Okay, this is the second in a series that really reminds me of The Selection or The Red Queen. Spoilers below if you haven't read the first book.

I liked this book but didn't love it. I felt it suffered from the curse of the second book. There was too much time meandering around in the plot. Monroe, Uriel, Nadia, etc. all spend months in a rebel encampment, and it feels like nothing happens. I get that they were training their powers and there were political things going on, but it just felt like there could have been more lore building or information revealed during this time period. Instead, there was an info dump in the last 25% of the book.

I will say the author is very engaging; I had a hard time putting this book down. I loved how conflicted Monroe was over her actions and how she just wanted to be left alone. The secondary characters were fleshed out really well, and we got more information about the backstory of some of the other goddess-touched girls. Also, whoever edited this book, shame on you. There were so many typos and grammatical errors. It drove me nuts!

The overall story was good, and there were some twists and turns. I don't think the ending paid off as well as it could have, but it will be interesting to see what the next book holds.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group for the ARC; all opinions are my own.

Book 2 of the Cages and Crown series was just as good as the first one, and like the first one it ended on a cliffhanger.

This one picks up right where the first one left off, deep into the Revolution. Don’t want to say too much-but book two releases later this month and it is a good time to start book one.

I remembered Liking the first book but I didn’t take the time to reread it before starting this one. I would recommend that although it did seem like there were some major swerves as compared to book 1. This book is kind of slow; only a few things really happen despite continuing to read. The main baddie is a bit meh. I guess I will read the next one when it comes out. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Nothing is as it was before, leaving room for unknown dangers, growing mistrust, and intrigue beneath the intrigue.

After killing the King and Queen, Monroe and her 'friends' from the Culling find themselves with the rebels. Not only were the promises of an open armed invitation null and void, all of them find themselves teetering on a thin line just off of execution. A new fight for survival begins, one which is very different than the Trials. Wounds, inside and out, are tough to heal, especially when the difference between friends and foe is blurred all over again. Monroe's a constant breath's distance from death, and this time, her powers are the last thing that can save her.

First off, yay to having the second book releasing so quickly after book one! Not only does that keep disappointment after the first ending at bay, but the story is still fresh and anticipation high. So, extra kudos on that front.

This book doesn't start off where the last one ended...not exactly. (But this does need to be read as a series, since each book builds off the last.) We find Monroe captured by the rebels, separated from her group, in bad circumstances. While grabbing, I did stop reading twice to see if and where I'd missed part of the story. Instead, the happenings between the escape from the palace to Monroe's beginning in the prison occur in flashbacks over the next chapters. I'm not a huge fan of that approach.

Anyway, this book takes many surprising twists and turns, and flips everything on its head. It does a great job diving into the area of dealing with trauma and re-orientation. This was especially well done with the other two goddess-touched girls and Uri, and added quite a bit of character depth. Monroe's brother also returns, which adds a touch more on the sibling front. Monroe doesn't show much growth during this second book (unfortunately), since her head is busy more with the romance side of things and melding into the new circumstances. The action was notched down, too, thanks to the increased romance and building of a couple new characters. Instead, the threat from the palace and the growing war runs more in the background with a few high-tension moments tossed in here and there to remind that there's still a huge danger to deal with...although this does increase toward the end.

This book mostly hovers around Monroe's attempt to reorientate herself in the rebel camp and mentally deal with what she's gone through so far. Relationships formed during the Trial, both bad and good, are re-molded, and this takes time. The heaviest hitting of these is the one with Cohen as he slides into the background, at first, and a new character fills in the space to create the rift. The switching of gears is refreshing, in some ways, but unfortunately, not quite convincing to the reasons behind it, leaving the romance end with a slight sense of being off-balance. This also makes the end of this read hit a little weird, on that end. Monroe herself is more clumsy in this read, and while still to root for, doesn't come across with the same lovely strength as before.

There were many unexpected moments, exciting aspects, and grabbing twists, and it will be interesting to see how everything ties together in the last book. Because the third one in this series has the potential to be very good.

4.5⭐️ Excuse you, Miss Brianna Joy Crump for what you put me and these characters through.

So far I’ve really enjoyed this series. We started where we left off in the first book, Of Cages and Crowns. We were introduced to new characters with the Culled Rebels and we had some character developments from book 1–Nadia, Heidi, Uri and Hugo were more developed. One thing I didn’t like is Prince Cohen and his and Monroe’s friendship/relationship/situationship wasn’t as developed as I would’ve liked it to be during this book.

The ending left us on a cliff hanger with a plot twist, along with some trauma, but this was anticipated once Monroe found some old letters.

I can’t wait for the third book, but Brianna, I swear you better be working overtime to redeem yourself not only for the cliffhanger but the trauma’s us readers endured because of you.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wattpad Webtoon Publishing Group and Brianna Joy Crump for providing an ARC for me to read and review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

4.5 stars. DANG THAT ENDING AND I'M SUPPOSED TO JUST WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE??? I had a theory about one of the plot points and while I was *technically* correct I did not expect the end to unravel quite the way it did. I need the next one please!

I really, really liked Of Cages and Crowns. I recommend it to basically any of my kids looking for a new fix after they come off their Hunger Games binge. However, Of Princes and Poisons didn't have that same charm I really liked in the first book. I really like Monroe's guts and how she wanted to fight against the system in the first book, so I felt that it was a bit of a character turn for her in the 2nd book. Crump does an excellent job of wading through the trauma, and setting up a second male love interest. I will definitely continue loving this series, but I hope the 3rd book is the shining star I know it can be after this one.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

4 girls left touched by the Goddess survived. With the king and queen gone things are a mess.
Monroe has a new love interest , Kai.
Though the ending was so sad and devastating so hopefully the next book brings the story full circle.
If you like fantasies this series so far is a good one. I don’t want to give away too much but there is a lot of adventure and action and things will make sense.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

The instant flips in emotions had me confused and left me wanting but I kept reading. There were a lot of flashbacks, and with it a lot of trauma explaining so many details. It does have a big twist I didn't see coming though and has left me eager for book three.

I felt like this book was a lot slower than the first one in regards to how the story and plot moved along. I will say that I have found these books to be so addicting to read and I had a hard time putting it down. The writing, world building, and plot is phenomenal and I cannot recommend this series enough.

Thank you to Brianna Hoy Crump, Wattpad, and Netgalley for this e-ARC! If Princes and Poison is an excellent follow up to Of Cages and Crowns, continuing Monroe’s story.

Any YA romantasy lover would be a fan of this story. It continues the competition games style story while having an interesting magic system and messy politics.

I look forward to whatever comes next!

“I wanted something real. Something I could trust. Something that would stay with me.”

“Of Princes and Poisons,” by Brianna Joy Crump

Ten girls are born with magic and marked with it on their skin, these girls battle to find the next queen when the time comes. When Monroe is born with fire magic, her mother intended to keep her safe by hiding her away her entire life. But when time for the Culling happens, she cannot run from what she must do. She is captured and brought to the palace to fight and defeat the other girls in arenas to become the next queen. Cohen, the prince, cannot fight the tradition of the Culling, no matter if he believes in it or not.

I loved this series so much. This is book two of the Culled Crown series, and it was so good. I didn’t think I could love this one more than the first, but I did. I loved the love interest dynamic so much; I wasn’t expecting it at all. I seriously cannot wait for the next book! In this book I got to see more of the world instead of mostly the castle area and I ate up every second. I loved the rebellion aspect, and the characters were so good, even better than book one. 5 out of 5 stars!!!

-Magic
-Political Intrigue
-Marriage Selection
-Royalty
-Rebellion

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

Overall, I still enjoyed this book and where this series is going, but there were some issues that stuck out to me while reading. It felt like this version had been through a major rewrite and there were areas that hadn't been fixed and it was unclear on a few names or some jolting transitions between scenes. If there's time to do one last sweep of edits, I think the book would benefit.

That being said, this is a second book in the trilogy and that comes with it's own messy pros and cons.

Pros: I really love this world and the idea behind the goddess touched girls. Monroe's character developed well throughout this iteration and has a good protectory of where she can go next. Exciting twist at the end to help with the title. Last few chapters were fast-paced and leave readers wanting to know what happens next.

Cons: There was a lot of build-up for a certain character to be the bad guy and a twist at the end that ignored all the questions about her, so I wish there was more resolution for the sudden drop-off. The rising action seemed a little tedious at times as it was moving from book 1 to the potential of book 3 but there was not a lot of gains or needs fulfilled within the book itself. I prefer when Book 2s have it's own purpose even if it is smaller scale. How this one is acts more as a stepping stone to some place but isn't a destination on its own. I wish there was more development between Monroe, Nadia, and Heidi. There is potential to write some strong female relationships here but instead they are still catty with each other and not reliable as friends. I would have loved to see more of their relationship instead of Kai and Monroe only.

A very Hunger Games-inspired series, there were a few things a little too on the nose for me especially in a Uri/Peeta based scene. The world and the ideas are fun and inspiring, but it is time for Crump to develop on her own.

Again, overall I still love these books and am looking forward to seeing the last book, especially since I'm confident it will make some of my questions from Book 2 make more sense in context.

*Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

I was very excited about this second book, and unfortunately I was a little disappointed. The way the characters were portrayed in this book felt so different from the previous. Certain character's feelings completely changed in a short period of time and it felt rushed. However, I was excited to read more about this world and see where the author would take the reader at the end of this book.

I absolutely adored the first book and was excited to read the sequel. Although I did not feel that this book was as strong as the first book, I do understand that the characterization in this book was vital. We got to witness Monroe's self discovery in many ways and her PTSD from the Culling. I did struggle with her dropping Cohen so quickly. I understand the tension with who he was and his role in the Culling, but I wish he was able to get more of an arc as well. I loved the twist at the end and am excited for what it means for the final book.

Of Princes and Poisons
Thank you NetGalley, author, and publisher for this ARC!
I was hesistant to read this based on my opinion of the first book. Once I started, I realized that I was going to really enjoy this novel. It started off about a week after the first book ended with Monroe in prison. At first I was confused as to why and though it was explained because they couldn’t fully trust her. This was only one of the very few reasons that I was confused with. But also my confusion was mirrored in her. If she helped bring down the Culling and the royal family, why was she being imprisoned? Though they explained it as they still couldn’t trust her, I felt that wasn’t fair since she was the major reason for the help of the take down. Kai was an interesting character, I knew I would like him from the start. I loved learning from his past and getting to know him. I liked their relationship and banter and how that grew over time. I wish there wasn’t so much time gap between interactions, but I knew that they fit much better than her and Cohen. Cohen in the first book fell flat, and in the second novel, I felt that his character changed, but not in a positive character growth. I understand that he lost a lot and he has been having conflicting feelings, but being intimately pushy with Monroe felt a little out of character. I’m glad that we saw more from Uri and the other Culling girls. I wish I saw more of Ambrose and his fiancé.

The plot twist I saw coming, but I still enjoyed seeing it play out. Finding out that Kai was the true first male born heir was great. Once I saw the plot twist play out, I understood the title much more and it made sense. Though I still felt betrayed (LOL), I’m very excited for how this will turn out in the third book. Uri’s death was a plot twist that I did not expect, and that left me speechless. I am curious as to what happened to Hugo. From what I gathered, the third book is being written on Wattpad, but I will wait for either it to be released as an ARC or to read it in another format. I wish the map, at least on kindle, named the counties and countries around. There was more world building, but it still wasn’t clear for me and I still felt confused.

Overall, I really enjoyed it. I can’t wait to see Monroe fully develop her fire powers and learn what the changing of the eyes and voices mean when she channels her powers with more power.

I felt like this book was a lot slower than the first one in regards to how the story and plot moved along. I will say that I have found these books to be so addicting to read and I had a hard time putting it down. I love the intricacies of the world building and how all the little things that might have seemed insignificant at the time come back and have a huge meaning. I will say that I did guess the plot twist for the most part but I was still pleasantly surprised. Although, poor Monroe, she just can’t catch a break. I can’t wait to see what happens to Monroe and Kai in the next book as well as all the other characters. This was definitely a cliffhanger that has me waiting with bated breath for book three.

This series is addicting, suspenseful, and everything that a YA dystopian adventure should be.

Monroe is the perfect FMC for this book- she's conflicted and genuine and everyone in her life insists of lying to her about, well, everything.

The pacing was engaging and the twists and turns- wow. This was just an all-around great read. More, please!

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for giving me access to this ARC.

I was originally drawn in by the cover, but the writing really pulled me in and I enjoyed the book overall. I generally feel that second books in series fall flat, but the author did a good job of keeping us entertained!

Only four girls touched by the Goddess survived the Culling, solely due to the rebel group that Monroe joined because of her brother Ambrose. Now, the King and Queen are deceased, and Cohen is being blamed for regicide. However, what Monroe did not anticipate is that by joining the rebellion, she has merely exchanged one prison for another. The rebels despise her kind and the royal family. Monroe, Cohen, Heidi, Hugo, Uri, and Nadia are treated as prisoners and considered untrustworthy. As they grapple with the trauma of their experiences, they now face yet another challenge. They have been labeled as traitors by the self-proclaimed Queen, Larkin, who has miraculously inherited her mother's powers. Can they overcome all of these obstacles, restore peace, and bring an end to the Culling once and for all?

Trigger Warnings~ bloodshed, death of loved ones, prison trauma, toxic relationships, anxiety, panic attacks, poisoning, physical and mental abuse.

Nowadays, I usually avoid reading majorly fantastic novels as they are more intense and stress-inducing. Most of the time, I am itching to get over such books as quickly as possible. This time, too, I wanted to finish it as soon as possible - but not for the same reason. I was enthralled by the story and the writing style. I remember being impressed by the author's writing in the first book, but now I realize why. The originality and complexity of the story blows my mind. Every emotion Monroe felt was expressed so thoroughly that I could imagine her situation, dilemma, and opinions easily.

I liked Monroe's new love interest, Kai. It was wonderful to watch their attraction and attachment build gradually. The trauma suffered by all the characters was so heartbreakingly described. I hate what Uri had to suffer through by the end of the story.

Though the ending was devastating, I enjoyed reading this story and am very eager to know what happens next. Also, the title makes better sense now after this ending. I was wondering from the beginning why is it Princes and not just Prince.

If you like fantasies with love, betrayal, action, and magic, this is the perfect series to pick up. I highly recommend this book and the first book Of Cages and Crowns.