Magical power corrupts

You've read the synopsis so don't need me for that. The magic of the Equals is well thought out and interesting. What if those with power had absolute power and knew they could get away with anything? I totally believe that they would. The characters are well-formed with believable (if currently obscure in some cases) motivation, and I'm looking forward to finding out what they do next. Vic James is good at showing not telling and all the exposition comes naturally from the characters. There's a bit at the very end which I wasn't expecting and which made me happy and expectant. Good job.

So, if you like alternative England with magic then I recommend this book. Much as I love London, it makes a change to have a northern industrial setting for parts of the story. I will definitely be getting the rest when they appear.

One star off for being a trilogy so no resolution at the end. I like books with an overarching story but with a satisfying conclusion at the end of of each book. Or rather this kind of trilogy is fine if you discover them after they've all been written and can binge on the whole lot. What can I say? I'm a greedy reader and terrible at waiting.

Avita Jay does a good job. Some of the accents are a wee bit generic but nothing that jars you out of the story and she is always consistent with characters voices.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

30 people found this helpful

First in a trilogy

Personally I always feel cheated when a story doesn't have any kind of conclusion and you have to wait a year or two for the next books to get the end of the story. If this frustrates you too you may want to wait till the full trilogy has been written.
The publisher's summary leaves out the important fact that this is just the first book in the series which is rather naughty. Unlike the episodes of TV where the cliffhanger ending has you tuning in the following week, waiting a year or more for another book means I will probably have forgotten the story and consequently why I should read the next one.
Otherwise it's a fun, and undemanding listen, with an interesting premise - probably more for the YA market.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

26 people found this helpful

Family, slavery, magic, rebellion, separation.

This book was horrifying in the best of ways.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, perhaps something fun and a little vapid, and totally unbelievable.

What I actually read couldn't have been more different.

Avita Jay does an amazing job with the challenging content in Gilded Cage. It is challenging in content and the way it explores the current definitions of words. Being set in an alternate universe the world is startlingly familiar, yet chillingly different. I loved how the word "equal" was redefined, and its use in this context was perhaps the most striking thing in the book. It made what happened all the more powerful.

This is a world of magic and power, slavery and abuse. Each of the characters seemed to be trapped in their own little cage in so many different ways. And the narrator gave each character their own individual voice.

Be prepared for horror and heartbreak, be prepared for your heart to race and to be broken.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

Dark. Distopian. Unequal. Skill

Thoroughly enjoyed The Guilded Cage. The storyline interweaves an alternate British history against a background of magic, or 'skill' of some people. As I got close to the end I realised the book wasn't going to give me the conclusion I wanted and I was very pleased to find it is the first part of a trilogy. Very much looking forward to the release of part two.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

Brilliant, have to read the next book

very well read. I enjoyed it very much. I didn't think I would enjoy a book fantasty world about magic.
I did.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

Great story with a good flow and emotional telling

Loved this book, very easy to read and instantly felt a connection with the characters

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

Tremendous!

I very well structured and thought provoking book. The split viewpoints kept things interesting and there was just enough light and shade in the storyline......looking forward to the next story!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

Very enjoyable

Narration was brilliant great storyline can't wait to listen to the next one. Mysterious characters making you want to work out their motives... Can you really trust anyone during a revolution?

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Worth a reread

Rereading as a preparation for Tarnished City.
Is been a few years since I read Gilded Cage for the first time, but I enjoyed this reread a lot.
There were a lot of small details I had forgotten, but absolutely worth a reminder!
Looking forward to how to story goes on in he next books!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Marred by monotonous narration

Intriguing concept and good story but such boring narration! It was fine when she was doing the characters’ voices but the descriptive passages almost had me falling asleep. This current weird VoiceOver-style of rising/mid tone inflection after each and every sentence becomes so tedious to listen to. Such a pity because if it’s the same narrator for the second book, I won’t be buying it.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!