A huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled hard with this book. I almost DNF’ed due to the prose which felt so lacklustre and almost like an editor didn’t even look through it, but I persevered and in the end I’ve come to the conclusion that I didn’t care for the characters nor the plot.

The story is rushed, two characters go from one extreme to another in one chapter that just felt unrealistic and ridiculous.

The characters are meant to be more mature than characters in other books within this genre but it felt like a bunch of kids swearing for the first time and getting a bit too carried away.

A battle of mind, strength and godly power. With vibes of Wolf and The Woodsman and a dark fairytale this soft sapphic fantasy takes you on a journey of inner power.

3.8⭐️
Thanks to Netgalley and Daphne Press for this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a little while to get into this book, but once I got past the first part and got to know the characters a bit more, I was very intrigued to see where things were going.

I’m not normally a huge fan of so many character perspectives because usually there’s a character or two who I don’t like and I end up skimming their chapters, but in this case the multiple perspectives worked well and I enjoyed seeing all the different characters. It helps I am a sucker for sassy characters and I loved Vitaly’s chapters. I also loved the romance.

All in all, after a slow start I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to book 2!

Also to note: I didn’t realise until I’d finished the book, but there’s a glossary at the back for various terms. I just wish I’d realised it was there earlier, as it has some pretty helpful definitions!

This book was not for me at all unfortunately.

I wouldn't call this a Romantasy book, there was barely any romance. It was mainly political and the magic/gods powers were interesting but I would have liked to delve deeper into the magic system. Unfortunately I was just bored throughout.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a dark romantasy that holds a story thats told well.
The writing started a little bit slow with a lot of world building, but then it tumbled into action, adventure, magic and romance. Building on a story based in imperial Russia which shows how actions can lead to consequences that aren't always calculated when making a decision.
It holds multi POV, which allow for great character banter to be lifted, relationships to develop and it leaves you hanging just a little bit when PoVs change when you're not wanting it to.

This book isn't for the faint of heart, but it's defintely worth the read

This book could have ended a few hundred pages earlier if the characters had better communication skills. Overall it was a nice book and I enjoyed reading it. The characters were (almost all of them) likeable and the story was really interesting, but there were a few things that made me mad. First of them is Vitaly. I’m sorry but apart from being hot and possesive what was his role? And why the heck did Sera leave him?? To be honest a lot of the character’s choices were questionable. Why did Sera keep the secret from her beloved husband? Because she thought he would hate her? I mean, what s the point of the marriage if there isn’t any trust. The second thing that didn’t really make sense was how easy they defeated the evil queen?? I mean what were they waiting for? It’s like the whole book they were waiting for Sera to make that panacea of what was its name but like, she could have done it in chapter 2 in my opinon🤣 because Galina had the ability to open portals so Sera could have traveled, gathered the ingredients and make it. Easy as that. Also WHAT WAS THE POINT OF HAVING AN INSIDE PERSON IF GALINA COULD OPEN THE DOORS TO ANYWHERE?? Why did poor Katya have to suffer so much? Okay, at this point I’m mean. I feel like I have to mention again how much I enjoyed reading this because it’s not a bad book. It just lacks a few things here and there.

Thank you NetGalley and Daphne Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book took me more than a month to read and that means that I was so bored that I almost DFNed it a few times.

Almost all the characters had their own chapters and I only cared for Vitalik's.

I could care less about the majority of the characters and the story. This was too much YA for me probably, and maybe the target audience will love it.

All I can say is that all the Russia like world and names did not work for me; the lesbian characters in my opinion is just another way of the author to "grab" different audiences and to be completely honest, too many books these days have this.

Also, saying this is a romantasy is really misleading the readers. Not even the word building is well done; and the romance, only a a couple of chapters doesn't make it a fantasy romance.

First of all I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher Daphne Press for granting me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve had a bit of a disappointing reading month, so I really went into this one with the lowest expectations possible to avoid any further disappointment. But I think this just cured me from my month long slump? It’s truly a Christmas miracle.

I usually struggle with books that have more than 3 pov’s due to concentration issues. Whenever a pov switch happens I get dragged out of the story and it’s even worst when we switch to the pov of a character I couldn’t care less about, but that wasn’t the case with to cage a god!! There were 2 ‘’main’’ pov’s and 3 other that were sprinkled throughout the story but they almost seamlessly blended into each other? Each and every pov was interesting aswell as they all seemed to give you different parts of the story that continued to fit into this very precise puzzle!

The worldbuilding was top notch aswell! Very unique and intriguing and I loved the way the author introduced us readers to the world. It wasn’t an immediate infodump but you didn’t have the spend the entire book guessing for answers either (I myself truly hate it when an authors leaves readers in the dark about certain aspects of the world).

The third and last thing that made this book a 5 star read for me was the romance. Oh my god the romance was *chef’s kiss*. I’m not ashamed to say that i’m a romance driven girlie and the romance in to cage a god hit all the good spots. I mean how could it not when you have ‘’knife to throat’’ ex-lovers and ‘’I would burn the world down for you’’ sapphics.

I can’t wait to see what happens in the sequel and I will be yelling at my friends to get them to read this

At first I had a hard time getting into the plot. I think it was because I didn't really understand how the characters were linked to each other. In addition, I think that the book is probably written for a younger target group despite the slightly darker theme. I'm also not very fond of romances in fantasy. It was almost too much of that stuff for me. What got me hooked was the revenge motive and the magic they used for the purpose. I liked how the story unfolded and how it ended. The revenge is done but the war is still knocking on the door, so a sequel is welcome.

An exciting fantasy with some romance thrown in. This is a multi pov story following 2 sisters as they try and carry out a revenge plot. It took me a bit of time to get into the book in the beginning but once the story picked up and I started to understand the relationships between the characters a bit more I really enjoyed it. Seeing the story being told by several people instead of 1 or 2 helped build a full picture of everything happening and understanding each characters thinking. I enjoyed all the build up to the final conflict and enjoyed how there was no major cliffhanger at the end but definately left the story open to be continued. If you love a good fantasy this should definitely be on your tbr!

Thankyou to Netgalley for sending me an arc of this book! This book follows a story of two sisters navigating a world set against them and their fight to get it back. I really liked our two main Characters, Sera and Galina and the concept that they had gods with different powers trapped inside them, my only thing was that it felt like we were dropped halfway into the story and we didn’t really get any backstory into how it properly happened. We get mentions here and there of the sisters lives in the past but the explanation of the caged gods was confusing to me because it felt like I had missed 100 pages at the start! That being said I thought the world building was creative and the plot when it got going was really fast paced and gripping. I also didn’t care too much for Katya’s POV so often found myself zoning out whenever she was telling the story. All in all I think the concept is super cool but the delivery missed a few points in my opinion!

‘To Cage A God" is a very fast-paced, relatively easy read with a nicely-executed romance and a decent representation of sapphic themes. However, the narrative lacks depth and character connection, feeling rushed at times, missing crucial backstory and leaving gaps in explanations. For some, it may involve going back a few pages for a reread.

Despite these shortcomings, the Russian-inspired world, political intrigue, and inclusion of god powers within society offer a unique twist. The concept of caging gods was something I wish was explored more.

The multiple POVs, though initially daunting, ensure good pacing and keep the story engaging. However, I could see readers struggling with this pace and switching. While the sapphic love story works well and is the star of the book, i do wish the dragons and Slavic setting could have been further developed.

Overall, this book holds promise for readers seeking modern fantasy with diverse relationships and an intriguing premise.

Rebellion. Revenge. Royalty.

In this tale May gives us anger, romance and sacrifice, told simply but fluidly. It is an adult novel, so prepare for spice and swearing, but is as readable as a YA - fairly linear and not excessively complex.

Two sisters contain gods… the result of dark experiments, they are set to destroy the empire that broke their own families and bring down the unjust regime that leaves the commoners in poverty whilst those blessed with power do as they please. But what - and who - will they sacrifice to achieve their aims?

Featuring:

- villainous queen, just ugh, the worst
- dragon spirits
- chronic pain/illness
- F/F and F/M romance
- loads of stabbing. like, so much
- drug use
- A really unhinged baker, possibly my fave

A dark Russia inspired fantasy about sisterhood, empire and revolution. A unique premise and mythology but unfortunately not well executed. Clichéd characters, rushed storyline and clunky writing meant I almost DNF several times. Not one for me.

This was beautifully unique.


In this book there are 5 POV’s, but we mainly follow two foster sisters, Sera and Galina. We follow them on their journey to save their kingdom with the help of the horrible and amazing power etched into their bones (as well as some amazing allies… and enemies).

This book was truly unique. I really enjoyed the magic system. I’ve read something similar before, but it was executed completely different. The writing was great and the characters likable. I actually enjoyed all 5 POV’s, which is incredibly rare. Of course, I had my favorites, but I still enjoyed them all.

I was a bit hesitant toward one half of the romance at first. Mostly because I prefer meeting a love interest from the beginning and following as the mc falls in love. This was not the case, which I did not think I was going to enjoy, but it was truly incredible. (I would LOVE to get a prequel to this book, btw. It would truly be amazing to follow their relationship from the beginning) The chemistry and banter was great and their relationship really helped build on the story.


———
“You do have a husband,” Anna reminded her. “But I suppose he’ll be less than thrilled when he finds out we destroyed his explosives stockpile.”

Sera rolled her eyes. “The man’s deranged. He’ll probably think I’m flirting with him.”
———


I really loved him, as well. (He was whipped, my dude, as well as a bit insane). I was scared for a bit… but he turned out to be as great as I could have hoped. I love him. He was a bit morally grey (lol), but who doesn’t love that?


———
“My mortality begins and ends with you. It’s always been that way. Always will be.”
———


I enjoyed the other side of the romance as well. It was refreshing to see two people find peace in each other in such a way. I would have liked to have read some more about them. I don’t think their relationship was properly shown. I would hope that we get more of them in the next book.



A big thanks to NetGalley and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have to confess that I expected more and better about this book. It is a fun book, yeah!But if it didn't have a Sapphic relationship between a princess and a rebel it would fall to 2 stars. The most exciting story is that of the empress's maid. The dragons are interesting but I would have liked to have seen more development of their usefulness and reason for being and not leave it all as: they are there and do things. The Slavic setting just makes the story a bit more complicated but doesn't really add much to the plot. All in all it is a book that many modern fantasy readers may like.

I enjoyed the interesting premise but wish we had explored how the god caging occurs to a greater extent. The story was fun and easily digestible, but it was not necessarily anything new or groundbreaking. The overall story felt a little more YA than Adult. The funny and loveable characters made up for the slightly formulaic plot.

For me this book was more YA than adult/NA. For those who enjoy a fast paced, easy read, fantasy with Spice this is a perfect book.

However, this book was lacking in substance for me and lacked in character connection and depth. It all felt quite rushed. It didn't feel as though you were experiencing the world through the characters eyes but more being told this is what happened to them with no experience of reading it and connecting with it. There was a lot of back story and explanations I felt were missing to which made it quite confusing and difficult to follow. Maybe the need for a prequel?

The romance was written quite well and was the standout for me in this story, the spice was OK and there was good representation of the sapphic themes.

I would definitely read more from this author.

I was unable to link this review to good reads as it couldn't find the isbn number so I have posted it manually

To Cage a God follows Sera and Galina, two sisters and rebels, as they use powers normally reserved for the nobility to take down a tyrannic ruler.

The story is very rushed. The two protagonists go from having been on the run for years to planning a revolution in one chapter. Galina starts out so depressed she can't get out of bed, but a few words from Sera are enough to convince her to infiltrate the palace. She also gets over her alcoholism in about 2 paragraphs.

Everything is over explained yet under described. Descriptions of people and places are generic and non specific, with Russian (or at least Russian sounding) words scattered throughout the dialogue to support the vibe. The author seems to be afraid of losing the reader's interest: most of the scenes and chapters are super short, with conversations lasting only a few lines. There's no time to develop anything.

At the same time, we are given way too much explanation for people's motivations and thoughts, and we are often simply told of characters' relationships and skills, instead of being shown through their actions.

...it had forged an unbreakable bond between Galina and Sera...



Katya gave her next words the same consideration as a master strategist in combat.



We are repeatedly reminded of simple facts. These lines are all from the same chapter, all telling us that Empress Isidora could kill Katya whenever she wants:

Her days existed at the whims of a monarch—a harsh word away from being unceremoniously demoted from a prized companion to a footstool for the empress’ weary feet.



Her life had a single trajectory unless she saved Galina.



...Galina’s life depended on the answer.



...tomorrow, she could be kneeling before the throne, with the monarchs boots grinding into her spine.



Characters keep using the word panacea to refer to an experimental drug to increase Galina's godpower. That's not what a panacea is.

The characters all talk like teenagers who've just discovered swearing. The villain is a generic power hungry monarch who flies into rages and executes people for no reason. The F/M romance is enemies to lovers, which means there is a lot of bickering while Sera thinks how infuriating handsome Vitaly is. We get the obligatory knife to throat scene, but at no point did I think that Sera would actually stab the guy. The basis of their conflict also seemed stupid - Sera gets angry every time Vitaly, the revolutionary, does something violent. How does she expect to overthrow the aristocracy without any violence.

I stopped reading 26% in because there was nothing to interest me. I think if you are not bothered by the simplistic prose and want something comfortable, easy to read and familiar, with a Russian setting, you might still enjoy To Cage a God, but I do not personally recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Daphne Press for the digital ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Daphne Press for sharing an e-ARC in exchange of an honest review.

This review is spoiler free.

We follow the story of two the two foster sisters Sera and Galina, strong in personality and power. They are out for justice and revenge against the empress who took away everything they had. In this book they navigate life in the slums with the rebels and cook up a wicked plan to overthrow the empress. This story has major imperial-Russia vibes, it reminded me a bit of Shadow and Bone.

This book is set in quite an unique setting, the world is ruled by a tyrannical aristocracy, where the aristocrats are born with an ancient god bonded to them who lives in their bones. These gods are wrathful and angry to be caged and seek chaos. Due to this power, the aristocracy abuse their power to burn down entire villages and oppress the regular folk. That is until one of the rebels figures out a way to call upon a god and cage them in regular people. This rebel calls upon two gods and traps them in the bones of her two daughters (Sera and Galina).

Overall, I give this book 4 stars. It was a bit difficult to get into the book (especially since I did not see there was a translation guide at the end of the book, and a lot of Russian-style words are used which is a tad confusing). However, after I was about halfway through the book I could no longer put it down! I absolutely fell in love with Galina's storyline and she is my favourite character from the book. I love the different strengths the characters had, Sera is insanely smart and can engineer her way out of anything, Galina is poised and would do anything to protect those she loves, Vasilia doesn't let her physical limitations stop her while most would just give up and is very creative in finding solutions, and lastly Katya is an expert at manipulation due to her years of torture next to the Empress. This book had me on the edge of my seat, especially in the last 80% I pulled an all-nighter to get to the end. I am not completely sure if there will be a sequel, the end is written in such a way that it could be a stand-alone book but also part of a series. Curious to see what is up next!