I truly felt like this book had a lot of potential. It had some very great moments that left you flying in your seat and being so ready for the next part. For me, however, I felt that the writing style was there and then it would just disappear. Truthfully, as far as this being my first fantasy type book - I truly did enjoy it and would definitely read it again. I think that you just have to go into this feeling and understanding that this feels very fan fic like in writing - and since I’m an OG wattpad girly - I’m fine with that.

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

The map of Erydia. Monroe Benson is destined for the throne. She only has to fight nine girls to secure royal status. A crowned queen. If she loses, and someone else dawns the glittering headpiece, that meant she was dead. And Monroe refuses to die.

Marked and goddess-touched, Monroe is one of 10 heirs that are born to take to the Erydian throne and their place in the Royal court. The Culling is announced.

A deadly competition. Talk of war and rebellion. The girls are supposed to drop one by one inside the trials, a fair fight. Except, the girls are suddenly going missing and turning up dead outside of the Culling trials.

Depending on her affinity for fire, Monroe weilds a powerful skill against her unseen enemy. And Cohen, the queen's son, is beginning to make her feel affection -- perhaps even love, making it difficult to betray him.

Monroe is a little unique to most heroines. She doesn't wait for a prince, or anyone, to save her and set her free. She's the damsel who must fight the dragon herself and in so winning, becomes the dragon herself. 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 Stars!

As everyone has told me, this is the Hunger Games meets the Selection… sign me up! This was a fun story!! I don’t know if I will continue on with it or not but I enjoyed what I have read so far!

"I was the girl who burned it all down or died trying"

If I could give this book infinity stars I would. Just as I thought I'd guessed the direction, bam Brianna switched it up. I adored Monroe and Cohen, and there character development. The pacing of the story - there was never a dull moment. I adored Briannas style of writing, she just grips you from the start and has a way with words. This book will never leave me.

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 wish the pacing was a little better the second half of the book, but that’s about it!

This one I just loved. Read it in a day. I couldn’t put it down. The writing was amazing. 10/10. I will definitely be recommending this

Holy shit! I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, but I could not put this down. This book was like a combination of the selection and the hunger games. There were so many twists, turns, and betrayals that my head was spinning. I can honestly say that some of the plot twists were hard to see coming and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The romance between Monroe and Cohen was so well written and planned out that nothing felt forced and I loved all the little tie backs to things mentioned in flashbacks. Everything in this book truly had a purpose and I can’t believe how good the world building was throughout the book. There weren’t many moments where it felt like a huge world history dump, everything was blended seamlessly and this book was so well written and engaging that I never wanted it to end! I would highly recommend this book and would suggest anyone to read this immediately when it releases!

Thank you NetGalley, author, and publisher for this ARC!

To begin with, the issues that jumped out of me that hurt the book the most was the plot and pacing while reading. The first 20% was very interesting and I was really liking it. After that, I felt that the plot and pacing was all over the place. It took over 50% to get to the first trial. There was a lot of mention of training and etiquette class, but you barely had any of that. It seemed like a lot of internal thought and struggle filler that didn't push the plot forward. The trials were brief and there was too much time in between for the anticipation of seeing the trials happen. Many battle royal type novels tend to get compared to The Hunger Games, it definitely pulls some elements like the kill to win, being on TV, and training. It also seemed similar to The Selection, which is one of my least favorite novels, but that is a personal opinion. The plot did have some originality, but pulled too much from mainstream tropes and ideas from other similar novels. There was little interaction of the other girls with Monroe or getting to know them.

The characters were weak beside Uri. Monroe had a lot of potential but her extent to her abilities didn't seem like it was consistent as to what she could or couldn't do. I felt that she complained a lot throughout the novel and there wasn't much character development as the plot progressed. I wish she grew and was confident in herself. Cohen's character was flat and I wish we saw more of him, or had a POV of him. The relationship between the two didn't have much chemistry as it was more of an insta-love. Even their interactions didn't feel too natural and a little forced. I hope to see more of Uri and Hugo. The sisters had very little interaction, but hopefully they'll be more present in the second book.

The writing was good, but there were a couple of grammatical errors. In chapter 7, Imellia Station, Gazda Sacrit, there is a sentence that says "matteblack pumps I'd strapped on earlier", the error of "matteblack" should be separate. The same with "stick-in-themud" in Chapter 12 The West Garden Sacrit, three days before Sanctus Halletta. Seems to be a hyphen missing between "the" and "mud"

Just a few mentions… There are accents being mentioned, but since there's no comparison to what we know in the real world. Unless I missed it, I am picturing it to be about the 40’s/50’s era of the 1900’s based on descriptions. I personally like to know around the time period novels are set in, especially if it seems more modern day. Most fantasy novels tend to be in the medieval time/ maybe 1700’s time, so this being different is refreshing. It’s interesting to see fantasy in more modern times. In the beginning of each chapter, there were many terms for describing the religious sacred days that were a timeline for the trials that were confusing. It would be helpful to have a section in the front or back with definitions and some explanations. I was confused also as to why after the queen was killed that Cohen didn’t just take over the throne and tried to work with the rebels or banishing the sister.
Overall, the first book of this series fell flat and lacked character development. Some ideas were too similar too other novels. I found myself skimming at certain parts where it seemed like filler and the plot was slow. I’m hoping that the second novel has more plot for the story to progress with the Rebels.

Wow! I absolutely devoured this book. I loved the writing and the story and I was hooked from the start. If you enjoy fantasy with a little twist of The Hunger Games, this is for you! There’s action with political intrigue, a little romance, found family, strong friendships, and so much more. With amazing world building and character development, you can’t help but lean in and dive head first in to this fast paced, suspenseful story of magic, battle between good and evil, with twists and turns until the end. Book 1 ended on a bit of a cliffhanger so I am so ready for book 2! Thank you NetGalley and Wattpad books for this eARC!

This is everything that a dystopian YA book should be... and simply put, I enjoyed every single minute of it. The main character was born with abilities and a mark that require her to complete in a contest-to-the-death for the prince's hand in marriage. There is betrayal, there is romance, there is suspense, there is murder, and there are so many secrets. I loved this book and would absolutely recommend it.

Absolutely the Selection meets Hunger Games so if you enjoyed those, you will enjoy this as well. This was a 'I had fun, passed the time well' book. Not memorable, but just what I needed at the time. There's great attention to detail and the plot moves quickly, pulling you in from the start. A intriguing fantasy world, but if you're looking for something new, this won't be it. But since I enjoy the genre and storylines like this, I enjoyed myself while reading.

LOVE this book. I read it when it first came out but I knew I had to read it again and when this opportunity came up, I jumped on it. I just hate the cover, it’s giving AI generated

Thank you Wattpad Webtoon Publishing and Netgalley.

This is an interesting book. It's an introduction to a fantasy world. To say that this book is amazing or terrible is unfair. As setting up the world is important however this book managed to hook me in.

This was kind of amazing. Incredibly character driven with so much emotion and depth. I didn't expect so much soul searching... The arc and development are so fantastic.

The layers that drop to expose what Naomi missed are slow coming but worth it. I loved Nicholas and what was obvious in regards to him from almost the start.

The haze lifting as Naomi wrestled with her demons... The strength Nicholas gets when it comes to boundaries... This book handled it all really well!

I will say that I was apprehensive about the way they treated one another at first. I didn't really find their pranks all that funny, and it bothered me the way Naomi reacted to things in a very egoistic way. It made a lot more sense as the story progressed though.

I could barely put this down by about 20% in. Wonderful story!

Yes yes yes. I loved the cover of this book and cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy. Pretty! This is def going on my favorite bookshelf.

Features:
-YA competition dystopia in the vein of The Hunger Games and The Selection
-Political intrigue
-Sweet but complicated romance
-Interesting and action-packed twist

Competition dystopian books are back! This book blends the last man standing brutality of The Hunger Games series with the court intrigue of The Selection series and adds a little spice of its own. It shares a lot of the same DNA as its predecessors in this category and will definitely delight readers looking for a similar experience. This book definitely does its own thing however, I’m not sure if it’s different enough to call it an ‘evolution’ or completely fresh take on this type of story. So those who are looking for something that feels completely new or different might not enjoy this as much. The world building can be a little rough at times, but the characters more than make up for it and really carry the story. Overall, I had a great time with this book and look forward to seeing where it goes in the sequel!

Characters to Love and Characters to Hate

If a kingdom could be built on personality alone, it would be this one. Each member of this cast of characters has a strong presence that helps shape and drive the story forward. There is plenty of action and intrigue, but wanting to know what happens to all of these characters is what kept me truly invested. Because each of the characters have such strong personalities, it is definitely accurate to say that you will either love or hate them with little room in between. I don’t think I would call these characters traditionally complex, but the situations they find themselves in and the decisions they have to make introduce a little of the grayness that might otherwise be missing.

Though I wish she was given a little more agency sooner, Monroe grew on me as a main character. Prince Cohen is very endearing and the two have great chemistry on the page. The same can be said for the other characters that Monroe draws into her orbit, which makes some of the late developments of the book extremely impactful. The Queen is cool, calculated, and manipulative in a way that just screams evil from the very start. I love the way Crump shows how the Queen’s machinations have already infected the people around her even before Monroe is thrown into her web. She’s definitely a strong villain character you love to hate.

It’s All in the Details

There are many things I love about this book, but it still seems to lack the same impact that standout books of a similar type have. For me, I think a lot of that comes down to the finer details. The world has a great history to it and you can kind of see how that has influenced society. However, moment to moment, the world building feels kind of thrown together and is a bit muddled. Despite having strong personalities, some of the characters (Monroe included) seem to stagnate towards the middle of the story because of this same ‘big picture’ muddiness.

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"Of Cages and Crowns" by Brianna Joy Crump is a spellbinding fantasy that seamlessly blends elements of Hunger Games, The Selection, and the Red Queen series. The plot immediately grabs your attention with its dynamic mix of world-building, character development, and a compelling main storyline. The pacing strikes a perfect balance between anticipation and action, with a dramatic conclusion that leaves readers hungry for more.

The characters, especially Monroe, embody powerful traits reminiscent of beloved protagonists from other fantasy tales. While Monroe's initial surprise at Cohen's interest may feel repetitive, their evolving relationship adds depth to the narrative. The story's intriguing dynamics extend to Monroe's trainers, leaving readers wanting to explore those relationships further.

4.5 stars - rounded to 5 for who star rating.

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 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!

I received a copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 rounded up to 5

🥀 Royalty
🥀 Competition to the Death - Culling
🥀 Arranged Marriage
🥀 First Love

Every generation 10 girls are born marked. Each with a special ability. These girls/goddesstouched are to compete in the Culling to the death. The last one standing gets to marry the next King and become Queen.

The current Queen has reigned with terror. She had no compassion for her people. The King chooses to ignore and just drink himself to oblivion.

Cohen, is a sweet naive prince. He is a hopeless romantic. He believes that he can make things better once he becomes King.

Monroe tries to escape her destiny to flee the county and the Culling. However she still finds herself in the Culling fighting for her life, but also making friends and finding love.

The story is fast paced and keeps you engaged. Gives Hunger Games type vibes.

I have read a lot of ARCs and this is honestly one of the best advanced copies I have ever read. I’m talking ACOTAR, touch of darkness, Gild, etc level. This is the next big book series. It captured my heart, my mind, and all of my time. I couldn’t stop reading it. It’s absolutely took over my life for the whole day it took to read. It wasn’t just the swoon worth characters, it was the amazing plot, all the tiny details and the flow. Everything was on point and so polished to perfection. Im so obsessed I want to create this card game and all the Easter egg items in real life and I feel empty without reading the second book. I have found a new favorite author and I think she’s going to give everyone here a run for their money