“Only fools find their happiness in others.”

Book title

The Gilded Cage

Author

Lynette Noni

Date published

12-10-2021

Date started

27-03-2023

Date finished

24-04-2023

Page count

448

Stars

Summary

Kiva trades one cage for another when she leaves behind a deadly prison for a deceptive palace.

Kiva Meridan is a survivor.

She survived not only Zalindov prison, but also the deadly Trial by Ordeal. Now Kiva’s purpose goes beyond survival to vengeance. For the past ten years, her only goal was to reunite with her family and destroy the people responsible for ruining their lives. But now that she has escaped Zalindov, her mission has become more complicated than ever.

As Kiva settles into her new life in the capital, she discovers she wasn’t the only one who suffered while she was in Zalindov—her siblings and their beliefs have changed too. Soon it’s not just her enemies she’s keeping secrets from, but her own family as well.

Outside the city walls, tensions are brewing from the rebels, along with whispers of a growing threat from the northern kingdoms. Kiva’s allegiances are more important than ever, but she’s beginning to question where they truly lie. To survive this time, she’ll have to navigate a complicated web of lies before both sides of the battle turn against her and she loses everything.

My review

I’m in love with this series, and this book is just awesome. It didn’t feel like a second book in the series, it felt like I was just back into this world and reliving the moments. I’m still in love with Tipp, but Jaren has a place in my heart too. Kiva’s choices in this book make sense and I don’t know if I would have done it differently. It was such a double edged sword Kiva had to walk on, and she walked it brilliantly. The other characters stole my heart too, I mean, Caldon? Come on! Why must he be such a sarcastic loveable idiot? Getting to know both of Kiva’s families made me want to sob with the choices she had to make. And I don’t want to spoil anything so I’m not going into further detail but I hate Zuleeka and I hate Zalindov. With that being said, I’m going to read the final book in this series and it will probably tear my heart out.

My favorite quotes

“Not all scars are as visible as this. I daresay you have many more inside you. But never forget that every scar is beautiful. And you should never, ever be ashamed of them.”

“Sometimes the people who act like they don’t care are really the ones who care the most. They feel so much that it overwhelms them, and to keep from falling apart, they hide behind easy smiles and quick laughter, acting like nothing matters. It’s a defense mechanism, a way to protect themselves from the world. A way to keep from getting hurt.”