This series is truly something special. Every word of the writing is beautiful and lyrical and just perfect. Reading the Caged Queen was like sinking back into a world full of stories and dragons and the spirits of sisters trapped in the form of birds.

As with The Last Namsara, there were parts of the book set into the present interspersed with small snippets of stories and flashbacks. The stories especially in both books are just the perfect way to share all sorts of things about the culture of the world. It was great to learn more about the outlander culture and how it differed from the culture in Firgaard.

I loved Roa a lot. She seemed to flounder a lot more than Asha and she didn't make the best choices, but there was still something about her that I really liked. The way she clung to her sister and would do anything to save her was a motivation that I could really understand, so although a lot of her actions were ones I disagreed with, it was easy to see why she did what she did and like her anyway.

There was one character in particular that really intrigued me by the end. I won't say who because of spoilers, but I would love to see more of this character in the future. There's a lot of things hidden away and a lot of secrets revealed at the end and I hope we see more of this character in the future.

You cannot cage a queen.

That isn’t an actual line in The Caged Queen, I just made it up. But I feel like it sums up this part of The Last Namsara saga.

The Caged Queen felt very much like a middle book. It jumped straight in to the action from the previous book without too much exposition. However, this time, we received an insight into the life of Roa, the now queen of Firgaard and wife of Dax. She’s from a different part of the kingdom that has it’s own culture, history and customs, and it’s usually considered the far lesser to the rest of Firgaard.

The Scrublands are an oppressed people, with heavy taxes and nationwide prejudice. It was interesting to see the events of the first book in the eyes of Roa, as well as what happened in the aftermath of the first book. Roa is a character that we only got a few glimpses of in The Last Namsara. She was a bit of mystery with actions that we didn’t really understand in the beginning.

So I loved this backstory with Roa and her sister as well as her roots as a ‘Scrublander’. She’s calculating and incredibly patriotic, which is a stark contrast to previous protagonist Asha, who kind of hated her kingdom and was all action as the ‘dragon slayer’.

We’ve got a fabulous setup for the next book too, and I can’t wait for it!

This book was amazing! I always worry about book #2 in a series, because sometimes book #1 can absolutely blow you away and then sequels play it too safe and are just more of the same. Ciccarelli however has decided to take a different protagonist all together; a new setting, a different POV, and a whole new problem. Okay not entirely new but this time our protagonist is Roa, Dax's wife and daughter of the House of Song.
I love that we hear so much about Roa and Dax's childhoods together, we know very little about this from The Last Namsara so it was intriguing to discover why Roa had sworn to hate Dax eight years ago, and why she still hates to be around him. Asha is seemingly absent with a few mentions here and there, and therefore unfortunately, not many dragons. But similar to it's prequel, The Caged Queen elegantly weaves the present-day story, the back-story, and the folklore all into one seamless masterpiece.
There really is very little I can criticise this book for, I mean obviously I would've liked to see more DRAGON but book #3 maybe? The only obvious thing for me was the lack of a real shocking plot twist, but having read Jay Kristoff's work this is a pretty high standard to meet for me now.
Roa as a character is one I really connect with, I couldn't possibly imagine what it is like to be in her position, but her vibrancy and realism conveyed through these pages is astounding and really helps develop her as a 3-dimensional character. Obviously our feelings towards Dax are biased due to the single POV narrative so it did take me a while to warm to him, but thanks to The Last Namsara and our interactions with him there, I can't say I hated him, I was just vexed by his current behaviour.
In terms of timeline, there are only a few days between the ending of The Last Namsara and The Caged Queen so it is easy to dive right in without having to catch up on major events in between. I loved this immediate continuation but with the contrast of a very different narrator.
I also really enjoy the change of narration style and language when we are in Roa's thoughts vs the myths and legends narrative. It might be something to do with having listened to The Last Namsara on audiobook, but I really hear the mysterious air surrounding the lore recital.
Asha's problems in book #1 are a stark contrast to Roa's current predicaments but neither are more difficult or significant than the other. It's just a new host of problems introduced for the new cast and backdrop.
Overall I'm rewarding this book 4.5/5 for a fantastic story and really entertaining read. The narrative and plot flows beautifully, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing new characters and points of view. I missed the dragons it is true, and due to Roa's personality it is less action packed that it's prequel but this suits the protagonist and provides a unique experience. I liked that the author didn't stick to comfortable, tried-and-tested narratives here and gave us a new character to explore. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the Iskari series unfolds.
Also just look at that cover! Bonus points!

The Caged Queen is the second book in Kristen Ciccarelli's Iskari series and picks up the story a few months after the end of The Last Namsara but this story is told from Roa's point of view rather than Asha's. You'll probably remember that Roa is the outlander who married Dax and it was her people who helped him and Asha overthrow their father so Dax could become the new king. Now Asha is living in exile while Roa tries to make sure Dax follows through on his promises to make life better for the outlanders. They have suffered under his father's reign and she wants him to make things right and give them all the chance to thrive instead of continuing to struggle just to survive.

Roa and Dax were unlikely allies from the start, especially when you realise that Dax was to blame for the death of Roa's twin sister Essie. Roa and Essie were inseparable as children and the bond between them was so strong that even after Essie's death her spirit remained in this world to stay by Roa's side. Now Roa is struggling to make the people of Firgaard accept an outlander queen, she's fighting with Dax because the promises he made to her still haven't been fulfilled and Essie's spirit seems to be fading away. When Roa is offered the opportunity to solve all her problems in one fell swoop, even rescuing her sister and giving her the future she deserved, Roa has to make some very difficult decisions.

I loved getting the chance to dive back into this world and really enjoyed the chance to get to know Roa a bit better. As with the previous book most chapters open with a story from this world or a glimpse into Roa, Essie and Dax's past, their relationship is a lot more complicated than I first realised because they all knew each other as children and I really enjoyed seeing their past unfold alongside events in the present. Roa chose to marry Dax because she believed it was the best thing for her people but now he's king he doesn't seem to be following through on his promises so she is really struggling to deal with the sense of betrayal. There is a lot of bad blood between them and a deep lack of trust so their relationship was rocky from the beginning and only gets worse as time goes on.

I felt really sorry for Roa because she was pretty alone most of the time, she didn't really have anyone to turn to and she desperately needed someone to be on her side. I was really annoyed at the way Dax was behaving too, I'd grown to like his character a lot in the first book so I was really surprised by how badly he was acting towards her but I could tell for a long time that everything wasn't what it seemed. I was totally caught up in the story and I did devour this book really quickly but I was a bit disappointed that the big misunderstanding between Roa and Dax went on for so long. I think for about 80% of the book we were led to believe something completely untrue and I was ridiculously relieved when they FINALLY had a proper conversation and started to let each other in on their secrets. The story could have been so much more satisfying if they'd done that a little sooner and then worked together to thwart their enemies!

I did love the way things were resolved though and I do find these books incredibly easy to get sucked into. I can't wait to see how the series ends in the next book and I'm really, really hoping that Dax and Asha's cousin Safire is going to be the narrator of the final story.

After being utterly engrossed in the first in the series it took me a little while to pick this up. I found myself having to cast back through memories to recall some of the details. However, I soon found myself racing through to work out where this would go.
Roa has made her decision to marry Dax and support him in overthrowing his father as she feels it’s best for her people. She finds it hard to come to terms with his womanising, and is convinced that she was right to trust her own feelings.
We dip in and out of the present and her memories of Dax. Slowly we come to see there’s more to these two than first thought, but Roa is determined to save her sister and recognises this means a difficult decision.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this prior to publication. It didn’t go as I expected, and that sleight of hand was a wonderful choice.

The Caged Queen is an eloquent creation of Fantasy and desire, it encapsulates another world and makes you feel like you’re slowly drifting in it - it gives you peril and leaves you on the edge of the seat wanting more - the novel is a beautiful creation, and contradicts a wonderful collaboration of a young-girl doing what is best for her people, and fighting herself throughout.

Many thanks to Orion Publishing Group for giving me the chance to read this title in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Caged Queen is very different from The Last Namsara. Frist there are less dragons. They show up two or three times in the whole book. Well, this book is not about dragons but told from the perspective of Roa after the events of The Last Namsara. Though The Caged Queen can be read as a standalone I recommend reading the Last Namsara first or even instead.

I don't know how to put this nicely but Roa is simply stupid.

She does't understand anything. She gets everything wrong. She thinks that Dax won't hold on to his promises. She suspects him of being disloyal. She suspects him of being weak and lazy.

On top of that her exlover wants to kill the king with an army. Other parties want to kill the king and Roa is after a special knife to restore balance to a certain white bird from The Last Namsara and therefore must kill the king, too.

I admit that she is guided down that path fron many directions but that girl is simply blind and doesn't see what is right in front of her eyes. She does not deserve Dax or his love. She is so stupid.

Be aware that this book features love, betrayal and most of all stupidity.

I cannot recommend this book. But trust me when I say that the first book is worth it on its own.

Having not long ago finished The Last Namsara which I ADORED, I was so very ready for more of the same in The Caged Queen and although I really enjoyed it, The Caged queen is quite a different type of book. This isn’t a bad thing but something I wish I had thought of before I dived straight in expecting loads of fight scenes, more dragons and more characters like Asha (I think I may actually be in love with her at this point to be honest.) I hate to compare books but it’s hard not to with them being sequels and I think it’s very important to understand that although Roa is another brilliant, strong character like Asha is and she can certainly fight she is different and this is her story which is fairly different kind of story. Whereas Asha’s story was, like her, a bit more wild and urgent Roa’s story is complex and complicated, filled with lies, deceit and pain (but also some fun sword play, more interesting characters, plots for treason and hard choices) and I like that each story really feels like a part of the characters.

The Caged Queen is a little slow to start and takes a little while to gain traction. This plot is very political and needs some setting up which takes some time but is worth the pay off for it later on. This does mean that the first half can appear a little slow at times but it’s peppered throughout with little “stories” a bit like the tales we had in The Last Namsara. We hear the tale of the skyweaver but most of the other are back story about Roa and her sister Essie, quite a few of which also feature Dax. These little flashbacks break up the sometimes less exciting or heavier chunks of the story without fluffing it out which is greatly appreciated and I think works extremely well. The second half of the book starts to pick up the pace a bit and the stakes are raised ever higher but like it’s predecessor the book really comes into his own in the last third. Secrets are revealed, everyone starts to show their hand a little more, there’s a bit more action and feeling to it and it just blew me away. The twists in the story are brilliant and I shed a few tears as well as gasping in shock a time or two.

At this point we already know a great deal of the characters but like with many sequels we really get to know them much better in this book. Roa and Dax were amazing and although on a very different level to Asha they shine in their own ways and despite the storyline still managed to have pretty amazing chemistry I feel. We had some new characters that were introduced and although we don’t get to know them as well as the ones already established they’re certainly no less interesting or memorable.

There is definitely less of a fantasy element to The Caged Queen but it is still present and I feel just the right amount for this kind of story where I think too much of it would have drowned or removed focus from the plot which I think some fantasy, especially adult high fantasy can have a tendency to do. The Iskari books feel like a much more diverse and rich version of the first few Throne of Glass books and I honestly cannot wait to get my hands on more of them. Once again Kristen has done a fantastic job, The Caged Queen is well written, intriguing and painfully pulls you in every direction, a very well worth it read!

This sequel was much weaker than the first book, The Last Namsara, promised. I kept reading it even though the middle 100 pages were weak and just bleurgh. Luckily, the ending saved it and i will pick the third one up from the library when its published. I think the decision to follow a different character was an interesting move and whilst i didn't think that Roa was the most obvious choice, it was good to see her side of the war and the conflict made in the first book.

So I didn’t and haven’t read the previous book in this series so read the second book with no understand of what happened before it.

It took me a little time to get used to the characters and story line but I enjoyed it. Roa was a little annoying at times and flawed as a character but then humans are.

I would say this book is a guilty pleasure and if I get the chance I may read the previous book.

The story follows Roa, the new queen in her new reign along with Dax. I kind of liked Roa as a lead and I did enjoy the story itself, especially the ending. I just didn't really like any of the characters and the story for the first 75% of the book which left me annoyed. The final 10% though was pretty good :) 

I felt the plots in book 1 and 2 were very similar to each other. They are both focused on killing a king, and that isn't a spoiler either cause it's in the synopsis. Yes, the first book didn't have killing the king as the main plot of the first half but it was definitely the main plot in the second half of the book. The two plots are just too close together in terms of trilogy layout. If there was another book in between, I don't think the book would have felt so similar in plot.

Also, no dragons until very late in the story, which was a bit too late for me. Dragons were the reason I started this series in the first place and I didn't get any 

I didn't like any of the characters in this book. They were annoying. At least for the first 75% of the book. After that, they did become a lot better.

There is not much romance which was nice, but when it happens it's in the end. The main "romance " in the book is between to sisters and their love for each other. That was refreshing and lovely too read especially in the beginning.

The writing was smooth and easy to read. The pacing was fast and suited the story. I had no issues with the writing. And I ended up reading this book really fast.

don't know. The ending was good but I found the main parts of the story too annoying. The miscommunication trope really got to me, and I'm now wondering if it's becoming a pet hate of mine. 

I think am giving up on this series now. I can't read a book I dislike for 70% of it. I'm not wasting my time, effort and emotions on that. I'm leaving this series be. The end.

If you like this series you will like the second book.

'The Caged Queen' is the second book in the Iskari seres, so if you haven't read the previous book then I would advise getting through that before embarking on this one. Most of what happens is continued from book one, so it's imperative to understanding the characters and the plot. We are transported back to the lush, immersive world we were introduced to in 'The Last Namsara', but this time we see things from Roa's perspective. A book that's full of intrigue, betrayal, loyalty, sibling relationships and rivalries, political intrigue, magic, mythology, loss and love. Oh, and look at that - I have a serious case of cover love!

As in all of her previous works, Ciccarelli's worldbuilding is simply magical, vivid, evocative, wonderful, and the writing flowed beautifully from page-to-page. The story is expertly crafted, with alluring language that made it difficult to put down even though I wanted to savour every moment of it! The characterisation is incredible with the characters being totally believable - I really cared about them. Although there are less dragons here, there is more than enough to keep a fantasy reader satisfied.

I was a little frustrated at times when Roa and husband Dax weren't communicating, and we all know you can come a cropper if you continue to stay silent despite having issues. This is a stunning companion novel to 'The Last Namsara', so if you appreciated that book, you'll likely fall hard for this one too. With lots of twisty surprises in store thoughout, lots of action and strong female characters, Ciccarelli has made her mark in the fantasy fiction genre! I'm already eager to read the third book' 'Deathdancer', out in October 2018.

Many thanks to Gollancz for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

The Caged Queen

by Kristen Ciccarelli


Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Pages: 400

Publisher: Gollanz/ Orion

Publishing Date:  September 25th 2018



Synopsis: Once there were two sisters born with a bond so strong that it forged them together forever. When they were angry, mirrors shattered, and when they were happy, flowers bloomed. It was a magic they cherished - until the day a terrible accident took Essie's life and trapped her soul in this world.

Dax - the heir to Firgaard's throne - was responsible for the accident. Roa swore to hate him forever. But eight years later he returned, begging for her help. He was determined to dethrone his cruel father, under whose oppressive reign Roa's people had suffered. Roa made him a deal: she'd give him the army he needed if he made her queen.
Together with Dax and his sister, Asha, Roa and her people waged war and deposed a tyrant. But now Asha is on the run, hiding from the price on her head. And Roa is an outlander queen, far from home and married to her enemy. Worst of all: Dax's promises go unfulfilled. Roa's people continue to suffer.
Then a chance to right every wrong arises - an opportunity for Roa to rid herself of this enemy king and rescue her beloved sister. During the Relinquishing, when the spirits of the dead are said to return, Roa can reclaim her sister for good.

All she has to do is kill the king.

Mini - Review: First of all: The cover of this book is as stunningly beautiful as the inside! I loved and devoured every single page of this. First: because I already adored Roa in the first book of that installment, and couldn't wait to get more of her and her white hawk. Second: Because I knew I would get to see all of my little babies again, including Wozu. So I can tell without any lie - that this sequel was just perfect for me! This book is about love and loss, secrets and intrigues, dragons and hawks and it enchanted me. 

This book starts right where "The last Namsara" ends, but from the perspective of Roa, the scrubland queen that blackmailed Dax into marrying her, to rescue her country. And let me tell you that Roa is one of the most capable, badass anti-heroines I've ever met and is absolutely loved her. With Roa there is no black and white, only the dusty color of the desert and the deep silver love for her sister Essie. I love how the story is not only about the love between lovers, but family bonds, believe in a bond no one can see and the power of letting go. This book was about death as much as of finding a reason to really live again and it made me cry once more.

We will get to know Dax much better. All the reasons of his behavior and book one and then some. We get to love and hate Roa for the same reasons and we will skip every page in awaiting Asha to com back. But I will tell nothing about that one. Just that you won't miss out on the dragon part and that I can't wait for the final book because I just know it will be epic.

The book had a more than strong and diverse cast, badass feminine main characters, and man with as much Brin as guts and I barely find myself enjoying a fantasy book as much as this one, because of my love for fairytales and legends woven into the intricate pattern of an epic story. If you loved "the Last Namsara", you won't be able to put down this one. I've never had so much fun hating a main character as I did here! (And let me tell you - the love story never comes short on here!)

( September 26th 2018)

Tried to read this but as I hadn’t read the first book I was completely lost. So I can’t give a true review.
I will however read the first book and then this one for a true honest review.

Since reading The Last Namsara last year, I’d been looking forward to the second book in this series, The Caged Queen. Just before I dived in I learned that while The Caged Queen follows on from the events of The Last Namsara chronologically, you don’t have to have read book one to enjoy this.

In fact, Kirsten Ciccarelli says on Goodreads that while each of the books in the series build on each other and feature the same characters, the books can be read as stand alone so long as you keep in mind that “each book spoils a little bit of the ones before it”.

So, while the first book focussed on Asha, The Caged Queen has a different protagonist in Roa. Roa is the daughter of the House of Song and is married to the new Dragon King (Asha’s brother), Dax.

I had been intrigued by the character of Dax in the first book, so I was pleased that we’d get to find out more about him in book two.

In following Roa’s story, we see life for her and Dax as the new King and Queen. We find out how their marriage came about, as well as the history between the two of them.

In all honesty, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first. Personally, I saw through a large part of the plot. In many ways, it felt very similar to other YA fantasies I’ve read in the past.

I also found the plot fairly frustrating. I found myself wishing that Roa and Dax would just communicate, in which case issues which constitute a large part of the plot could be resolved. Of course, that’s easy to say as a reader or an outsider looking in, but frustration was my overriding emotion as I read this novel.

Once again, I enjoyed Ciccarelli’s writing, and being back in this world that she has created. I liked seeing these different characters that we scratched the surface of in the first book. Sadly though, there are less dragons in this book!

I also appreciated getting some answers to questions that had arisen in the first book such as: why Roa has a white hawk with her, a glimpse into Dax’s time in the House of Song as a child, and how Roa and Dax came to be married.

I’ve no doubt that this book will prove to be a bit for most. Despite my frustration, I did enjoy it. Although I did find it rather predictable and somewhat familiar, it is a good story and I will definitely be reading the third book set in this world.

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the story of Roa and Essie, along with Dax. I did miss Asha, and the dragons - there are definitely not enough dragons in the Caged Queen - but I thought it was a great follow up, and an interesting one for not following Asha.

Roa is great as a lead - she’s so protective and fiery and headstrong, and her love for her sister and her people is on every page. I liked that we saw Dax through Roa’s eyes, but I would have liked more of who he really is, i found the snippets we got really intriguing!

I did find it a shame to step away from the story telling culture and the Namsara and Ishkari legends, but I loved getting to see the scrublanders and see their side of the story - especially as in the last Namsara you only get a specific view.

I also love the politics and backstabbing. I always do ;)

It took me a little while to get into this book at the start, because I had fallen so deeply in love with the protagonist of The Last Namsara, and I was a little disappointed that she isn't anywhere to be seen at the start of The Caged Queen (you know, since she's a wanted fugitive). This is definitely a companion novel, rather than a direct sequel, but I do think it would be useful to have read the first book to have some idea of the political background of the story. However much I would have liked to see more of Asha's adventures, I swiftly came to love Roa, our new protagonist, almost as much. Roa is the wife of Dax, who is Asha's brother and the new king of Firgaard, and who was fostered in Roa's childhood home. This wasn't a love match, though - they married for purely political reasons, and Roa is really struggling with learning to cope with a wilful, promiscuous husband who is nothing like the child she grew up with.

This is exactly the kind of political fantasy I like to see. I love it when outsiders to the court have to learn to navigate particular foibles of their new lands, and The Caged Queen manages this perfectly. Roa is a scrublander, so has to deal with both her own dislike of the formalities and machinations of Firgaardian politics, and also with the prejudice that her new people hold against her. There is a lot of plotting, and it's impossible for Roa to tell which side she should be on - should she trust Dax, or is he just a smaller version of his evil father? Should she kill him, or can she learn to love him? It's a classic YA trope, but something in Roa's voice feels astonishingly fresh and un-cliched, and I was as conflicted as she was.

The key to Roa's story is her relationship with her twin sister Essie - who is a hawk. At the beginning of the novel, all we know is that Essie had an accident eight years ago, and her soul was transferred into a hawk, which has remained Roa's companion through everything. Roa's drive to restore her sister to her normal form underlies everything she does and makes such a difference to the course of the action. It's a true, pure, almost fiery love, and it's just so well-written that you can feel every inch of the bond between the two sisters. In a world which is not overtly magical (there are no wizards or spells), I found Essie's transformation fascinating, and heartbreaking, and beautiful. It would be spoilery to tell you any more, so you'll just have to read it to understand how utterly gorgeous this relationship is.

I would have raced through this book had I not wanted to savour it. The prose is beautiful, and flows from one page to the next in a way that utterly compels you to keep reading. The book is peppered with flashbacks, which are printed on grey paper, and these are just as enthralling as the main storyline, revealing tidbits that unlock so much in the present day (though I did have a shock halfway through when I looked down and saw my thumb was completely grey!). Towards the end of the book, I barely felt like I was reading. I was just watching the story unfold, heart in mouth.

If you loved The Last Namsara, you should adore this (though it is sad that there aren't so many dragons). The world-building is subtly clever, the relationships are utterly believable, and the people feel real. A must-read for those who love political nuance, exciting schemes, slow-burn romance, and simultaneously heart-warming and heart-breaking sibling relationships. 

Five out of five stars!

The Caged Queen is the second book in the Iskari series by Kristen Ciccarelli and follows on from where The Last Namsara left off. This book is pitched as a companion novel rather than a sequel and I would agree with that, as although it follows on from the events of the first book it focuses on a different set of characters. Whereas book one was the story of Asha, Torwin and the dragons, book two is more focused on Roa, Dax and the battle for control of the kingdom.

Roa is now Queen of Firgaard, however not everything is going to plan. Her “husband” King Dax is sleeping his way through all the girls in the kingdom, whilst failing to honour the promises he made about changes for Roa’s people. Her best friend Lirabel is acting strangely and barely talking to her. And the Firgaardians don’t want a Scrublander as their queen!
On top of all this Roa is desperately trying to find a way to save her sister, Essie, before her soul becomes “corrupted”.
Roa will need to decide who to trust and who she really is before she loses everything.

The characters are strong and well developed in this series and book two is no different. In Roa we get another kick-ass heroine, and in Dax, a charming and charismatic male protagonist. The relationship between the two is fascinating and compelling and we see this grow and develop over the course of the book.

Although The Caged Queen contains less action and adventure than The Last Namsara, we get much more political intrigue and deception as well as the return of magic and mythology.
At the heart of the story, however, is love and loss.

“Real love is the strongest kind of steel. It’s a blade that can be melted down, its form changed with every bang of the hammer, but to break it is a task no one is capable of. Not even Death.”

Wonderfully written, this book is only missing one thing for me and that’s more dragons!

Can’t wait for book three, Deathdancer!

4.5 stars and highly recommend!

The Caged Queen will be available in the US from 25th September and the UK from the 27th September 2018.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers (Gollancz and Orion Publishing Group) for providing a copy. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.

2.5 out of 5 stars


I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler free for The Caged Queen, but will contain spoilers for The Last Namsara.

I was so thrilled to get my hands on a copy of The Caged Queen. I liked Ciccarelli’s debut, The Last Namsara, but had some trouble with the romance. The sequel picks up the story where The Last Namsara left off, but follows a new character and a new love interest, so I was definitely intrigued. The book features some of my favourite tropes: a marriage of convenience, a hate-to-love relationship, and a whole lot of political scheming and backstabbing. I expected to love The Caged Queen so much, and while there were aspects that I liked, I ended up feeling disappointed for a couple of reasons.

To start with the good things, I absolutely love the world building in Ciccarelli’s books. She manages to bring her world and cultures to life and, despite the dragons, the magic, and the fairy tales that happen to be true, everything on the page feels so real. I could read pages and pages of history about this world and never grow bored. I really love the politics in this book as well, particularly how well it blends in with cultural differences and prejudices. The political scheming was one of my favourite parts of The Last Namsara and it only gets more intense in The Caged Queen. Finally, can I just tell you how nice it is to see a wonderful relationship between sisters? Sure it’s complicated, but I loved the flashbacks to their time growing up together and dealing with Dax’s intrusion and the consequences his presence brings.

My problems really center around Roa, our main character. She plays a small role in The Last Namsara and I was really looking forward to seeing her as a main character. She seemed so brave and badass in the first book -- she leads an army to help Asha and Dax overthrow their father and she marries Dax in order to secure a future for her people. However, she really fell flat as a character for me for two reasons. The first is that she, quite frankly, just didn’t seem very bright. She cannot see beneath the surface of any situation she is in or any person she meets -- in this way she is an astonishingly shallow character. Sometimes this works out really well in terms of plot, but it just made her seem silly most of the time. Without giving any spoilers, she manages to walk into the exact same life threatening situation twice and doesn’t seem to learn from it. We are told how bold and brave she is, what a great strategist she is, but this didn’t come across in the narrative at all. I found myself constantly wanting to shake as she miraculously stumbles her way through the plot.

The second issue I have is that about 85% of the conflict in this book could have been resolved if Roa sat down with Dax and other characters and just had a conversation with them. This is a particular issue that really gets to me -- I find it infuriating and often DNF books that use this plot device. Roa has numerous opportunities to clear the air with other characters and never does. Some of it I can understand, particularly later on in the book, but for the most part it’s just her pride getting in the way of common sense.

I was ultimately disappointed by The Caged Queen, despite it having some great writing and world building. Roa is not nearly as strong a character as Asha, and her unwillingness to discuss the problems at hand was really problematic for me. I really wanted to love The Caged Queen and Roa, but she just wasn’t a strong enough character to carry the novel. I know this won’t bother other readers as much, so I encourage you to pick this book up and form your own opinion.

A strong second installment in the Iskari series , The Caged Queen features some familiar faces but is largely narrated from the perspective of Roa, who readers of the first book, The Last Namsara, may remember as the quiet, almost sullen scrublander who somehow finds herself marrying the herir to the Firgaard throne, Dax, who is also brother to the heroine of the first book, Asha.
Roa is a far more intriguing character than her brief appearance in The Last Namsara would suggest, and as readers we learn some very interesting and surprising things about how her unusual wedding came about, and the many motivations behind it. The story of her strange connection to her avian companion is really well thought out and beautifully executed.
There may be fewer dragons than in the first book, but there is more than enough magic and political intrigue to keep the reader engaged as the plot twists and turns.. The world building is excellent, and it is interesting to get an alternate perspective on the kingdom and its customs. While I would recommend that readers pick up The Last Namsara first, that is really because it is an really enjoyable and entertaining book. It is absolutely possible to read The Caged Queen as a stand alone. The reader will of course get more from the book if they are familiar with the world and its characters, but there is enough of a recap incorporated into this book to allow the unfamiliar reader to follow along easily.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.