I was going to like it, but I didn’t expect to LOVE IT. This book is Hunger Games meets The Selection with a splash of the Red Queen series as well (all series of which I thoroughly enjoyed). This book has drama, intrigue, betrayal, and love. It was a really addicting read!

The plot of this book was fantastic. It began right out of the gate, giving us some world building and introducing our main character and then jumping pretty quickly into the main plot. The writing did take me a little bit to get used to, both with the formatting of the ebook and with how the author does dialogue, which is why I marked it down half a star, but once I got used to that it didn’t bother me. The book had a great balance of build up and action, along with allowing us to learn more about the characters. This was a great plot for the start of a series and definitely got me hooked! The end of this book was pretty dramatic and a lot more intense than I was expecting! It doesn’t end on a cliff hanger, but ends with enough up in the air that you want to jump into the next book.

I loved the main characters as well, with Monroe reminding me a lot of powerful female characters in other stories. I would have liked to see her a little less surprised with Cohen’s interest in her (she did repeatedly act shocked even though he repeatedly told her of his interest). But other than that I liked him. I would have loved to see a bit more of her relationship with her trainers as well, as they were really interesting! Overall it was a great cast of characters and really fun!

This is a Wattpad book, meaning it was first “published” on Wattpad and is now going to be traditionally published. I think some of the issue I had with formatting is due to that, so I hope they fix it when its officially released. However, with it being a Wattpad book first, that means the rest of the trilogy is on WP and I just might have to pay for their premium subscription to be able to find out what happens with the rest of the series!

I will post a review to Goodreads and to the Instagram linked below the week before publishing!

Once I realized that Of Cages and Crowns by Brianna Joy Crump was a fantasy novel where The Hunger Games meets The Bachelor, I was a little skeptical. That being said, it ended up surprising me more than I expected.

Every generation ten girls are marked by the goddess and gifted with a unique ability. It is an honor coveted by many, but dreaded by Monroe, a goddess-touched girl who has lived hidden away her entire life. The ten girls are required to compete in the Culling, a competition to the death where the prize is the Prince’s hand in marriage and the title of Queen, but they have to outlast nine other girls to win.

I had mixed feelings about a good portion of this novel, but as a whole, I think if you can stick it out to the end, it’s clear that many of the aspects that are a little annoying seem to set up the ending and the next book in the series. The book felt a bit too long for me; especially the first part seemed very slow.

Furthermore, I was not thrilled at the comparison to The Bachelor, but I was excited to discover that it didn’t give off the same creepy vibes as the T.V. show. I went back and forth between loving Monroe and Prince Cohen’s relationship to hating it. There was a little bit of instant attraction on Monroe’s part, which I found odd considering her circumstances. I thought the relationship developed nicely from there though, but fizzled out, and then reignited towards the end. Overall, I wouldn’t say I was wholeheartedly invested in their relationship, but I think that is because other aspects of the novel needed to take priority.

Similarly, I thought Cohen was infuriating! He basically becomes angry with Monroe when she simply takes action to try to survive, and boy was I furious. The nerve of him to be mad at her when he was partially to blame for her circumstances to begin with, when he was not willing to do anything to change those circumstances, was appalling! However, I think the ending of the novel showed some growth in his character, and explained (but didn’t excuse) his poor behavior.

Additionally, there were a lot of elements to the story that made it more complex. For instance, Monroe’s relationships with the other goddess-touched girls, her brothers, and her trainers, really added a lot of depth to the novel. These aspects also showed an impressive growth in Monroe and the other characters in the book.

When I was planning on writing this review, I was ready to say that I saw the ending coming, but it ended up being surprisingly unexpected. Now, I wouldn’t say that it was a major plot twist or anything, but I’ll just say that I was ready for the author to leave the novel open-ended to a certain extent, and that did not happen. There are certainly still some loose ends, but not in regard to what I was expecting. I really appreciated this aspect of the book!

Overall, if you are a reader who can appreciate a book for its complexity, and who doesn’t mind a slow novel, then I think this book is for you. While I initially wasn’t planning on reading the sequel, that ending really drew me in!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This. Is. A. Yes.

My first impression of this as I started reading is that the author was going for a Hunger Games meets Mulan vibe, and I have never been more delighted to be wrong.

Monroe is FIERCE and loyal to herself and to those around her. The whole premise of a “Culling” is very Hunger Games, but the way the author pulls it off is fresh and inspired. If this doesn’t get a TV show deal I will riot.

I plan on adding a copy to my young adult shelf as soon as possible. Thank you NetGalley and the author for the chance to read an ARC.

This book should be a big hit with teens who likes the hunger games and the selection. It has a strong storyline and although it takes a while to understand and bond with some of the characters , you are rooting for them by the end. Looking forward to the next book.