Gilded Cage (Dark Gifts #1) by Vic James
The Gilded Cage is an unusual and interesting story. Set in an alternative UK the story revolves around one particular family as they embark on a period of enforced slavery. I must admit that I have mixed feelings with this book. It was certainly fast paced and actually made for quite addictive reading but I felt like the world building needed something more.
The story starts with our main family, the Hadleys, as their life is about to completely change. The Hadleys are about to start their ‘slavedays’. Every commoner in the UK, or, more to the point, every person not born with ‘skill’, must serve a compulsory ten year period of slavery. The world here is split into those without magical ability and those with. Let’s call them the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’. The former being the aristocracy, landed gentry living lives of privilege on huge country estates whilst the latter are the commoners who undertake all the hard work within society. In this particular instance the Hadleys have undertaken to go to into this period of their lives as a whole family. Unfortunately, their plan to be located as a whole unit working on the Jardine’s country estate doesn’t go quite according to plan and although the mother, father, and two daughters are placed as planned the son, Luke, is torn from the family and placed in one of the factory towns up North.
We then predominantly follow Luke as he becomes familiar with his new and brutal surroundings and then switch to his sister Abi as she tries to plan for a way to get Luke back with the family whilst finding herself in the strange predicament of finding herself becoming attracted to one member of the family she now serves.
So, to the characters. My favourite storyline was Luke’s. Located in a town called Millmoor this is a grim place. The people work long and miserable hours and are barely fed enough to sustain them – obviously just one of many ways to keep them downtrodden and too tired to fight back. This doesn’t stop underlying rumblings and an underground movement with rebellion at it’s core and Luke fairly quickly becomes embroiled with this group. Meanwhile, Luke’s sister Abi is helping to run the Jardine’s office. She’s an intelligent young woman and fairly quickly finds her feet. Unfortunately she finds herself attracted to the middle son of the family, Jenner. Jenner is an anomaly in the world of Equals, born without skill he’s something of an embarrassment to the family. His older brother and heir is a particularly vindictive piece of work with a short fuse – Gavar. Rumours circulate the estate about how he murdered a former maid and the mother of his child. The younger brother, Silyen, is the one to watch. He’s incredibly powerful in terms of his own skill and seems to have his own agenda which hasn’t yet been made clear. The Equals have their own problems of infighting and back stabbing. There’s plenty of jostling for position and families seeking beneficial matches to increase their own status.
The plot, well there are two threads running through the story. Obviously the underground rebellion movement being spearheaded at Millmoor and then the political struggles taking place in the world of the Equals. Alongside this are a couple of twists, one concerning the younger Jardine and the other focusing on Luke’s own role. I won’t go into either as they will contain spoilers.
The world building. Set in a modern day world this is an alternative UK where history split from the one we currently live in many years ago. It’s a bit of a strange world to come to grips with and this is an area that I struggled with a little. The period just has a jumbled feel somehow. The factory towns feel like they’re straight out of the Industrial Revolution era. They have a Dickensian type feel. Poor housing, poor food, long hours, harsh wardens. The Jardine’s family home is like Downton Abbey, except that whilst one of the sons rides around the estate on horseback his brother chooses motorbikes as his favourite mode of transport. It feels like the book is conflicted a little with its own time period somehow – it’s not as far advanced in technological terms as our own, and yet it does benefit from some modern day advances.
The story does takes a good look at class division and exploitation and I thought that was a very thought provoking element that has kept me thinking for days after I put the book down. However, this brings me to the real issue I had which revolved around the slavery aspect and the whys and wherefores of how it all works. The idea puts me loosely in mind of conscription but much more severe – everyone serving a 10 year period of enforced slavery but there was very little detail in relation to this aspect and I guess you’re just expected to go with the flow and not focus on the finer detail. The thing is I just can’t help myself from wanting that little bit of extra detail. Such as, why were people allowed to volunteer at whatever age they liked. How is it feasible for a whole family to go together – what happens to their home, how do they resume life when their slavedays are over. How is the whole thing even monitored – what happens if you don’t volunteer, why wouldn’t you simply leave your volunteering days until your twilight years?? Look, I’m not suggesting that we have a full essay on the economics of dystopian society, nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition after all, but just a few lines here and there. As it is I didn’t really get the idea that people had any real qualms about going into their slavedays, and whilst some of this is explained away I do find it difficult to believe that everyone in the country is unaware of the horror that takes place during this period of their life.
On the whole this was an intriguing story that kept me entertained. I did have niggles, which primarily revolved around me wanting more information, but I can understand that this would have made the book a lot slower in pace and therefore not to everyone’s liking.
I received a copy courtesy of the publisher through Netgalley for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Waiting on Wednesday: A Kiss Before Doomsday (Dru Jasper #2) by Laurence MacNaughton
18 January 2017
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: A Kiss Before Doomsday, Breaking the Spine, Dru Jasper #2, Laurence MacNaughton, Waiting on Wednesday
When sorcerers disappear off the streets of Denver, the only person to notice a pattern is Dru, proprietor of The Crystal Connection and newly-minted sorceress. Monstrous creatures are attacking and dragging off anyone with magical powers. Signs point to forbidden necromancy in the hands of someone trying to fulfill the prophecy of the apocalypse scroll.
With the dead rising from the grave, Dru fears someone is picking up where the Harbingers left off half a century ago. Now more than ever, Dru needs half-demon Greyson and his infernal car, Hellbringer. Though Greyson is missing and presumed dead, Dru believes he’s alive—and trapped at the center of this evil.
Dru will need her friends—and her enemies—trusting in Rane’s strength, Opal’s wisdom, and her own crystal magic to infiltrate the mountainous fortress of a powerful sorcerer intent on bringing about doomsday.
Because the moment the prophecy is fulfilled, legions of undead will rise to consume the souls of everyone on Earth…
This one is due out July so there’s plenty of time to catch up with No.1 if you need to do so!
Hiding in plain sight! Hidden gems…
17 January 2017
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Broke and Bookish, Hidden Gems, Top Ten Tuesday
Every Tuesday over at the The Broke and Bookish we all get to look at a particular topic for discussion and use various (or more to the point ten) examples to demonstrate that particular topic. This week’s topic is:
Ten Hidden Gem/underrated Books I’ve Read In The Past Year
I don’t exactly know that these are underrated books – I’m sure lots of people love them, but come on, it never hurts to have more love now does it. So bring it people. (My books below with a little excerpt from Goodreads).
Monstrous Little Voices collects five of today’s most exciting names in genre fiction – Jonathan Barnes (The Somnambulist, Cannonbridge); Adrian Tchaikovsky (The Shadows of the Apt, Children of Time); Emma Newman (The Split Worlds, multiple-award-nominated Tea and Jeopardy podcast); Hugo-nominated blogger Foz Meadows (Solace & Grief, The Key to Starveldt’s); and upcoming novelist (and journalist for the Ottawa Citizen) Kate Heartfield – to delve into the world Shakespeare created for us. With wars and romances, its magics and deceptions, discover five stories he never told, but could have. Stories of what happened next or what went before, of the things unseen or simply elsewhere in the world as Shakespeare’s own tales unfolded on the stage.
Nelly Dean by Alison Case is a wonderment of storytelling and an inspired accompaniment to Emily Bronte’s adored work. It is the story of a woman who is fated to bear the pain of a family she is unable to leave, and unable to save.
The Immortals by Jordanna Max Brodsky – MANHATTAN HAS MANY SECRETS.
SOME ARE OLDER THAN THE CITY ITSELF.
Company Town by Madeline Ashby – Meet Hwa. One of the few in her community to forego bio-engineered enhancements, she’s the last truly organic person left on the rig. But she’s an expert in the arts of self-defence, and she’s been charged with training the Family’s youngest, who has been receiving death threats – seemingly from another timeline.
It Happened One Doomsday by Laurence MacNaughton – Magic is real. Only a handful of natural-born sorcerers can wield its arcane power against demons, foul creatures, and the forces of darkness. These protectors of the powerless are descendants of an elite order. The best magic-users in the world.
Poison City – by Paul Krill – The name’s Gideon Tau, but everyone just calls me London. I work for the Delphic Division, the occult investigative unit of the South African Police Service. My life revolves around two things – finding out who killed my daughter and imagining what I’m going to do to the bastard when I catch him.
The Hike by Drew Magary – At once bitingly funny and emotionally absorbing, Magary’s novel is a remarkably unique addition to the contemporary fantasy genre, one that draws as easily from the world of classic folk tales as it does from video games. In The Hike, Magary takes readers on a daring odyssey away from our day-to-day grind and transports them into an enthralling world propelled by heart, imagination, and survival.
The Motion of Puppets by Keith Donohue – From the bestselling author of The Boy Who Drew Monsters and The Stolen Child comes a modern take on the Orpheus and Eurydice myth—a suspenseful tale of romance and enchantment
Congress of Secrets by Stephanie Burgis – In 1814, the Congress of Vienna has just begun. Diplomats battle over a new map of Europe, actors vie for a chance at glory, and aristocrats and royals from across the continent come together to celebrate the downfall of Napoleon…among them Lady Caroline Wyndham, a wealthy English widow. But Caroline has a secret: she was born Karolina Vogl, daughter of a radical Viennese printer. When her father was arrested by the secret police, Caroline’s childhood was stolen from her by dark alchemy.
The Facefaker’s Game by Chandler J Birch – For fans of Patrick Rothfuss and Scott Lynch, a picaresque fantasy about a clever young beggar who bargains his way into an apprenticeship with a company of thieving magicians and uses his newfound skills in a vendetta against a ruthless crime lord.
Heartstone by Elle Katharine White
Heartstone was a book that I wanted as soon as I saw and read about it. Pride and Prejudice told from a world populated with wyverns, dragons and warriors. Why would you not want this book? After all, it is a truth, universally acknowledged, that all stories can be improved with the addition of a dragon!
So, when I say this is a retelling, I really do mean that it follows along very similar lines to Pride and Prejudice but with relevant twists to accommodate the different world. This is a very strong fantasy world, with no shortage of critters adorning the pages. As we open the story we are introduced to Aliza Bentaine, she’s in the garden conversing with a hobgoblin called Tobble when an unexpected Rider, astride his dragon, makes his grand entrance! As you can see, this is quite far from Ms Austen’s polite period drama – I’m sure no self respecting dragon would land in Ms Bennett’s garden without first being introduced! As introductions go I loved this one, the Rider is Daired – a rather handsome warrior from one of the upper crust families. Of course, he makes rather a poor impression on Aliza as he introduces himself in a rather contemptuous way and then proceeds to kick the hobgoblin across the garden – an action that rewards him with a mud fight with the rest of Tobble’s outraged clan. As you can see, Aliza and Daired make rather a poor first impression upon each other and yet that opening scene really did catch my attention and make me smile.
Anyway, to the main thrust of the story. Merybourne Manor is running amok with vicious gryphons and people are afraid to walk out. Riders have been hired to rid the county of the horde and Daired is the first to appear, shortly followed by the rest of his team including Master Brysney and his sister. It soon appears that Master Brysney has hired the nearby Lodge for his sister and friend Daired and of course everyone is anxious to make their acquaintance.
If you’ve read any Austen you will of course immediately recognise the above scene, and for that matter, plenty of the scenes that follow. Being a lover of Austen, and Pride and Prejudice in particular, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this but to my pleasant surprise I enjoyed it enormously. Whilst the plot follows many of the key scenes of P&P the author brings a new element to every one of them which isn’t surprising given the nature of the world here. She lends the book her own style, she doesn’t imitate Austen’s language or try to recreate that of the Regency period but brings a certain modern element to the story that I think readers will really enjoy. She reintroduces to us Lizzy and Darcy in the form of Aliza and Daired and she makes us fall in love with both of them as we watch them head butt their way along an inevitable path and on top of that she brings a very entertaining fantasy element that definitely adds the wow factor.
In terms of characters. We have all the usual characters, renamed, but quite easy to spot. Aliza is very easy to like and she carries the majority of the story really easily. Daired is the handsome and dashing warrior. You’d expect to be swooning over him but of course at first he’s incredibly arrogant and not a little boorish! The rest of the characters have all been given a slightly different injection of life which I found really refreshing to be honest, for example, the insufferable cousin is actually made likeable here (not perfect perhaps, but definitely likeable). I really liked that the author has given the characters slightly different character traits.
The world building is very easy to become accustomed to and manages to blend quite easily the Regency period whilst allowing the characters within to have slightly more freedom in terms of dress sense and behaviour that would need to be accommodated in a world like this. For example the girls wear trousers when they’re horse riding – seems sensible after all, but they still love to dress up for the ball. Girls can also become apprentices and can train to become warriors themselves. Again this brings a much more modern aspect to the story in spite of the period setting and is a little more relaxed in terms of the expected behaviour of the time.
The plot. Well, it starts off as a band of riders being hired to rid the county of Gryphons but it soon becomes apparent that a much bigger threat is looming on the horizon. A deadly foe that will have all the other nasty critters flocking to it’s cause and running wild across the countryside leaving death and destruction in it’s wake. I enjoyed the plot and the fast paced grand finale. More than that though I enjoyed the storyline between the main characters, in fact to be honest I think the plot could probably have been tamed down a little and I would have enjoyed it equally.
I haven’t really mentioned the dragons yet have I! My favourite was Akarra. The dragons here form a kind of bond with their rider. They choose each other and taken an oath and the absolute winning element for me was that that dragons talk – I loved that!
So, any criticisms from me. Not really. There were certain elements that felt a little bit clunky in terms of blending the period aspects with the rough and ready nature of dragons and warriors – for example, one particular scene which involves a dinner and two dragons also sat in the dining room eating their dinner at the same time. I definitely had raised eyebrows at that particular scene and it just didn’t really work for me. But that’s only one tiny little example. I could question why the author chose to retell P&P. She clearly has a strong idea for a world here, a period world filled with fantasy creatures so why not just create her own characters to go with it? Like I said above, I wondered if I would have mixed feelings about it but as it happened I really didn’t and to be honest I can’t blame Ms White for wanting to recreate this story with this setting, after all, these are characters that we already know and love so well. So, for me, I got the benefit of reading a new story, with familiar characters that I love, but in a fantasy setting (which I also love) and I just really enjoyed watching Aliza and Daired be ‘proud and prejudiced’ towards each other all over again.
I think this is a really good retelling. It benefits from having a great fantasy setting and I also think it will manage to attract readers who maybe haven’t read Austen by telling the story in a slightly more modern way.
A winning combination of fun, high fantasy and period drama with a wonderful and subtle romance that ties the story together. Would I recommend this – indeed I would and in fact I would go so far as to say I would enjoy reading more of Austen’s works told from a fantasy setting.
I received a copy through Edelweiss courtesy of the publisher for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Naamah’s Kiss by Jacqueline Carey, readalong – final week
Today is the final week of our readalong of Naamah’s Kiss. Feel free to join in with the comments. This week the questions are being hosted by me. Please be aware that spoilers may be lurking below for this and future books in the series so be careful – you were warned!
So, straight to the questions and answers then:
1. Moirin has come a long way since we first met her. How do you think her adventures have changed her if at all – does anything stand out in particular?
I think that Moirin is a character who is very singular minded and in a way that can maybe come across as though she doesn’t form attachments easily. For me, this changed as the story went along, she’s still very determined, she has a path that she feels she has to follow but she definitely shows a lot more feeling towards other people.
2. I was hit by how far Moirin’s magical abilities have come along, I don’t think I particularly expected it to be honest – why do you think that might be?
I was surprised a bit by this element. When the story started Moirin had her twilight ability and also her skills with plants but as the story as progressed things have definitely moved further on. Of course she was given one particular gift through her summonings with The Circle but her other gifts have increased – I can’t help wondering if this is because she is following her destiny and as things occur it’s almost like a reward from the Gods?
3. Looking back through the story it feels like most aspects had a bearing on the final outcome, do you think Moirin’s path is really set in stone or does she have the ability to change things?
I guess what I really meant with this is that Moirin’s path was guided to certain things, such as Raphael and The Circle – and even though they felt wrong at the time, if she hadn’t taken part in this aspect of the tale or decided not to choose to spend time with Raphael then she would never have received her gift – which, as we know, was essential to the final outcome. It feels like Moirin’s destiny isn’t set in stone – she could veer from the path, or it seems like that to me, but I think the feelings she received are definitely trying to help her choose correctly. So, not set in stone but definitely a lot of help in terms of guidance.
4. Do you feel that Moirin’s actions will have an impact on the Maghuin Dhonn in any way.
I couldn’t help thinking this may be what her destiny was about. Maybe to restore some favour to her people? I wondered if that was why her magical abilities were increased?
5. Were you surprised by the final chapters with Lo and Bao and the overall reaction of Bao?
Yes and no really. I wasn’t surprised by Bao’s initial anger and upset. I guess I was surprised that he chose to leave, but I guess on reflection with his teacher/master now gone perhaps he needs to find a new purpose?
6. We know that Moirin is about to set off an another journey as this book ends. Any predictions, hopes or fears for what is to come next?
My fear is that she’s setting off by herself into unknown territory, but, I guess she has a certain way with her doesn’t she – something about her seems to attract people who want to help her along the way – she seems to fall on her feet I guess. Plus she has her special abilities to help her. In terms of what comes next – well, my feeling is that she will find Bao – what comes after that I don’t know.
