King's Cage: 3 (Red Queen)

So, me being the idiot that I am totally forgot that this series was a 4 book series, so picked up this book thinking that it was the last book in a trilogy and stayed up until 3am to finish it. Then at 3am finished the book and realised it was in fact a 4 book series and spent the next few hours wide awake because I needed to know what happened next! I came a little late to this series which meant that I was able to read Red Queen and Glass Sword together, therefore no agonising wait between books for me. Until I finished Glass Sword which had possible the most amazing ending which has kept me desperate for the past year. This book was no different and yet again I have been left a desperate puddle in need of the forth and final book in this amazing series! "Love makes you weak. And she's right. I learned that before I even knew you." One big change in this book is the fact that we now have 3 POV's. We still have Mare but now we also have Cameron and Evangeline Samos. I have to be honest I was a little disappointed because I would have LOVED to have seen everything from Cal's POV especially whilst Mare was being held and he couldn't get to her, I live for broken hearts and deep emotional moments. But by the end of the book I had to agree that Cameron and Evangeline were such great choices and gave us so much more of a rounded view of the war. "To stand in front of a person who is your whole world and be told you are not enough. You are not the choice. You are a shadow to the person who is your sun." Ok, so Mare. We left her in the last book having bargained her own life for those of her friends and Cal and we find her in this one now in the hands of Maven. She goes through a hell of a lot in this book but is still such a strong character and manages to manipulate Maven, just as much as he does her, in order to gain valuable information for the Scarlett Guard. I loved that she never lost her humor and kick ass character personality but that we also got some very vulnerable and emotional moments from her too as she struggled with her new situation and also with the PTSD that follows. "Those who know what it's like in the dark will do anything to stay in the light." In comparison to the last book Cal seems a lot more sure of himself in this book which I think is down to the fact that he has a purpose: finding and rescuing Mare. He has finally picked a side and I liked seeing his relationships with people develop further as he finally starts to let people in (just a little bit!). He seems a lot more comfortable with being a part of the rebellion now and takes an active part in working with them and advising them against his brother. However he is often torn between knowing what is right and what he must do for his kingdom and when put in the position of having to make tough decisions sometimes really struggles. It makes for an interesting conundrum of whether he will eventually become King and if he is strong enough to make the tough decisions. Next to Maven, Cal is probably the character I am most interested to see develop further in the final book. "The fallen prince is exhausting. I don't know how Mare could stand him or his inability to choose a damned side-especially when there's only one side he can possibly pick." For those of you who have been as desperate as me for more development in the romantic relationships in this series (aka. Cal and Mare!) I can happily tell you that you will be rewarded in this book. It's definitely a case of absence makes the heart grow stronger and I'm not going to say much except we get some REALLY swoony scenes. As is the norm in any dystopian series it's not the smoothest of romances, but I have big hopes for Cal & Mare in the final book. "She was his hurricane, and every nudge pulled him deeper into the eye of the storm." Maven is such a complex character and although I hate him as a character I love his place in this book. We get to see a lot more of Maven in this book as he reveals parts of himself to Mare that no one else knows about or understands. We get a lot of answers in this book about how Maven ended up the person that he is and I like that Aveyard managed to get me to feel sympathy for this character who I hate so much. Maven's cleverness really shines in this book and his ability to plan and scheme results in some big wins for Maven, whereas his last shred of humanity and his love for Mare threatens to bring him to his knees. I have some big hopes for how this series will end for Maven and he is possible the character I am most excited to see how his story ends. "I'm not a fool, little lightning girl. If you're going to play in my head, I'm going to play in yours. It's what we're good at." We get even more 'newborns' as they are named in this series and some more really cool powers/abilities that turned up. I was a little disappointed in their lack of time in the spotlight in the previous book and so was really happy that we got so much more of them in this book in both battles and some seriously cool training scenes. The story flows well for the most part although a few off notes a long the way. Mare's imprisonment, although psychologically terrifying was frustratingly slow at times and the lack of action nearly resulted in some skimming at times. Also, Cameron's POV took me a little time to get into, I just wanted to see what was happening with Cal and so all her thoughts and worries about her brother was just getting in the way of that for me. The ending of this book left my heart in shambles, mostly because (as I mentioned below) I thought it was a trilogy and I really wanted to know how things were going to end, but also because Aveyard is a genius at writing heartbreaking cliffhangery type book endings. This is the 3rd time she has done it this series and I only just survived the last one! I seriously fear for my mental stability after I have finished the final book! "My heart breaks for him; my heart hardens against him."

One thing that Aveyard most certainly is, she’s consistent. So consistent that I find time and time again I am always taken aback by how thorough and seamless her writing is. King’s Cage is of course no exception. Definitely more on the action packed side, and certainly far more nail biting than I care to admit (no seriously, I’m having to regrow them as I type this 😭) BUT, Aveyard no matter what, always seems to draggggg things out, that needn’t necessarily require it. I found that in Glass Sword, the recruiting part, despite being substantially important, grew repetitive. Then we have the prison section to make up for it ICAN’T. I digress, however, my previous reviews for the last two books landed 4/5’s, and remember what I said about Aveyard being consistent? She upped her game in this book. 4.5/5 easily here folks! King’s Cage was just BLAST MY COLOURS, fantabulous! The part with Mare in her seclusion (although it filled 200 pages or so of a 500 page book) was brilliant. Utterly genius because it warped your mind to Mare’s, made you believe in her darkness and Maven’s obsession, well played Aveyard, well played. THEN we have CAL AND MARE, ohmygod just how can I even process this right now ESPECIALLY WITH THE ENDING. HOW!?! Aveyard I think you’re out to ruin me and thousands of other fans! Cal is still full bae ;) Then that ending with the war and the newbloods, LITERALLY COULDN’T STOP READING. Definitely the best book of the three so far, and with War Storm, I’m not sure if my feels are ready, but I sure as hell cant wait to see if it somehow tops this fine specimen of a book!

great distopian adventure . Reading first book , this is the second

The first 50% of the book dealing with her imprisonment dragged on for far too long. Just like the recruitment of newbloods in book two, it needed an editor to severely shorten it. The angst of her conflicting feelings for Maven drove me mad. But eventually the plot speeds up and the action is worth waiting for. The last half of the book is gripping. I just hope number 4 has been written with more discipline.

I hope readers stuck with this series after Glass Sword because this book makes up so much for the slow moving of the second book. Below are not major spoilers, but might be kind of hints at the direction of the book....The author really is a genius with her character development. You hate Maven, but then he is so intriguing and loves Mare so much you kinda want/wonder/question/hope/speculate Mare ends up with him, even after everything. But then there is Cal, who is such a good person and loves Mare so much too, but really needs to get some bigger balls. I really don't know how this love story will end for everyone, but it is keeping me at the edge of my seat in anticipation. I think Mare's struggle of emotions regarding the men in her life is very realistic to what a lot of people go through (when you take out the whole fantasy aspect haha), which is why it is so relatable and really a giant question mark on how it will end. All I have to say is that there better be a happy ending and some more passion in the final book. Besides the romance twist and turns aspect of the book, the twists and turns of the rest of the plot are exciting and keep you guessing throughout the book. Things happen that you really don't anticipate, reminding me a lot of Game of Thrones. I also enjoyed getting to know the other side of other characters a bit more because it makes the whole story seem a bit more realistic once you see things from the point of view outside the three main characters. I am really excited for book 4! I hope this series makes it to the big screen - it really has all the appeals. I read the three books of this series in 3 days; couldn't put it down!

Nice

I fell in love with this saga from the very start, and this book made me fall in love even more! Maybe a little slow at the beginning, but definitely recomend it!

Aún no he leído el último pero de los 3 que llevo, este es definitivamente mi favorito. A pesar de que no empieza con tanta acción como los demás, comienzas a conocer más a profundidad mucho de los personajes. Te causa tantas emociones encontradas que no vas a saber si odias o amas al libro. En cuanto a las condiciones en que llegó también estoy súper satisfecha, llegó mucho antes del tiempo esperado y de los 3 que he encargado este es el que llegó en mejores condiciones, impecable desde la portada.

What an amazing story!! Definitely a good book and I can’t wait to read the next !

King's Cage is a tumultuous journey for our heroine Mare, due to the fact that it begins with her imprisonment. King Maven proves himself to be a very sadistic ruler, a man who Mare once deeply loved. For the first third of the book, Mare has to endure torment after torment. The amount of pages her captivity takes up became daunting and tiresome. While this could be looked as a major flaw, I valued it. In a way, that same fatigue Mare felt became reflected in the amount of pages which caused us as the reader to feel the same. Art imitating life and vice versa. What I loved most was Maven's huge role within King's Cage. Many fans like myself grew to favor his Dark and sadistic ways, and we didn't get to see him like that in the previous book. However, when Mare and Maven share a kiss, I felt awoken from a trance. No longer did I look upon Maven with kind eyes and a worthy suitor for Mare. She deserved better than that. She deserves Cal, his brother. Their kiss is described to be a "violation" of sorts. It made me cringe to see a character who I once rooted for, be described so villainously. In my eyes what they have is tarnished. The only sliver of hope he has with a fan like myself is knowing the brutal upbringing he had under his mother. She took his humanity away with her ability to ascertain extent. She molded him into the monster he has become. His morals are so blurred to the point he doesn't know where he himself begins, and where his mother's mind control ends. He just might be lost forever. As broken as Mare is too, two broken pieces do not in fact, make a whole. I could discuss key details and such, but I believe an overall impression needs to be fleshed out. This book is about mourning. We need to mourn the Mare that is forever changed because of her imprisonement. She has seen and done things that will forever leave her tainted. We need to mourn Maven for the same reason, as well as Maven's and Mare's possible relationship. It will never happen. It just wouldn't be healthy for them to wind up together. As bleak as this book felt for most of it's content, I can happily say we now have a Mare similar to the one from Red Queen. She's once again fierce, cunning, and motivated by her goals. It will be such a delight to see this Mare in action in book 4 to which I eagerly await. King's Cage was a dark foreboding journey that brings it's characters to the brink. Darkness looms in many characters in the book, and each must force themselves to face it. Some handle it better than others, but ultimately it's their convictions that guide them through that darkness.