Gilded Cage (Dark Gifts, #1) in SpecFic Buddy Reads

Mar 25, 2017 Emma rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, dystopia, fantasy

4.5 stars. Well this one took me by surprise! It was a great read. A dystopian version of Britain where the magic is held by the Skilled. Commoners have to do 10 years as slaves. I'm quite fussy about YA dystopia novels, most are not for me, but this one hit the spot. Recommended. ...more

25 likes · Like · see review

Aug 10, 2017 Justine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017-read

I really quite enjoyed reading this. Imagine Evil Downton Abbey set in a kind of twisted Harry Potter world like the Death Eaters wanted, where all the muggles are oppressed by the "superior" magical people.

That's basically it. But without the detailed worldbuilding and not near enough magical displays. Hopefully we get more of both in the second book. ...more

22 likes · Like · see review

Aug 13, 2017 Lindsay rated it it was ok

In alternate version of the modern-day world England is controlled by a magic-using elite called the Equals, with everyone else referred to as commoners. Additionally all commoners are required to do slavedays, a ten-year period that can be at any point in their lives where they are literally slaves. The story follows a family of commoners as they begin their slavedays and as they get caught up in the machinations of the Equals.

The story is entertaining enough, but the setting makes no sense wha ...more

19 likes · Like · see review

Aug 25, 2017 Lata rated it it was ok

Shelves: sf-f-h, x2017-read, kids-and-ya, auth-f

I had high hopes for this book. They went thud.

12 likes · Like · see review

Nov 06, 2016 Candace rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, kindle, first-in-series, fantasy, young-adult, gothic, galley

This is one of my two favorite YA books of the year. The other one is The Lie Tree that won the Costa Award. Unlike The Lie Tree, this one is the first book in a trilogy which is great because this author does a great job with a dark, somewhat Gothic atmosphere and readers who like that will be clamoring for the sequel.

The world is divided into two classes, those who are born with special gifts (almost always hereditary) and those who are not. Those who are born with the gifts are the ruling cla ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Aug 31, 2017 Suzanne rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, netgalley, fantasy, dystopian

I really got into this book at the first - the story and world were intriguing and I liked the writing. I ended up with a very busy mid-month though, and somehow my forward momentum was ruined. I never dreaded reading, and I always enjoyed it when I did read, but I didn't get through it as quickly as I normally would.

What I liked the most was the characters - I liked seeing some good in one I initially thought of as 100% bad, and some of the others surprised me! I also thought the story was good ...more

3 likes · Like · see review