"Love and Other Cages" by Emilia Ares is an action thriller and a romance. I got invested, and it left me hanging. There must be another book coming. Apparently, this is book 2 on the "Love and Other Sins" series, but I wasn't aware it was when I requested this one. It does stand alone from the first one pretty well, but not as much from the next one, which is needed to resolve this story.

Mina gets taken into a Russian mob organization and used to pressure her father to do something they want. She is tortured. This was challenging for me to read. Later, she had to be a spy for them.

Her story alternates with her boyfriend, Oliver's point of view. Some of it gets slow. The ending was the most interesting and tolerable part.

Characters - 4/5
Writing - 4/5
Plot - 4/5
Pacing - 3/5
Unputdownability - 2/5
Enjoyment - 1/5
Narration - 5/5 by Will Colyer and Emilia Ares
Cover - 4/5
Overall - 27/8 = 3 3/8 rounded down to 3 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, SERA Press, Independent Book Publishers Association, and Emilia Ares for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

A interesting audiobook. But I did listen for short stretches at the beginning as it is a dark, gritty, harrowing story. I do recommend you listen if this seems like your type of story. The story suggests how easy it is to control someone if they have something to hold over you. The build up at the end had me though. Could see some of it coming, but not all. This is the second book with the two main characters. Didn’t know that when I started listening, and that didn’t have any impact to me. There also seems to be a further book, because the ending is quite abrupt. Thank you to Sera Press and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Love and Other Cages was a thrilling story, however I wish I would have read the first story "Love and Other Sins" first. I had no idea when I requested this from NetGalley this was part of a series. I love suspense readings, and this was full of suspense, especially the descriptive nature of Mina's kidnapping.

There were times I believe the story dragged on a bit, however for the most part it held my interest. I would suggest Love and Other Cages, but suggest reading the first book in the series prior to reading it.

It was a very addicting read, it was quite dark and it suited what I was looking to read. This book was dual POV between Mina and Oliver. Both of their lives change when Mina is kidnapped and forced into a life that is owned by organized crime. Oliver is hellbent on finding her, but he has issues with his own business along the way.
Personally, I really enjoyed the emotion and roller coaster drama of Mina chapters. The Oliver chapters were great and losing your business is very stressful when your girlfriend is missing, but not knowing what is going to happen to your own life day to day, whoo those chapters were intense.

This book is two in the series, it can be read as a standalone and that is what I did, but to get more understanding between the love of Mina and Oliver as well more backstory of their lives it is recommended to read the first one. I found it easy to read without reading the first book.

quotes:
Absorb the pain you are bigger than the pain ... move through it, let the pain feed the story.

Time sneered at me like it was playing a cruel little joke ... out there, it was speeding by, forgetting me.

The most beautiful equation ever written would be the one that optimized a path from negative infinity to infinity where P, pain, approached zero. It was being written in my mind- my mind, the one that was nearly lost.

We are more than the sum of our parts. We are intangible souls. We are the springs of a stretched cord suspended in time and space, drifting through the ethos.

We were kindred spirits, now--the girls in these halls and I -- kindred ghouls

There is no Mina. Mina is gone. There is only Lark. Lark. I am Lark. I am Lark. Lark's bones are titanium, her blood is magma. Lark was born of the Bialowieza Forest, raised by wolves. Discomfort is comfort. Pressure is joy. Cold is soothing. Pain is pleasure. I am Lark. Lark feels nothing. I feel nothing.

Very appreciative for being approved for this ARC! I did do the audiobook alongside the e-book and did really like the audiobook since it is dual narration and thought it was executed perfectly! I did feel like I was missing some back story but that was definitely on me since I didn't realize this is technically book 2 but can be read as a standalone. There were some part though that I felt really invested in and others were I realized my attention wasn't on it 100%. Overall, I think this book just wasn't for me but I can see how it can be for others!

The narration for this story is phenomenal. Very well done, which can make even the most boring of story exciting in a way.

I did enjoy the story. It was pretty dark for a YA, but it was very well done. I think the one thing I wish I would have known is that this is a second in a series. While it was fine to read as a standalone, I just always prefer to read a series in order because no matter what, having that extra background/history just adds to the story's depth.

Thank you to NetGalley and SERA Press | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for the ARC audiobook of Love and Other Cages by Emilia Ares.

I enjoyed this book, however, when requesting this from NetGalley I was not aware this was a second book in a series. A lot of other reviews say this can be read/listened to as a standalone. I suppose it could be, but I’d highly encourage folks to start with the first on, Love and Other Sins. This one literally picks right up from where the first one ends. The relationship between Oliver and Mina makes a lot more sense as well. With all that said, I enjoyed the first one way more as it was more getting to know the characters. In this book, it is more of what is happening to the characters. This is what kept me interested though. I wanted to know if Mina and Oliver would make though everything they were experiencing. The ending did feel a bit unfinished which was similar to the first book, so I hoping there is another book coming that will help end the story. All in all, a captivating story that pulls you in and makes you want to hear what will happen next.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

WOW!!! What a great book!! This one had me hooked from page 1! This was a first for me from this author and I will not be my last! This one was a win for me!

This book was neither here nor there for me. I went in not knowing entirely what to expect, so it was a bit of a surprise to see how graphic some scenes were.

I absolutely loved Mina’s scenes (I think that’s right, I listened to the audio so unsure on spelling) and her progression throughout the book into a person she doesn’t recognise, pushing her to the limits of how far she would go to protect her family. She is such a strong character, and I loved reading about her capture, her training in the bits afterwards.

I wished I didn’t see an Oliver perspective if I’m being honest. So much of his story was either no relevance to the part of the plot that affected Mina, or it was him with a hero complex which to be honest is so unrealistic. He spends all of his time hunting Mina down, putting himself and his friend in severe danger, and getting himself into to trouble when in reality, he had no place doing so. Mina told him to back off, and he didn’t because he thought he knew better.

All in all, an interesting plot, but not sure if I’d read more from this series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for allowing me this audio ARC copy!

** Advance Listeners Copy

The audiobook version elevates the experience of Mina and Oliver’s story as they navigate the push and pull of love, self-identity, and the cages we build around ourselves.

The audiobook itself is easily 4 stars—mostly because the narrators did an awesome job capturing each character’s distinct voice, making the emotional highs and lows feel vivid and true. It draws out every small nuance, bringing Mina’s guarded vulnerability and Oliver’s quiet persistence to life in a way that enhances their connection and struggles.

However, in terms of the story itself, it leans closer to a 3-star rating. I can't put my finger on it.. but there's something missing. Certain moments drift into familiar romance tropes, and while these may be enjoyable for some, they can also make the story feel slower and more expected than a 4- or 5-star read.

~ Thank you Netgalley and SERA press for an early audiobook copy.

Great narrations and good story.
Loved the characters.
The book had me feeling all the emotions.
Highly recommend

I absolutely LOVED the narration in this book! It was dynamic, captivating, and a true production!

With that said, there were some parts I loved and some parts that didn't work for me. I wasn't a fan of the pacing. I think that when you have overlapping/intertwined stories in a thriller it can get confusing very quickly, especially with audiobooks. Fortunately it was easy to discern which character was speaking at any given time, but it got incredibly difficult to keep everyone's stories straight.

I loved how dark this thriller was! Not because I was a fan of the subject matter, but because for a YA thriller, this pushed the boundaries in a way I would have appreciated when I was in the age range this novel seeks to connect with.

I cannot overstate how excellent the narration was!

3.5 ⭐️s
Thank you to SERA Press, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks, and NetGalley for providing an ALC!

I'm rating this book 2 star . I'm not into this type of romances. The narrators were good . But the story wasn't for me.
Thanks netgalley and the author to give me the opportunity to listen to this.💖

It's a love story if two broken hearts that you will like .Altough I didn't read the the first book because there is no sign or mention to this is apart of series I understand the story .
I listened to the audiobook the narrators are great and eachoneof them is typical the characters mina with her broken heart and voice and olive with his brave in love .

I really enjoyed this - I thought it was a great continuation of the story. It kept my attention the entire time and I didn't want to put it down

It was mentioned that it could be read as a standalone, but I had the time and interest in the series as a whole, so I did read both. With that said, both books are fantastic but very different. Book one was so tame compared to book 2. Book 2 was pretty dark for a young adult thriller. It's very heavy stuff but such a fantastic story. Can you read them as standalone? Sure. But I think to truly appreciate Mina and Oliver, you should read this series in order.

I have loved this series so far. It was quite an emotional rollercoaster, and I am completely invested. Also, book 2 is available on audible and was narrated beautifully by the author herself and Will Collyer. Sometimes, when an author narrates their own book, I don't care for it. However, Ares brought a lot of personality and life to Minas character.

Definitely recommend both the book and audiobook.

I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I just finished the audiobook and the author was one of the narrators. Emilia was perfect for Mina/ Lark. The story of her and Oliver was full of struggle and high danger situations and I just loved it. It’s unlike anything I’ve read before and found myself wanting more. I’d love spin offs of some of the other characters like Starling or other agents. That ending left me with my jaw dropped, didn’t see it coming and I need to know what happens next!

Unfortunately I just could not get into the meat of this book, perhaps this is because I did not read the other book in this series, but I did not feel a connection to the characters, and very little effort was made to help me form one. The narration was great, both voices fit into the characters described and seemed to have a good handle on the source material, as well as the emotions presented in the book, for me it was just the writing itself that I did not connect with.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this audiobook, the narration was extremely well done.
After listening to it I realized it’s a series and I think I would have liked it more if I had read the first book.

I liked the two POV between the main characters and how their stories found eachother.

I found the middle to drag on, yet the ending was so abrupt. I’m assuming the author will write a book 3?

The label ‘young adult’ might attract younger teens to read this but due to the violence, sex trafficking references & sex scenes I’d recommend 16 yrs +

Thank you NetGalley & Emilia Ares for the advanced eARC of the audiobook.

Wonderfully written, and amazing character detail! I cannot believe how well this all came together. I love the characters so much and the entire story is so intriguing!