kitsunebi_reads's review against another edition
2.0
All in all I have read worse. However The Cage was unfortunately a bore. From the beginning there is drag to the story line and unfortunately they don't pick up any time soon. The story saw it's biggest push around the 42nd chapter where it progressively became rushed. The story takes on a very predictable vibe and ends abruptly when you are just feeling like the action is about to begin.
erinarkin20's review against another edition
3.0
The Cage by Meghan Shepherd was one I was looking forward to. Cora wakes up in an unfamiliar place and eventually with unfamiliar people. As the group starts to build trust and friendship amongst themselves, they come face to face with their jailer and realize just how much danger they are in.
I enjoyed the world building in this book and the relationships amongst the teens was interesting. I would consider this book “Sci-Fi Lite”. The book focuses greatly on the relationships and characters and inserts the alien aspects here and there.
Overall this was a decent book one for this series and I’m looking forward to book two.
I enjoyed the world building in this book and the relationships amongst the teens was interesting. I would consider this book “Sci-Fi Lite”. The book focuses greatly on the relationships and characters and inserts the alien aspects here and there.
Overall this was a decent book one for this series and I’m looking forward to book two.
diaryofthebookdragon's review against another edition
2.0
The Cage caught my attention with it’s intriguing summary. Here’s what I LIKED:
* An interesting concept. The idea of an alien race who keeps humans on exhibit in a cage sounds like a thought-provoking topic for a novel. It makes you wonder how no one thought about it before (at least I haven’t heard about a book that has this subject).
* Animal rights awareness is what immediately jumped into my mind. We close animals in cages every day. There are excuses like danger of extinction or ‘for their own good’. By twisting roles and putting people in a zoo, Megan Shepherd shows us that being in a cage is not fun.
* Diverse cast of characters. Alien’s habitat for humans is a mix of different environments: desert, jungle, mountains, farm and town. And six humans trapped in the cage are an interesting ethnic mix too. We have Maori, Thai, Northern-European, Americans, …
* Time jumps and POV switches just put more life into the story. Chapters alternate between all prisoner’s and have flashback recollections of the things that happened on Earth, before they were captured.
* Mysteries will keep you guessing. As we learn that aliens are conducting some kind of experiment, we wonder what is their real plan with humans. Are Cora and her friends going mad or are aliens provoking them into dissatisfaction and turning them against each-other?
* So many plot twists! My brains felt the same as theirs, going crazy from all the manipulations. I could never be sure who can be trusted, what is true and what is a lie.
But the details of the story in The Cage really irritated me. There were a lot of specific elements I DIDN’T LIKE:
* Too many POVs made the story stretched out and didn’t help in making me feel like I really knew any of the other characters. Cora was obviously the star of the story. She got more chapters in the book, just like she got more tokens when she solved puzzles in the cage.
* Stockholm syndrome in books rarely works for me. I know it’s proven to exist, but I can’t understand a person who falls for her captor. So, whenever Cora talked about Caspien’s beauty, it was really off-putting to me. He’s an alien for Pete’s sake!
"The metallic sheen to his skin had a way of absorbing the low light so that he almost glowed in the darkness—a man made of starlight. A man from her dreams."
* Love triangle as the main romance. Lucky, the human guy who was in love in Cora, was even worse than the alien. So many wrong motives and delusions… He gave me the creeps.
* There was no escape plan. Cora keeps pestering everyone that they need to escape, but she does not have any plan what they will do when they get out of the habitat. They are somewhere in space, how will they go back to Earth? I could not admire her bravery, because I thought it was suicidal.
As you can see, I really liked the general idea and the setting of The Cage. The list of annoyances seems deceptively small. Those little things that bothered me kept repeating and repeating… I could not really enjoy The Cage, despite the fact that I applauded to the general message and the idea.
I doubt I will continue reading this series. I didn’t like Cora and her way of thinking. I had enough of Cora’s crazy impulsiveness. I might check out other books by Megan Shepherd, since she has a non-pretensions writing style that is easy to read.
IN THE END…
The Cage is a book that will not work for everyone. If you are not bothered by love triangles, Stockholm syndrome type of romances or impulsive heroines that have no plan, you might enjoy the mysterious atmosphere full of twists.
Disclaimer: I received this ebook from Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
* An interesting concept. The idea of an alien race who keeps humans on exhibit in a cage sounds like a thought-provoking topic for a novel. It makes you wonder how no one thought about it before (at least I haven’t heard about a book that has this subject).
* Animal rights awareness is what immediately jumped into my mind. We close animals in cages every day. There are excuses like danger of extinction or ‘for their own good’. By twisting roles and putting people in a zoo, Megan Shepherd shows us that being in a cage is not fun.
* Diverse cast of characters. Alien’s habitat for humans is a mix of different environments: desert, jungle, mountains, farm and town. And six humans trapped in the cage are an interesting ethnic mix too. We have Maori, Thai, Northern-European, Americans, …
* Time jumps and POV switches just put more life into the story. Chapters alternate between all prisoner’s and have flashback recollections of the things that happened on Earth, before they were captured.
* Mysteries will keep you guessing. As we learn that aliens are conducting some kind of experiment, we wonder what is their real plan with humans. Are Cora and her friends going mad or are aliens provoking them into dissatisfaction and turning them against each-other?
* So many plot twists! My brains felt the same as theirs, going crazy from all the manipulations. I could never be sure who can be trusted, what is true and what is a lie.
But the details of the story in The Cage really irritated me. There were a lot of specific elements I DIDN’T LIKE:
* Too many POVs made the story stretched out and didn’t help in making me feel like I really knew any of the other characters. Cora was obviously the star of the story. She got more chapters in the book, just like she got more tokens when she solved puzzles in the cage.
* Stockholm syndrome in books rarely works for me. I know it’s proven to exist, but I can’t understand a person who falls for her captor. So, whenever Cora talked about Caspien’s beauty, it was really off-putting to me. He’s an alien for Pete’s sake!
"The metallic sheen to his skin had a way of absorbing the low light so that he almost glowed in the darkness—a man made of starlight. A man from her dreams."
* Love triangle as the main romance. Lucky, the human guy who was in love in Cora, was even worse than the alien. So many wrong motives and delusions… He gave me the creeps.
* There was no escape plan. Cora keeps pestering everyone that they need to escape, but she does not have any plan what they will do when they get out of the habitat. They are somewhere in space, how will they go back to Earth? I could not admire her bravery, because I thought it was suicidal.
As you can see, I really liked the general idea and the setting of The Cage. The list of annoyances seems deceptively small. Those little things that bothered me kept repeating and repeating… I could not really enjoy The Cage, despite the fact that I applauded to the general message and the idea.
I doubt I will continue reading this series. I didn’t like Cora and her way of thinking. I had enough of Cora’s crazy impulsiveness. I might check out other books by Megan Shepherd, since she has a non-pretensions writing style that is easy to read.
IN THE END…
The Cage is a book that will not work for everyone. If you are not bothered by love triangles, Stockholm syndrome type of romances or impulsive heroines that have no plan, you might enjoy the mysterious atmosphere full of twists.
Disclaimer: I received this ebook from Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
tabitalk's review against another edition
3.0
Very interesting. Had some wild twists that i did not expect. I have ordered the next book in the series. Very curious as to how it will go on. I love how different the characters are. And how different their stories are.
burstnwithbooks's review against another edition
3.0
This book was WEIRD. There was no way for me to possibly expect this, because it felt like it came out of nowhere. I lost my suspension of disbelief very early on because everything is completely random and ridiculous. I can’t take this book seriously.
bookcaptivated's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Confinement
Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and Infidelity
Minor: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Alcohol
catholicamanda's review against another edition
4.0
The Cage begins with Cora awakening in a desert. She soon discovers a strange mix of environments and four other teens. None of them know where they are, or why they have strange tattoos on their necks.
Soon they discover that they were taken by aliens and are in some sort of menagerie. They are given three rules: solve the puzzles, stay healthy, and procreate.
Cora is determined to escape this prison. She does not thrive in captivity and she is sure there can be a way to get back to Earth. The question is whether or not she can convince the others to go along with her plan.
I loved how alien the aliens were. They were not humans. They were different and the things that made them different helped to make them seem real. Cassian wasn’t human and didn’t think like a human. His reactions could not be easily predicted because he didn’t always act the way a human would.
Cora, on the other hand, was so very human. She made stupid decisions at times and became obsessed with small things. She really wasn’t the smartest by any stretch of the mind. She was so very human in that respect. She made mistakes, often quite a few mistakes.
In all, I really enjoyed The Cage. It was its own unique form of sci-fi with a non-human alien race. The story kept me intrigued and I wanted to know how things would turn out. Sure, I wanted to slap Cora at times but that is a bit difficult when she is a book character. I am curious to see where Cora’s story takes her next.
This review first appeared at Orandi et Legendi.
Soon they discover that they were taken by aliens and are in some sort of menagerie. They are given three rules: solve the puzzles, stay healthy, and procreate.
Cora is determined to escape this prison. She does not thrive in captivity and she is sure there can be a way to get back to Earth. The question is whether or not she can convince the others to go along with her plan.
I loved how alien the aliens were. They were not humans. They were different and the things that made them different helped to make them seem real. Cassian wasn’t human and didn’t think like a human. His reactions could not be easily predicted because he didn’t always act the way a human would.
Cora, on the other hand, was so very human. She made stupid decisions at times and became obsessed with small things. She really wasn’t the smartest by any stretch of the mind. She was so very human in that respect. She made mistakes, often quite a few mistakes.
In all, I really enjoyed The Cage. It was its own unique form of sci-fi with a non-human alien race. The story kept me intrigued and I wanted to know how things would turn out. Sure, I wanted to slap Cora at times but that is a bit difficult when she is a book character. I am curious to see where Cora’s story takes her next.
This review first appeared at Orandi et Legendi.
novelheartbeat's review against another edition
4.0
This book was refreshingly unique! I'm kind of glad I steered away from any reviews before picking this one up. I honestly didn't really have any idea what to expect because I hadn't read the synopsis since I added the book way back when it was put on Goodreads. So I really had no idea what it was going to be about!
I definitely wasn't expecting an alien book. I loved that, though! In the beginning you really have no clue what's happening or why the characters are locked in this strange world they eventually call The Cage. I found it very intriguing, though - a bunch of different climates smashed together, only 6 people inhabiting it, and random 'puzzles' to solve? Awesome! I definitely liked the mysterious feel the book had going on.
I found the Kindred to be very intriguing. Especially Cassian! I was very interested in him from the beginning. I felt drawn to him. And I ended up loving him! (Should I be worried that I'm attracted to a fictional alien species?!) I loved that he looked out for Cora and that she brought out his humanity. The little glimpses of softness made me love him even more! I think he was half of the reason I enjoyed this book so much. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of him in the next book!
Spoiler
Although I am kind of sad that it ended with Cora swearing to make him pay...The world was definitely creepy! How much would it suck to be thrown together with three rules to obey, including that you HAVE to procreate?! Plus the fact that the characters' sanity started slipping inch by inch was kind of freaky. I thought that Shepherd did a great job with that - because in that situation, it totally makes sense for them to start turning on one another. You never knew what their motives were or who Cora could trust!
The only real complaint I have about this book is that I didn't connect to the characters like I'd hoped. I didn't really care about Cora or Lucky either way, and I mostly only felt dislike for the rest of them. Leon had his moments, but I hated Rolf and Nox. And Mali was just...there. Being creepy. The only character I truly cared about was Cassian. Not because they were flat, quite the opposite - they each had their own individual personalities and Megan did a good job fleshing them out. I think my issue was that it was written in 3rd person, which always creates a disconnect for me. Without being inside the person's head and knowing what they're feeling, I have trouble connecting to them.
There was also a love triangle that I didn't get into. I mean, obviously I'm Team Cassian. But I never really felt the Lucky side of the triangle. I didn't think he had much to offer, and he was a mediocre love interest for Cora. I had zero interest in the romancey scenes between Cora and Lucky. But ohhh, I did when she was with Cassian! It moved nice and slow and they had actual chemistry, where with Lucky it seemed forced because they pretty much had to.
There was a whammy of a twist in there that I didn't expect!
Spoiler
Holy crap, Cassian was the Warden all along?! I never saw that one coming!!!Favorite quote
"There are real oceans out there, on other planets. I'll get permission to take you there. I'll show you an ocean, or dogs, or the stars - I'll show you whatever you want, as long as you stay here."
This review was originally posted on Novel Heartbeat. To see a breakdown of my assessment, please visit the full review here.
amarylissw's review against another edition
2.0
This book started out decent enough, but it quickly declined. The characters had potential but dissolved into petty arguments and with flat motives and stupid desires and such. They had no real development and were quite annoying. The main love interest, although was meant to be flat and portrayed that way, really seemed nothing other than that (). There was little to the plot: mainly one goal of escape and barely anything happened with that until the very end. Most of the book was spend with stupid arguments. The writing itself was fine, but if the characters, plot, and world had been developed better, the story itself could have been a lot more interesting. As it was, I barely cared about the world; it was flat, typical at best.