Features:
- YA competition dystopia in the vein of The Hunger Games and The Selection
- Political intrigue
- Sweet but complicated romance
- Interesting and action-packed twist
Competition dystopian books are back! Of Cages and Crowns blends the last man standing brutality of The Hunger Games series with the court intrigue of The Selection series and adds a little spice of its own. It shares a lot of the same DNA as its predecessors in this category and will definitely delight readers looking for a similar experience. This book definitely does its own thing however, I’m not sure if it’s different enough to call it an ‘evolution’ or completely fresh take on this type of story. So those who are looking for something that feels completely new or different might not enjoy this as much. The world building can be a little rough at times, but the characters more than make up for it and really carry the story. Overall, I had a great time with this book and look forward to seeing where it goes in the sequel!
Characters to Love and Characters to Hate
If a kingdom could be built on personality alone, it would be this one. Each member of this cast of characters has a strong presence that helps shape and drive the story forward. There is plenty of action and intrigue, but wanting to know what happens to all of these characters is what kept me truly invested. Because each of the characters have such strong personalities, it is definitely accurate to say that you will either love or hate them with little room in between. I don’t think I would call these characters traditionally complex, but the situations they find themselves in and the decisions they have to make introduce a little of the grayness that might otherwise be missing.
Though I wish she was given a little more agency sooner, Monroe grew on me as a main character. Prince Cohen is very endearing and the two have great chemistry on the page. The same can be said for the other characters that Monroe draws into her orbit, which makes some of the late developments of the book extremely impactful. The Queen is cool, calculated, and manipulative in a way that just screams evil from the very start. I love the way Crump shows how the Queen’s machinations have already infected the people around her even before Monroe is thrown into her web. She’s definitely a strong villain character you love to hate.
It’s All in the Details
There are many things I love about this book, but it still seems to lack the same impact that standout books of a similar type have. For me, I think a lot of that comes down to the finer details. The world has a great history to it and you can kind of see how that has influenced society. However, moment to moment, the world building feels kind of thrown together and is a bit muddled. Despite having strong personalities, some of the characters (Monroe included) seem to stagnate towards the middle of the story because of this same ‘big picture’ muddiness.
Special thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Rowan Hill 