Set in an alternate, modern day Britain, The Gilded Cage is about power and the class system, with a magical twist. The aristocrats, or Equals, have magic, called Skill, and they rule, making every commoner spend 10 years of their lives as slaves to them. One family begin their slave days together and become entwined with Equals, caught up in political machinations as they try to protect each other. It's dark and clever, engrossing and, sadly, the recently released first book in the series. Now, to wait for the next....

I enjoyed this book surprisingly more than I thought I would. I picked it up at a free library in my neighborhood for a quick fantasy read, but wasn’t expecting much. The writing was clean and characters interesting, though I’m hoping Abi is better developed in the next book.

This reminded me a lot of 1984 and Brave New World. And not just because of the crazy society where not everyone is equal. We also get protagonists who are very representative of the average person, showing "this would happen to you and people you know if you lived in a world like this."
The "equals", as the people who are exempt from slavery are called, are identified by their magical abilities called "skill." We are told more than shown what these abilities can do, but I feel like that is intentional. It shows that the equals are terrifying, and the fact that we aren't told the specifics of their abilities makes so many situations throughout the book much creepier.
The only thing I felt like this book was missing was some more background into why society functioned that way, and when it started. That would have added more depth to the story. But maybe we will get that in the rest of the series.

Here's a well-plotted fantasy that both teens and adults will enjoy reading for its elements of magic, political intrigue and even a forbidden romance. The world of this novel is quite different, with the Skilled Elite of Britain requiring all common folk to be their servants for 10 years (and using terrifying mental powers to maintain control) and the USA divided into Union and Confederate states. Into this situation steps the Hadley family, whose teen children fight against the tyranny of those in power both at one of their spectacular estates and in an industrial town populated with slaves. Part of a planned trilogy, I can't wait to see what happens next! - Louisa A.

Did not realize this wasn't a stand-alone but it definitely grabbed me.

No me gusto, tenia mucho potencial y la idea parecía interesante pero me ha aburrido inmensamente, ademas no logre encariñarme con ningún personaje solo con Libby jajaja y lo mas interesante cuando salia Siyen el resto me pareció puro relleno y la historia de Abi super sosa y boba

Gilded Cage is a bit like Hunger Games meets Harry Potter. It is set in an alternate, modern Britain. Although they don’t use wands, there are people with magical skills called Equals. They live in luxury while those without magical powers must serve them as slaves for 10 years of their lives. It’s the kind of world imagined by Harry Potter’s Gellert Grindelwald and Tom Riddle.

The perception among those who haven’t served their slavedays is that they aren’t that bad, but they are. While serving their slavedays, people have no rights, and most are not adequately fed, clothed, housed, or cared for medically. Most Equals take their better circumstances as a right, although a few among the Skilled are fighting to end the slaveday system.

Gilded Cage focuses on a family of five that decides to do their slavedays together. (I never really understood how people could choose their slavedays – if you could put it off indefinitely, couldn’t you die before doing them?) The parents and their three children expect to be sent to one of the cushier spots – serving one of the aristocratic Equal families. But their teenaged son Luke gets sent to one of the brutal factory towns instead.

Although the focus and narrative viewpoint of the chapters moves between several characters, Luke and his older sister Abi seem to be the focal point. Abi works with one of the sons of the Equal family who has no Skill (a squib, if you like, although he seems to be the only one around). There is a lame insta-romance between them that really just got in the way.

There are a lot of nuanced characters, and you cannot always tell if they are good or bad. There are some truly evil characters too, and some really good ones. (There are a lot of characters, period.) There is also some heavy handed writing (for example, a man in a cage tells Abi, “You’re in – the pen – too….Just – I see – my cage – my leash.” (p. 208 of the advance reader copy)). Many of the scenes (especially those in the factory town Millmoor) felt so familiar I had to remind myself that I haven’t actually read this book before. But there are some original touches, and the plot twists compelled me to keep reading. If you are looking for a well written dystopian novel with interesting characters, you may enjoy Gilded Cage (first in a series).

I read an advance reader copy of Gilded Cage.

I found this one pretty confusing to be honest. At first i thought it was a back and forth between the medieval past and the present, but that's not really accurate. It seems both times coexist? I don't know that aspect as well as trying to follow who was who and what time they belonged in, even though they all seemed to belong to the same past/present hybrid time really took me out of the story. Then you have dog-men, magic gates, a too-powerful family at the head of it all and you've lost me. I won't be continuing the series. On a positive note, I do think the author has a future, the writing style was great. I just think they have too many ideas and need to reign some in so they can tell a more compelling story.

I'm rounding up from 3.5 stars because this was well-paced and exciting to read, though the many different chapter perspectives were overkill in my opinion and a substitute for more skillful writing, maybe? Still, I blew through this and plan on reading the sequel, so I guess I'm just being a brat!

Solid dystopian fantasy. Interesting society it takes place in. Some plot holes, like

Spoiler

why don't the Unequals even think of rising up against the Equals until some Equals hide amongst them to start a rebellion. Are they just that dumb and complacent? It didn't make sense to me. And they know so little about the Equals' abilities but so terrified of them. I dunno, to me the Unequals just didn't add up.

I think there is some unmined possibility for thought-provoking literature, too. Somehow this book just didn't really get me thinking much. Maybe it's just a foregone conclusion that slavery is bad haha. But mostly the people just move through the story and it ends up being more of an interpersonal drama. Fun read though.