If this story doesn’t make you emotional, I have to bring to the table the idea that you might actually be an android. Yes, you've been exposed.

Because how could anyone be unaffected by such injustice and cruelty toward a fourteen-year-old?

Julian’s parents died when he was a child, leaving him with a foster care family for some time, and then with his uncle Russell, who has been abusing him both mentally and physically since.

Unfortunately, like other victims of abuse, Julian doesn’t understand that what he’s experiencing at home is not normal, so he doesn’t know he needs help. Though his friendship with Adam does make him question some of his uncle’s actions and ways of thinking, such as why he insists on Julian shaving his legs.

Julian and Adam may be four years apart in age, but that doesn’t keep them from being able to connect to one another on a meaningful level – so meaningful that it made me realize that friendships between two young men are rarely so thoroughly explored in YA contemporary, without going in the romantic direction.

It’s beautifully-touching and never manipulative. The author doesn’t seek to control our reactions, but of course being the decent human beings that we are, we quickly notice that Russell has deep-rooted issues that only hurt Julian and prevent him from living a good life.

I can’t believe it took me so long to give this one a chance, especially since I read it in a single day. I was afraid it would be too dark, but while Robin Roe does include scenes that are hard to witness, her goal isn’t to overwhelm us to the point of not being able to read this book either.

An excellent debut novel.

This is a beautiful and gut wrenching book. It tells a very difficult and harsh story that is eye-opening about how events can impact the person it happens to, but also the people around them. All characters are beautifully developed and full bodied. By the end of the book I felt I knew everyone and was a member of the group. As I read each page my heart grew and broke with each scene and interaction. I adore Adam and can’t believe how loving, open minded he is and at such a young age. Julian just made me want to protect him and love him even through the pages. Emerald sounds amazing and the epitome of class and loving. Charlie, oh Charlie,...at first he was my least favorite and by the end I want a I Charlie in my life. Such an amazing character. First I have read from this author and I can’t wait to read more!

Thank you NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for a chance to read the book and share my opinion!

A beautiful read on the power of friendship and how one person can transform even the most shattered of lives in unexpected ways.

Adam Blake reconnects with his former foster brother, Julian, when Julian becomes a high school freshman. Adam quickly wraps Julian into his gregarious and fun-loving group of friends, and Julian starts to feel happier than he has in a very long time. But soon it's clear that everything is not right with Julian's home life.

A List of Cages is one of those books that will just about destroy you. And, I have to caution, that you if have a hard time reading about child abuse, this book will be very triggering. It's got one of the most extreme and painful cases I've ever read.

Robin Roe's debut is an emotional read. Be prepared to be wrecked.

Many thanks to Disney-Hyperion via Netgalley for the free review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a rather interesting book for me to review because my thoughts are so conflicting! While I was reading, I was fully absorbed, feeling all the feels, crying actual tears, loving all the characters, not wanting to put the book down. Then I finished, and my thoughts changed completely. I started to look at the book with a more critical eye, and certain elements just did not sit right with me. Let me see if I can more eloquently explain.

Adam was fabulous! He seemed like the most amazing human being to ever walk this earth. Giving and generous, genuinely caring and empathetic, he is the guy that everyone wants to be around, guys and girls alike. His ADHD only makes him more endearing, because he struggles with it and yet he's so open about it with his friends. He's a tiny bit clueless with picking up signals from girls, but again, it only serves to make us love him more. And yet...maybe he's a bit too much? Like, too perfect. He makes one pretty big mistake throughout the course of the book, and I blame his girlfriend for it more than I blame him. So yeah, a bit too perfect to be real.

Then there's Julian. I'm not sure what to think about Julian to be honest. I felt sorry for him on just about every page. To me, he was like a beaten dog - he kept getting more and more abused, and I didn't see a way out of that for him. Like Adam was almost too perfect, Julian was almost too pitiful. With all the crap and abuse this kid goes through, how can he ever live a normal life? He can't!!! He's going to be messed up forever! And no backyard barbecue birthday party is ever going to make up for that trauma.

The other thing, and probably the most important thing, that I wasn't able to buy into, was the villain. He was sooooooo bad, but we are never given a reason why. Did he have a traumatic childhood? Did he have an untreated mental illness? Did he ever abuse other people? What was his motivation in treating Julian the way he did? I ended up learning a couple of things at the very end of the book, but it was too little, too late - it was almost like somebody said, "Hey, your antagonist is really evil, but now we need some motivation - what can you stick in there?" and the author stuck in a couple of sentences to (barely) fill in the blanks. If an author is going to have this awful human doing awful things to another human in their book, that author's job is to make me believe that there is a reason for this.

These things, combined with a rushed, slightly ridiculous ending, forced me to drop a couple of stars. I enjoyed my time reading this book (when I wasn't cringing at Julian's suffering!) but I didn't love it as much as I was hoping.

Adam and Julian’s paths keep crossing. First, Adam was assigned as a reading buddy to mentor Julian when the boys were in 5th and 2nd grade. Then, after Julian’s parents were killed in an accident, Adam’s single mom fostered Julian for about a year. Now, Adam is a popular high school senior assigned to escort quiet, withdrawn Julian to his twice-weekly school counseling appointments. The two quickly reconnect, and Adam’s tight circle of friends expands (sometimes grudgingly) to allow room for the younger boy. But Julian is hiding a terrible secret: his guardian, an uncle by marriage, has been physically abusing him for years. When Uncle Russell finds out that his nephew has newfound friends, he withdraws Julian from school and the abuse escalates over some extremely difficult-to-read chapters. Throughout the book’s final fifty pages, it’s almost impossible not to read ahead just to find out what happens to each character. This is a well-paced, affecting, terribly sad, and somehow still uplifting story of what too many young people face when they go home at the end of each school day. It’s also an homage to friendship, courage, and kindness that still manages to be a gripping page-turner. At the novel’s heart is the lesson that “Hate ricochets, but kindness does too.”

I'm not going to lie; this book will break your heart. To be honest, it knocked me flat every time I returned to it until I finished, but the writing was beautiful and there were plenty of characters to love (and hate) in this wrenching story. I'm not sure what was more overwhelming, the emotional or the physical, but be warned, there is some very graphic violence. But don't be dissuaded by this, it is a compelling story, and sadly, probably not all that far from the truth of some people's stories. It is not all angst and violence, though. There are beautiful relationships and strong bonds and people who are willing to stand up for what's right, which is comforting. Especially around here, lately. Read it and weep.


For Goodreads:

Why I picked it — Because the description sounded so happy!
Reminded me of… Wonder, but this is for an older audience.
For my full review — click here

Such an interesting concept. Totally something I'd recommend to my students.

I absolutely loved this book, my full review is at craftsandreads.co.uk

A List of Cages is about two boys: Julian, a 14 year-old boy who lost his parents when he was about 10, and was sent off to live with his uncle, Russell, who's an abuser; and Adam, a highschool senior that befriended Julian when 9 year-old Julian was assigned to him for reading classes at school.

I really love this whole group of friends. Adam, Julian, Emerald, Charlie, Jesse, Allison, Matt... They were such good friends, they were kind of brothers and sisters. All taking care of each other, being supportive to each other. Even though there were some bumps along these friendships, the characters' development was incredible. Especially Charlie's!

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for the opportunity to read and review A List of Cages by Robin Roe! Julian doesn't feel as though he belongs anywhere, at school or at home where he lives with his uncle. He likes to hide in a small secret room behind the school stage where he can be alone and no one knows where he is. I immediately felt protective of Julian and hated how people assumed that he was stupid and treated him horribly. He's had a tragic past and he's presently living in an unhappy world. Adam knows Julian because his family fostered him for a while after the death of his parents until Julian's Uncle Russell stepped into their lives and took Julian away. Uncle Russell is a force to be reckoned with and has more issues than anyone realizes. This tragic and touching realistic fiction story earns 5 stars!

I really enjoyed reading this book! It was very captivating and the writing was phenomenal!

Adam Blake is a popular senior in high school who happens to have ADHD and is assigned to the school psychologist as a student aide. He thinks this will be an easy assignment for him until the psychologist asks him to look after a freshman, Julian, who has been avoiding her. Adam realizes Julian is the young boy his mother fostered years before. At first he is hurt that Julian was so close and not kept in touch with Adam and his mother, but Adam is happy to reconnect with him. Adam feels like Julian’s older brother and quickly incorporates Julian into his life, but Julian is keeping dangerous secrets. Secrets that could kill him, or those he becomes close to.
The book is told through the point of view of both Adam and Julian so the reader is aware of what is happening to Julian long before Adam is aware of it. Both characters are fully developed and although I could not identify with either character, I could understand them and the decisions they made throughout the novel. This book is both heart breaking and heart-warming. I could not put it down, staying up way past my bedtime to finish it. It is on my best books of 2017 list and I recommend it to all who are looking for something to read.

Due to a technical glitch, this title never arrived on my reader and I wasn't able to review it.

"When I was little, thoughts would always fill my head, because I knew as soon as school ended, my mom or dad would want to hear them all. When you know you're going to tell someone everything, you see your day through your eyes and theirs, as if they're living alongside you.
But when you don't, it isn't only not seeing double--it's not seeing at all. Because if they aren't' there, you aren't either."

Oh, man, did this book break my heart!

"A List of Cages" is a profoundly moving novel--one that evoked strong feelings from me from the very beginning, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a powerful read for all ages.

Well, maybe not all ages. The publisher recommends this book for ages 12+ and I'd argue that it's more fitting for 14+, a high schooler, someone the same age as the protagonist. This young adult novel has darkness, real-life angst and violent heartbreak that might be difficult for a preteen to handle.

That being said, as an adult, I adored this novel. I had a strong, visceral reaction to its pull a few pages in, and the more I read, the more connected I felt to its story and characters.

This novel follows two boys, Julian and Adam, over the course of a school year when their lives once again collide after having once been brothers. When they meet again, Adam is the senior that everyone loves, forever happy and secure in his place in the world among people who love him. And Julian--oh, my sweet Julian--is a lonely freshman, lost in the world without attachments as the people around him fail to really see him. This story is told using alternating points of view and features a sinister, suspenseful storyline that kept me reading rapidly, even as I suspected it would break my heart. And it did.

"A List of Cages" is Robin Roe's debut novel and it's a compelling and deeply moving first impression. She creates a narrative that's tight with a prism of emotions, one that left me simultaneously anxious, stricken, livid, and joyful throughout the majority of the read, and ultimately impressed and transformed when I finished. I had a feeling pretty early on while reading that this would be a powerful read for me (sometimes you just know when a book will leave its mark), and I was right.

This book... just took my breath away.

It was just what I needed and means the world to me that I found it at a time in my life where I desperately needed a book to connect with. I want to give it a million stars... it meant the world to me and touched me so much. I'm recommending this to all of my friends.

Thank you to the publisher/netgalley for my galley of this book. It’s been about 6 months since publication and I’m sorry for the delay. The kindness of the groups in no way influences my opinions of this book.

Also I was pre-approved for this and I have no idea how that happened?! Moving on!

Book has TW for Abuse.

A List of Cages was a rollercoaster of emotions. At first, okay, for a while, I was put off by the premise about this book. Probably because the semester after I read this, everything I read was dark and heavy that I didn’t want to start something like this so soon after the semester. Well, it looks like I’ll never be able to escape that from school so I started this anyway.

And whoooooo, wow. I’m so glad that I did. It took a hot minute to sit down to finish this but once I did, I was hooked. There’s so much going on and it’s so emotionally jarring in a wondrously cathartic way.

The dual POV is what originally threw me for a loop because I didn’t understand how the characters related and what either of them had to do with each other. But after we got going and started to see the interconnections and relations, I was super interested and super hyped to find out about this dynamic duo.

The only drawback is that the connections between the boys can be introduced sooner and developed more. That, and the abuse needs to be solidified sooner. The last one is my opinion but maybe I just missed the earlier cues. Who knows? Not me.

4 stars out of 5. I stellar book that had me squealing into my pillow. Would totally rec to my friends.

I was really looking forward to A Lost of Cages, but was disheartened that the book fell flat for me. Julian is an orphan who I think may be autistic as well, who is sent to live with his evil uncle. Later in the story we learn that Julian had lived with a classmate of his until his uncle showed up, and that classmate and his social worker mother loved and missed Julian very much. I did enjoy the friendships that seemed raw and authentic and deep throughout the novel, but it was somewhat predictable and rushed.

4.5 Stars - oh how this book gives me deep, deep feels. You know when you know im your gut that something is wrong in a very bad way? This book reminds you to pay attention to that feeling, no matter your age. It also reminds us to be kind and caring to those who feel they don't deserve it or need it. I really like this book but know, it is not for the faint of heart. It is tough and gritty and heartbreaking, but worth every second of reading. This book could save the life of someone being abused. so share it. WITH EVERYONE.

Hmm. I had a lot of high hopes for this book, and honestly I really didn't hate it. But I think that my expectations were really high because so many people gave it such a good review as one of the best Contemporary YA releases this year! I really wanted to love it like other readers did, and I have to say that I definitely liked the second half more because it moved at a better pace. This was a much heavier book than I thought it was going to be, and I'm very surprised to see some people describing this as Middle Grade as I think it was far too dark to appeal to that age group.

So, it's good points? I really enjoyed Adam's POV chapters. Roe depicted his character and ADHD really well, and I loved his friends too. They were a little like my own group of friends and didn't fall easily into annoying stereotypes often found in teenage high school dramas. This book actually gave me a lot of 'The Perks Of Being A Wallflower' vibes but with not so much romance, which worked in it's favour. As I said, the second half of the book was better than the first because it moved at a great pace and I really got into it in a big way! I definitely felt like I was more attached to the characters and what would happen to them.

I'm still not totally in love with my reading experience here however. The first half was slow, and a little unsure of itself in terms of plot direction. It took me a few chapters to realise there were alternating POVs too, and I have to say while I LIKED Adam's chapters, I didn't particularly enjoy Julian's. In fact (unpopular opinion approaching) I wasn't a fan of Julian. I found him too much of a pushover, though I totally understand why. Also, I wish we'd seen more development regarding Russell. Very little was explained as to WHY he did what he did (a last minute speech about Daddy issues doesn't count by the way, I want to see it build). The abuse was horrible to read, but without that motivation reveal it almost felt like a plot device, and that is NOT cool. All in all, this was a book that got better towards the end though it went from being very slow to rushing through the finale, but didn't grab me from the start and had a few issues that I found troublesome.