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lisa_m's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.25
I understand why people might like this book / series it's just personally not for me. I liked this book more than the first one in the series but I still had to force myself to keep reading and to finish it. I hate all the lies and the deceit. It just feels like no-one can trust anyone. And also they all make auch stupid decisions. My favourite thing about this book by FAR was Caldon. That man is a treasure and I love him. How Kiva manages to not fall in love with him is a mystery to me. There are once again loads of big plottwists and a cliffhanger at the end. That is something the author does really well. Still I don't really want to keep reading this series. Maybe I will finish it eventually or maybe I will just have someone tell me what happens so I don't have to force myself through another whole book.
There are some really good parts of this book too (mainly everything connected to Caldon) but I just don't remember exactly what they are.
There are some really good parts of this book too (mainly everything connected to Caldon) but I just don't remember exactly what they are.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Murder
tabea1409's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
ameydireads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“Our scars define us. They tell a story of courage and survival. They tell of who we are at our deepest being, of the challenges we've faced and overcome. Not all scars are as visible as this. I daresay you have many more on the inside. But never forget that every scar is beautiful. And you should never, ever, be ashamed of them.”
I didn’t expect to finish this book so fast. It was amazing and I will tell you why! Kiva goes to Vallenia with Jaren and Tipp, where she meets the Vallentis family, her sworn enemy. It seems they are not as bad as she’s been told. Despite their own problems, the royal family is inherently a loving family, akin to a normal family. Their acceptance and trust in Kiva are astounding and somewhat unexpected. This complicates her task further and, as expected, Kiva is torn between the two sides. She learns more about both sides and discovers some very interesting things about her own family. Prepare yourself for another set of twists. After reading the first book I was expecting there to be twists and I must say, they lived up to expectations. It seems that even outside of Zalindov’s walls the only person you can trust is yourself.
This book introduces us to more characters and one of my favourite, aside from Jaren (duh), is definitely Nanna Delora. This lady just wants to be left in peace to enjoy her book club with some scones. That woman is a vibe. I’m sure my fellow readers can also relate!
Another favourite character of mine is Caldon. This guy has great intuition and there's so much more to him than we think! Queen Ariana also deserves a special mention. She’s a loving mother who cares so much about her children. She gives them a shoulder to cry on and devotes her time to hearing them out. However, she still struggles with her addiction to Angeldust though. It's very mature of Jaren and Mirryn to remember that it's the drug and not the user. It’s one thing to hear Jaren mentioning it, but another to experience it through Kiva’s eyes. That was super scary and heartbreaking.
Overall it was a well-written book, definitely a page turner. I love the way this story is told and how everything is connected. I couldn't stop reading. It was a tense book with some wholesome & hopeful moments but also some really frustrating moments.In the first book Kiva talks to the Warden about Tipp’s release. He tells her that Tipp could be released to his guardian if they came for him, but at that moment I did not make a connection to Kiva. She too was very young when she came to Zalindov. This angers Jaren as well and he demands to know why Torr left her to rot in Zalindov when they had the opportunity to free her. I don't get why Tilda would rather break her out of the notoriously impenetrable Zalindov when they could also just go get her before she turned 12. That was honestly such a horrible thing to do and I don’t get why Tilda would wish that upon her daughter. And how ironic, or I should rather say diabolical, that Kiva ends up in Zalindov!
I am so excited to read the next, and final, book! Kiva might not have turned on Jaren, but as far as he knows she did lie to him and betray his trust. I wonder if there’s still hope for them…
I didn’t expect to finish this book so fast. It was amazing and I will tell you why! Kiva goes to Vallenia with Jaren and Tipp, where she meets the Vallentis family, her sworn enemy. It seems they are not as bad as she’s been told. Despite their own problems, the royal family is inherently a loving family, akin to a normal family. Their acceptance and trust in Kiva are astounding and somewhat unexpected. This complicates her task further and, as expected, Kiva is torn between the two sides. She learns more about both sides and discovers some very interesting things about her own family. Prepare yourself for another set of twists. After reading the first book I was expecting there to be twists and I must say, they lived up to expectations. It seems that even outside of Zalindov’s walls the only person you can trust is yourself.
This book introduces us to more characters and one of my favourite, aside from Jaren (duh), is definitely Nanna Delora. This lady just wants to be left in peace to enjoy her book club with some scones. That woman is a vibe. I’m sure my fellow readers can also relate!
Another favourite character of mine is Caldon. This guy has great intuition and there's so much more to him than we think! Queen Ariana also deserves a special mention. She’s a loving mother who cares so much about her children. She gives them a shoulder to cry on and devotes her time to hearing them out. However, she still struggles with her addiction to Angeldust though. It's very mature of Jaren and Mirryn to remember that it's the drug and not the user. It’s one thing to hear Jaren mentioning it, but another to experience it through Kiva’s eyes. That was super scary and heartbreaking.
Overall it was a well-written book, definitely a page turner. I love the way this story is told and how everything is connected. I couldn't stop reading. It was a tense book with some wholesome & hopeful moments but also some really frustrating moments.
I am so excited to read the next, and final, book! Kiva might not have turned on Jaren, but as far as he knows she did lie to him and betray his trust. I wonder if there’s still hope for them…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Vomit, and Death of parent
Minor: Murder and War
kottengoesbork's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Blood, and Abandonment
christina_chen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
lotte5322's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
zozo_reads's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Nothing could have prepared me for that cliffhanger omg it was so good. The signs were all there at the end and a lot of Kiva’s decisions annoyed me but I guess her character is a bit stubborn. Now I’m so excited for the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent and Toxic friendship
Minor: War
theespressoedition's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
How am I supposed to get anything done after reading that?! Lynette Noni knows what she's doing with her book endings, that's for sure. My husband put dinner in front of me and I didn't even look up for fifteen minutes as I finished the story. I couldn't function for another five after I set the book down. My dinner nearly went cold just because of this dang book!
I had so many questions at the end of The Prison Healer and a lot of them were answered brilliantly in this sequel. I don't want to write too much about the plot because I know there's still a lot that needs to happen in the next book--and I truly can't wait to dive in! I can absolutely see this becoming a favorite series. I was worried The Gilded Cage would have a strong case of "middle book syndrome" but it didn't suffer from that in the slightest. It was mesmerizing from page one and I was hooked on every line until the very end.
Okay, I need to go gear myself up to jump into The Blood Traitor next!
I had so many questions at the end of The Prison Healer and a lot of them were answered brilliantly in this sequel. I don't want to write too much about the plot because I know there's still a lot that needs to happen in the next book--and I truly can't wait to dive in! I can absolutely see this becoming a favorite series. I was worried The Gilded Cage would have a strong case of "middle book syndrome" but it didn't suffer from that in the slightest. It was mesmerizing from page one and I was hooked on every line until the very end.
Okay, I need to go gear myself up to jump into The Blood Traitor next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Blood
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, and Murder
Minor: War
siglerbooknook's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Death of parent
kiaratiara's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I CANT BELIEVE HOW INCREDIBLE THIS BOOK IS! SO UNDERATED!!! I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH. DYEING TO READ THE NEXT ONE!!!! I LITERALLY CAN NOT SLEEP.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Blood