Sequel of the Prison Healer series will introduce you to a life of monarchy, wealth and a slight touch of political machination. Kiva will have to make the hardest decision, choosing between the royal family, that saved, accepted and loved her, or her long lost family following and serving a purpose she never really believed in.
The Gilded Cage jumps right into the world of the Vallentis royal family, reigning over one of the most powerful kingdoms of the continent. Kiva is finally able to meet her brother and sister, the Rebel leaders, who took over after the death of their mother. Gets to know almost every secret of Jaren and the royal family, has finally the possibility to live outside the walls of Zalindov, falls in love, has one of the biggest dilemmas in her life choices and betrays one or two people in the process… A quite full schedule in my opinion.
The second book in the series is easier to read, the writing style has slightly improved, but the story is taking longer to develop, to be more thrilling and interesting for a reader. We jump from the escape from Zalindov to the royal palace, without any better description of the time in between. Why am I missing this part? The relationship between Kiva and Jaren is taking a dramatic turn over, she is finally free and he is able to be normal again, be the crown prince again. She spent more time in Zalindov, then outside of its walls in the real world. You forget how to live outside of prison, and you jump directly into a life of wealth, without any feelings, thoughts, anxiety or happiness? We were robbed from this part. That is why I am missing the part after the breakout. For me personally it would create a much deeper connection and understanding of Kiva’s personality. But let us jump to Jaren’s family, which has dark and sad memories, and yet are still somehow harmonic and peaceful for a stranger’s eye. Caldon came on my top list of favourite people. He is even more enjoyable and gave more main character vibe than Jaren or Kiva. He was funny, loyal and deeply cared for his family and Kiva, and yet he still would have no issue to protect them from danger, which made him the most relatable character of them all. Jaren was like a golden retriever, too trustworthy, too nice, too everything. A true prince charming with a kind heart, a bright smile, an imposing figure, who is even more loved by his people. It is not bad, but it is way too romantic. Not to have it just Cinderella style, we get bit drama with Jaren’s mother by attacking Kiva in her chamber under the influence of angeldust. A perfect example of how addiction can ruin even the best people and their loved ones.
What really triggered me was Kiva’s blindness to her sister. Torell was a quite pleasant character, but she was a real viper. I can understand that in many cases blood is thicker than water, but why was Kiva not more critical of them? Why did she just like that forgive Zuleeka for not saving he from Zalindov? Why did she tell her, where their grandmother is hiding the dagger? Why did she tell her almost all of the deepest secrets of Jaren, who completely loved, adored, trusted her and got whipped for her? And no Kiva, you did not save it with the fact, that you kept Jaren’s elemental secret for yourself. Why not listen to your gut, why would you support a cause your never really believed in or followed? Yes, Kiva wanted to revenge the death of their brother, but that was somehow all she wanted. She didn’t want to be part of the revolution. She should have quit after Torell told her about his own doubts. The second book ends precisely with this cliffhanger. Zuleeka follows her new vision of rightfully taking over the kingdom by revealing her powers (no one knew she had), nearly killing Jaren and taking him his powers, while Kiva could do nothing, just watch and think how it could be possible, that this disaster happened. I supposed no one else asked these questions. Yet again, Caldon saves not just the whole plot, but also the remains of that day. He disappears with half dead and powerless Jaren, after another betrayal, this time by his sister. This ball will come not into the hall of fame in their Kingdom.
What failed and irritated me the most, was how the plot was created. A woman’s naivety and longing for a family were used to bring us to the cliffhanger of the trilogy. Again, we meet with the fact, if the main female character would not choose to make some decisions the whole book would not be needed and we could calmly jump to the next book. But hey, we need a good starting point for someone’s redemption and dramatic love confession in the end. I can imagine the plot slightly different and still be enjoyable without any drastic changes to the main storyline. I am curios for the third and last book of the series, where hopefully new characters are introduced and we experience more political manipulation (I know, this is no Machiavelli plot with a master plan in the background), fights, war and thrilling scenes.