Set in an alternate England, aristocrats with magic "talent" are Equals, the rulers. Commoners without talent are required to serve as slaves for 10 years, but they can choose when they want to perform their service - there is no mandatory age to report in. The 10 year thing kept bothering me - 10 years! why not 4-5, the average military term to serve, or something similar. 10 years! How do you plan a life around a missing 10 year chunk? But other than that - great story! Once I got settled in, I found this really engrossing, with a unique storyline and excellent characters. Although it follows one family as they serve their slave years, the children are the dominant characters here. Starting out as your average, kind, naïve kids, they must meet and deal with so many changes - especially the people, good and evil, they now must serve. I can only see this series getting better and better, with even more depth and world building. And the last few pages are the perfect set up for the next book in this series, and add another twist to the storyline. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine/Del Rey for allowing me to read an ARC of this great new book. I

Mostly my thoughts are: what did I just read, good sir. Because while I liked the premise and a lot of the plot twists, it was SO POLITICAL and I had actually no idea what was going on. Plus I felt really detached and uninvested with the characters.

I did think the premise was interesting! Once I, erm, went back and reread the blurb, because it takes the actual book forever to explain what's going on. And the whole idea of powerful god-like figures enslaving a modern dystopian world was right up my alley. EVIL THAT DOES NOT SLEEP + REBELLIOUS SLAVES = THIS SHOULD BE GOOD! But no, no it wasn't. (At least for me. Obviously tons of people like this, including like 30 million people on wattpad because apparently it was a wattpad book first.) Instead it was full of dull characters doing dull things. Evil did sleep. Evil napped. The book was just (A) political arguments that went round in circles, (B) powerful people doing confusing things, (C) weirdly convenient things happening for the rebels, and (D) a very disturbing "romance" where a girl falls in love with her master who shows NO affection towards and sanctions her brain being wiped until at the end they randomly kiss.

I felt it had a lot of potential but was lost amongst too many narrating voices that all sounded the same and gave me no one to root for.

I have been looking forward to reading Gilded Cage for a long time and I am so glad that I was able to do so. One of the things that stood out to me about this book was the characters. They made this book. They were interesting and fleshed out and I found myself, while not liking them all, becoming engrossed in their lives and struggles.

If you are looking for a character driven book that has action thrown in there for good measure I think that you have found your book in Gilded Cage!

I really had to debate this review for nearly a week. Fortunately I buddy read this with my friend, Rachael, so I actually have the messages between us to remind myself what I liked and didn't like.

I loved the story, I've never read anything like it. It was definitely a new take on magic. The characters referred to in the book as having Skill are the ones with the magic. The aristocrats are the Equals, and the unskilled is everyone else. The unskilled have to devote ten years of their lives to the slave days. Essentially for ten years they have to put their lives on hold and work for no pay. The majority of the population has to complete their slave days in a industrial type place where you can have any number of jobs and everyone seems to be treated poorly. One of the characters, Luke, ends up here and we basically read as a revolution gets started. Another main character, Abi, ends up working for the Jardine family. The Jardine family is a very important, skilled family. This is a much more cushy way to live out your slave days.

Now lets get to the confusing aspects of the book. We start out the book with Gavar, heir of the Jardine Family, chasing down the mother of his child and her daughter. I'm assuming this was more important than what I got out of it while I read the book. I finished the book with no idea if Gavar is a good guy or bad guy. The second son of the Jardine's is Jenner and somehow he is unskilled, which is pointed out in the books multiple times as not being possible. And the youngest son is Silyen. I am unsure if Silyen is a villain or a good guy because we only had one chapter through his POV. The only other chapter that we learned a lot more about Silyen was told in Euterpe's POV. Another main character we followed was Bouda, Gavar's fiance, out of everyone she seemed the most pointless. We had two chapters following her and I honestly think they could have been skipped. There was also a small romance added in that just seemed completely forced and out of nowhere. Not every book needs a romance. If you want to add a romance at least make it build up!

There was a point in the book that just seemed like something to be a shocker and that was Lady Hypatia's dog. Dog definitely ending up being much more important later on though. The first half of the book I was not very interested at all. I had no clue who the main characters were, what the main plot points were, and I didn't really understand any of the characters. The second half was a bit more enjoyable. It ended with a bit of a cliffhanger as well. Apparently this is going to be a trilogy so I'll probably try to continue it.

Gilded Cage definitely has a lot of potential and I will most likely read book two because of it, but I don't think it was properly accomplished. I had to spend nearly a week debating this review because I both liked and didn't like this book and I landed on just giving it an average rating.

I thought I'd give it a try because I've read some good YA sci-fi books recently, but this didn't distinguish itself in any way. Disappointment.

I received an email from Netgalley introducing Gilded Cage and it immediately caught my interest. The first line of the synopsis was enough for me to instantly push the "request" button on Netgalley and anxiously await my acceptance. I immediately became hooked and loved the characters and the world James created. It did have some subtle similarities to other YA books I've read, but it definitely stood out!

I loved getting to know the characters and I especially loved the constant change between narrators and points of view. It was a little extra insight to how each character reacted to their circumstances, and the changes in points of view allowed the reader to get to know each character a little deeper.

The magic added such a complex flair to the novel and made it unlike other YA books that I've read. There were several unexpected twists in the plot and I couldn't guess what would happen next. I read the last page and just sat there thinking, "Ok James, you're going to have to hurry up and right the next book... like NOW"! I thoroughly enjoyed Gilded Cage and would highly recommend it to lovers of fantasy YA books.

There are a ton of awesome sounding books coming out in February, but Gilded Cage is definitely going to rise to the top. It was mind-blowingly amazing and here’s why. I went in expecting something set in a newly industrialized era, but what I got was modern day with the added twist of a 10-year period of enslavement for each and every non-gifted member of society. This book managed to defy every expectation I had when I began reading.

The most important feature in Gilded Cage is the inescapable decade of slavery that every person must complete. People give up their homes, jobs, and human rights, becoming chattel to the state. This thought was viscerally appalling to me, making an even stronger impact because the story is set in a modern time period that could be a distorted mirror to our own. The slave days, coupled with a society ruled by families with preternatural gifts makes for a gripping, perturbing story that is nearly impossible to put down. The skilled Equal families and their government are similar to the aristocratic society of historical England, minus royalty and with all of the corruption and power games.

The most powerful family, the Jardines, are central to the story, but we wouldn’t have this story if it weren’t for the Hadley family. The Hadley’s are doing their slavedays together as a family and have gotten lucky enough to serve at the Jardine estate. A far cry better than the toxic slums that most people end up in, right? Well, Luke Hadley gets to experience those slums first hand because the powers above have decided that a boy his age wouldn’t be of any use on the estate. As he learns the ways of revolution, his family learns that serving the Equals is still quite dangerous.

However much I liked the Hadleys for their resourcefulness, perserverance, and all around goodness, I liked the Equals because they’re monsters. The Jardines have closets of secrets and my opinions of them were ever-changing. Gavar is a rage machine, all sharp edges and black leather… until he’s with his baby daughter, then he’s awestruck and impossibly happy. Silyen is powerful beyond belief, but no one really knows what he’s capable of. I’m still unsure if he’s playing devil’s advocate or if he’s playing a long game. Jenner is quite unlike either of his brothers and I think he has a scrap of decency, though I have reservations about him. The other Equals range from sadistic to power hungry to abolitionist and each page brought something new to love or loathe.

Vic James is going to bring the house down with this book. This book had more momentum and had a society twice as appalling as The Hunger Games. Dystopian at its finest? Absolutely. I LOVED it and I’m going to go ahead and say this is one of the best books I’ll read in 2017. The countdown to the next installment is on!

First off thank you Del Rey Books and Netgalley for this ARC. The following review is just my opinion. I will begin with my likes then move on to my dislikes, and finally my personal thoughts.

This is a story about rich white people (with copper hair) who have magic. And if you weren't like them, you were enslaved and forced to spend 10 years as a slave to gain citizenship. Which that part didn't make sense at all. Especially, if you were born in that country. Oh, and if you tick these white people off with magic, you're enslaved for life. Oh and it takes place in Great Britain and not USA.

1. I only liked one character and that was Luke.
2. I like the cover.
3. I liked the beginning.
4. I liked the fact that it didn't take place in USA.

Now for my dislikes:
1. To me, it felt as though it was placed in the wrong categories. It's more like an Urban Fantasy/Dystopian novel..
2. I didn't care for the other characters. None of them were redeemable. .
3. There were errors here and there that became distracting for me.
4. Plot holes. Lots and lots of plot holes.
5. Less characters would have been better.
6. If a character is better off dead, they are better off dead. Not in a coma for twenty-five years.
7. Who leaves a baby with a ten-year-old child?
8. I didn't care for the slavery aspect of this novel.
9. Characters were there with no real explanation of being there.
10. It ends on a cliff hanger.
11. One part of the book it says Paris was destroyed by these rich magical white people. And one of them came back from Paris, ten chapters later. Huh? I thought Paris was destroyed!

What are my personal thoughts?
At first, I thought this was going to be something similar to Hunger Games or the Divergent Series. Oh, no... it had potential but as soon as the author added too many characters, I checked out. I finished the entire novel but I didn't care about some of the characters' stories. I checked out big time. There were confusing lines that may impact potential readers. The publisher did make clear that they would fix the problems before it's released. I do hope so. If you publish it the way it is, this book will have major problems. It didn't flow like water for me. It was clunky at times. The ten-year-old watching a little baby was a stretch for me. The slavery and enslaved was a stretch for me. Even in fantasy that was a huge stretch for me. I didn't like this at all. Every time I read the words: slave, slavery, or any root of that word, I cringed. If you're up for a read like this, have at it. Maybe my copy was iffy. I don't believe we all read and interpreted the same book. Let me remind you that this is just my opinion.

A entertaining novel of speculative fiction. The world is ruled by Equals, people who have the Skill (pretty much like magic). Everybody else has to serve their slavedays: 10 years when their rights are suspended and they are forced to become slaves. Most go to slavetowns, horrible slums where people are underfed and overworked. Abi, however, is so smart that she comes up with a plan for her whole family to serve their slavedays in the estate of a family of Equals. But the Jardines have many, many secrets, and Abi and her family will be involved in some of them. The plot never slows down and the action just keeps coming. There are several points of view that give a solid overview of different environments besides the Jardine’s mansion. Luke, Abi's brother, is mistakenly sent to a slavetown where he gets involved with the resistance. In a way, this novel reminded me of the Red Rising Trilogy, because the story involves politics, historical facts and traitors on both sides. The difference here is that the world is somewhat recognizable. There are cars, and phones and people speak like normal, contemporary folk. Since this is the beginning of a trilogy, be forewarned that all characters end in precarious situations after a doozy of a climax. I'm counting the minutes till the second part comes out

I received a copy of "Gilded Cage (Dark Gifts #1)" from NetGalley for an honest review. I wish to thank NetGalley, Del Rey, and Vic James for the opportunity to read this book.

This is the debut novel by Vic James. I really, really enjoyed it!! It was a slow start as it had SO much to set up. But, once the premise was explained, I could NOT put it down!! This was a creative novel with fantasy and magic. It was really well-written and thoroughly enjoyable. Definitely cannot WAIT for the NEXT book in the series to come out - hopefully, SOON!

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who likes magic and fantasy. In a nutshell, it is hard to explain, but it is just a great novel. Read it!!

P.S. I had the book for almost two months, but it did NOT take me that long to read the book. I was sick and had the holidays get in the way of reading this enjoyable book!

I’ve been shying away from reading YA for some time now, having had my fill of angsty, love-triangle-filled dystopian stories to last two lifetimes. With my oldest child rapidly approaching this time in his own life, I figure, if I need to live through it, I don’t need to read it “for pleasure.” Vic James’s debut novel, Gilded Cage, was an exception, and I am far from sorry for it.

Gilded Cage offers an alternate history of England where society is ruled by those with Skill, magical abilities which are passed down in certain family lines. Equals, as they call themselves, also established the Slavedays, ten years of servitude for commoners but with the right to choose when to serve them. Kyneston is the ancestral home of the current ruling family, the Jardines, and the place where most of the story takes place. The three sons—Gavar, Jenner, and Silyen—each have their own agenda to bring to fruition. Into this toxic environment comes the Hadley family. Abi, the oldest and very clever girl that she is, has been working on a plan to enable the entire family to serve their slavedays together in what was supposed to be considered practically a luxury location compared to the alternative. As it happens with most plans, a monkey wrench gets thrown in, and only four out of the five family members are accepted. Luke, the teenage boy, does not and gets shipped to the cruelest of slavetowns: Millmoor.

As each family member tries to adjust to their new surroundings, another revolution seems to be brewing. The idea of abolishing the slavedays has officially been proposed in Parliament, though not by choice from the one proposing it. Many hands are reaching for power, each with very different plans. Through multiple POVs, we get to see varying facets of life of the privileged and the indentured. Through it all, the question of innate/genetic magical Skill provides the backdrop for the age-old tug-of-war between the rich and the poor, the oppressed and the oppressors.

I thoroughly enjoyed how the story unfolded, even though I am usually not a fan of more than two alternating POVs since you can easily fall into the trap of rehashing the same scene, just with another pair of eyes. As a result, the pacing can falter and the plot derails. However, James carried it off with aplomb. Each POV provided not only the necessary character development but kept the pacing consistent and the story riveting. I could not put it down. I won’t reveal much more, because that may take away from allowing you the full experience of this delightful book, but know that ingenuity, courage, compassion, and devotion all await your discovery. Happy reading!

Abi, smart, driven, and about to start med school, and her younger brother Luke, are surprised when her parents announce they will be entering their ten years of slavery. Their younger sister just turned ten, the youngest age anyone can go and the family makes arrangements to work for the most prestigious family in England, the Jardines. In this alternate England, any member of society that isn’t an Equal, one with magical powers, is required to serve ten years as a slave. This law started in the 1600s when it saw its last King. The Equals are the powerful ones now. Luke and Abi are not thrilled at the idea but knowing they will all be together and not working in a slave town that sucks the life from you like Millmoor, they accept their fate. But, as fate would have it, the Jardines failed to tell anyone that Luke would not have a place with them and he is sent to Millmoor. Alone.

While at Millmoor, Luke keeps his head down, does what he is told and endures the hard labor, long hours, and paltry food provided. His one friend is a smallish girl, maybe thirteen, who talks him into running errands for her. Things like delivering new glasses when Millmoor won’, bringing medicine to a sick person, or random items like cable to who knows where. Luke knows there is more going on and is eventually invited to join a group of revolutionaries who plan to overturn the slavery agreement. Knowing his life is on the line, he risks it anyway for the sake of the cause.

While Luke is at Millmoor, his family has been settling in with the strange but powerful Jardine family. The three brothers each have distinct personalities, but Abi is drawn to Jenner. She works with him as the families secretary and has developed a bit of a crush, despite the fact that she can never be with him. Jenner, to his credit, never leads her on and knows his lot in life, especially since he is an anomaly in his family - he was born into a family of Equals with no powers of his own. While I wasn’t a huge fan of Abi’s crush (hello, you’re supposed to be the smart one!), I chalked it up to teenage hormones. Daisy, the youngest of the family, has been put in charge of the bastard born child of Gavar, the oldest Jardine. He is sinister, dutiful to his family, and soon to be wed to another powerful Equal. Daisy only sees Libby, the baby she is in charge of, and Gavar’s devotion as a father. What she doesn’t see is his manipulative and violent side, much to the chagrin of her sister. The third brother, Silyen is secretive, keeps to himself, and has plans of his own that don’t involve the family.

Things are going seemingly well, even though Abi and her family can sense the stress from the Jardine family and the rest of the Equals. Riots and demonstrations are happening in the slave towns and they have no idea if Luke is okay until one day he shows up. A transfer has occurred, and he is once again back with his family. He fits in well but is anxious to be doing something for the friends he left behind. Little does he know that is all about to change.

The story is told from many, many points of view (Abi, Luke, all three Jardines, etc.) and I was a little distracted at first, mostly just trying to keep pace with each character and his/her story. But, once that settled, this was a delightful modern day fantasy with many elements to keep the reader interested. While this wasn’t teeming with magic, the snippets that were shown worked, had imagination, and excitement. I imagine we'll be seeing much more from the second book.

I received a review copy of this book on Netgalley.
Abi and her family go to work as servants for a wealthy and powerful family. But while their job is considered safer and better than working in the slave town, it still has its own horrors. Meanwhile Abi's brother, Luke is in the brutal slave town where he is subjected to abuse. I spent the first half of the book wondering who got the worse job. Sure Abi's job was mainly administration but the family she serves, the Jadines, are absolutely terrifying. While Luke has to work under uncomfortable circumstances, he atleast has some sort of solitude at the end of the day.
But then everyone seemed like a friend and then everyone seemed like a foe so I was just confused. Can anyone be trusted? Should no one be trusted? This book had me second-guessing every character and I loved every second of it. The writing is flawless, the plot moves quickly and the twists and unimaginable.
This is one of those books that leave you with a thousand questions. Just give me the rest of the series already. I NEED MORE!!! Go read this book. You won't regret it.

Is All the Glitters Gold…or only a Gilded Cage Waiting to Snare the Unwitting?
I like dystopian fiction, in fact I could say it is one of my favorite genres… but even though I dove into this book expecting to like it, I was still blown away. Gilded Cage is everything a dystopian book worm could want, and more. It has magic, it has doomed love, it has a flawlessly built backstory and world for the characters to move through…and its themes about slavery and wealth are so spot on that they actually made me physically uncomfortable. While being a wild ride full of magic, rebellion, and seething manipulations, the book also begs the larger question of how easily could the haves establish a slave society, building their fortunes and ostentatious lifestyles on the backs of those have nots? Related imageWe’ve certainly seen it in the not-so-distant past with African slavery, and in the modern caste system in India…so could it happen again where you live? And would you have the strength to resist? These are just a few of the disconcerting themes that lace their way subtly through this very excellent work of fiction.

Every character in this book is effortlessly developed and mesmerizing…with so much duality that even now, I am still unsure of the motives and allegiances of a few important characters. The basic premise, that all non-magic members of British society must give ten years of their lives as slaves to the magical elite, is fresh and new. And the moment when Abi, Luke, and their family realize that they have signed away all rights, and even their basic personhood, is the first moment when your stomach might twist uncomfortably. But, there will be plenty more moments like that, as the story progresses and the evil rot at the core of this dystopian version of Britain is gradually revealed. Image result for girl trying to escape gifAbi thought she was making the best choice for her family in choosing to do their days on one of the grand estates, but she quickly realizes that the golden veneer is just that: only skin deep, and what lies beneath is horrifyingly twisted. This overarching sense of doom is nicely tempered by the budding romance between Abi and one of her masters, who by a twist of fate is non-magical, despite having been born to privilege. But will he be willing to risk it all to help Abi and her family?

The book ends with multiple cliff hangers, that have me waiting with bated breath for the next book in the series. Here’s hoping for some resolved questions, and even more uncomfortable musings…because the books that make you question yourself and the world really are the best ones. I highly recommend that you pre-order Gilded Cage today.

The Gilded Cage by Vic James is a fresh new story that leaves you wanting more. You have the Equals, who have special skills, and the non-Equal or commoners, who possess no skill and no royal birth. The non-Equals must be a slave for a decade. Some live in slave towns and work in factories, while others are sent to work at mansions as nurses, maid, assistants and other menial jobs. This book focuses on the explaining the system and the first attempt at doing away with slave days. The twists and turns throughout this book are truly great because you do not see them coming. I've read many books in the past year and usually can figure out the plot twists pretty quick. With the Gilded Cage I was shocked because I didn't see the twists coming. Loved this book and can't wait for more in the series to see how everything continues.

My only cons with Gilded Cage is the many POV's and how quickly time lapses in just one page. Weeks go by with just a few words. Make sure to read every word and don't skim or you will be lost.

Apart from the standardless father and son Jardine pair and the man/dog, this was actually a pretty enjoyable good book. I thought the irony of the ruling class calling themselves "Equals" while they forced normal people into slavery for an allotted period of years and treated them like less than dirt quite clever. I am quite excited for the next installment, as this one ended on a bit of a cliffhanger.

Book Review will be posted to link below and Goodreads.
Link for blog will be available on February 7 - one week prior to release date.
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Not all are equal. Not all are Free.
Wait – have I read this before?
Vic James’ debut novel, Gilded Cage, proffers up an alternate Great Britain with all the makings of a dystopian society comprised of an elite ruling class of magic wielding aristocrats who use their “Skill” to keep their skill less counterparts – the commoners of England under control. As a means to maintain their power and infrastructure of their world, the Skilled require that all commoners serve in slavery for ten years of their lives. The Hadley family is beginning their slavedays and will be sent to serve their ten-year sentence at the estate of the highly powerful Jardine family, Kyneston instead of the slavetown of Millmoore. When Luke Hadley is reassigned to Millmoore instead of joining his family at Kyneston he befriends a ragtag group of rebels who are set on undermining the Skilled and ultimately abolishing slavery in Great Britain.
Sound familiar?
It should. Two groups battling for power and equality, where the oppressors are able to use their magical abilities to keep everyone in check? I believe I have read this before, a few times, actually.
Therefore, while the plot is nothing new, there are some good things about this book and parts that I hope she elaborates for the next two books of the trilogy:
• The writing is easy to read and follow. I think that this will make the reader more likely to finish the book and stay with the story.
• There are multiple points of view. The reader is able to get into the heads of various characters, skilled and non-skilled. This mechanism works for the most part, but I really wish that the author had focused on only those who were pivotal to the storyline. Luke, Silyen and Abi were probably the best developed – but I would like to see emotional growth from all three in the next two books.
• Magical abilities and interesting sub plots. I love the magical abilities of the skilled characters and I found the history of these people to be very interesting – I hope Vic James elaborates on this as the series goes on. Moreover, I just really want to know more about Silyen’s abilities. I won’t lie, he’s the only character keeping me interested at this point.
• The Cliffhanger! For me, it took a lot of time to get to a place where I began to invest myself in the characters and the plot of this story. The cliffhanger at the end that should bait readers for the next two installments.
Overall, I found the book to be unremarkable garnering it a three star average rating from me. I would like to see a more fluid, better developed second and third installment to the series. For a first book, this works well for the genre and audience intended and I would recommend it to upper middle graders and younger high school students.

What a wonderful start to a series! First of all, thanks to NetGalley and Random House -Ballantine for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.
There is a lot of world building in this book but at no time did I feel like this story or any action was sacrificed in order to get the reader to understand the rules of this world. This is a story that gives us an alternate history. Hundreds of years ago, magical people of "Skill" called Equals took over parts of the world (this story takes place in Great Britain) and subjugated people with no magical skills. Normal people were then required to take 10 years from their lives which could be served at any time to be slaves to the Equals with no rights. The central characters that are normal all come from the same present day family who at the beginning, decide to serve their 10 years together. The story is told from multiple POV which really works here. I can't wait to see what happens next!

I'd like to thank Del Rey Books, Netgalley, and Vic James for providing a eGalley of Gilded Cage in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT

Gilded Cage is a dystopian Fantasy set in an alternate England where all (no matter the color of your skin or your financial status) are expected to complete 10 years of slave life at a time of their choosing. The people are governed by the Equals who have Skill, abilities they are born with that for the most part only the wielder knows it's full potential. Skill isn't something spoken about freely & most among the Equals consider it taboo to discuss at all. The Equals control the Skill-less by imposing Slave Days which are typically carried out in slave towns monitored closely. Life in these slave towns proves to be very difficult due to 6 day work weeks, small food rations, and often beatings from the patrolling security guards. We are introduced to a family of five: Mom, Dad, Oldest Daughter Abi (medical student), Son Luke (middle child), and 10 year old Daisy. The parents have been convinced by their eldest daughter Abi to submit an application to carry out their slave days at the Kyneston estate belonging to one of the top most powerful family of Equals. She is absolutely certain that they each can offer up a service that would make them ideal to be accepted at the estate as opposed to the slave towns. What Abi never expected was for the application to be accepted for all except her brother Luke. The family is immediately picked up & separated from Luke who is taken to the slave towns. From this point on Abi & Luke's paths are divided and their experiences vastly differ from one another. Told in third person narrative, each character gets a chapter and we the reader get a dose of life through Luke and Abi's eyes as well as the Equals. Luke is recruited by a small group of characters that are determined to bring an end to slave days. through a series of "jobs" they slowly begin to tear at the seams of injustice. One thing is for certain...the revolution has just begun.

CHARACTERS

Luke may have entered the slave town a teenager but he is quickly gaining wisdom and perspective that provide him with a purpose. The friends he makes are characters who just like him, have been cherry picked for their knowledge and skill-less abilities. I enjoyed seeing the character development with Luke since I didn't think he had it in him to survive in the slave town. I also enjoyed Reenie, the first friend Luke makes and also his recruiter into this rag tag team of misfits. Reenie is described as a POC not much older than 13 years of age who appears to have been in the slave town's for way longer than laws permit. There's still a lot to learn about this character, I got the feeling we'll get her background later on in the series. On Abi's end we get the sense that she has regret over ever applying to have their days carried out at the estate. She blames herself for Luke's predicament & sets out on a mission to gather information to get him brought to the estate. Abi has potential to grow into a strong character & her development was nice to see as well. I definitely like the Abi we see in the end better than the one we meet in the beginning. On the other side of the spectrum we have the Equals who we get to follow & get to know individually in each of their chapters. The Jardine's: Lord Whittam Jardine, Gavar Jardine, Jenner Jardine, and Silyen Jardine are owners of the Kyneston estate and also one of the most powerful families of Equals. Lord Whittam is a power hungry man who doesn't deem any of his sons fit to inherit his estate. Gavar Jardine is said to have uncontrollable skill, a great amount difficult to harness. This is made all the more difficult by his temper, he is not the nicest of the bunch lol. Jenner is my favorite, he also happens to be skill-less. I enjoyed this character the most because of all the Jardines, he was sympathetic to Abi & her family making sure they stayed out of harms way. Last but not least we have Silyen, he is an oddball and I haven't decided whether to like him or not. He also has immense power behind his skill but what his intentions are, it's too soon to tell. Silyen plays his cards close to his chest and I can't wait to discover more of what he's up to. There are also some power players in the story like Gavar's soon wife-to-be Bhouda. This character has every intention of one day sitting in a position of power & can talk politics with the best of them. She's also colder than ice and someone to keep an eye on at all times. With many pieces on the board, I commend Vic James for giving each of these characters their own distinct voice in each chapter. I was never confused and found their stories easy to follow which is alway good in a fantasy series with many players. Also, in case some readers are wondering some of the Equals in power were described as people of color. In this world, you were either born with skill or not. The color of your skin did not determine your fate.

WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS

The world building in Gilded Cage was impressive on the slave town side of the story. I did however, wish to have seen a bit more on the skill of each of the Equals we were introduced to. I'm not sure if the author purposely chose to leave that obscure til the next book or not but there were hints of this throughout the book. In the next book I hope to gain some clarity on the Jardine brothers Skill. This being book 1 in a series, I felt that it set down a solid foundation. The writing itself was enjoyable and never boring, I always found myself wanting to pick this book back up. With a plethora of characters, I enjoyed the short chapters and felt that it carried the story along at steady pace. I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the Dark Gifts series & returning to these characters lives.

Are any of my bookish peeps planning on reading Gilded Cage? For those who already have, link that review down below & I'll swing by ;)

****The go live date for this review on my blog is Monday 1/30/2017 at 10AM. I will link here once the review goes live. Thank you again for the opportunity to read & review Gilded Cage. I wish Vic James much success on her book launch date.

In an atmosphere somewhat reminiscent of Hunger Games and Red Rising (and many other dystopian novels), the world we encounter has a stark division between the classes. There are the elite Skilled, who though fewer in numbers, control Britain. The Skilled, as you may guess, have magical skills that allow them to do extraordinary things, such as heal themselves, repair broken objects and enforce the Silence (which ultimately means, messing with peoples brains to prevent them from speaking about things that the Skilled person does not want to be discussed).

The general masses of normal people usually have little or no contact with Skilled, who are perceived as untouchable, unknowable things. People are not real sure how much of their fabled powers are truth versus exaggeration. I found in this book neither side sees a humanity in the other group. Through one POV we get an inside look at Millmoor, a slavetown. We also get to see that some slaves are able to find ways to rebel, and I found this to be exciting and fun. These sections were hands down my favorite within the book. We also get perspectives from a family living within a Skilled household, serving their slavedays as personal servants. This gives a closer look at the Skilled people, we get to see a more human side to them than just the gossip and legends that float around.

In general, regular people are free to live their lives, blissfully ignorant of what the Skilled do. That is they are all free to live their lives outside of a mandatory 10 year term for what they call “slavedays”. Every citizen must serve 10 years, during which time they are no longer considered to be citizens. They are dehumanized, stripped of any and all civil rights and treated as slaves (as the name implies). It is an interesting premise, it also emphasizes the us versus them mentality.

Now, unfortunately, I did have a few issues with this book. First, there is the romance. Now, I’m using that word loosely because to me, this was not romance, but rather instant infatuation (or I guess insta-love). It is the type of thing that just strikes me as baffling and irritating rather than romantic. I found it to be completely unnecessary to the plot or my enjoyment and engagement with the books. And because of the mindless aspect it gives the characters involved, it was actually a deterrent, making the characters feel shallow and superficial. Some people like this type of insta-love relationship, but personally I just don’t get it. I need there to be some personalized relationship building in order to really feel the connection and motivation that two characters develop between themselves.

The other issue I had with the book is that it was terribly predictable. There were certain things that felt like they were supposed to be “twists” or “reveals”, but you could see them coming from so far away, it was very anti-climatic. I found this issue to be much more minor than the insta-love because while it may impact the level of suspense and surprise you get from your reading experience, I can’t say it bothered me either. I was still able to enjoy the ride as the story went along the expected path.

Ultimately, I am left feeling like I was probably not the best target audience for this book. I enjoy the concept of slave days, and really enjoyed the sections inside of Millmoor, but over all I really didn’t connect quite as well with this as I had hoped to. I think the book is probably quite good for certain audiences, readers who are not as quick to judge a romance as I am.