My Rating: 2.5 hearts
Thoughts on the Novel: Gilded Cage by Vic James was the 2017 debut
I was probably most excited about reading. The prologue did nothing to decrease
my excitement either – with a slave trying to escape with her
baby off an estate and then getting shot by her master (who also happens to be
the baby’s father).
The premise is supposed to be simple: In an alternate Britain, the
aristocrats are now people with Skill – known as Equals – and all those that
lack Skill have to serve them for ten years as slaves before they can become
full citizens. When you choose to serve is up to you, but you can’t own
property, travel abroad or have certain jobs until you've completed your
slavedays. Despite this, Luke and Abi’s parents appear to have their own house
and jobs. Considering you’re pretty much allowed to do everything you want then
without fulfilling your slavedays (e.g. go to university, marry, have kids, own
assets, etc.), I’m not sure why everybody wouldn’t wait until they’re about to
die before doing their slavedays.
Besides the confusing worldbuilding, there were quite a few POVs as
well. This is something I normally avoid because I find that characters’ voices often blend together … and this was the case in Gilded Cage. It
also didn’t help that the storyline kept jumping back and forth between Millmoor,
a slavetown, and Kyneston, the estate of the founding family.
Finally, I never connected with the characters. Luke was basically a
pawn, and I just wanted to slap Abi because for someone who was supposedly
smart, she developed an instant crush on Jenner, whose family essentially owned
her and her family. Moreover, Abi continued to lust after Jenner even after finding out that he witnessed her memories being tampered with and didn't tell her what happened!
A disappointing read, Gilded Cage was released by Del
Ray Books in February 2017.
Comments
About the Cover: To me, the cover makes it seem like the story is set in
the Victorian era, even though it isn’t.
