Gilded Cage by Vic James

Gilded Cage (The Dark Gifts Trilogy, #1)

by Vic James

From the bestselling author of Sanctuary comes a thrilling Orwellian vision of Britain, with a rebellious Hunger Games heart. Gilded Cage is the astonishing debut novel by Vic James, and the first title in her electrifying The Dark Gifts Trilogy.

A modern Britain.
An age-old cruelty.

Britain's magically skilled aristocracy compels all commoners to serve them for ten years – and now it's the Hadleys' turn. Abi Hadley is assigned to England's most ruthless noble family. The secrets she uncovers could win her freedom – or break her heart. Her brother Luke is enslaved in a brutal factory town, where new friends' ideals might cost him everything.

Then while the elite vie for power, a young aristocrat plots to remake the world with his dark gifts. As Britain moves from anger to defiance, all three must take sides. And the consequences of their choices will change everything, forever.

'A dark and intriguing vision of an alternate, magic-drenched Britain, Gilded Cage kept me up way into the night'– Aliette de Bodard, author of The House of Shattered Wings

Continue the fantasy series with Tarnished City and Bright Ruin.

Reviewed by Beth C. on

2 of 5 stars

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Slavedays. A 10-year period when any person living in England must give themselves up to the control of the government and become a slave - complete with loss of rights, dignity, and humanity. Unless, of course, you're an Equal - an aristocrat gifted with a Skill. The equals don't become slaves - they own them, along with the rest of England. In this system live Abi and Luke, siblings who get unexpectedly separated at the beginning of their slavedays. Abi ends up working at the estate of the most powerful Equals in England, and Luke ends up in a slave town, where cruelty is common and everyone is busy simply trying to survive. But even the Equals have their masters, and sometimes the Gilded Cage is the most cruel cage of all.

The story is an interesting one, and it moved along at a fairly good clip. It alternated between fascinating and horrifying, with a dose of "this could happen" (minus the magic - maybe with technology) thrown in. The biggest issue I had with the book were the characters. Not that any of them were particularly *bad* characters, they just didn't resonate with me. I felt no particular interest in the outcome of any particular character.

The other issue with the book was *no spoilers* the ending. There are cliffhangers, and then there are endings that just kick you right off the cliff without a parachute. That's sort of how this one felt. It didn't seem like there was a whole lot of resolution, but instead like the book was longer and was just cut in half in a spot to make the next book, if that makes sense?

However, I would be curious to read the next book in the sequel. I wouldn't buy it, but I would happily get it from the library, just out of curiosity. The author has ample room for the characters to show more development, and since that was my biggest issue with this book, it's very possible that the next one could be significantly better.

*ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for honest review*

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 10 September, 2016: Finished reading
  • 10 September, 2016: Reviewed