Review: King's Cage (Red Queen #3)

Author: Victoria Aveyard
Started reading: April 7th 2018
Finished the book: April 21st 2018
Pages: 528
Genres: Fantasy, YA
Published: February 7th 2017
Source: Bought the book
Goodreads score: 4.02
My score:

Synopsis
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.
As Mare bears the weight of Silent Stone in the palace, her once-ragtag band of newbloods and Reds continue organizing, training, and expanding. They prepare for war, no longer able to linger in the shadows. And Cal, the exiled prince with his own claim on Mare's heart, will stop at nothing to bring her back.

My thoughts

This series is so great and I was pumped to read King's Cage after finishing Glass Sword. I hoped this book would be believable, with Mare being a prisoner, and it totally is. It exceeded my expectations. The book has a really dark beginning and you can feel the war in every fiber of this book. It's not pretty, not at all.

Pros

• Different POV's: It's a great addition in this book, that you read from 3 different POV's. The main parts are still written from Mare's POV but I like the fact that you can also experience Mare from other people's POV. I won't tell you who's POV you're going to read, but I liked 1 of the 2 very much, since it's a silver who we can understand a lot better this way. I liked reading a bit of a twisted mind.
• Believable: Mare is a prisoner and that's a big deal and a big part of this book. I was afraid that her being a prisoner would result in a really quick and easy escape and that she wouldn't have that much of a rough time. I was hoping for fear and a very difficult time for Mare and that's exactly what I got. It was such a treat to read how Mare is handling herself and her surroundings, it shapes her a lot.
• Dark times: War is war. Sometimes books romanticize war, but that's not the case in this book. It's dangerous, messy and heartbreaking. It's exactly what you'd expect and so much more...
• Ending: The ending was heartbreaking and I was hoping it wouldn't go that way, but it did in the end. It was inevitable, but I was still hoping there would be another way. So curious about War Storm, right now! I believe the ending for this book, fits the book as well.

Cons

• Different POV's: You see me doing this a lot, pointing out the POV's as a pro and as a con. I do believe that the different POV's are a great pro in this book, but the person that was chosen wasn't one of my favorites. This character never was and I even found this person a bit boring... I felt like it didn't really add anything to the story. I'm more interested in the POV from other people.

Overall

A great series that keeps me interested. When I had the time, I was able to easily read 150 pages in one sitting. Mare is developing and she becomes stronger, she had to face her fears and she went through rough times. I loved reading those parts. The war is developing and harsh times are not over yet. This book also contains different POV's and I do believe that was a great choice. If you've read Red Queen and/or Glass Sword I highly recommend this book.

Other opinions on this book

"Another devastating cliffhanger ending will leave readers hungry for the final volume."

- Booklist

"Simmering with internal conflict and well-devised courtly scheming."

- Kirkus

Memorable quotes from this book

"I know now, I didn't know what love was. Or what even the echo of heartbreak felt like. To stand in front of a person who is your whole world and be told you are not enough. You are not the choice. You are a shadow to the person who is your sun."

"The person she loved is dead, stolen by someone else. Mine chose to walk away. Chose everything I hate over everything I am. I wonder which hurts more."

Thanks for reading!

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