Gilded Cage

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is described as appealing to readers of Kiera Cass and Victoria Aveyard. I'd agree, but I would go a step further and say this book was far superior to anything I've read by either of those authors. (not a Cass fan myself, but I enjoy Aveyard)

This is the story of a family living in an alternate universe England, basically set in our current time period. The storyline diverged from real life when King Charles I was executed - in this book, he was executed by the so-called Equals, who possess a magical sort of Skill. They're kind of like super humans or ubermensch, if you will. They have healing powers, mind control, can cause fires, etc. Basically X-Men. The Equals make up a very tiny proportion of the population. They kept sort of a feudalistic serfdom alive in this world, where the non-skilled population are required to spend 10 years slaving away for the Equals. This story is set in a modern-ish timeframe, so we see people working in factories and on highly technical stuff as slaves, as well as the traditional servitude in the great manor homes of the nobility (who are all Equals).

The family we follow in this story has decided to take up their 10 years of slavedays by serving at the home of one of the most famous Equal families. The are comprised of a mom and dad, 18 and 10 year old girls, and a 16 year old son. It doesn't quite work out according to plan, however. The Equals didn't want the 16 year old son at their estate, so he gets sent into industrial slavery near Manchester, and becomes involved with a resistance movement against the Equals.

This story is somewhat plot driven but VERY immersive and character driven as well. I found myself sympathizing with almost everyone in the story. Each chapter is told from rotating points of view, so sometimes we see things from earlier in the book through another perspective. I really can't complain about a single thing in this book, aside from the prologue chapter being a little confusing and maybe not as well written as the rest of the story. I hope this book is wildly successful, because I want to see what happens next.

Holy wow. I honestly had no expectations going into this but they were shattered throughout the entire book. I started Gilded Cage on September 5th on the early afternoon and by the end of the night I had already finished it and was clamoring for book two.

What sets this book apart from others is the multiple POVs. Sometimes, the multiple viewpoints can either really make or break a book. In this case, I loved how it was done. It allowed me to really get to know the different characters rather than trying to get to know them from a different character.

Gilded Cage was lovely, but also very horrifying. There are some terrible things that happen in the book that honestly left me shocked. In a modern world that forces slavery on the "common" people for 10 years, awful things are bound to happen, and they most certainly do. The writing was wonderful, albeit a little lengthy at some parts.

I will say that James really takes the reader on a serious roller coaster of emotions and hope. When something good happened, I had hope for the characters and then something else would happen, and all the hope would vanish. I believe the main focus of the book is on Luke, as he is in the worst predicament. His situation only gets worse as the book goes on, and the ending left me shocked beyond words. Abi's ending was also shocking, and I am extremely interested to see what happens to those two.

Silyen was the most confusing character out of the bunch. I still don't know whose side he is on, and if his intentions will ultimately be for good or evil. I'm also worried about want Gavar could possibly want with Daisy. Nobody is safe in this world!

Gilded Cage is an alternate world where certain truths are still present: "Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it."

Put this book on your list and read it. It will blow you away!

Wow! One of the best books I've ever had the pleasure of reading! Totally original plot, superbly written, with amazing world building and well developed characters. It sucked me in from page one and never let go, I flew thru the story and was left wanting when the end came (far too quickly, mind you, as this is one I never wanted to end) and what an ending it was! I absolutely can't wait for the sequel! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this title!!
*longer review to come*

Five stars! This book is absolutely amazing! The characters are well written and the plot twists and turns and keeps you turning the pages!

I didn't realize that this is volume 1 of a series, but I'm glad. The characters are real and well-developed and the story line kept me reading long after I should have been sleeping.. I cannot wait for the next volume.