I was provided a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I knew from the moment I saw the description of this book that I was going to want to read it. Having seen the cover, read the description...when it showed up in a NetGalley email to me, I knew that I had to request it.

I was not disappointed.

James writes a chilling picture of a world which looks a great deal like our own, but is far and away different at the same time. The world is divided in half, the Equals--those who possess a type of magical ability (or come from a family that does) called Skill, and the commoners, who are Skillless. It have been made mandate, at least in the version of Great Britain that we are following, that all unSkilled people are to serve what they call their "slavedays"--a decade of servitude to the Equals. Some work in houses as "servants", others in industrial work camps. We follow the Hadley family, who are all meant to go--by design--to Kyneston, one of the most (if not the most) prestigious house there is...until the lone son of the family, Luke, is sent alone to Millmoor, a slavetown with a reputation for being the absolute worst of its kind.

We see a lovely transition in each of our characters, fascilitated by the changing viewpoints, with none of our main point of view characters left behind. (I'm reminded a bit of the Song of Ice and Fire series, and all the switching POVs there. Whereas we could almost be anywhere in the world in Westeros in any given chapter, the places stay fairly consistent through CAGE, which I think helps manners and allows for the plot to flow more evenly.

Abigail, the eldest child of the family, finds her way into an office job with Jenner, the oddball member of the Jardine family who--despite having Skilled parents--has no Skill himself. Daisy, the youngest, cares for the Heir Gavar Jardine's illegitimate daughter Libby. The mother works as a nurse and the father assists with mechanical repair. All in all, relative peace. (Inasmuch as there ever is in Kyneston.) As for Luke, his first days at Millmoor aren't all sunshine and rainbows--not that he expected them to be--but he quickly finds a way to make a difference in a world that desperately needs helping. At the same time, Abi begins to see that not all is rosy in the world of the Equals, and sees just how broken the system can be--and both what needs to be done, and what is not likely to be done. Too often, they're the same thing.

Both the concept and the scope of Skill are fascinating, and James' world is terrifyingly believable. Seeing the difference in Abi and Jenner attempting to maneuver their working relationship as edges of something else start creeping in, and Daisy's complete ability to care for Libby and be unswayed by the massively intimidating Heir to the Jardine House is brilliant in its simplicity, and shows us the internal chaos of Kyneston nicely without having to beat anyone about the head and shoulders to do such--and shows the difference between the life of the Equals and the life of the slaves even more so. And for once, a classic YA trope happened and I wanted it to. (I wanted it so badly.) So that's a benefit.

I'm excited to see that this will be a series; I really want to see how the bombshell at the end pans out. Well worth a read.

Rating: **** (Recommended)

Looking forward to the rest of the series. Interesting concept.

Gilded Cage by Vic James

Gilded Cage by Vic James places us in an alternate reality where a revolution in 1642 England has resulted in the Slavedays Compact. This treaty means that “Our world belongs to the Equals—aristocrats with magical gifts—and all commoners must serve them for ten years.” Abi’s family determines to do their time together, serving on the estate of Kyneston, home of the powerful Jardine family. It is an accepted fact that the surest way to survive service is to keep your head down and play dumb but brilliant, talented Abi finds feigned ignorance a difficult act, especially in front of Jenner Jardine.

This alternate reality fantasy is scary, engaging, and engrossing. The first in a new series it leaves us longing for book two.

Memorable moment: The meeting between Jenner and Abi.

Her words died behind her lips when she looked at Jenner Jardine. Not from a distance on his horse, or with one eye on her indiscreet little sis, but properly at him.

He had warm brown eyes and coppery hair. His face was dusted all over with freckles, and though his mouth was wider than usual in a man, it was balanced by strong cheekbones. Abi took in all these details, yet none of them really registered. She felt giddy again. Felt naked again. And it didn’t leave her cold. No, not cold at all.

Maybe it was the title, which I liked, but was a tiny hesitant about. I shouldn't have been, because this book surprised me. The magical rule over the non-magical. That's familiar, but don't fret, this isn't a re-do of another series. One family was suppose to stay together, and everything fell apart. From here it goes like most books do, but with lots of interest, push, pull, romance, drama, action and adventure. It held together and was reasonably solid. A nice surprise!

My copy came from Net Galley. I am leaving this review because I want to. My thoughts and opinions are my very own.

Wow. Just WOW. This book completely blew me away. I was not expecting this amazingly and thoughtfully crafted dystopian world filled with such a fantastic cast of characters. I was hooked from the very start and could not put this book down.

Gilded Cage has a whole slew of characters and connections to keep track of, but I swear it is all worth it. The story focuses mainly on the Hadley and Jardine families, specifically Abigail (Abi) and Luke Hadley and Silyen Jardine. The story is told from multiple points of view and each chapter was like peeling back the layer on an onion. Each voice was distinct and you get to go deeper into the inner workings of the character's mind and see just what makes them tick. I especially loved the contrast between how a character is viewed by others/presents themselves versus who they truly are. Not everyone is as they seem. The characters were wonderfully complex and there were lots of shades of grey between who was truly good and evil and what is right and wrong. Can something be truly good if it's done for the wrong reasons? What about something bad being done for the greater good?

The pacing of the story was perfect and the conflicts encountered by our characters were at times intense. I don't think you could write a book about slavery and human decency (or lack there of) without eliciting these powerful emotions. The author gets you invested in these characters and you root for them to persevere and hurt with them when they struggle. The highs are incredibly high, filling your spirit with hope, but goodness, the lows are heartbreakingly low, tearing your heart right out of your chest. This is truly a testament to the superb writing and storytelling of Vic James. Gilded Cage really had it all and I cannot wait to continue on with this series!

*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher*

Grabbed me on the first page and never let go. I was enthralled by the intertwining of the two classes, their similarities and their differences. Was let down by the ending but now I see it's the beginning of a series. Can't wait to find out what happens in the next one.

This is a dark tale about the misuse of magic. There are the "haves" and "have nots" in this world just like in the world we live now, but those with "skills" are vindictive and mean. They are also the ruling class and the other unfortunates are slaves. They only have to serve for ten years but not all of them survive them. This not a nice world.

Del Rey and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published on February 14th.

The various characters in this book each have their own chapters. You get the story from all sides. The skilled and the slaves both have their say. The story is put together well and the plot stays together. The author even made me care about some of the characters; others I learned to hate. I didn't enjoy reading this as much as I expected. There's too much bad happening. I wanted a lighter read and this does not qualify for that.

One thing that really sent a shiver up my spine is the fact that the skilled can use mind control on you. That scares me. Imagine doing something you don't want to do because they made you...

I do think that young adult readers will enjoy it. It's a well told tale, but just a bit too dark for me. That might just be my age talking. Give it a try and see what you think.

So I'm normally NOT a huge fan of dystopian novels so I'm not sure what possessed me to request this in the first place. I AM SO GLAD I DID! It takes place in an alternate England where you have The Equals (my eyes roll as I wrote that) and everyone else, who gets to serve a decade as slaves for lacking the one thing "The Equals" have that they don't, Skill.

The characters are really well written as is the story itself. I enjoyed the multiple point-of-views and seeing the different, yet similar, struggles of the characters. While it's hard to imagine this happening in real life, the scenery and characters were realistic enough that I felt I actually knew them. I liked that it was not all gloom and doom and there were some lighter moments and stolen kisses throughout.

I cannot wait to read the next in the series!

I had a very very very hard time getting into this book. I think the fact that the narration and point of view changed after each chapter threw me off and kept me from getting immersed into the world of the book. There were also a lot of characters and back-story to keep up with.

What a great story. Imagine having to give 10 years of your life to a ruling class as part of your civic duty. When would be the most convenient 10 years? Early in adulthood? Later when you have established a career and family? Hmm. Of course this 10 years is spent in salve like conditions, some dangerous, some demeaning but always without retaining your rights as a free person.

The "Equals", or ruling family, all possess Skills; the author's term for magic or powers. They use it to maintain their lifestyles and impose their will on the common constituents. The story reads as if set in Feudal era's but scenes hint at setting in a more modern time. Either way, my mind kept seeing slaves, lords and caste systems and I had difficulty seeing any present day correlation.

This follows a family of 5 committed to doing their 10 years of service when their youngest child turned 10. With expectations of all 5 serving in one of the ruling houses of "Equals" they are devastated to find that the one and only son is being separated and sent to a workhouse community where physical danger is an everyday occurrence. He is just 16 but finds his way to help in an underground group trying to make life a little more livable in the community. Putting his life on the line daily to assist his fellow resident.

The rest of his family are serving in various capacities at the estate of one of the Equals. Demeaning servitude, although at a safer and more esthetic setting, still takes a toll on the oldest daughter who falls in love with one of the "non-skilled" sons of the Equals. Taboo in triplicate.

The story follows all the perils of the family and their desire to be reunited. With no rights of their own, they are definitely caught in a "cage" not of their making.

I loved the characters, loved the storyline and thought it a great take on oppression of the masses and rebellions that must be in everyone's mind. I did however find myself skipping forward in some parts and riveted to the page in others. The ending left me a somewhat cold but surely there will be at least a sequel in the future!

A thoroughly engaging altiverse with relatable characters but the ending was excessively bleak.

I galloped through reading this book. I was entranced and was driven to finish as fast as I could. In the midst of reading I attending NY ComicCon and had the pleasure to meet the author Vic James and get a signed print ARC of this same title...The only hard part was meeting her before finishing the novel..I was at the climax of action and just wanted to read! Good characters and beginning of a nice series. It got a bit frantic at the end and confusing sorting out who, what, when, but overall good work.

I didn’t enjoy this book and I honestly have no clue how else to summarize it. Yes, I read the description and I did see the bit about commoners serving those with magic, known as “the Equals” for some reason that either wasn’t disclosed or I didn’t pay attention to, but I didn’t realize it was ten years of actual slavery, complete with the loss of all rights and “personhood.”

So let’s start with my biggest issue with this book – I don’t buy the premise. Now, I’ve read dystopias before and oftentimes there is a suspension of belief required to really get into the story. But I do not buy that in modern times, people would willingly serve a small class of people, by literally becoming slaves for ten years of their lives, even if they get to choose at what age they do so (well, by the time they turn 60 or something). Other countries have Equals and handle magic with varying degrees, but I believe England was one of the few countries that have these slave laws and it made it even harder to believe that the common people wouldn’t have broken free of this ridiculous agreement by now.

Yes, the Equals are all rich (because, of course) and some are very powerful, but throughout the story we realize most of these people never even display their powers, making me wonder all the more why they’re in a position to command slaves at this point. Many of them don’t even know the extent of their own powers and I wondered whether they could actually snuff out a serious rebellion.

But before I even realized how ridiculous I thought the overall plot of the book was, I was bored to death by the characters. I didn’t care about Luke, Abi and their family and how they were going into slavery. I didn’t care about any of the clichéd Equals. They were so bland I couldn’t even bring myself to hate them, which would have at least been entertaining to some degree. Oh, well there were two sisters named Bouda and Bodina and I hate their names, so that’s something I suppose.

All in all, I was predominantly bored by this book and was relieved when it was over. I believe this is to be a trilogy, but I’ll pass on that.

I expected more from this book – more atmosphere, more character development, more excitement. Unfortunately, I can’t say that I would recommend this book to anyone. However, I seem to be in the minority compared to the other reviews I’ve seen so far, so perhaps you may enjoy this.

Definitely not what I was expecting from the cover and synopsis. I had expected a historical fantasy and even though I didn't get that I really did enjoy what I read! It was definitely a fantasy just set in modern times. I loved the multiple POV's too! I can't wait to read the next book.

Holy plot twists batman! This book was anything but predictable. I have never encountered a book I wanted to hate but loved so much. I'm not a fan of the 'slave days' scenario, I find it highly improbable, but I really liked the magic and story that evolved from it.

There was also no main character, but more of a cast of characters. At first I was afraid it would be too many POVs, but each one was both relevant and smoothly incorporated. We are given insight into the characters' intentions that we never could have otherwise. And the characters themselves were so well developed, so flawed and alive, I am still in awe.

Overall, this book was a great read that went by too quick even though it wasn't short. Many questions were raised and not many were answered, so book 2 will be a must read.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy for review!

Posted on goodreads:

Part of me wanted to give this 3 stars just because of the ending. I'm not a fan of the cliffhanger ending trend at all. If a story is well told and interesting enough to continue into a series then I will already want to know 'what next?' I don't want the story to end in the middle of a scene, it's just annoying. In general I liked the book though and went with 4 stars.

Vic James created a fairly believable dystopian story set in Great Britain. Here, the class division of haves vs have-nots is not separated economically but magically-those that have magical 'Skills' are the rulers and everybody else is simply a commoner regardless of wealth and must spend ten years at some point in their life as a slave, mostly working in industrial slave towns. The story is centered on a family who has just entered their mandatory 'slave days' and mainly focuses on the teenaged brother and sister, Luke and Abi, as they deal with their situations.

While parts of the story were a little predictable, there were still several things that surprised me, which is always a plus. Overall I liked the book and look forward to the next in the series, hopefully there won't be another mid-scene cliffhanger though.

Gilded Cage by Vic James will be released on Valentine’s Day, 2017. This is an excellent novel with a rich backstory and detailed world building, interesting characters and plenty of plot. Don’t go by the blurb for this novel which make it sound like YA fantasy with teen romance and devoid of original ideas. It has plenty of themes that adults will enjoy. (This review is condensed from my blog post here: http://www.morebooksthantime.com/gilded-cage-by-vic-james-excellent-fantasy-set-in-alternate-england/)

Backstory – Slavery

James built a detailed and richly thought-out world. Consider her treatment of slavery, a repulsive idea in any context however configured.

The slavery concept as executed in the novel is unique. The Equals could have forced everyone to work 1 week a month for 41 years, which would be about the same total as 10 years all at once. But if you think about it, a 1 week per month routine would quickly become just a duty, onerous, unpleasant, but not soul-shattering. To make their power and position absolutely, unequivocally clear, Equals force the 10 years.

When do you do your 10 year slave days? Young so you have the rest of your life free (if you aren’t killed or maimed)? At 55 so you can enjoy 35 years of adulthood first? Alone or with a spouse? With your children? It’s a horrible choice and there is no good answer.

Anytime an author establishes a framework so carefully structured that readers think about the economic and political (to say nothing about moral) ramifications we have the makings of a great fantasy. Once the author sets up the structure then she must create characters and a story that are equally vibrant. James has done that here.

Characters

James does an excellent job showing us the characters, especially Skilled brothers Gavar and Silyen, one expected to pursue political leadership and the other scheming and exploring his Skill, Gavar’s repulsive fiancee Buoda, commoner Luke and would-be revolutionary leader Dr. Jackson.

She uses small details to show us the people. For example, Bouda wants to force anyone who is unemployed long term back into slavery and can’t understand why her perfectly logical idea was not adopted. That tells us about Bouda. We see people interacting, many interesting minor players and some take risks and some do not.

Gilded Cage stands alone as an excellent, thought-provoking novel but it is also set up for sequels. It is character-driven with several minor characters positioned for larger roles in the next books as conflicts are primed to start.

Overall

Vic James has given us a fascinating novel with a genuine plot, world and characters. She balanced writing a solid story with setting up sequels and I hope to follow her through her next novels.

5 Stars

I received an advance copy from NetGalley in expectation of a review.

I loved this book, everything from the cover to the plot to the characters. I loved that the love story wasn't too "in your face" and was mixed with intrigue and action. I can't wait to read more from this author.

I really enjoyed the writing style and I felt that each pov had their own voice. I enjoyed the use of an alternate-universe England, but the reasoning behind some world-building choices, like why the Equals needed slaves were not expanded to their full abilities.

Good characters, excellent worldbuilding (even though slave!fic is not my favorite subgenre). Left me wanting to read more..