Being born as a marked girl means that you have a 10% chance of becoming the next queen and a 90% chance of dying by the hands of the other marked girls. Monroe doesn’t feel she has much of a chance in achieving that 10% goal.

I loved The Hunger Games, and when I saw this one up on NetGalley, I was immediately interested, so I am thankful to have received an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Honestly, it took me a little while to connect with the story and the characters. I’m not one who compares books while I read, giving each book its own credit and merit as an individual work, but this one was so similar in the beginning concept to The Hunger Games, that I just couldn’t stop. From trying to prevent reporting for the Culling to the train ride to the capital, to having trainers and advisors to prepare for the trials, there was just so much that parallel.

However, I really began to like the secondary character. Uri is my favorite. She played a bigger role in the first half of the book, but she sadly disappeared a little as we got closer to the end. Cohen, the prince, who is to marry the winner of the Culling (the trials that pairs the marked girls up against each other in battles to the death until only one remains) is probably the most mysterious character. There is much more about him that needs to be fleshed out. The current queen, Viera, is no comparison to President Snow from the HG. I’d rather face Snow than this evil, monstrous witch any day!

Among the amazing cast of secondary characters, lies the other marked girls. Again, I found myself really interested in them. I love that they were developed so uniquely and clearly from each other. This was a huge strength of the writing style. Character driven stories are some of my favorites and it comes down to the author’s ability to create characters into their own people with individual personalities, and that happened here. Even if our main character, Monroe, is one of my least favorite in the book.

Magic being woven into the plot, it is definitely a unique approach and one that separates this book from others. Each marked girl has a magical ability, different from the others. Although we only got to see a couple Trials, I really appreciated seeing the development and application of these abilities. How they could wield them as weapons, as protection, or as a means of helping others.

It is clear that this is the beginning of a series, as the ending of the book is action packed, page turning, can't put the book down intense. I loved the ending! The not quite a cliffhanger abrupt stop. There were some things that I didn’t see coming and actions that put things in motion for book 2.

This was a great read, and when I finished it, I really appreciated it for what it was. I may have had those initial concerns, but it came around and became a worthy read. The connection between the title and a card game presented in the book, symbolically highlighted what was happening in the plot.

Not being released until November, go ahead and jot this title down so you don’t forget about it!

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for a honest review.

From the very first chapter of this book I was hooked. Monroe is a goddess touched girl who is supposed to take part in a competition with nine other goddess touched girls. Whoever is the last remaining girl alive will become the next Queen and will wed Cohen the prince. Monroe wants to stop the current royal family from ruling because they are unfair and unjust. The Queen is also evil and will stop at nothing to destroy anything and anyone in her path. Monroe is working with rebels to try to stop the royal family, while doing so she tricks Cohen into trusting her so that she can gain more information to help the rebels win this war. However Monroe starts falling for Cohen and also gains a faithful friend in Uri who is one of the three princesses.
I really enjoyed the world building and characters that were in this book. At times the book moved a little slow and also the arena battles were not as exciting as I had hoped for them to be. I also think the ending happened really fast and I was as satisfied with it as I would have hoped to be. I do however really like the politics and character building that was shown throughout this book. Monroe was a great main character and I loved how she changed from wanting nothing to do with her goddess touched gift, to wanting to make the world a much better place for everyone.

Rating: 3.5

The author took the concept of 'fight to the death' and 'the bachelor' and mixed them.
And the result was pretty great! Even though, the prince doesn't have a say in who he gets to marry.

For the most part, it was a fast-paced book, with lots of action and plot twists. At some point, near the middle, there was a lot of romance added that took away a lot of pages from the main theme.

In the beginning, the romance between Monroe and Cohen seems forced, but as the plot advances, the chemistry gets better.
On that note, I love Uri and Hugo with all my heart and they should be protected at all costs.

The characters are well-written and unique, even the secondary characters.
The descriptions of them, the landscape, and the fights are great.

I can't wait for the next book!
A thank you to NetGalley for the free ebook copy.

I loved this story. Was definitely a little different than my usual choice of book, so I was left with a jaw drop! The story building was amazing.

I loved this book so much. The moment I started reading it, I knew I wold be sitting in the same spot for hours. I read it in a day.

The concept reminded me very much of The Selection or The Bachelor but make it violent. I’ve seen a ew people compare it to the Hunger Games (which I haven’t read but I’ll trust their judgement).

At first, it was a bit difficult to understand the world itself but the world-building in general was very solid and easy to understand. I was obsessed with the rivalry, the hidden romance, all of it. I can’t believe Im left with that cliff-hanger and I don’t know when the next book will be published.

I’ll be writing a full review on my blog soon and updating this quick review.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First off, hot freaking damn! I wasn't prepared for all that bloodshed towards the end of this book. Then the twist blew my mind at the same time because I was completely hating one person when I should have been sharing the hate for two horrible people instead. Well, let's be honest here... I didn't like a few people in this book. I hope they all felt my unhappiness. If not, there's always the sequel?

I also really enjoyed the hunger games meets the selection with a dash of red queen vibes throughout the book. I'm always up for some competition, especially when it's deadly. The amount of betrayal between one family was insane to me though. You'd think family over blood but some of these people were like "Hell nah!"

The characters chosen for the culling were actually pretty interesting as well. After meeting Monroe, I could totally feel for her family trying to protect her. Registering her as guy was pretty clever but that went to shit really quickly with one betrayal. As for the rest of the girls, I really like Nadia. She was just way too sweet and needed to be protected at all costs. I only really didn't like one of them and I'm secretly hoping we get revenge in the next book.

In the end, I honestly couldn't put this book down. My eyes couldn't devour the words fast enough and I just wanted to see what was going to happen next. I'm still in shock over the ending and I have endless questions and theories floating around now. Seriously, I can't wait for the sequel to come out because I need it in my hands right now.

I'm so happy that I got the chance to jump into this. Very excited for Brianna to write the next one!

👑👑👑👑/5
Of Cages and Crowns
By Brianna Joy Crump
Available 11/22/2022

“No, because you prettiest when you smile.” 💕

This book was so stinking good. I’m writing this review at 2:30 am because I could not put it down. I loved it! It’s like, if The Hunger Games and the Crown on Nextflix had a kid...this would be their love child. It was brutal, intense, and so full of emotion. I really liked and connected with the main character, Monroe (which, what an awesome name!). I adored the love interest and all of the wide characters. Even the villains were fun to hate.
☠️ ⚔️ 🔥
I am so excited to see where the story leads. I have a feeling that this next book is really going to hurt me. There were so many people I want to have a happy ending 🥺

Blurb:
In a land torn in two by ancient history, there is a ritual called the Culling. In the kingdom of Erydia, girls who are goddess blessed, born with mark in their body and supernatural abilities, are gathered to compete for the right be crowned queen. It is a competition to the death, leaving one girl standing with a crown on her head and a prince on her arm...and the rest dead.
Monroe Benson is one of these girls. Having no desire to become queen, she attempts to escape the Culling by fleeing to the enemy kingdom. But when authorities catch her, she forced into a world of glamour, death, and survival. Through these barbaric and a sadistic games, Monroe finds herself getting close with the one person she should hate, her possible betrothed, Prince Cohen. Yet, as talk of a rebellious group from the enemy kingdom festers, Monroe finds herself being pulled into their game of spies and hidden alliances. In the end, as death and destruction rain down around her, she must make a choice. Does she stand by her people and aid in the rebellion against a kingdom that hates her...or does she continue to kill in the Culling, lopping off pieces of her soul, to stand by a prince that might have stolen her heart and become his queen?

Overall, I absolutely loved this book!! The ending though… I AM UNWELL!!
How long until the sequel!?!?

I loved both main characters, Monroe and Cohen, however… I feel like both of them could have been a little more……something….
In my opinion Monroe never really used her power to the full potential she could. I mean she could literally summon fire to her fingertips without blinking an eye! I felt like the author left little clues to how powerful she was, hopefully it comes out in the series!
Cohen was adorable and so sweet and romantic… however I need a little more badassery from my future king.

Overall, I really really enjoyed this one and I’ve already preordered it to have for my collection

While this book will (and should) garner plenty of comparisons to The Hunger Games with its plot, it still stands uniquely on its own. It has the games and politics similar to The Hunger Games but adds magic, castles, and (in my opinion) stronger characters and female friendships. I flew through this book very quickly and am so disappointed that it won't be published until November...and then I'll have to wait even longer for the next book. It leaves in the middle of a violent battle and Crump's pacing is perfect to make the reader become completely absorbed in it and then immediately needing to pick up the next book to see how it ends.

Disclaimer: I received an advance reader copy of this book through NetGalley. I am under no obligation to review the book. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

The perfect way of describing this would be <i>Hunger Games</i> meets <i>The Selection.</i> There's a battle to the death in an arena and the winning girl will marry the prince and eventually become queen. I do think parts of this could have been more original, but it was an entertaining premise and I'm always on board for deadly competition stories.

It's easy to fall right into this and fly through in a couple of sittings. We learn about the world through a quick prologue, though it took a bit to explain why exactly the girls needed to die instead of just having a regular competition. I liked the main character Monroe, she just wants to live her life and not become a sacrifice. She's scared and not necessarily the strongest of the girls she's competing against. I also adored her close relationship with her eldest brother Ambrose.

Where this lost me a bit was the overabundance of romance. I didn't love who Monroe fell for and think it would have been fun if she'd fallen for one of her competitors. I also thought the rebels and the Culling (aka the fight to the death) fell back as the romance took center stage. I wanted to see the girls bond more, more fighting and use of powers, and learn more about the politics of the country.

I had fun reading this and I'm definitely up for checking out the sequel.

<i>I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Wattpad Books and NetGalley for the copy.</i>

Monroe Benson was born with the gift of fire. As a Goddess Touched girl, Monroe is bond for the capital of her country once the prince comes of age. It is her fate to fight to the death to become the next queen of Erydia.

As one of ten girls, she is destined to either be queen or be dead.

While Monroe has no desire to be queen, she has no choice but to go to the capital and fight to live. As one with the mark of the Goddess, she must go and fight for the hand of the prince.

But it's not just the other nine girls that Monroe has to fear. The current queen and mother of the prince has really enjoyed the power of being in charge. Her husband is so afraid of her and her power that he has let her take complete control of the kingdom. Queen Viera's power is poison and she uses it on anyone and everyone. While she may be allowing this tradition to start, there is no guarantee that she'll allow it end on anything but her terms.

There is palace intrigue, battles for power, and a rebellion stirring and Monroe is caught in the middle of it all.

Final thoughts: I actually was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. It wasn't perfect but the characters are well done and it's almost all show and not tell, which is a rarity nowadays. There was some confusion with the physics of the world-building since it often felt like it was going back and forth between pre-tech and tech. It sometimes feel like everything is just candles and wagons, while there are also cars, trains, and they have electricity. Decent story and just kind of a fun read.

Rating: 4/5

2.5 stars

The first third of this book had me hooked.
I loved Monroe because she was so different from the typical YA heroine: she was scared, she knew that entering the Culling meant killing and/or being killed, and she was not ashamed to try to run away from all of this. I also found the reference to the strong inequalities among the different counties in Erydia and the presence of the rebels pretty promising.

But going on I started to feel more and more puzzled.
Gone were the political intricacies, the rebels, the upcoming war, the army draft call, any concern for the fate of her family, and the Trials against the other girls. Most of the story started to revolve around Monroe's feelings for Cohen, the prince. I mean, while I love a touch of romance in my fantasy books, I don't like when it obliterates everything else. And that was precisely, sadly the issue here. I would have liked to see more action, more connections between the girls, and the socio-political issues more developed.

Another aspect that didn't convince me was the Culling system itself. It's not clear why the girls have to die - especially considering how useful their gifts (e.g., healing, poisoning, controlling the elements...) could be at the military level or to make Erydian people's life better. The Author never explained why this brutal (and pointless) system was still enforced while there could be far much better alternatives.
Moreover, plotwise, having an entire month passing between a Trial and the following one spoiled the dramatic tension.

Overall, the whole story fell flat for me. Such a pity, because this book had great potential.

**Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.**

4.5 stars

Of Cages and Crowns is The Hunger Games meets The Selection but with a twist.

Monroe is a goddess-touched girl with the ability to create fire. When the heir to the throne becomes of age, the goddess-touched girls are forced to participate in The Culling: a fight to the death. Each girl has a unique ability, and the prize: to marry the prince and become the next queen.

This was very well written! I usually have to be in the mood to read a fantasy book, but I was determined to get through my ARC pile, so I picked this one up, and I'm so glad I did! This book had me captivated. I loved learning about Monroe and Cohen. I loved the backstory at the beginning of the book. And I loved how I did not expect a lot of what happened. This book was SO good! I can't wait to read the next book in this series to find out what happens next!

I highly recommend this book, especially if you loved The Selection series and magic!

The Selection meets The Hunger Games...but not as dramatic. 3.5/5 stars

Of Cages and Crowns is the story of Monroe, a teenage girl with the power to wield fire. She is one of ten girls that has been "goddess touched" with a special ability and they must all fight to the death in a series of challenges. The sole survivor wins the hand of a handsome prince and with that, queendom.

I found that I loved Ms. Crump's style of writing. It was clean, crisp and concise. I could clearly imagine every detail, every expression, every situation because her descriptions were so thorough. The main character, while well developed, left for lacking as she was frequently too enthralled in her emotions to be useful. In the end she sort of redeems herself, but I was left underwhelmed. The male lead was gentle, kind, innocent and a bit corny. The way the relationship between the leads evolved was a bit....artificial and random. We do get a few sweet moments that made my heart flutter but overall the romance wasn't as intense as it could've been for the vibe of the other events occurring in the book.

The actual plot was interesting. I enjoyed learning about the 10 girls with their magic gifts and I loved the backstory of the Goddess and how the world of this book came to be. I thought it was quite poetic.

The Queen was, surprisingly, my favorite character. I love me a good villain. She was random, evil, and surprisingly cunning. I'm not sure why but at times I rooted more for her than the actual main character. That's probably not what the author was hoping for but at times the main character was just so frustrating I had to switch to the dark side haha.

Overall, this was an entertaining read with an exciting story but a stereotypical fantasy romance. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Ten girls are born with a special gift in each generation. They are "goddess touched" and must fight to the death until only one remains. She will be crowned queen and and marry the prince. Munroe Benson is one of those girls, and she has spent her whole life hiding so that she will not have to participate in the Culling, the fight for the queenship. But life rarely goes the way we plan it, and here is where Of Cages and Crowns really draws the reader in. Brianna Joy Crump excels in character and world creation, and her writing pulls you in and doesn't let you go til the last page...and then you want more. The good news is that this is a series, and I can not wait to find out what happens next!

For fans of the Hunger Games, but better, in my opinion.

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

The character is well fleshed out and I like the whole enemies to lovers thing. However What I find not appealing is the character Kace, because he Seems a bit forced in complexity. Like he cares about his mother but it seems like he doesn’t care about his sister. I like the whole disguising plot, but I would have liked it more if it played a bigger role. Over all it was interesting

'Of Cages and Crowns' is the first in a new series by Brianna Joy Crump. Very reminiscent of the 'Hunger Games' mixed with a little 'Princess Trials'. Monroe Benson is goddess touched and forced to compete to the death for the Cohen the Prince of Erydia. However, everything is not as it seems and a rebellion is brewing. Crump does a wonderful job of creating a brutal world where young ladies fight to death for power. Unique story line and deeply flawed characters move this story along. Loved every page.

This book has a lot of issues like the one dimensional side characters, everyone but Monroe was just dull, but i’m not going to lie this book had me hooked. it frustrated me a little how much it focused on the romance between Cohan and Monroe but it was well developed i’d say, it just left me bored and felt too insta love yet slow burning at the same time. this books strengths were definitely its plot which kept me super engaged and plot twist that i didn’t see coming at all, and it definitely left me reeling and i’m definitely going to read the second book once its out.

thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad Books for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It was such a wild ride experience. Our protagonist Monroe Benson, is a goddess-touched girl which means she’s destined to participate in the Culling, an age-old competition to determine the next queen of Erydia. It was an enjoyable read with interesting magic system, amazing worldbuilding and I loved the royal concept, The-Selection-kind-of romance, the tension between the competitors and the shocking twist at the end. Looking forward to the next installment!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad Books for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of this book for an honest review. (Publish Date: November 22, 2022)

Description: From the moment Monroe Benson is born with a mark on her hand and the ability to summon fire from her fingertips, her life will never be her own. She’s goddess-touched, which means she’s destined to participate in the Culling, an age-old competition to determine the next queen of Erydia. For most of her seventeen years, her family has managed to keep Monroe—and her powers—hidden. But now, as Queen Viera calls for the Culling to start and war looms on the horizon, Monroe can no longer hide. She must face her destiny whether she wants to or not.

“Of Cages and Crowns” by Brianna Joy Crump was very much “The Hunger Games” series meets “The Selection” series as ten goddess-touched girls with different powers will fight to the death until only one is left standing. The winner will marry a prince and become the new queen.

I was very excited to read this book, because it sounded similar to “The Selection” but with a deathly and magical twist. The backstory about how the Culling began was captivating, and I was eager to find out the magical abilities of all ten competitors since they would all be different. The story only follows Monroe, one of the goddess-touched girls, and the reader finds out early-on that her ability is to conjure fire – which is super cool! However, despite her cool power, I really didn’t care for Monroe in the beginning of the book. All the unnecessary swearing and hardness made her difficult to relate with and feel sorry for. It wasn’t until she entered the Culling and started having feelings for Prince Cohen that I began to finally warm to her.

On the other hand, I loved Uri from the moment she was introduced and was delighted by her character throughout the entire book. She was so interesting and fun that I almost wished the book was about her instead of Monroe at times. I hope Uri returns and has a bigger role in the second book!

I was expecting the competitors to all get thrown into an arena Hunger Games-style to duke it out, but the girls faced off in randomly selected pairs with weeks in between each match to work with their trainers and take random royalty prep classes. I was disappointed by the lack of matches and not really getting to know some of the goddess-touch girls or their powers (maybe more of this will be revealed in the second book?). The big battle scene at the end was a bit confusing and a little unrealistic at times. I also developed a pet peeve with characters constantly biting their bottom lips. I could understand if that was just Monroe’s bad habit, but nearly all the other characters did it as well!

This book is the first of two in this series, so I wasn’t expecting everything to wrap up nicely in the end. It’s definitely not a stand-alone book, but there was just enough closure to get by until the next book is released. Overall, I would recommend this book as I enjoyed it and will definitely read the second book to see how it all ends.