Gilded Cage

by Lucinda Gray

After growing up on a farm in Virginia, Walthingham Hall in England seems like another world to sixteen year old Katherine Randolph. Her new life, filled with the splendor of upper-class England in the 1820s, is shattered when her brother mysteriously drowns. Katherine is expected to observe the mourning customs and get on with her life, but she can't accept that her brother's death was an accident. A bitter poacher prowls the estate, and strange visitors threaten the occupants of the house. There's a rumour, too, that a wild animal stalks the woods of Walthingham. Can Katherine retain her sanity long enough to find out the truth? Or will her brother's killer claim her life, too? This Gothic murder mystery is filled with history, psychological suspense, and all the trappings of Downton Abbey.After growing up on a farm in Virginia, Walthingham Hall in England seems like another world to sixteen year old Katherine Randolph. Her new life, filled with the splendor of upper-class England in the 1820s, is shattered when her brother mysteriously drowns.
Katherine is expected to observe the mourning customs and get on with her life, but she can't accept that her brother's death was an accident. A bitter poacher prowls the estate, and strange visitors threaten the occupants of the house. There's a rumour, too, that a wild animal stalks the woods of Walthingham. Can Katherine retain her sanity long enough to find out the truth? Or will her brother's killer claim her life, too? This Gothic murder mystery is filled with history, psychological suspense, and all the trappings of Downton Abbey.

• ISBN10: 1627791825
• ISBN13: 9781627791823
• Publish Date: 1 August 2017 (first published 2 August 2016)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Square Fish
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 256
• Language: English

Reviews

[readingwithwrin]

"Don't open your heart to pain that has no place there."

Kathrine and her brother are orphans living with foster parents until everything changes. Off to their new life in England things take a hectic turn. With learning how to behave like proper upper-class people and all of the rules things get chaotic, and the two siblings start to not see each other as much.

As time goes on and they are pulled in different directions in their new life tragedy's start happening. With the add on of the servants stories about scary things in the forest. Katherine is very unsure of what to believe. Which is easy to understand considering how different things are in her new world, and Grace trying to keep her hidden away from certain important things that could help her understand what happened to her brother.

With the help of John, Elsie, and her lawyer Mr. William Simpson, Katherine finally starts to get answers about what happened to her brother. That is until the cousins start causing chaos again. (also I just felt bad for Grace, she was just a product of society and was willing to do anything to keep her status.)

"I see now that she's formed an existence based on the certainties of class and the rules of decorum, but without those supports, her delicate world is nothing but confection."

This book really started off strong for me and I thought it was going to be a new favorite. Sadly about a quarter of the way though the book, I knew what was happening, and who was causing things to happen. It was just to obvious for me. Also the add in of the institution that happened also made me not like it.

Overall if you want a fairly typical and easy read when it comes to suddenly getting money this is the book for you.

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[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

Initial Thoughts Some interesting ideas, but the pacing is all wrong. Strong relationships are formed within pages. Introduced problems are solved in the next chapter. The ultimate reveal for the mystery was not very surprising either.

[Amanda]

The Gilded Cage is an atmospheric thriller set in the Regency era. Best for fans of thrillers, this book centers around the strange happenings at Walthingham Hall. While Katherine is our heroine, we don't fully get to dive into her character as we may have liked. The focus centers largely on who killed her brother.

Long-time readers of thrillers likely won't be surprised by any turn of events, although that didn't stop The Gilded Cage from being an interesting book---something that would likely make a good movie or TV adaptation. We're dropped into Katherine's life without much context, given facts (like her animal companion Stella) and little more (Stella's animal identity isn't revealed until page 95).

But this lack of character depth is perhaps a good thing---despite the recent fortune, Katherine's life hasn't been an easy one. An orphan, then sibling-less, she's forced into a world far different from anything she's ever known. The Gilded Cage isn't fraught with what we might consider the "typical" angst of YA novels. (Even if we do get a love triangle.)

Instead, we're drawn into the occurrences at Walthingham Hall and its grounds. Leaving us to wonder who's really behind it all---and whether Katherine will suffer a similar fate.