WHY DID I LISTEN TO GILDED CAGE BY VIC JAMES?
Gilded Cage by Vic James is a debut novel about a world in which some have magic and some don’t. What really sold me on reading this book was the sociology within. I am always one for reading books with complex societies. This book has got a society that is totally jacked up. When I saw that Gilded Cage was available at my library via Overdrive, I knew I had to borrow it. I like to ponder and think about things during my commute. This seemed like just the right book for doing that.

WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?
So, Gilded Cage is a tale of two families so to speak. It is about the Hadleys and the Jardines. The Hadleys are an unskilled family – meaning they do not have magic. Everyone in Britain who does not have magic must commit a compulsory amount of time as a slave before they are considered a citizen and free. The Hadley parents, Abi and Daisy end up working for a magic family, the Jardines. The son, Luke, ends up at this work house which was not the original plan. The Jardines, FYI, are what are called Equals. There’s three sons and the two parents. One son, Gavar, has a daughter whose mother was a slave that died trying to escape. The Jardines and the Hadleys end up pretty intertwined, because of the Hadleys working for the Jardines. Meanwhile, Luke gets caught up in revolution.

HOW DID I LIKE GILDED CAGE?
This book was really good, but also kind of frustrating. I was frustrated at how awful life is for the non-Equals. We do see that other nations do not follow the same structure as Britain. There’s other nations where magic is outlawed, so they don’t have this compulsory period of slavery. I found myself really on edge too while listening. You see, there is a LOT of action in this book. Sort of. Like you find yourself just hoping everything is going to end up okay for the Hadley family. It’s really especially heartbreaking when Luke is separated from them. In all, Gilded Cage really does make you ponder.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
I listened to the audiobook of Gilded Cage at twice the normal speed. It is narrated by Avita Jay. The audiobook is 11 hours and 33 minutes long. Honestly, it flies by. Okay, true, I listened to it sped up. However, the story never feels slow or boring. I’d probably recommend reading it physically instead of listening as I didn’t retain as much of it as I could have. Yet, I did want to continue with the story via audio and after finishing put a hold on the sequel, Tarnished City.

In this version of modern day Britain the magic users who comprise the small elite rule Britain and make the non magic users or commoners pledge ten years of slave service to them. There are slave towns that exist in Britain or they could work on an estate for one of the magical family elite. The Hadley family is a family that applied to do their slave days on the Jarden estate, the leading family in this world. The only exception is their sixteen year old son Luke is sent to a slave town instead to do his slave days. This book is written from different points of view the Equals, the magic users and members of the Hadley family on magic users. When they Hadley's get on the estate they soon discover that one of the Jarden sons, Jenner does not have magical Skill but he does not have to do slave days because of his family background. This runs parallel to wars where the draft is enacted where the wealthy could get their sons out of being drafted for military service especially with unpopular wars. Luke gets involved with those who want to get rid of the slave days and to end the oppressive rule of the Equals. There are a small minority of Equals who wish to at least change the slave days though no one mentions that anyone who does not have magical Skill should do slave days no matter which family they are born into. I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review from Netgalley.

In this first book in her Dark Gifts series, Vic James has created an alternate world, a dystopian, modern-day Britain, where the monarchy has long been abolished through regicide and commoners are now ruled by aristocrats called 'the Equals.' This elite group has magical gifts and have created a smooth-running society; all they ask of commoners in exchange is ten years of their lives, working as slaves. Two families collide--one elite, one commoner--and this society will never be the same.

I enjoyed this ya fantasy immensely. There's plenty of intrigue, adventure with some gore, and many social issues to consider. The focus is mainly on the teen characters, some of whom grow, exhibit great bravery and make quite a few mistakes. Who to trust in this crazy world? Is revolution even possible against such 'Skillful' power?

I'm looking forward to reading book two, Tarnished City, which I've heard picks up the story right where this book ends. What will happen next??

Very interesting concept! I enjoyed the dystopian elements mixed in with the fantasy! Both of my favorite genres rolled into one! I think the story could have been a little more original but overall still a very enjoyable read! 3.5/5

The Gilded Cage was one of my most anticipated reads but it sadly did not deliver. James' created a terrifying world and premise, and it should have held my attention but it did not. I wanted more character descriptions and more world building.

This is another example of the premise piquing my interest and the execution being a bit of a letdown. This is pretty classic YA, though it does have more political dealings than most. Due to the political leanings, the worldbuilding felt a bit more structured than many YAs out there right now.

There were many characters and most were not terribly well fleshed out. The numerous POVs did nothing for me and I really wish more authors would stick to one POV, it almost always makes the book more compelling. This did not feel as stale as a lot of books in the young adult market these days and I appreciated that.

I contemplated whether I really wanted to read Gilded Cage or not. Dystopian YAs and me don't generally mix well but despite some of the world elements, this book read as a mix of dystopia and fantasy.

And it worked.

The elite upper class possess magic and lord it over all those beneath them, including in the form of "slave days" where regular citizens have to give up 10 years of their lives. Not exactly the kind of world you'd want to live in, right? 

I enjoyed the darkness in this book, touching on child labor and the world beneath the glitter. On the surface, we have a multitude of characters and perspectives to view this world through, anywhere from the elite nobles to those simply trying to survive, to those wishing to change the world. The intertwining elements really gave this book a richness in the world that I appreciated, at least at first glance. Diving in deeper, the choices for this world never quite made sense to me, the system of spending 10 years just gone from regular society especially as I can't imagine being able to move out of that so easily without resources, funds, etc. And points within the story also struck a wrong chord where characters (namely the Equals, specifically in the Jardine family centered in the story) do things. . . and we never know why. A lot of this book, in terms of the background information, came off as plot devices rather than organic to the story being told. 

That being said, I found this story unique in its take on slavery and magic. For that, it stood out, but it wasn't what I expected from the synopsis given. The multiple points of view made it hard to really connect with a character because as soon as something would happen to one, it shifted and I ended up having to wait too long between their scenes to care. I'd have rather had a more in-depth look at one, maybe two characters. I think Gilded Cage relied too heavily on being able to bounce around and reveal snippets of the mysteries unfolding; without that, I don't expect this book would have held its own. 

And yet. . . and yet I did enjoy the book on some levels, enough to read the sequel when it comes out so there's that at the very least. While I didn't get quite what I expected and the dystopian elements didn't work for me, there was enough of that "something else" that hooked me for book 2. I expect more politics and intrigue in the future, and I'm curious how James will handle that. It worked to a degree this time around, so here's hoping book 2 doesn't fall to sequel syndrome. Gilded Cage was good, better than I expected for the dystopian elements, and I'm interested to see how this series pans out!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. Unfortunately, I have lost interest in the title, partly due to trusted reviews, and will not be reviewing the title. I have, however, promoed the title through my weekly recap with links to Amazon. Thank you again, and I apologize for the inconvenience this may cause.

Many thanks for the book! Review can be found here: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/reviews/gilded-cage/

Another different book for my collection ...

This book got me from the beginning, by the cover and the synopsis.
At first I thought it might be a new "Harry Potter", bringing young and empowered characters, but it's not. Fantasy and dystopia mixed with a political plot.
There are parallel stories in the book - Abi, her brother Luke and the mysterious Silyen - and all are important.
The synopsis in itself already explains well what is going on throughout story.
The romance doesn't have the central focus. Rather, it addresses issues of freedom, choice (and lack of it), rebellion, revolution.

About the author's narrative, it's good, but I don't like it when it has a lot of POV's.
4 stars

The EQUALs who have supernatural powers control the lives of everyone else in the country in this alternate world. The commoners must serve 10 years of brutal slavery. During that time they have no rights whatsoever. Gilded Cage is the story of the Hadley family who enter into their slave period together with no real idea of what is about to happen to them. They sign up to be together on the Jardine's estate one of the most powerful ruling families. The slave family is immediately torn apart when 16-year-old Luke is sent to one of the most brutal slave factory towns. He becomes part of a rebellion against the system. Ten-year-old Daisy becomes a nanny for the illigitimate child of the Jardine family heir. The child is the product of an affair between Gavar and a murdered slave girl. Abigail the oldest child begins to fall in love with Jenner the second son of the Jardine family. He has the burden of being the only one in his family with no powers. The third Jardine son, Sylin is the most powerful and the most scheming of them all it seems, but to what end the reader is left wondering. The head of the Jardine family desires greater power at any cost. The Hadley family members along with the other commoners struggle to survive the brutality of the system. Three and one half stars.

In this England, magic rules - and all others must serve as slaves to this noble class. One family finds themselves entangled in a rebellion against their rulers - and an attempt at a coup. Compelling and thoughtful, with lavish prose.

Unfortunately I was not able to hooked on this book enough to finish it. The story just did not hold my interest at this time. I will attempt to try again at a later date.

Interesting but very very political for me. I couldn't focus on the story.

Dark and enjoyable fantasy/dystopian book that kept me hooked from start to finish. I will definitely make an effort to read more from this author because I genuinely enjoyed reading Gilded Cage and can't wait to see where the story goes in the future!

I remember hearing about this book and being so excited about it. It's an alternate London, where commoners are basically slaves for 10 years to those in power. It seemed up my alley, but I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. And for some reason, I never got around to reviewing this book, and since I was looking forward to it, I did want to talk about it.

It was really hard for me to get into, and I don't know that I'm interested enough to keep going with the series. The origin of slave days seemed really confusing, and not explained very well. It's the same with the origin of those with skill, and for the life of me, I cannot remember how it started. It just didn't seem like the world was explained- you were immersed in the world, which was different, but I found myself wondering what the history was, and I hate that whatever was explained isn't sticking.

I do wonder when it's supposed to take place- there were times when it felt like the technology was modern enough, but at the same time, it felt like an alternate Victorian London. I did like that, the alternate Victorian London feel, and now that I think about it, it is sort of a steampunk London, which worked pretty well with the concept of a slaveday.

Still, I feel like this book is another book in the wave of books where the upper class has powers that the lower class doesn't have (or isn't supposed to have, but does). Maybe I'm just jaded about this type of book already, but for me, there are better books in this genre to read. Maybe if I had read this book before some of the other similar books out there, I would have felt differently. Or maybe it's just not my cup of tea. Either way, it's not for me, but maybe you'll like it.

My Rating: 2 stars. For me, this one was okay, and I don't know if I'll be continuing the series.

I was not able to finish this book, so I decided not to feature it on my blog.

Interesting concept is what I thought when I read the blurb for this book. Somehow I am thinking there will be more story and less politics in the next book. This dystopian read centers around a family who has decided to due special favors to enter into their turn at 10 years of slavery together but that isn't how it works out. Betrayal, lies, deceit and more fill the pages of this read. It's hard to know who is doing what and who can be trusted. My first read of this author and loving to check out new authors I am glad I did.

I absolutely loved this book so much that I have taken quite a while thinking about the review. I love that the characters have abilities and I also like the good vs. bad struggle. I enjoyed learning about each character and trying to decipher each' true goals.

There is so much that could be said that I don't know where to start. Amazing, exciting ... Excellent story telling. I think about this book at times months after I have finished it.

This was removed from my Kindle, and I no longer have access to download it.
I will be passing off a recommendation to some friends that I believe will enjoy this book.