This is an alternative reality, in this world, there are Equals (Peers or Lords) with skills (magic) and commoners. Every commoner must serve 10 years as a slave. It is told from several points of views the most predominant ones are from the Hadley's (commoners) and Jardine's (Equals).



Abi is a Hadley and she and her parents have arranged for them to enter service all together as a family at the Jardine's estate. However, when they are set to leave they find that Luke (her brother) is not going with them despite the law against children under 18 serving away from their parents. He is being sent to a slavetown Millmoor.


As Abi and the rest of her family arrive at Jardine's estate, they find that Daisy is to be taking care of the young daughter of Garvar (the Heir) and soon they forge a friendship based on the love he has for his daughter despite the fact that he isn't really a good person.



Abi begins to learn more and more things about skills and the family while they are there. While Luke struggles to find his place at Millmoor. He soon becomes involved with a group that is working to provide the most basic needs to the slaves and helps escape or protect them from the law.



I could say so much more but spoilers so first let me say I couldn't stop reading this book despite my one complaint. So many points of views, and at 40% into the book I was still being introduced to new points of view. I will say it does work, and it isn't too confusing. This series is definitely going to be interesting and I can't wait to see where book 2 goes with it all.



I am not sure what the goal was or the point, weird I know but there were multiple things going on during the book. The biggest and easiest to see is the class warfare and the slavery issue. Those are some of the major points of the novel, however, we are introduced to several characters that seem to be background but are involved in major happenings that don't have to do with the larger issues at hand. This is a multilayered story with a lot going on. I am still working through my feelings as you can see. I just finished this, but I already feel like I need to reread it because I know I missed something important. As far as I am concerned this was a fantastic book, with an interesting and different premise, wonderful worldbuilding, and with so many layers. I am so excited to read the next one in the series.

This book is set in the 21st century of an alternate Great Britain where slavery still exists. There are two classes of people - the ruling class, called Equals, who have special powers (called Skill) and everyone else. Everyone else is required by law to spend 10 years of their lives in slavery.. Gilded Cage tells the story of two families whose lives and fates are intertwined when one family begins their slave years together at the estate of one of the ruling families - except for their teenage son, who is sent by himself (illegally, since he's a minor) to a slave town. This has some of the feel of steampunk, though it's not. It was a compelling book with an ending that can stand alone if necessary but will easily lead into a sequel - which I hope the author is writing now!

When I came across this book on NetGalley, I was immediately drawn to the cover and had to request it after only reading a sentence or two of the synopsis. In the beginning, I was completely engaged and found the story fascinating. What appeared to be a two person POV quickly turned into countless POVs with multiple storylines. The entire flow of the book became so dense and convoluted. It's no secret I am huge fan of complex world building, but this one takes it to an entire new level. Despite the over saturation of characters and events, I have to say that I did enjoy the book. I found the premise intriguing and think it has potential to be a great series with subsequent books. The end left me reeling and desperate for the follow up. If you like outside of the box reads, I'd recommend this one.

That ending is amazing and I can't believe I have to wait another year for the next book!

3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a bit different from most fantasy/dystopian YA books I've read, as the politics seem to really play a big role. It made it not quite as interesting to me, but might be to some. I did enjoy the book overall, particularly the parts set in the slave quarters with Luke. There were quite a few different POVs, however, and it made it a little hard to remember who everyone was. I think a lot was needed to set up the overall premise, and I'm hoping it will focus in a bit more as the series continues. I felt the Equal Jardine brothers were the most interesting of the large group of characters, and most were fairly well developed. The world building was fairly good - but I had a hard time believing that people would put up with the Slavery aspect for so long without more instances of rebellion that were never hinted at. I did NOT like the romance aspect of this - felt it was too "insta-love," particularly for the girl. I also didn't find the "Skill" to be fleshed out enough. I would have liked a bit more detail on what that really meant, and who could do what.

Overall it was an enjoyable read, and the cliff-hanging ending did make me want to continue on with the series.

https://flyleafchroniclesblog.com/2017/02/14/gilded-cage-review/

4 ~ Dark and Twisty ~ Stars!

I wanted to give an awesome review for this book because it was such a good read but I can't do it justice. I'm literally left without words for this review right now. How can I accurately describe the emotional struggle, the flailing hope and the enduring love that lives inside these pages? How can I explain just who Abi is, who Luke and Renie, Dog, Jackson, Angel and Jenner and so many others really are?

Right now my heart is still breaking and my mind is still in shock. I'm still scrambling to hold out hope that there are still allies and friends and family at the end of it all. This isn't a fairy tale, it's too dark and real to be something so safe and clean but it is a powerful read. Its a book that deals with death, violence, oppression and fear. But it also shows you human strength, compassion, survival and love.

It was like an alternate universe where Voldemort won and all muggles were enslaved. It gave me chills to read and I grew so attached to these characters and the journey of each character takes because the writing was so freaking good! Seriously the character development, the world building, the gripping adventure that this author created was definitely something that will stay with me for a long time to come.

I'm simply hooked. When there are such underdogs as the people in these pages, how can I not root for them?

This is part of a series and ends with a cliffhanger but I was fascinated from start to end and can't wait for book 2!

PROS:

That first chapter. Holy on the edge of your seat foreboding, anxiety, and all around fascination. Three hot brothers, a mysterious woman with a baby, magic…it’s compelling, gripping, you won’t want to put it down. And the personality. Each character is strong in tone and development. They almost feel like dark fae princes. If you’ve read Holly Black or Julie Kagawa, you’ll get some serious vibes here. Gavar, Jenner, and Silyen. The whole Jardine clan of men. The layers and layers of questionable morals and cold snark. The darkness within. It’s addictive. They’re the most interesting characters, no matter how intriguing Luke’s work as a rebel is. Gavar alone is like this grumbly Phantom of the Opera character meets Beast from Beauty and the Beast. Jenner is a sort of Darcy. Silyen, you want to hate him, but his story is the most versatile, interesting, and he’s so unreliable as a narrator that you’re unsure whether to trust him. He’s your epic love-hate male interest.

Luke’s story is almost on Les Mis level. Tossed into the heart of the rebellion and amongst a clandestine group of people within the working class. My Russian heart swelled at this revolutionary vibe. Luke is bumbling, he doesn’t know who he is, what he wants to be, he’s a little baby-ish and resentful as the story starts-he just wants to hang with his friends, play some football and chill, but no. Luke makes the biggest transformation in the story. His heart is full of justice and yearning, of that desperation to do right, even if it results in death. He becomes the cause and OMG does he get slaughtered for it-figuratively (no spoilers). You know in Les Mis when they sing “Red and Black” or “Do You Hear the People Sing?” That is the soundtrack to Luke’s chapters. He’s a supplanted Marius.

OMG that cliffhanger. The last few chapters of the book are jam-packed with twists that will stun and shock and turn you inside out. The predictable ones were made unpredictable because they had another level of deceit. I’ve never seen anything like it. Just when you’re nodding your head along, satisfied and sure that you had everything figured out, boom, epic level twist tacked right on. Mind blown. The ending. I can’t get over everything that happened. All the lies, the evil, the morals are tossed to the wind (not that they weren’t throughout, but these are particularly sinister and vile).

Love is everywhere. Sibling, friendship, romantic. All forms. Sometimes it’s twisted, others it’s pure and builds. There’s so much of it. Romance is subtle, but grows. The one Romeo and Juliet style romance…oh my poor little heart-obliterated. Cruel cruel story.

CONS:

Some of the POVs thrown in were questionable and didn’t really seem to have a function. More than that, they threw off the whole feeling of the book. As a reader, you pause and question why these new characters are suddenly there and whether we should care or not. For the most part, it was random and jarring. These POVs that shifted from the main characters detracted from the overall tone.

This book was highly political. At its heart, it’s a story of repression, rebellion, and challenging the system through planned and exhilarating vigilante justice. Sometimes the politics were unclear, especially in terms of history, why the world is structured the way it is, and it doesn’t explain as much as it should until late in the book and from there it’s a whirlwind of explosive reveals and insanity-utter chaos to the extreme, which leads me to my next point…

Pacing. The book starts out interesting enough. It pulls you in, it keeps you going, and then there’s a major lag, which is infuriating because it should not be happening at all. There’s all sorts of crazy stuff happening-plans for fighting oppression, protests, escapes, all high adrenaline stuff, but the constant swapping POVs dimmed the tension. There’s also a lot going on, inside the magical “palace” and in the slums.

This book has been on my radar since I first heard about it some months ago. It seemed like such a good mix of fantasy with an odd twist. I wasn't disappointed, that's for sure, yet I read book so quickly that when I finished, I thought, "That's it?" (Is that a good or a bad thing?)

I'm not certain what to make of this book. I don't mean that in a bad way. I loved the idea of the Equals, the aristocratic class with powers simply known as Skills. Where the Skills come from or how they got them, I don't think I ever understood. Great Britain is no longer ruled by a monarchy, and hasn't been for nearly 300 years. There is, in a sense, a ruling family, known as the Jardines with three sons, Gavar, Silyen, and Jenner.

The book opens on a mysterious scene, and we're left to wonder how this will play into the rest of the book. The sad thing is that it really doesn't--at least, not to extent that I want it to. Sure, it whets our appetite but we're never fully satisfied. There's definitely a lot of politics going on in this book, and while some may be bogged down by it, I didn't mind. Ultimately, I found it interesting, and it plays such a central role in this book, especially with the Hadleys, whose 18-year-old daughter Abi is a servant to the Jardines while her young brother Luke, is sent to the slave town known as Millmoor. The Hadleys as a family work through what's known as their "slaveyears"--10 years of their life working for a Skilled family.

I liked all of the characters. I think the three brothers, Gavar, Silyen, and Jenner, are all not as they appear. Silyen is the most vague, while Gavar has a volatile temper, and Jenner... Well, I think he might be my favorite. He's soft-spoken, a bit shy, and he's really just thrown onto the back burner for reasons I can't say because spoilers!

What intrigued me the most is the concept of the Equals and their Skills, and how they came to be. We don't really get any concrete evidence as to what exactly each Equal can do (like how with magic sometimes we have characters with certain magical abilities over particular elements, etc). Gilded Cage is like an alternative history. Despite that, I still had a hard time separating the fact that this was also contemporary in that there were cars and motorcycles, electricity, etc.--all common things we associate with a modern world. Yet there's a dystopian element as well. So in terms of world-building, fairly good, but still some fuzzy parts, which I imagine will (hopefully) be ironed out in the next book.

One thing that did frustrate me was all the odd names! It's stated in the book the Equals have "silly" names for a reason, but it's frustrating when you don't know how to pronounce half of them! I found myself simply skimming some of the names.

I will admit that I'm a sucker for those forbidden romance tropes and this has tiny elements of it. Maybe it'll pan out more in the next book, too, but I can only hope...

Gilded Cage reminds me of a combination of The Magicians, The Story of O, and Oliver Twist.
Exemplary world building, lush descriptions, and a magnificent tone will take you backwards and forwards in time in a way you never would have expected. And, the idea of having to be a slave to bearers of magic lends itself to so many good possibilities—and this author really took that to a high bar.

2.5 stars

This was a book with big aspirations but patchy execution. I thought I was getting into some kind of dystopia with 'special skilled people'. On the one hand, that's what I got, on the other it was much more than this, almost too much of many other things. This is a hugely political read, which I am not adverse to but it was inherently confusing due to an overly large cast of characters, many of similar importance; I didn't know where to place my focus.

The start to the book is gentle (post-prologue), introducing a family who are about to do their ten years time in subservience. Hierarchy is the name of the game in GILDED CAGE and if you're not skilled then you have to forfeit your rights as a person and serve the skilled for ten years in slavedays. This family were from Manchester and as a Mancunian myself, I was piqued at this facet to the book. Manchester had a slaveday town called Millsmoor and this was described as a dark, pre-industrial revolution kind of inhuman place; definitely a contrast to life outside.

Lots about this book interested me, the Equals (skilled) and their way of life. What I found was that almost all of the Equals in this book were obnoxious in one way or another. There was no upstairs/downstairs feel to the story, despite some suggestion of kind dispositions. Do not get me started on the sadomasochistic keeping of a man-dog.

Whilst this is the first book in a trilogy and there is much more to come, the story did not weave together for me at all. I don't feel invested enough to continue with the rest of the series.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through netgalley in return for an honest review.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.

So many people have raved about this book, prompted me to read it, keep going, it gets better and better. Unfortunately for me, all of the above didn't aid in my enjoyment of Gilded Cage.

Firstly, the good: James' world-building, while often confusing for me, was really quite good when I started to get a handle on it. Although upon finishing, I'm still left scratching my head on what exactly this world is. Is it a dystopian? Alternate-history? Any and all of my confusion is not the fault of the author, it's solely on me.

When I initially saw this title, I was super intrigued. Especially when I read "dark fantasy". Dark fantasy is my groove, my preferred niche, and almost always a hit for me. Unfortunately, this was less dark fantasy, and much more politically-motivated than I expected. And again, I am quite confused by much of the politics and much of the hierarchy involved in said politics.

Bottom line - many of my friends have really enjoyed this novel, and I've even gone on to purchase my own copy. It's a complicated book with a complicated world, and I may come back to it eventually.

**I've refrained from writing an online review and rating because as you can see from my attempted review above, my confusion with Gilded Cage is making for a very incohesive set of paragraphs.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this novel.
Going into this and reading the first few chapters I thought it would drag. But, after the first couple chapters the storyline picked up and became really enjoyable.
The characters were really fun to read about. Like and Abi's characters were brave and family oriented. Really great to read about.
Yes, it had many YA tropes, but it didn't make this story not fun to read or less enjoyable.
I am definitely going to pick up the next one in this series.

This story looked to be a magical fantasy but it was more a political saga. It's a story of rich and powerful vs slaves and have nots. Book 1 of a new series.

Gilded Cage takes place in modern day society, but a society that is run by people known as Equals. Equals are people born with magical powers. Those not born with powers are called commoners and within this world, commoners are required to serve the Equals, in some capacity, for ten years of their life, at some point, before they can will be considered full citizens. Luke and Abi's family decides they are all going to do their "slavedays" together starting pretty much now. Abi found a way for the family to, hopefully, make an easier time of their ten years by indenturing themselves to the highly regarded and powerful Jardin family.

However, things don't go quite as planned and Luke finds himself serving his time in Millmoor, a brutal factory town. There, he will uncover the seeds of discontent and the whispers of rebellion. As he gets more entwined with the people of Millmoor and standing up for his fellow oppresses commoners, Luke imagines a better future.

Meanwhile, Abi and the rest of the family are acclimating to life at the Jardin family home. Abi finds herself attracted to the middle Jardin brother, Jenner. But as she and Jenner get closer and she learns more about his family, and their secrets, will she choose to keep them, or will she use them to help her family?

I had to keep reminding myself, at certain points throughout, that this story is set in modern times. The subject manner and I think that was the eeriest thing about the book. That the lines are so blurred you have to remind yourself in what day and age you're living in. It kind of hauntingly mirrors current events.

For all that, I found that Vic James crafted a very well told story. The history of how the Equals came to be the power of the world is a bit muddied at first, but as you go along you begin to understand it better and you draw lines from things people say or reference to the historical context.

While the story shifts perspectives with each chapter, we are mainly given the viewpoints of Luke and Abi who start their slavesdays in radically different ways. I appreciated that Vic James decided to go this route, because she easily and clearly illustrates the multitude of experiences different people can have throughout their serving time.

Of the two siblings I found myself liking Luke's perspective more. It was filled with more intrigue and action than Abi's. And I'm afraid Abi's time is spent pining over a potential possible relationship that I honestly just wasn't feeling. There were so many other things going on, I really didn't care about Abi's feelings for Jenner, no matter the forbidden love aspect, and I also didn't think things were fleshed out enough between them to even make me want a relationship between the two.

But with Abi's scenes we are given better access to the Jardin's as a whole. Honestly the three Jardin Brothers: Gavar, Jenner, and Silyen were the most interesting of the characters. I find their motivations to be somewhat mysterious. Especially youngest brother Sil whom we know is up to something but we don't yet fully understand his endgame. Gavar and Jenner are more than their family name would suggest. So we have to wonder if, as the series continues, will they simply try to uphold the family tradition, or will they actually try to break out and change things. Do they even really want to? Their characters have the most potential for surprising the readers I think.

The plot flows along rather nicely and the storyline is woven together in a way that there are a few surprises by the end as different connections are made. I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next and how certain things play out.

When I started Gilded Cage I wasn't sure what to expect, but I found it was quite the pleasant surprise.

This book is a must read!! I loved this book and will be recommending it to all my friends!!

It's been a while since I've read and really enjoyed a young adult dystopian novel, in part because they all feel the same. There are so many repeated themes that I get bored with them quickly. When I saw the synopsis for Vic James's Gilded Cage, though, I started to hope that it would be different from the rest, and luckily, it didn't let me down.

In Gilded Cage, James creates a world in which the Equals (not equal, just skilled with some kind of magic) run everything, and everyone else is required to complete ten years of slave labor. The concept for this world is interesting and unique, and I enjoyed learning about it and seeing how the characters navigated this place with all its complexities.

The book jumps around to different characters' points of view, and I did enjoy this. It made me keep reading to get to the next part of a particular person's story. I liked how everything eventually intersected, bringing the characters together despite their seemingly different paths earlier on. I also enjoyed that the characters weren't black and white; even the people who are seemingly the bad guys have some redeeming qualities (most of the time) and it was hard to predict exactly what they were going to do.

I really liked the Jardine characters. I felt that they were supposed to be villains, but they were also fairly well-rounded. I enjoyed seeing how they would respond to the situations they were in and how they created their own fates by manipulating the people around them. I didn't love the Hadleys, especially the parents. How can you just make a decision to have your children be slaves for ten years at young ages without even talking to them about it? Still, I did like seeing how Daisy and Abi adjusted to their new lives, even if I didn't love the choices they made.

What I really didn't like was the author's treatment of Luke. It seemed like he was just a pawn to move things along. How do we make things worse for the heroes? Hurt Luke, of course! From the beginning to the end, I felt that he was the character with the least amount of agency, and that bothered me. Even his ten-year-old sister Daisy managed to be able to make decisions that moved the plot forward without something just happening to her. But Luke? Nope. He has to be the target of every bad twist of fate. It bugged me that these things just kept happening to him. It didn't seem like he was really able to make any choices for himself, except maybe for a little bit at Millmoor (the slavetown he's sent to). I really wish that he'd been more in control of his own life.
Overall, though, I did really enjoy reading this! I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly it went, and I honestly didn't put it down from start to finish. I look forward to reading more from this author and the next book in the series. I gave it four stars.

*ARC from Del Rey via NetGalley

Gilded Cage by Vic James
Unequal. Unbroken.

Loved it! A Novel full of Political Intrigue. A Novel with a cast of characters so good, I will miss them. A story of Power, Politics sorrow and hope.
The Author spins a tale of excitement that keeps you riveted to the story chapter after chapter.
I loved the Author's tale of Equals and the use of their skill. I'm looking forward to reading more from Author Vic James.

I give Gilded Cage 5 stars for its Riveting read.
I would recommend this book to everyone.

The Low Down:
This book is a little alternate history and a little fantasy and dystopia taking place in an alternate England. In this story, there are two classes; the Equals, who have mysterious magical powers, and everyone else who don’t have a trace of power. In this world, the Equals rule by force of power and everyone else is forced to spend 10 years as a slave in order to maintain a pact and in order to become a citizen.
This story, told in multiple perspectives, tells the stories of two families, one of equals and one of normal British as they meet and collide, and as they both strive in their own ways and for their own motivations for freedom and revolution.

My Thoughts
I loved this story. For the past few years I have been very very hesitant to read any book that had any trace of dystopia in it because they got to be old and they seemed to follow the same cookie cutter pattern. Namely, shitty rulers, wasteland, and gag worthy romance. Here is a flow chart for y’all.
But this one was different. First, it was told in a shit ton of different perspectives. So we got the views of 5+ different people. I see how that would confuse and annoy people. But I thought it worked in this case. I thought all of the perspectives flowed around and through each other in a very creative way, that made me fly through this story. And another thing about the perspectives: they helped to build the characters of the story and we got to see each of their characters.
Then the world was way different. It was a dystopian England sure, but it combined that with a lot of alternate history and fantasy world building. It had the typical dystopian elements of haves and have nots and a volcano of a revolution building. But I have never seen this type of world before. I thought it was so unique.
The book is also very plot driven. There is a lot of action, and political intrigue that kept me awake and flipping pages long after I should have been asleep.
There are a lot of questions I have about this book that I hope are resolved in the next installment. Which is okie though…you know…dem cliffhangers tho…keep us on the edge 

This is the first book in a new YA fantasy series. I am not sure how many books the author has planned overall, but he definitely started out with a bang. I enjoyed this book immensely. In fact, lately I have been quite disappointed with most new YA fantasy. They all seem to be a variation on the same theme: an ordinary teenager suddenly discovers s/he is special and goes on to outsmart the powers-that-be and save the world.

Gilded Cage is a refreshing exception and really stands out from the cookie-cutter YA fantasy that is out there now. At first, I thought the world was not terribly original. Basically, the story unfolds around our current time in Great Britain, and the population is divided into the ruling magic-wielding aristocracy (or "Equals) and the "commoners". The latter have to give up 10 years of their lives to serve as slaves either on an Equals' estate or in one of the industrial slavetowns around the country.

We follow several different perspectives: Abi and Luke Hadley are teenage brother and sister whose family decides to do their slavedays all together on an estate. However, Luke gets unexpectedly separated and sent to a slavetown, while the rest of his family (mother, father, and two sisters) get sent to work on the estate of the Jardine family - the most influential Equal family in Great Britain. At the same time, we also follow the perspective of several Equals: most notably the powerful and explosive Gavar Jardine and his power-hungry fiancee Bouda. My favorite anti-hero in the book is Silyen Jardine. His magic (or "Skill") is extremely strong even by Equals' standards, but he is also secretive, manipulative and utterly creepy. He is by no means "a dark, brooding, swoon worthy" type of evil character, an overused and popular troupe in YA. On the contrary, he scares the crap out of me. We do not get any chapters from his point of view which makes his character even more fascinating.

The teenagers in the story - Abi and Luke - are very realistic. They are rash, naive, act their own age, and definitely do not discover any hidden special abilities or outsmart the powerful Equals around them. If anything, they are more like pawns in someone else's game and gradually come to realize their own powerlessness and inability to control anything. The plot was completely unpredictable, had a lot of twists and turns, and kept me on the edge of the seat the entire length of the novel. I found myself utterly engrossed and unable to put the book down. I cannot wait to get my hands on book 2, and am thrilled that it is coming out later this year. 5 out of 5 stars. This was definitely a rare gem in the sea of YA sameness.