It has been long since I read fantasy novel with multiple POVs. Gilded Cage made me realized that, and also it reminded me how I used to read that all the time few years ago.

Just like it is the case with me and many POVs, at first (and some time later) I had difficult time to follow who's who, and who is who to whom.
However, I enjoyed reading the story the whole time, and I think this book wad so well done.

It was full of action from the begging to end. Because of that, I feel like I flew trough the pages in no time.
Seriously, I finish the book in two days, and I am a slow reader with a newborn.

The world is so interesting. It is cruel and cold, and very complex, and I know this will sound silly, but it kind of reminded me of my own country.

I will definitely continue with the series asap, and I recommend it to everyone who likes action packed stories.

Will no longer be reading or reviewing this book due to lack of interest in the title, and the fact that the title has been archived.

This is an alternative historical fantasy that I completely adored. The story, the feel and the characters felt original in the best sense and I didn't want it to end! Thankfully I've got both the sequels waiting for me on my bookshelf and I'm very curious about what Dr. Vic James has in store for us readers in the future. It will be an instant buy whatever it is!

This is a YA novel set in the UK, and honestly, I was initially drawn to the novel because of this setting. I never seem to come across that many YA fantasy novels that are set in the UK, as opposed to the US, and so I was really excited to pick this one up!
James has created a wonderful fantasy world in this novel. She spends a good amount of time describing the ins and outs of how the world works, and how the magic is used and distributed throughout the population. The reader also gets quite a few pieces of info about how the government and the ruling of the country is carried out, and how the world came to be that way. I am always really aware of these elements of a fantasy or dystopian novel, and James does an excellent job of building the world and sharing the world with the reader. The reader also gets quite a lot of information about how other countries are run in this fantasy world, and this was a pleasant surprise to me. I often find that YA novels can forget to describe other countries, and the reader is left wondering how the rest of the world figures into the novel, but not in Gilded Cage.
Despite there being a good amount of describing the world and the governing etc., this is still a fast paced and action-packed novel. From the first page this novel seems to fly along at 100 miles per hour until the very last page.
One of the reasons the narrative seems to fly past is the narrative structure is split into a number of POVs. We read Luke’s POV in Millmoor slave camp, Abi’s in Kynessmore as a sort of secretary, and all of the Brothers. James utilises this split narrative to both keep the plot moving swiftly along, and to learn more about the world and the characters without ever feeling like the info is being dumped onto the reader. This is very clever by James, and I doubt the novel would work as well without this style of narrative.
There are quite a few twists and turns in this novel, and there are definitely a few I didn’t see coming! The ending of this novel is another great twist, it ends on a cliff-hanger, and now I definitely need to pick up the next novel to find out what happens!!

I'm just not in the right mind space for this book, and I'm not sure I ever will be. There's a lot going on, and 20% in, I know I can't do it

Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me this book to review.

Gilded cage is a very good dark dystopian alternative UK. It is an unique concept with lots of twists and turns. It had excellent world building, interesting political intrigue and lots of different characters, each with their own voice.

Luke is brave, courageous and honourable as he dislikes injustice but he can be reckless and daring. Abi is a nice character as she is intelligent, resourceful and organised, while being headstrong and loyal to her family. Silyen is an enigma in this story as we don’t know much about him apart from he is magically strong and manipulative.

This is a very fascinating read and I am looking forward to Tarnished City, the next book in the series. I would recommend Gilded Cage to fans of The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon.

One of the better YA dystopian fantasy novels I've read recently. It held my interest, didn't dwell too much on angst and romance and had a bit more depth and world building as well as the usual tension. I also liked the range of viewpoint characters. Perfect for fans of Hunger Games, Divergent and Red Queen.

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

At its heart, Gilded Cage is a fast-paced, dynamic read. It blends elements of fantasy and dystopia seamlessly and the plot never wavers, with some brilliantly unexpected twists. The characters were rather disparate; some were instantly likable if one-dimensional, others were mystifying but intriguing and some were just downright abhorrent. The narrative is split between several POVs, which works well to keep the plot moving, but when one POV is more interesting than others you can't help but want to skip ahead to that character's chapters. The elements of magic and class system divisions created something of a commentary on the current state of politics and wealth in the UK, and I'm eager to see where this series goes.

I received a copy from Netgalley.

Another one for the DNF pile. I couldn't get into this one. The society baffled me. I can't get my head around the concept. It was weird and annoying. In this British novel society is still split by huge class divisions. The elite aristocrats at the top run everything and all have some sort of magic ability. The working class have to complete ten years of slavery, where they don't get paid. They an either work in something called slavetowns in factories or domestic work. There's lots of different characters, lots of plots and different agendas, and it's all really really boring. Didn't care about any of it. I made it to 40% but I just don't have any interest in figuring out the plot or the characters. I just can't get my head around ten years of forced slavey in a modern world. Don't get it. At all. And really just don't want to read any more, so DNFing.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for approving my request to view the title.

Most of the books I read this month there thrillers or mysteries (or at least had some of those elements) so it was such a refreshing change to read an amazing fantasy with dystopian and magical elements - they are my favourite kinds of novels to read. It's a YA book too and even though it's over 400 pages, it was so quick, easy and a pleasure to read.

The novel is based in a dystopian version of England where society is divided into commoners and people who have this ability called skill. Skill seems to be a magical force that differs in strength and outcome depending on the individual. Those with skill are part of large ruling families such as the Jardine family. Those who don't have skill, live out their lives as normal apart from for ten years out of their lives they have to serve their term of 'slavedays' which lasts for ten years in almost work camps around the country - the worst being Millmore in Manchester (it's always unusual seeing your home city mentioned in a book!).

The story follows the Hadley family as they go from their normal lives to being sent away to serve their 'slavedays' but the family is split up and between Kyneston where the most powerful family lives and Millmore, the worst place in the country. It follows their lives, how they try and get reunited and how to hopefully over turn the inequality. The book gave me The Bone Season vibes in terms of the ruling class, magical abilities, the unequality and almost dystopian Britain. I loved the book as a whole, it was such a unique but familiar world and I can't wait for the second book although if I'm honest, I wasn't a fan of the ending!

Gilded Cage is the first book in The Dark Gifts Trilogy. It has an intriguing premise, where the UK has been split into two, with a very rich and privileged minority ruling the country, this minority are quite archaic in nature and are known as Equals (or those with Skill). The rest of the population, those without Skill, live quite similarly to us, except that they are subjected to ten years of Slavedays which they have to do to give Equals the time to run the country. These Slavedays, whether you spend them in a slavetown; as a manufacturer or in a call centre, or alternatively working on one of the Equals family estates. Those that are Skilled are treated as untouchable, seen as celebrities or the one per cent. Those without Skill do not know much about the powers Equals possess, as it is rare to see public demonstrations.
Centred around the Hadley family’s decision to enter their Slavedays as a family. The Hadley’s are the parents, who are never really given individual personalities, their oldest Abigail who is described as very smart and has the opportunity to go to medical school to become a doctor, Luke who is just about to turn 16 and their youngest child Daisy who has just celebrated her tenth birthday. The Hadley’s decide to do this because of Abigail’s ingenuity as she has found them a placement at the stately home of Kyneston where they will be slaves of the Jardines who are the most powerful Skilled family in the UK. This is seen as a better option than being sent to Millmoor, one of the slavetowns, where those sent there spend their days doing long shifts with no health and safety, bad working conditions, food that just about allows you to function, a lot of air pollution and security staff that will give you a beating just because they don’t like the look of you.
On the day they leave for their Slavedays the Hadley’s learn a harsh lesson when Luke is taken from them and sent to Millmoor. The Hadley’s have no power to stop this and learn that as slaves they do not have the rights of a person, they are now the property of the state. The novel then moves between Luke’s life at Millmoor and the rest of his family’s time at Kyneston. Their stories couldn’t be more different. Luke away from his family, has to learn to stand on his own two feet and find an inner strength and fortitude to survive. Whilst his family keep their hopes up that they will be able to bring Luke back to them while getting to know the cage they inhabit.
Equals don’t seem to care about the populace they are meant to oversee. They see the unskilled as missing part of their souls. Initially, the Slavedays began so that the Skilled would have the time to run the country without having to worry about being overthrown like the example made of Equals in France, but in the ensuing centuries, the Skilled have become lazy. For all the power Equals have, they rely on slavery to do the most simple jobs and rarely use their own Skill to improve themselves or their country. The Skilled have become so good at keeping the status quo, that they have forgotten what they can do with their Skill. Just like in our own world there are different levels of richness, here there are different power levels of Skill and it is frowned upon to marry someone who is not Equal.
There are lots of different character perspectives woven throughout the story. When we are with Luke in Millmoor, we get to meet a lot of different people and see how a few acts of kindness and solidarity can become a movement. Luke’s story takes us to some very dark places and shows how people not in power can be co-opted and complicit in maintaining control and keeping people down. At Kyneston, we learn more about Abigail and Daisy’s roles in the lives of the Jardines. For the most part, we follow the youngest Jardine, the enigmatic Silyen who is the most Skilled of his family. Silyen yearns to be able to do more with his Skill and feels that people with Skill have forgotten what they can do with it. Silyen is looking to shake up the establishment. Gavar the oldest is being forged into his Father’s tool to carry on their traditions, to marry well and continue the family’s political goals. The middle brother Jenner is an anomaly as he has no Skill, but unlike other Skill-less people he is not expected to give up years of his life as a slave, he is tolerated, but still seen as an outsider, even to his own family.
A lot of history and background is given throughout the story and it interesting to know of Equals in the past. Although compellingly we are never told how or why people became Skilled. As well as how the Government now works and an overview of what has happened in the rest of the world. There are themes of determination and persistence running through the novel, that you do not need to conform to other people’s expectations, that you are more than just a cog in the system.
This novel has so many interesting characters in every part of the story. The things that Skill can do is awe-inspiring and terrifying, but it is how people with Skill apply it that is truly scary, how your personality and your will can be swept away as if it means nothing. The machinations happening throughout the Gilded Cage are cleverly thought out and the lead up to the denouement is shocking, although there were some character reveals that felt fairly obvious. The ending left me wondering what would happen next as the main characters have all come so far from the beginning of the book. There are lots of strands left open for the next novel and I can only see it becoming more breathtaking as things come both together and apart for the Hadley’s and the Jardines.

I absolutely loved this well constructed story about an alternate Britain run by the magically gifted elite. Very original.

The Gilded Cage may get lost among the countless books concerning a magician ruling class in England (from Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, to Sorcerer to the Crown, to the excellent Bartimaeus trilogy). However, the unique worldbuilding, and intriguing concept of a set slavery to the "elite" (wizards) made this a good and fun read. The first of a series, ends in such a clever cliffhanger that will have me looking for the sequel when it comes out. 4/5

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I don't give out 5* ratings easily. A book has to hit me on all the right levels for me to do so. Gilded Cage was such a book. It's rare that I take a long time to read something out of choice, because I am making myself savour it but that was the case here. Gilded Cage is beautifully written with characters you can really engage with, a plot that intrigues and entraps, and an exquisitely built world. This what inexplicable bestsellers like Aveyard's 'Red Queen' want to be when they grow up.

In an alternate historical setting, the Equals - those possessed of magical gifts - are a ruling elite amongst the normals and in this case the Equals are equal in the Orwellian sense; considered superior in every sense and exempt from the daily grind. The greatest families of Equals live like the British aristocracy and there is a distinctly Edwardian feel despite evidence that it is set in an alternative now. The normals are required by law to endure Slave Days - that is ten years of service to the Equals - at a time of their or their parents choosing - where they abdicate all their rights as people and become effectively chattel. Some placements are worse than others.

Abbi, Daisy and Luke's parents decide that as Daisy is now ten (the minimum age for slavery) they will all do their slave days together as a family. Obviously the system - already corrupt - is subject to horrific abuses, as Luke discovers when something goes wrong and he is separated from his family and sent to a slave town instead of the supposedly cushy placement at the great house in Kyneston. And then there is the family of Kyneston because the Equals do not think likethe rest of us...

Dark, compelling and beautiful, this is a dark fantasy not to be missed. Loved it and am waiting for the next one with baited breath.

The Hadley family live in a version of Britain which is divided into Equals - those with special abilities (Skills) who are aristocrats and rule the country - and those without - normal humans who serve them.
Throughout their lives each human has to complete their slavedays - a decade of servitude - and the Hadley family have decided that it's time for them to do theirs.
Abi Hadley has arranged for her family to spend their slavedays on the Jardine estate but the Hadleys are separated when Luke is sent to a factory town.
Events lead to the Hadleys becoming involved in the struggle for power as the seed of revolution is planted in the population.
Can the Hadleys serve their slavedays without getting into any trouble?

Gilded Cage had a very interesting concept and I thought that this book set up the series well.
I liked the Hadleys and I felt sorry for them - they were pawns to the Equals, some of who treated humans like dirt. I also liked some of the Jardines - more than I probably should have!
The plot was quite slow in places but this book was setting up the rest of the series so that was understandable.
I liked the writing style - it held my attention but I wasn't gripped.
I'm interested to find out more about the world that Vic James has created.

Overall this was an enjoyable read and a solid start to the series.

Gilded Cage has a premise that I love on books: a world divided into two groups, Equals - rich and powerful aristocrats with magical gifts - and commoners - normal people that have to give 10 years of their lives to serve the Equals - and (the best part) a popular wish to abolish the law that forces commoners to slavery.

This book had all the ingredient to be perfect, and I can say it was. The plot is complex and well-developed, and the characters are so rich and someone who we can relate to, due to the multiple POVs. I must say, however, that I loved reading the points of view of the characters who were in close contact or were Equals, so Luke's POV wasn't that interesting fo me, at least most of the time.

The intrigue was so captivating and I was dying to know if the slavery law would be abolished, so the ending took me by surprise and I can't wait to know what will happen to Luke and Abi in the next book. The Equals are also really interesting, because they all have this acceptance of the slavery even when they care about the people who are their slaves, so I'm excited to see what they will do next.

The writing was also a big surprise. I had no expectations regarding the writing of Gilded Cage, since it's a debut by Vic James, but I loved it and it had me hooked from the start until the end.

Another thing I loved about this book was that it takes place in England and not in the USA. I don't see this often enough in books, so it added a special atmosphere to Gilded Cage.

So, let’s talk about my favorite characters – the Jardine boys. The Jardine boys were... something special. Even Gavar. I don't know why but I just loved every scene they were in, especially Silyen, who's such a charismatic, mysterious and powerful character. Gavar was also really surprising, because he could be so mean but also sweet, and the truly cares for his daughter. Regarding Gavar, I believe he will have a bigger role in the next book, and I’m excited to see him without the influence of his father.

I’m also really excited to see what will happen to the relationships that started during this first book, especially regarding the revolution and everything that happened at the very end of Gilded Cage. And what happened at the end of the book broke my heart and left me speechless, I just couldn’t believe it, so I desperately need the next book in this series.

To conclude, Gilded Cage was an amazing debut from this author and a glorious experience, and I just want to read more of Vic James’ books, especially the next book in this series. I completely recommend it!

This reading year started particularly well. And one of the reasons had been «Gilded Cage» by Vic James! I love a good Dystopian novel. Last year around the same time was when I binge read all three books of the Divergent series and it was AMAZING. And this year the pattern repeated itself! It was replaced by Vic James’ new series and it was so SO MUCH BETTER than I expected or even hoped for it to be!

I have a tendency to start “fan girling” over the books I adore and I am not going to apologize for it! Because if I don’t scream from the top of the buildings how AWESOME this book was, how do I get ALL OF YOU TO READ IT IMMEDIATELY?! Exactly! You need to hear me nagging about it over and over again!

Check out my full review at
https://whimsypages.wordpress.com/2017/01/26/gilded-cage-by-vic-james-can-it-compete-with-divergent-series/

[book:Gilded Cage|26168646] rekindled my interest in YA Fantasy.

[author:Vic James|14235866] created a complex and exciting world, as well as an intricate plot. A lot happens in this first installment and still, I finished it thinking about how much I needed the two other books in this series. A <b>fantastic</b> read.

(Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!)

Set in an alternate modern world, some people possess powers, Skill, and some don't. Whereas in most parts of the world that doesn't matter, in the United Kingdom those who have power rule, those who don't have to give ten years of their lives to slavery. Common folk are given the option of either applying to work those ten years in slavetowns or at Equal's, those with Skill, estates.

Abi tried to get her whole family to work at an estate instead of a slavetown, as the rumours said those in such towns lead ten brutal years void of joy. Although Abi managed to get most of the family accepted at the Jardine's, the founding family of the system in UK, estate, her brother was placed in Millmoor, a slavetown near Manchester, where the family was from. But a revolution was brewing long before Luke's arrival at Millmoor. With his family way, Luke feels lonely and his hope to rejoin his family ebbs away with time, so when he gets a proposition to join a rebellious group in Millmoor, Luke accepts. At the Jardine's estate, Abi finds herself falling in love for one of the sons of the most powerful Equal in UK while she slowly uncovers some of the family's secrets, which changes her perception of the Equals.

Although set in modern England, it didn't feel like it until very far into the book. There was never any mention of phones, computers, internet, or any other technology which define our generation and time. The only mentions that could tell you it is set in modern England is the existence of cars, television and technology to read chips and ID electronic cards.

However, the two things that bothered me the most were the ridiculous amount of characters that the reader had to remember right in the first book and the ridiculous names of the Equals. Instead of overwhelming the readers with so many characters it would have made more sense to make us care more about the two main characters, which I don't think it was well achieved. And if the idea to give the Equals names which sounded posh or rare, stick to the ones given to royalty nowadays, like Charles and Henry, they already carry a certain connotation which would get your idea across without resorting to names like Silyen and Meilyr. Most names sounded out of a high fantasy book set in a whole different world, which is not a good thing in my opinion.

The idea is definitely great and it does have a lot of potential to have a great sequel. The first book had a lot of political intrigue and, although most of the plot twists were quite predictable (I had figured them all out long before they had happened), there are some very complex handful of characters which I thought was refreshing. I particularly liked Silyen, Meilyr and Luke. I liked Bouda but only because she struck me as a very strong female character who knows what she wants.

Although it can be improved, I think Gilded Cage is a great start for an intriguing story with a lot of political conflict and revolutions. I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel.

I really enjoy dystopian type books but for some reason I didn't click with this one, there were a lot of characters as you would expect at the start of a series but a lot of them didn't stand out for me.I do applaud the writer for her imagination and the world she has created and I wish I liked it more .it may well appeal to others could be some people who don't normally like this genre will give this book a go and enjoy it, I don't want to put people off, I just found it hard to get into.Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review