‘The Gilded Cage’ – Lynette Noni

Due out in October 2021, I’m hugely grateful to have been given the opportunity to read this in advance of publication thanks to the publishers and NetGalley…and now I am in eager anticipation of book three.

The Gilded Cage opens with Kiva going to stay with Jaren. They have become close, and – for obvious reasons – Kiva is worried about her growing affection for this man who’s come to mean so much to her. He saved her during the Trial by Ordeal, and she cares for him, but her mission weighs heavily on her mind.

Much of the book focuses on the growing threat from the Rebels, and though we don’t get a lot of detail it is clear that there’s a more strategic fight going on than we’re told about. Jaren and his family are fighting to save the King, and to try to keep their people safe.

From the outset, I was curious to see how Kiva would adjust to her new situation. She finds it hard to trust people, but a couple of key moments within the book show us that learning to trust your own judgment is often the hardest battle. Much of her battle lies with her growing unease at what she has been charged with doing now she has come to see that things are not as clearcut as she has been led to believe.

After the revelations that come thick and fast at the end of this, it’s even harder to see how Kiva can hope to maintain the sense of equilibrium she had discovered thanks to Cal’s training and the support of those she trusts.

This is such a hard review to write as I don’t want to let crucial plot details slip. The pacing drew me in and I felt like I’d been put through the proverbial wringer by the end of it. There were highs…and lows…and I am genuinely excited to see how Noni continues this enthralling tale.