Gilded Cage by Vic James

*Gilded Cage by Vic James is available Tuesday, February 14th!*

Gilded Cage by Vic James. Del Rey Books, 2017

I am so excited to finally share this review of Gilded Cage with all of you! I've had this galley since October of last year and it feels as though it has taken ages for the release date to finally get here. But the wait is finally over, so let me tell you about this awesome book.

Much like I stated in my review of Scythe by Neil Shusterman, I've been pretty burnt out on dystopians for a while now, but I decided to take a chance on Gilded Cage because of how interesting it sounded, as well as the many positive reviews I had seen. (I actually read Gilded Cage before Scythe, which is part of why I even decided to give Scythe a chance in the first place.)

Gilded Cage takes place in an alternate modern-day England where there is a divide between the Skilled and un-Skilled, aka those who can perform what we might call 'magic' and those who cannot. (I also found it interested how Skill is indeed believed to be something genetic, rather than 'random' chance) All of those born without skill must participate in ten years of 'slavedays' at some point in their life, which is what sets Gilded Cage in motion as the Hadley family decide to begin their slavedays.

Gilded Cage is definitely action-packed and will absolutely keep you turning the pages. There are some intense, dramatic moments that will definitely shock you, and I felt that there was a fairly good mix of heavy, darker content, and content meant to maintain a lighter tone so as not to drag down the entire story, as it's not exactly a lighthearted plot. I absolutely understand why this book has received so many good reviews and is poised to become a huge success for YA dystopians.

This was one of those books that really played with the notion of good and bad and had fun with the grey area in which one must ask - is there an in-between? There are characters that seems solely bad, some that seem good, and some that are hard to classify.

The worldbuilding was done really well. I particularly liked that international politics were a part of the many discussions, as well as the fact that we are given brief tidbits regarding the notion that there are other countries in this world that do not function in the same manner as the country in which our main characters live. Most dystopians usually seem to focus on only one particular continent and completely ignore the rest of the planet, so it was nice to see that there are different things gong on in this world. The only downside I had in regards to the worldbuilding and background information in Gilded Cage was the immense amount of info-dumping that we get throughout the entire story, but particular in the first half. The story would be progressing swimmingly, and then I would suddenly discover that I was starting to zone, and I realized that it was because all I was being given were political backgrounds, historical information, etc. While this is useful to the story, it was done in such large chunks and so often that it became tedious and hard to even remember all of it; I'm not sure if all of it was crucial to the story itself.

Gilded Cage provides more than a few character POVs, which was surprisingly helpful in understanding the lives of both the Skilled and those who are living as slaves. What is most interesting to understand is that although each character undergoes different extremes of types of obstacles, they do all suffer in one way or another, and that aspect brought a lot of depth to the novel. Abi and Luke both have starkly different roles as slaves, and I though James developed both characters extremely well. Abi is a smart girl, and despite the mistakes she makes or any poor judgments she might have, she's not someone to underestimate. Luke, similarly, is not someone to think you can just bowl over. He starts out as a rather mild-mannered character, but he soon learns that his current situation is wrong and he begins to want to branch out and take a stand for his beliefs. Of course, that never works out well in dystopians, but it was exciting to see the changes occur throughout Luke's progression in the story.

The 'high class' Skilled POVs that we get to experience were also quite interesting, and fortunately were all rather distinct. I loved the divergence in personalities among the Skilled, particularly how some were still relatively 'normal' and down to earth, whereas others were ready to take their power roles and use their Skill to their advantage. One thing I did notice, however, that all of our POVs were white characters - unless I overlooked some details - which does seem a bit unfortunate. I think adding in the element of race would have added even more depth to this story - for instance, would race play a factor in the role of any of these character? It's just another element that would be useful to add, and would probably add in some more realism.

The main issue I would say I had with this book was my confusion around slavedays. I think it's somewhat odd that people can choose when to do their slavedays. The younger you do them, I think the more beneficial it is for you, but then if you screw up while doing them, you could get stuck in there for life, whereas if you had completed them when you're in your sixties, it wouldn't be as long if that happened. But then, hard work in late age is definitely harder, so... I'm not sure. The concept was really hard for me to fully accept as realistic, but I was able to accept it enough to enjoy the story and disregard my questioning of the system.

And one other tiny issue I had was the minor bit of romance. Was it really necessary? I know it sets up more plot and intrigue and allows for more drama to ensure in this book and forthcoming novels, but it was just... odd. I really don't think it was necessary, and quite frankly, do you really think crushing on someone would be at the forefront of your mind when you're working as a slave and you have no idea what could be happening to some of your family members? Personally, I wouldn't think so, but maybe it's a nice distraction.

Overall, I am giving Gilded Cage four stars for all of the reasons stated above! I would recommend this to anyone who loves or has enjoyed dystopians in the past, or anyone who enjoys a unique world system and action-packed excitement.

Get more reviews and bookish fun in your inbox and subscribe to Forever Lost in Literature!

You might also like:
Scythe by Neal Shusterman
The Secret Keepers by Trenton Lee Stewart
Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Scythe by Neal Shusterman. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2016. Hardcover. 433 pages.

Oh man, this book. I don't even know where to start talking about the crazy, incredible content of this book. If, like me, you have been hearing amazing things about Scythe, then I just want you to know that every word of praise is absolutely deserved. Neal Shusterman is truly a genius and I am always immensely impressed with his books. The ideas that he plays with and the moral quandaries that are debated in this book are insane and wonderful. I can easily say that this is one of the most thought-provoking books that I have read this year.

The most prominent theme and subject that Scythe deals with is, of course, death. But this isn't done in an overly morbid way. Don't get me wrong, the subject itself is inherently morbid and dark, but this book doesn't treat is as such - necessarily. It's more along the lines of questioning what death means, and also what immortality means, endless aging. Would you want to live forever, or is there a point in which you wouldn't want to keep living, even if you could continuously reset your body to younger ages? Would you want to live in a world knowing that you or anyone around you could be randomly chosen and gleaned (aka: killed) at any time? But then, how is that any different from random deaths from accidents and disease that occur around us everyday, anyway? Or would you want to become a scythe in order to ensure you and your family's immunity from death, when you would then have to be the bringers of death to millions. There are honestly just too many questions to ponder, and the way in which Shusterman brings these topics into the story are incredibly fluid and momentous.

One aspect of the world created in Scythe was the  notion that society had reached an area where every urge and necessity is met. If we are guaranteed food, shelter, the basic necessities of life, will we have any motivation to continue doing things and making advancements. Are there any advancements to work towards? Or is it more likely that life will become routine and monotonous with such a lack of motivation? I mean, death itself is even eradicated. People can be revived after be rendered 'deadish' (essentially, one dies, but not permanently because they can just be taken to a 'revival center' and be brought back to life, good as new in a few days), so where is the motivation in this world? I think all of these observations and topics are timely considering the many advancement we have made, and it is interesting to take a look through Shusterman's world that displays both the numerous benefits and consequences that arise.

There is also no "good" and "bad" in this book. Even the 'villainous' characters have legitimate arguments and thought processes. This book makes you question everything. It makes you realize that even institutions and advancements created with the most good-willed, positive intentions are susceptible to horrible corruption.

Moving away from the bigger themes of this book, I want to briefly discuss the two main characters, Citra and Rowan. I really enjoyed getting to know both of these characters and experiencing the many changes and feelings that they both experienced. As much as I would like to go into more detail regarding their character development, I am going  to refrain from doing so, solely because it will give away some important plot elements that I really do not want to spoil. All I can say is that Shusterman really took some time in crafting his characters and determining how they would react to various environments, which made this an even more fascinating read in regards to the psychology of being taught to kill.

Shusterman has an incredibly accessible writing style that is both mature and simple at the same time. It is easy to follow along with his writing, and I can imagine a wide variety of people enjoying his style. The premise of Scythe may be heavy, but Shusterman incorporates humor in a meaningful way that adds so much enjoyment to the story. Most of his characters are full of wit and sass, so if you are drawn to that, then you will definitely like these characters.

I want so much more from this world, but I'm also fearful of what could happen in this world. Where does the corruption end, or will it? It's not really fathomable to imagine that corruption can be permanently ended. It will always sneak its way back in, and I think that that is the beauty of this book. Where do things end, if not even death can bring an end to things?

Overall, I am giving Scythe five stars - and I'll be adding it to my favorites!

Buy the book!

Never miss a post of bookish fun by subscribing to Forever Lost in Literature!

Planning to purchase a book or two? Consider purchasing on Book Depository through my affiliate link! Book Depository has worldwide free shipping and millions of titles to choose from.

You might also like:
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
And I Darken by Kiersten White

Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine

Get more reviews in your inbox and subscribe to Forever Lost in Literature!

Paper and Fire will be released Tuesday, July 5th!

Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine. NAL, 2016. 368 pages. Ebook.

**I received an ARC of Paper and Fire courtesy of NetGalley and NAL publishers in exchange for an honest review**

Take the intensity of Ink and Bone, amp it up about ten times, and you have Paper and Fire. This second installment to The Great Library series is even stronger than Ink and Bone and adds even more depth and intrigue to this unique setting.

Initially, I was worried that I wouldn't understand what was going on since it feels like I read Ink and Bone so long ago, but fortunately I was able to fall right back into the world with great ease.World-building within the world of Paper and Fire is incredibly detailed and somehow even more thrilling than I remembered from Ink and Bone.

The world itself is so intricate and unique - what book lover wouldn't love a premise in which the Library of Alexandria still exists? But then there's that flipside where, oh yeah, no one is allowed to read a majority of those books. No one is even allowed to own physical books for that matter - everything is all on a tablet device with a somewhat limited collection - you know, limited to what the government deems appropriate.

The first thing that stands out to me about Paper and Fire is how much I love learning about the various positions and roles that people can take within this society, such as the High Garda and working in the Iron Tower. These roles tell so much about the strict world Jess lives in and to what extent the Library will go to in order to make sure their rules are followed.

Where Paper and Fire  fell flat for me, however, was the lack of connection I felt towards some of the main characters and story itself. I'm not sure how this is possible, but I feel like I'm losing my grip on Jess. He has a very distinct, sharp character, but he's not exactly interesting - or overly likable, to be honest. There is often so much else going on with other characters that it almost appears as if he is left behind. He's become a rather bland, emotionless character that, quite frankly, I didn't find myself caring much about. However, one thing I did notice and appreciate about Jess was how much he seemed to mature from the first book, and even throughout Paper and Fire. He is no longer as rash and naive, but instead knows how to handle himself and take things more seriously.

I'm much more interested in some of the secondary characters, such as Kahlia, who is quiet, intelligent, and fierce, and Glain, a hard-nosed leader who takes everything she does very seriously. Santi and Wolfe are also still fascinating characters that bring so much depth to every scene they are in; they have such conflicting ideas about what they should sometimes do, but every argument or uncertainty is a direct result of the deep love they have for one another.

The weirdest aspect of reading Paper and Fire was that I never felt overly excited while reading this book, but I somehow couldn't stop reading it. I would put it down and think, 'hm, I guess I'll come back to it sometime later,' with very little emotion, but somehow I always seemed to pick it right back up and be unable to put it down. Caine has a way of using her words just right to keep you ever so slightly hooked at all times, regardless of your feelings about the book. Her prose is smooth and flows effortlessly, which leads to a thrilling reading experience.

Overall, I am giving Paper and Fire three stars, because despite the writing talents of Caine, the characters and overall story fell a bit flat and left me rather disappointed with this series.

Get more reviews in your inbox and subscribe to Forever Lost in Literature!

You might also like:
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Throne of Glass  by Sarah J. Maas

The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood

The Heart goes last will be released next Tuesday, September 29th!

The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood.

I feel as though I should start off by that saying that this was the first Margaret Atwood book I have ever read. I always hear how remarkable The Handmaid's Tale is, along with many of Atwood's other books, but for some reason I just never got around to picking any of them up. I'm not sure what was preventing me from reading one, considering she's often touted as the queen of dystopian literature, but somehow there was something preventing me from diving into one of her novels. So when I got a random package from DoubleDay books with an ARC of Margaret Atwood's upcoming release, The Heart Goes Last, I took it as a sign to break my Margaret Atwood virginity. 

I knew pretty much nothing about The Heart Goes Last when I received it, so I immediately looked it up to find out more. From what I have gathered, this novel is either related to or continued from her serialized Positron series, published by Byliner. However, there is no indication that one must read the previous Positron serials; I had no prior knowledge of any of this before reading, and I enjoyed the it just fine without that information. 

The Heart Goes Last is set in a dystopian future, where a young-ish couple, Stan and Charmaine, are struggling to survive; they currently live in their car and attempt to live off of Charmaine's meager wages as a waitress. However, a new experiment has begun in their community that is attempting to make people's lives easier. Participants in this new experiment will be given a house, employment, and rather pleasant lifestyle - but only for a total of six months a year. The catch: every other month each resident must spend their time in prison, while an alternate couple - who just completed their month in prison - takes their house for the month. The goal is, of course, to create a perfect society (we know how that tends to go). 

I was drawn into this book from the very beginning. However, I will admit that I felt a bit confused about what was going on at first, but fortunately there was something extraordinarily captivating about Atwood's writing that made me keep reading. It turned out to be an incredibly engaging story - so much that I finished it in about two days (which is likely partly helped by the fact that it's a fairly short book as well). This is also important to note because I have gotten pretty worn out from dystopian novels, but this one was a refreshing take on the genre.

Charmaine seemed to me to be the more stereotypical 'woman in dystopia' character and is much more gullible than her husband. Despite this, I see her naiveté nature as her deep, desperate plea to have a normal and happy life. And truly, that's all she wants: to be happy. It doesn't seem to matter just how gullible Charmaine needs to be for this to happen - she is fully willing to shed any doubts or questioning she has in order to enjoy this new life. 

Stan, however, is a bit more skeptical. From the start, he has a sort of inkling that this isn't going to go as it should. His brother, the ever untrustworthy screw-up, even warns him to stay out of this place. But Stan, being the good husband that he is, wants his wife to be happy, so he placates her and agrees to start the experiment. 

Stan and Charmaine's marriage was really interesting to explore. They weren't exactly passionate about one another, but their bond was incredibly strong - even when it appeared to be the opposite. Physically, they seemed to have a strong sex life, engaging in sexual activities often; however, it was also lacking in passion. Stan often commented how he was bored, and after finding a lipstick-printed note from what he thought was the other couple, he began to constantly fantasize about being much more passionate with the other woman that he had never seen. Stan wanted a life that wasn't so dry and pastel-colored, he wanted vibrancy and flames, like the lipstick color on the note. In my opinion, this is what ultimately drives and motivates Stan. He realizes that he isn't happy and that he does want out of his boring, uneventful life. 

This book plays with a lot of themes, emotions, and situations that are ordinarily pretty crazy. For instance, people who are deemed 'troublesome' are quickly sent to be euthanized; this, of course, is a huge secret that no residents know about, other than the one who performs the euthanasia. Residents are also under surveillance 24/7, whether they realize it or not. I really enjoyed how Atwood wrote in a style that was serious and not serious at the same time. The character are almost unbelievable due to how eccentric they are, but it is that eccentricity and oddness that draws you in and attaches you to each distinct character. The book plays with a vast amount of far-fetched ideas and plot events, but it still makes for an incredibly enjoyable read. And as far-fetched as some of these ideas are, it's frighteningly possible to imagine it happening in our own societies, and I think that is what truly hits home about this novel. While the book is amusing on the outside, it has many elements that convey a darker tone about society that can be found written between the lines of every page.

Overall, I am giving The Heart Goes Last four stars due to its wonderfully engaging and intriguing storyline, which is perfectly matched with Atwood's delightfully quirky and blunt storytelling. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good dystopian book (along the lines of 1984, not The Hunger Games), or anyone who simply enjoys something refreshing and entertaining.

And don't forget! The Heart Goes Last will be released on September 29th!

If you like this, you might also like:
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
On the Beach by Nevil Shute

Get more reviews in your inbox and subscribe to Forever Lost in Literature!

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

The Queen of the Tearling. Harper; 2014. 453 pages

Overall rating: 6/10

The first news I heard about The Queen of the Tearling was that Emma Watson is going to both produce and star in the upcoming Hollywood movie. As a big fan of both Emma Watson and fantasy, this definitely caught my attention. That being said, I was left immensely disappointed upon completion of this novel. After being compared to Harry Potter, the Hunger Games, and Games of Thrones, I was expecting so much more than there ended up being. Now, I never take reviews and blurbs that make those claims too seriously because, really, you just can’t even begin to compare. Especially not to Harry Potter. Anyway, I can definitely see this book being made into a wonderfully exciting movie, but as a book, not so much.

The Queen of the Tearling is set in a post-apocalyptic world and focuses on Kelsea Glynn, a young woman who is heir to the throne of the land of Tearling, but has been raised in seclusion her entire life. The book begins after Kelsea’s nineteenth birthday when she is retrieved by the Queen’s Guard and whisked away to travel back to the crumbling city of Tearling and retake control of the kingdom from her uncle, who had been acting as regent. 

                I would definitely say that this book should be targeted towards young adults and more mature audiences. There is a fair amount of language, dark subject matters, and a fair amount of some rather graphic violence. Now, on to the review!

                As I was reading, I found myself wondering at what point the world/character setup would finish and the meat of the plot would begin; I also realized this when I was more than halfway through the book. The setting of this novel is meant to be in a futuristic dystopian world; it is supposed to be set in futuristic setting that strongly resembles medieval times. I knew about this before I started the book, but I had forgotten by the time I started the novel. I was about halfway through before I realized this, which is an extremely unique and challenging concept to attempt.

                Johansen does a remarkably detailed and intricate job of describing the worlds she creates, as well as creating elaborate histories and backstories for all of her characters. She definitely does not leave any detail untouched, which is really nice for readers who enjoy having a complete history or knowledge of a book’s setting or current political and economic situation. That being said, if you are not someone who likes a vast amount of detail and slow-paced book, then this is likely not going to be the best option.

                Despite the slow-moving qualities of this book, it is surprisingly action-packed, with many fighting and chase sequences that could easily satisfy most action lovers. In spite of this, one large area that I felt this book was rather deficient in was character development. I really did not notice too much change in the characters’ attitudes or personalities. I will say, however, that Kelsea’s confidence throughout the novel does grow stronger, and she does also seem to become a slightly better leader. But for the most part, however, she just appears to bounce onto the scene with an extremely strong and stubborn personality that remains with her throughout the story. I never felt ant strong connection to Kelsea, I just knew that I should be rooting for her to save the day. The supporting cast also stays relatively static throughout the novel as well, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does not particularly lend for exciting characters either.

                A second area in which I feel Johansen did not execute well was her use of multiple POVs. I have always been very picky about the use of multiple POVs; if an author is going to use this technique, they must go all the way and use it extremely carefully. Unfortunately, Johansen did not. The use of multiple POVs was extremely sporadic, and only seemed to be used whenever Johansen felt she needed to add in some backstory information that would help the readers later in the novel. To be completely honest, I groaned inwardly whenever I realized that the next chapter or section was going to be from another POV. None of the characters were overly likeable or relatable, and I just had a hard to really investing myself in the novel.

As I said before, I really do think that this will make a really great and popular movie, especially with Emma Watson as the star. Unfortunately, the book itself lacks a great deal of energy and substance. Overall, I did find it a interesting idea and storyline, but the plot itself could have used better execution. This book left me disappointed and not overly satisfied, but for some reason it has left me curious to see where Johansen is going to go with the rest of this series. I will more than likely give the second book a read when it comes out, because there are many series where the first few books are a bit sluggish to get through. If you enjoy books revolving around strong female leaders, magic, monarchs, strategy, or war, then this book is definitely one that you should check out.