King's Cage (Red Queen)

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Be the best, the strongest, the smartest, the most deadly and the most cunning. The most worthy. And I was everything.” I just have a bad feeling that Maven will die in the next book. I hope not. I really do. At this point I can just read an entire book from his perspective. My heart broke for him in this book. Such a strong character. I feel so sorry for him. Why can't Maven just be happy and get a good ending? Is it too much to ask????? Maven is a character who needs time and his character needs to be fleshed out properly so that he can be understood and not misread.Come on Victoria. You can do better. maybe since he is away now he can heal properly and try to help himself???? But i have my fingers crossed. But hopes are low. Gonna say this now: if book 4 turns out the way i hope then i will totally try to look pass the sheer stupidity of this one. Anyway let me stop my rambling for now. May or may not read the last book. EpicReads (who I like) overhyped the hell out of this series. It's not the best series ever, but it isn't bad. The Red Queen series is just a mixture of every YA dystopia/fantasy ever. The series isn't something new. Not to mention how several people are saying Victoria ripped off Red Rising by Pierce Brown. (Darrow. Mare Barrow. Caste system by color. Royalty, etc.) So the series isn't something to write home about. But it's entertaining. But boy this series is pretty... meh. The Court of Children: After the attempt on his life, Maven trusts even fewer Silver Nobles. He expels many from court, but keeps their children as a warning and a threat. He keeps Mare close to him and we learn even more disturbing facts about his past: Queen Elara cut out his love for his father and brother, but there are certain kinds of love that get twisted and mangled; hence his tragic obsession with Mare. We also learn that he was in love with Thomas, his “first real friend,” and accidentally killed him after losing control of his abilities.

And then, just when I thought we were done with the awkward scenes...we reach... The SEXY mud-makeout. Murder at Corros Prison: During the Scarlet Guard’s attempt to free the prisoners at Corros, Shade Barrow is killed by Ptolemus Samos, which sends Mare into a blind rage. She ends up killing Queen Elara, and broadcasts her decapitated head to the kingdom of Norta to show the power of the Scarlet Guard. There's also something I want to mention. It's pretty obvious that Norta and the other nations/countries/whatever are the result of a war-torn North America. If you look at the map, it's clear that Norta is based on the North-East part of the States and the Lakelands consists of a small part of the States and the majority (I assume) is Canada. And by war-torn, I mean bombs and possible nuclear bombs. My theory (and this is just a theory, it's not 100% fact) is that before the events of Red Queen, bombs were set off in the States and possible nuclear bombs. I believe that the nuclear bombs are what gave the Silvers their powers. Plus it has been said in Glass Sword that the Silvers were persecuted by the Reds because they were different and had deadly powers. Eventually, the Silvers had enough and used their powers to rise to the top and make the Reds be on the bottom because of what they have done. Considering the fact Mare is in captivity for almost the entire book you’d really think that it would be boring to read about her experiences. But NO! There definitely was nothing boring about her situation and even though there is no fast-paced action like in the second instalment you still have to remind yourself to breathe. I’m sure now you’re asking yourself why anyone would stop to breathe while they are reading a book and the answer is simple: The intensity of King’s Cage literally chokes you! It takes away your breath and leaves you gasping for air and it gives you all the pleasant shivers you’ve been craving for but never realised you wanted to feel! XD The atmosphere of this book is just breath-taking and sometimes I was forced to stop reading because I found myself unable to deal with another chapter. (Yes, the book was that good!!!) The conversations between Maven and Mare were nothing but awesome (the breakfast and the bathroom scene before the wedding! OMG the bathroom scene killed me!!!) and I definitely want more of them! So please Victoria let them meet again, let them be at each other’s throat and speak the bitter truth! They are equals in every possible way and I want them to finish what they’ve begun! XD God, I so can’t wait to read the fourth book!

There have been people accusing Victoria of commercial tokenism. (I just want to say upfront that I am not accusing Victoria as this. If she had Mare olive skinned from the beginning, then Mare is olive skinned.) When it comes to authors writing characters of different ethnicities, sexual orientation, and skin color, it comes naturally because... people like them exist. It's organic and feels natural. Victoria on the other hand never said what Mare REALLY looked like in the first book. And in book 2 and 3, her skin color is described better (Even though based on the book trailers, the actress was white). Of course, it's been a year since I've read book 1 and I might have missed something. It's great to have POC. This is the opinion of some people, not mine. Though Victoria didn't do a good job of properly explaining this whole fiasco. Not looking good for you, Victoria. You guys will have to come to your own conclusions when u read it. At this point you can feel free to ask questions but I am being vague because I don't want to spoil anything. However at this point I can tell you that the Cal

The Kingdom of the Rift: Who would a Samos be without a power grab? After their escape, Volo crowns himself King of the Rift, making Evangeline the princess she was born to be. Mare's sister, Gisa. Gisa has red hair. I'm not a genetics expert so don't take my word as 100% accurate, but if Mare is olive skinned, how does Gisa have red hair if red hair isn't common in olive skinned people or of darker colors? Victoria said something about genetics which, like I said, I'm not a genetics expert (not to mention there isn't a clear description of Mare's parents' skin tones), so I'm not sure how this works. Even now, when I am painfully his, he won’t let go. I would prefer death to this cage, to the twisted obsession of a mad boy king.If Red Queen was a game of charade and Glass Sword was a game changer, then King's Cage is a reincarnation of the two, manipulation and war and survival and politics woven into its essence, but on a whole other level. No longer a hide and seek playground, but a chessboard where powerful masterminds control kings and queens and princes and princesses and many, many pawns to fight for the ultimate trophy -- the throne of Norta. Organized chaos that was delicious to watch unfold.

Mare Barrow is a prisoner, powerless without her lightning, tormented by her lethal mistakes. She lives at the mercy of a boy she once loved, a boy made of lies and betrayal. Now a king, Maven Calore continues weaving his dead mother's web in an attempt to maintain control over his country - and his prisoner, the girl he once loved. Cameron and the Guard make plans to put their first assault into action by taking over Corvium. Cal does not think that they can successfully take the military fortress.Two months pass, and Mare continues reading Julian's books. She learns that the Silvers' abilities "came from corruption, from a scourge that killed most." She notices Julian has written a note that says Silvers "were not a god's chosen, but a god's cursed." Now, one annoying character doesn't spoil the book - unfortunately, this was not the case because Every Character is Mare.

I wonder if he has nightmares of the assassination attempt. Nightmares of his mother, dead by my hand. His father, dead by his action. His brother, in exile but a constant threat. Funny, Maven called himself Cal’s shadow, but Cal is the shadow now, haunting every corner of Maven’s fragile kingdom. So, I really loved loved loved what happened the middle of the book until the end! It was amazing.. BUT the beginning was so BORINGGGGGG!! Yess, I said it!!

Cages

Evangeline uses Mare to disrupt Maven. They all know that Mare is his weakness. But Maven still marries Iris. After the wedding, a storm cloud gathers. It is another newblood with Mare’s own ability, and she comes with the Scarlet Guard. Evangeline helps Mare get away and frees her power. In exchange Mare promises not to kill Evangeline’s brother. Mare is forced by Maven to sit next to him while newbloods are presented to the court. He asks them to display their abilities. Halley, a newblood serving House Eagrie, whose ability is being able to detect other's abilities, reveals Nanny. Nanny is one of Mare's recruits who is a shifter, and is disguised as a Silver noble in the hopes of rescuing Mare. Nanny commits suicide before she can be interrogated by Samson. Then what do you want?” When Kilorn asked me that same question, it gave me focus, purpose, a clear path in darkness. “What do you want, Cal?”