Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Gilded Cage (Dark Gifts #1) by Vic James

Gilded Cage (Dark Gifts, #1)

Not all are free. Not all are equal. Not all will be saved. 
A girl thirsts for love and knowledge.
Abi is a servant to England's most powerful family, but her spirit is free. So when she falls for one of the noble-born sons, Abi faces a terrible choice. Uncovering the family' secrets might win her liberty, but will her heart pay the price?
A boy dreams of revolution.
Abi's brother, Luke, is enslaved in a brutal factory town. Far from his family and cruelly oppressed, he makes friends whose ideals could cost him everything. Now, Luke has discovered there may be a power even greater than magic: revolution.
And an aristocrat will remake the world with his dark gifts.
He is a shadow in the glittering world of Equals, with mysterious powers no one else understands. But will he liberate--or destroy? 
Our world belongs to the Equals--aristocrats with magical gifts--and all commoners must serve them for ten years. But behind gates of England's grandest estate lies a power that could break the world.

Review:

It took me much longer than it normally would to finish reading this book, because I was so shocked at how Americans are really that terrible, insane, clueless and gullible. I will not rant anymore. If you want to read more about why I am so disappointed in our country, click here, but let's just say that I was not able to focus on reading while watching votes be tallied and going into shock after hearing something that I NEVER EVER EVER IN A MILLION YEARS thought could happen. EVER. 

However, I did not let that influence my perception of this book. It's not the book that wants to put the country back in the 1950's... In fact, this book is set in the future, one that I pray we aren't headed straight for...

The basic premise of The Gilded Cage is that the wealthy, powerful people in the US have Skill (crazy, magical powers), and the normal people are required to sacrifice 10 years of their life to work as a slave (and all that entails), to keep the country functioning smoothly. 

Luke's family decides that him, his older and younger sisters, and his parents will all do their 10 years of "slave days" together, and they have a plan they think will make it a primarily uneventful, "quick" 10 years, but of course, that's not how it goes. It wouldn't be a very good book if everything went perfectly according to plan, would it?

I like how Luke progresses rather quickly, from a teenager, whining about missing out on his last year in high school and hanging out with his friends, to a strong, confident man who wants to do whatever he can to help. 

This book was awesome! The author did an amazing job of world building. He also made sure to include twists and turns that are completely unexpected, and the ending is something that I never would have come to on my own. With all those surprises throughout the book, I didn't know how the book would end, but there is no way I would have been able to guess the ending.

I absolutely loved this book, but I am very disappointed that I have to wait to see what happens next! 

Although there is somewhat of a love interest included in the story, it doesn't shove it down your throat. It is only one of many small plots, interwoven into the grand scheme. 

I encourage anyone who reads any kind of YA, fantasy, sci-fi, paranormal, or anyone else who just wants to read a really good book, to pick this one up! You definitely will not regret it! However, you may very well be upset that you have to wait to see what happens next. I know I am!

I was given a copy of this book by the publishers, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

 Read my review on GoodReads!


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