King’s Cage audiobook

4.5 Stars “Somewhere in the distance, somewhere in my bones, thunder rolls.” 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. Glass Sword ended with a jaw-dropping twist that meant the focus in this continuation will transfer to the dynamic between Mare and Maven. I stopped comparing Maven and The Darkling a long time ago and rightfully so -- whereas with The Darkling I always felt an inkling of hope for redemption, with Maven there is only the clinical dissecting of his behavior and attitudes that give no room for such innocent naivety. What brought me emotionally to my knees was not the revelation that he really is a pawn through and through, even after his mother's death, but that he is aware of it and he accepts his damned fate, molding to the villain persona by his own accord. He is a four-geared system that runs on hate, anger, fear and twisted love. Maven is a victim and you cannot help but feel pity for him. The what ifs of what he could have become without Elara's interference are a stark reminder that monsters are made, not born. “The pain makes you stronger. Love makes you weak.” Maven's obsession with Mare is another side-effect. It's honestly so sad to watch his inability to change and to love normally. His mind is perpetually assaulted by paranoia and loneliness, continuously eating at his ghost of a soul. He astounds through his cunningness and cleverness, many underestimating him. But he is his mother's son, after all, and the legacy leaves behind both scars and advantages. Mare is the one that knows him best and they use each other to survive a royal cage that, paradoxically, suffocates them both. Mare Barrow goes through her biggest character development yet. Our heroine grows so much, even through trauma. I love that, despite the fact that she has been put through hell, she doesn't let herself get sucked into the void. She still smiles, she still loves, she doesn't lose hope. Her sparks, even though kept away in tangible form, reside inside herself and allow her to live. And I loved the fact that she is portrayed in fear lots of time -- it doesn't make her weak, on the contrary; the fear brings out her deepest survival instincts, giving her a shot of winning the battle against greater opponents that loom over her shoulder. Much like Maven. And goddamn it, she fights, with her mind, with her body. She fights to not become a skeleton trapped in a prison, mentally and physically. I also adored her demeanor towards Maven, taking advantage of his weakness for her, but always trying to bring him on the right path. Their dialogue is beautiful, mirroring two broken souls, trying to outsmart each other. They find refuge in one another, no matter how twisted and toxic. And Mare, at least, finally gets a clearer picture about this plague of a boy. “She was his hurricane, and every nudge pulled him deeper into the eye of the storm.” May I please fangirl about Cal? This romantic, strong, intelligent, caring, naive, hot, intense, good fucKING SILVER PRINCE THAT TAKES THE WRONG DECISION AND CANNOT CUT THE CRAP OF THOSE WHO WANT TO USE HIM AND CANNOT KEEP HIS PROMISES. Sorry. That must have been a bit harsh. But it's the truth. I honestly love him to bits. His love for Mare turns me to a blubbering mess. His hope for Maven is crushing. His friendship with Kilorn warms my heart. But fucking hell he's still Prince Tiberias the Seventh and his identity bites everyone in the ass, especially himself. AND HE'S A GODDAMN STUPID IDIOT. Okay, I'm done ranting. “It’s not his fault the lightning girl loves him, and he must bear the curse that love brings with it.” The romance between this sweet yet insufferable young man and our dearest Mare melted my heart. The mutual support, the understanding, the goofiness, the sexiness, the courage to break stereotypes... ALL OF IT is just wonderful. *sigh* I need to give lots of claps for one character in particular, or rather Aveyard's flawless constructing of it, making me feel something I have never contemplated in the first two books: love for Evangeline Samos. However, don't imagine something along the lines of the sudden angelic rendering of Celeste in The One, for instance. Far from it. Evangeline is still the quintessential bitch. But I adored how she upgraded from a mere queen-wannabe that has only arrogance, ambition and jealousy as main traits to a deeply intriguing, multi-layered and surprising anti-heroine. Again, readers can regard her as another one who was made. Made for being a queen, made for being perfect, made for her family's well being. We have her POV as well, not necessarily as a mechanism to see from a different perspective, but to offer further glimpses into a universe governed by politics, secrets, manipulation and, of course, power. Throughout it all, she remains strong as steel, kickass and terrifying, splendid when she is gradually humanized through the unraveling of her desires and fears in a manner that highlights her internal conflict: freedom and love or duty and submission? “Be the best, the strongest, the smartest, the most deadly and the most cunning. The most worthy. And I was everything.” As usual, the secondary characters pretty much rocked. Farley is awesome. Julian is awesome. Sara is awesome. Kilorn, we don't see as much, but he is comforting in a familiar way. The whole Samos family is pretty much badass in a disturbing way and I devoured their scenes. The Colonel, a Premier named Davidson, newbloods, Reds and Silvers alike expand the borders of what we previously knew. Old queens, new kings, ruthless princes and princesses and faraway commanders make up the backbone of the Lakelands, Piedmont, Montfort and, of course, Norta, forging the world-building aspect. The rhythm had some off-beats here and there. Personally, I associated them with Cameron's POV. She was a bit hard to stomach, even though she is definitely the no-bullshit type. Progressively, I learned to like her, but the reason why I cut down on the rating is partly thanks to her as well. The other motive is the fact that Mare's imprisonment to Maven, although seductive and psychologically-embedded, was slow-burning in a frustrating way, grating on my nerves for the lack of action. It was like I was simultaneously wasting away along Mare, unable to speed up the process. The ending of this book left my heart in shambles, because I saw it coming miles away. Didn't lessen the pain though. It leaves the story at a precarious tipping point, a crossroads of a sort, with certain revelations confirming what I've been dreading: the last book will equate to death. As a dedicated fangirl, I fear for my mental stability after the next installment closes the story. King's Cage is a great follow-up in a thrilling and exciting series. The story of this novel will have resounding echoes in the last book (ohmygodjustonemorebook). The grand, masterful blend of action and politics and romance had my head spinning, awed, and the characters infuse a unique vibe to an already mesmerizing mix of dystopia and fantasy. I cannot recommend these books enough. ENJOY!

Hello Goodreads, I'm back, already suffering from King's Cage withdrawal syndrome and more heartbroken than I care to admit.King's Cage was the most powerful, deep and contradictory installment of Red Queen so far. The first half nearly drove me to give it three stars, it was unbearably slow and made me question my decision to continue this series many times. I felt like I was drowning in a swamp, trying to move yet stuck in the same place for so long I lost the concept of time. But in the end it seemed that the countless pages where nothing happened were necessary to understand the characters and set the foundations for the second half, which was undeniably mindblowing, full of epic fight sequences and moments to elate you only to shatter you minutes later. “We're not a god's chosen, but a god's cursed.” Mare spends six months imprisoned, tortured, living at the mercy of a wicked boy-king who keeps her in a cage because that is the only way she'll stay with him, who uses her to serve his own ends and each day steals a piece of her and replaces it with hopelessnes and anger, while the Scarlet Guard makes new allies and strives to end his reign of lies. With threats of civil war, rebelling houses claiming power and newbloods who shift the balance between Reds and Silvers, the kingdom of Norta will either be reformed or engulf in flames. For there is only one throne and two Calore sons, divided by betrayal, ambission, and a stubborn lightning girl. “I am Mare Barrow. Not Mareena, not the lightning girl. Mare.” Who is Mare Barrow? A self-centered hypocrite. A murderer. A traitor. That's what I would have told you in the beginning of King's Cage. It is no secret that I am not particularly fond of Mare. In fact, a sadictic and rather cruel part of me enjoyed her tortures and her despair, all those moments when she finally felt the weight of her mistakes and rush decisions. Who are you to judge Cal ? I wanted to shout. How can you possibly blame him for not taking a stand after all the horror and injustice he has witnessed when the path you follow is paved with more blood and reverse discriminations in the name of common good? I wanted to peel off my skin every time she claimed she knew Maven so well, Maven of all people, an evil and broken boy who kept up with his atrocities even when his puppeteer was gone, while she never tried to see things from Cal's perspective. I still hate this self-righeous Mare. But thankfully, in King's Cage, she proved that she is more. And she somehow taught me that not a single character in this series is purely evil or purely good, the same way she learned it. I want you to remember this day, folks. The day I admitted that Mare Barrow became a tolerable and relatable heroine. I can't say the same about Maven, though. It is true that he wasn't born a monster, that his madness is the result of his horrible mother, and after his confessions he gained my understandment, but not my sympathy. Some choices were his. The slaughtered babies, the court manipulation, the power games, they were his. What he feels for Mare is not love, just a sick obsession. And I'm looking forward to his downfall. “Red. Red as blood, red as fire. Red as the anger eating us both alive.” Tiberias Calore is not the flawless prince I thought he was.And that revelation was not the result of Victoria Aveyard's efforts to twist his character to make readers love him less, like I believed at first. Don't get me wrong, he's still my favorite character, but I'm afraid I idolised him. The bitter truth is that he is not good at making decisions, like Maven, and Mare and Cameron and everyone else knew from the start. He is noble, and kind, and a great strategist, he loves Mare despite reason in a way that warms you up inside, but he has his weaknesses. “Choose me.” I believe that what Victoria Aveyard tries to say in every sentence and every page is that power is alluring. A siren whose call no one can resist, regardless the colour of their blood, their rank and social status. And once you embrace power, and give in to its seductive touch and whispers of greatness, it taints you. And inevitably you lose something. Your humanity. Your kindness. Your soul. Your ideals. Your loved ones. Some things you can never get back. And I can't help but commend Victoria Aveyard for the way she delivers it. In King's Cage she masterfully delved into her characters' depths, she gave them multiple dimensions and made the reader invested in them, besides the intricate plot with the intrigue, the politics and the battle scenes that were undoubtedly epic. While my loyalties are still the same, I finished it more open-minded. And that's probably the reason the ending hurt me this much. In a way, when I read this series only for the plot was better. My feelings varied from annoyed to angry, and as soon as I finished each book I didn't think about it twice. But this time, it will haunt me. Because it has torn me apart. “Now I'm in a king's cage. But so is he. My chains are Silent Stone. His is the crown.” On a brighter note, I cheered for Evangeline (who may or may not have been the biggest and scariest badass), I swooned over shirtless Cal and I experienced a rush of adrenaline each time a fight was described or a new conspiracy was set into motion. If it hadn't been for the first half, King's Cage would deserve all the stars in the sky!Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | BookNest

** spoiler alert ** As promised here I go with my review! First of all: I loved King’s Cage and didn’t want it to end! *fangirl squee* After the fast-paced Glass Sword I was really looking forward to find out what would happen to Mare and the book definitely didn’t disappoint me. Book three basically picks up where Glass Sword left off and our poor heroine is still kneeling in front of Maven. The first two-thirds of the book deal with Mare’s captivity and the torture her life has become, the last third is about her return to the Guard and the fight against the now combined forces of Norta and the Lakelands. Well so much about the storyline and general plot, now we’re heading straight for the fun stuff! XDConsidering 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! “More Silent Stone,” I mumble, saying the words like a curse. The polished orbs of my wearable prison gleam. “You must be running low by now.”“Thank you for your concern, but the supply is well in order.”“What’s so funny?”“How many times have you tried to kill me?”“Just the once.”Refreshing honesty between those two. *lol*He stares up at me. “Those who know what it’s like in the dark will do anything to stay in the light.”“Don’t act like we’re the same.”“The same? No.” He shakes his head. “But perhaps … we’re even.”“Even?” Again I want to tear him apart. Use my nails, my teeth to rip his throat. The insinuation cuts. Almost as much as the fact that he might be right.Okay, enough of the plot and straight to the characters! Even though Red Queen is a YA series and therefore is kind of supposed to have a good protagonist I can’t say that I truly love any of the main characters (Well, except of Maven. I love Maven to bits and pieces! *lol*) and I think this is exactly the reason why I like those books so much. There are no stereotypes, all of the players are neither good nor bad, they all have their flaws and problems and if anything they are neither white nor black. They are all different shades of grey which actually makes the book even more appealing! Well, at least for a reader like me. ;-)Mare: The little lightning girl has grown in the third book and questions everything and everyone. She’s no longer the naïve girl she used to be and she finally seems to realise the many mistakes she made. I kind of disliked her for being so selfish in the first two books but now that she’s forced to spend her time with Maven her character actually gets a chance to develop and to think about everything that has happened. I loved to see how much she grew and I really hope the end of King’s Cage won’t destroy everything she has become. The true question eats at my brain. What Maven is really asking. Would you give up your ability, would you trade your power, to go back? I don’t need time to figure out an answer. “No,” I whisper.Cal: Argh! I don’t like him! He’s exactly the opposite of Mare and where she managed to develop “Your Highness” still stayed the same. Never in my entire life have I met such a cowardly character and I really dislike him for being unable to choose! I mean seriously how hard can it be? Silvers: betrayed him, wanted to kill him in the arena, chased him and stripped him of his title. Made him a rebel and decided to believe that he murdered his own father. Guard: took him in and saved his life, let him live with them and gave him food, clothes and a purpose. They even tolerated him in their midst and tried to be kind to him. Tough decision, right? Yet Cal still refuses to see the truth and sticks to the old ways! Yep, I don’t like him and I truly doubt this is going to change in the next book. “Promise me. Promise you won’t leave. Promise you won’t go back. Promise you won’t undo everything my brother died for.” His low sigh washes across my face.“I promise.”Cal you stupid, incorrigible and stubborn moron! *grumbles* Guess unlike Maven you’re no man of your word…“I’m doing what my brother never could. Cal follows orders, but he can’t make choices. You know that as well as I do.”Damn right, Maven! That’s Cal’s behaviour in a nutshell! XDMaven: I hate, I loathe, I despise him so much! I hate him! I love him! I actually love him because I hate him so much!! Oh my god! Victoria what did you do to me?!? He’s the villain and I’m supposed to detest him, but I can’t! Because he’s just so hurt, so tortured, so driven by what he feels for Mare. He’s like poison that sneaks into my mind and makes me want to love him. Gosh! I know exactly how Mare feels! XD Victoria you’re killing me! I think I’m going to die if I read more about him, but please, please, please write more about him in the next book! *lol*I know I’m not making any sense but I want more of Maven! More of that beautiful, cruel, corrupted, cunning, destroyed, relentless and shattered soul! XD Please! *making huge puppy eyes*“I think you may have a bit of an obsession where Cal is concerned. Are you going to blame that on your mother too?” It was meant to be a joke, but to Maven it is anything but. His gaze wavers, only for an instant. A shocking one. In spite of myself, I feel my eyes widen and my heart drop in my chest. He doesn’t know. He truly doesn’t know what parts of his mind are his own and what parts were made by her.“Never breaking eye contact, Maven slips the flamemaker bracelet from his wrist. It’s slow, deliberate, methodic. I hear it hit the floor and roll, silver metal ringing against the marble. The other quickly follows. Still watching, he leans back in the bath and tips his head. Exposing his neck. At my side, my hands twitch. It would be so easy. Wrap my brown fingers around his pale neck. Put all my weight into it. Pin him down. Cal is afraid of water. Is Maven? I could drown him. Kill him. Let the bathwater boil us both. He dares me to do it. Part of him might want me to do it. Or it could be one of the thousand traps I’ve fallen for. Another trick of Maven Calore.OH. MY. GOD! That scene killed me and it describes Maven so well! XDEvangeline and Elane: Oh well, I certainly didn’t expect that one! It was nice to see Eve has some sort of a heart though. ;-)Cameron: I still dislike her and think she’s as incorrigible as Cal. In her case she at least has the excuse that she is a whole lot younger and more inexperienced than the prince , yet she still seems to have a better judgment than him. So yes, she certainly is shrewder than Cal. XD Then again who isn’t? Farley: I think that’s the only thing I didn’t like about the book. I mean come on! The woman just gave birth to a little girl and is already back in the fight? Solder through and through? Seriously? Are you kidding me, Victoria? I know no mother that would leave her new-born baby with its granny and run straight into a fight. I really think that was more than just unrealistic. Not to mention that giving birth is definitely no walk in the park. *lol* Yeah they have awesome healers; I’m aware of that, but still! As a mother it kind of rubbed me the wrong way. XD Just saying! Since this was the only thing I didn’t like the book still gets five stars and I can easily recommend it to everyone who’s eager to read it! I’m sure you won’t regret it. ;-P

REVIEW TO COME AFTER RELEASE DATE!

Mare surrenders herself over to Maven to protect the others who were with her when they were caught; after what happened to Shadow she couldn't bare to get anyone else in harms way. Maven is content with putting Mare on display, using her to spread his propaganda in public while keep her chained up in the castle at all other times using Silent Stone to repress her powers. The other Silvers are discontent with Maven and move to usurp his power forcing Maven to make alliances with former enemies, Lakelands, to strength his forces. Maven continues to grow paranoid, relying on Mare as his sole confident. Meanwhile the Scarlet Guard and Cal spend their time organizing and preparing for war. Their alliance with Montfort provides them with much needed supplies and power as well as other New Bloods with experience and training to train the ones the Scarlet Guard has been recruiting. Only time will tell though about Montfort's own intentions for helping the Scarlet Guard and what the price of the alliance may be. I think this would have been my favorite of the series and even ended up on my favorites shelf if not for a few things. First off I didn't really enjoy Cameron or Evangeline's POVs. I mean it was necessary to keep the reader informed about what was happening outside of Mare's imprisonment but like I love Mare and I can't stand people hating her so I automatically got annoyed with Cameron and Evangeline. I can't help myself because no matter what Mare does I'm just like it's ok I love you always. Second I don't know how much of the history we've started to get I buy into. I understand that they have a certain level of technology and understand genetics but I feel like it was implied both of those have been known about for a while and so I'm wondering why no progress on either end was made? It just feels strange that all of this has existed long enough without anything new happening but long enough for a mutated gene to take over so much of the gene pool. It just seemed in Red Queen that the book was taking place in a time without as much advancement but I guess not. It just doesn't feel coherent and I don't buy it but I'm willing to keep reading and see where this is going. Third I still don't care at all about Cal. He's such a boring character and so cliched. The dark brooding hero. Like go away Cal.Otherwise I really enjoyed this book. I like that we're getting a more complex picture of the world and the politics in it, and I love seeing how things play out. I know other people didn't enjoy it but I loved it. I also really enjoyed the whole imprisonment arc because of how well done it felt to me. Especially Mare's struggle with her empathy for Maven and how much she misses the person she thought he was. Maven continues to make me want to die because why are you being such a piece of shit but I can't stop feeling sorry for him and wishing he would just cut it out and fix everything god damn it Maven. I love Maven but I hate Maven. I love Farley though and like can't she and Mare run off and raise the baby together and fuck this political bullshit. I also really liked Dane Davidson and I can't wait to read the next book and get more of him. I'm pretty satisfied with how things are unfolding and can't wait for whatever's going to happen next.

This is by far the best book of the series so far. Mare was far less annoying.I can’t believe Glass sword was a 1 star read for me while this was 4 stars. Who would have thought? I’m glad I continued reading. Things I liked - I love how action-packed this was. Some I saw coming, some I didn’t (view spoiler)[ didn’t see the first Maven assassination attempt by the houses who were loyal to cal (hide spoiler)] - The first thing I noticed was that this wasn’t in only Mare’s POV and that made me excited because if you’ve been following my reviews and updates of this series, you would know I don’t like her. Ironically, I didn’t really mind her chapters in this. She was aight- Evangeline’s chapters were my favourite. I just love her and her mob-like family. I love how powerful her father is that he doesn't have to look powerful to be feared. I love her and her brother’s relationship, although some things were weird about it (view spoiler)[ Her, Elane and Tolly’s arrangement was just uncomfortable (hide spoiler)]- Although Maven is….Maven, he made this book really interesting- LONG LIVE TIBERIAS THE SEVENTH!!!!! I LOVE CAL, I LOVE HOW KIND HE IS, I LOVE HOW HE RATHER SAVE THAN KILL, I LOVE HOW HE NEVER GIVES UP ON PEOPLE, I HATE HOW PEOPLE TREAT HIM, I HATE HOW HE DOESN’T HAVE ANYONE. DID I MENTION THAT I LOVE CAL????? (view spoiler)[ why are people, especially the reds so against him being king when he would treat them well? (hide spoiler)]- Cal’s grandmother. I love how fearless she is and how loyal she is to her grandson 💕There were a few things I didn’t like - I don’t like Cameron. I don’t know why she had a POV. She was so annoying and wasn’t important enough for her own perspective. There were better people I would have loved to have instead of her.- Mare during the epilogue (view spoiler)[ Okay she asked cal to choose her but wasn’t willing to choose him and then made him seem like the bad guy. How hypocritical. Cal was born to be king but he was betrayed and exiled. He DESERVES to be king!! Now he’s going to feel guilty and stuff ugh. (hide spoiler)]Okay, can we have a Cal and Maven POV in the final book?? And no more Cameron, please. Something bad better not happen to Cal in War Storm 😤

The heartbreak is real. I think I actually stopped breathing while reading the epilogue. Can I have RQ 4 like...now? I will write a normal review once I'm...not depressed after finishing this book. Which, I hope, will not be next year. 23.11.2016: 28.09.2016: 28.06.2016: The cover is LOVE! On second thought, though, it should have been more bloody. That would have been amazing. 22.06.2016: OMG, did the title just appear today??? It's amazing, I'm satisfied!

3.5 All Will Burn ★'s “Now I'm in a king's cage. But so is he. My chains are Silent Stone. His is the crown.”“I thought I knew what heartbreak was. I thought that was what Maven did to me. When he stood and left me kneeling. When he told me everything I ever thought him to be was a lie. But then, I believed I loved him.” Small spoilers may insueDAMN, 'King's Cage' gave me so many feels! And that ending for reals broke my heart 😭😭. Damn you Cal, damn youuuuuu!!!!! Damn the crown, damn it all to the hells! Though I did like this book, I gotta say it has to be my least favorite in this series thus far. I guess I was expecting a lot more with Mare's imprisonment and her being King Maven's puppet. Maven, the guy she once loved. Mare was basically left in a room, a room with great accommodations mind you. Sure there was that (ONE) time when she was mentally tortured by a Whisper. Yeah okay, it was pretty freaking bad and I really felt for her!! And being handcuffed with silent stone to suppress her lightning ability that left her feeling a deep sense of loss because she couldn't touch her power... Mare is powerless without her lightning. But still, I would have like a bit more torture or something! Other than Mare's pride being broken and being paraded around for all the world to see it could have been a hells of a lot worse! I'm giving it a 3.5 star because I know it could have so much better :D Victoria Aveyard writing was done very nicely, I just really don't care for Cameron's POV. I am NOT a big fan of her's, all she does is shit talk ♥Cal♥! I really like the plot of these books, the world is well thought out and the characters are pretty fantastic, minus a couple of them lol! Sure, Mare is a bit self-righteous at times and annoying at others but it wouldn't be Red Queen without her :) Even though the ending mad me upset with Cal and his decision, he's sill, my man! I love Cal so very much but its true he really can't make up his own mind and instead, he does as others expect of him. Okay well, I'm gonna keep this one short because I can't wait another minute to start the final book in this series War Storm!!! #teamCal Forever!! “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.”“I kiss him for what could be, what might be, what will be—the last time. His lips feel strangely cold as we both turn to ice.”“You aren’t alone.” The hope in his eyes cuts deeply. “You have your crown.”

4.9 Choose the dawn STARS "I would prefer death to this cage, to the twisted obsession of a mad boy king." Estuve a punto de darle las 5 estrellas. Me engancho, lo disfrute, me dejo con unas ganas enormes de leer la continuación y ya se volvió MI LIBRO FAVORITO DE TODA LA SERIE.Antes de que me comenten lo mala que es esta serie y que la mayoría la abandono desde el primer libro. Por lo cual no los culpo, el primer libro es bastante meh, a mí me engancho por alguna razón que en este momento no recuerdo. Pero por favor denme una oportunidad para explicar porque me gustó tanto este.Esta serie ha sido mediocre, no les voy a refutar eso, creo que los principales problemas de esta historia es su poca originalidad y la mala escritura. Pero en este libro la narrativa mejoro muchísimo, creo que Victoria Aveyard realmente se ha dedicado a tratar de superarse, eso o tuvo muchos editores ayudándole. Pero lo que si se nota es una mejora en la estructura y desarrollo de la historia, inclusive los personajes son más humanos y menos insufribles he insoportables. A pesar de ser un libro largo para mi cualquier libro con más de 400 páginas ya es largo, en ningún momento me aburrió, de echo todo el tiempo me la pasé emocionada, lo cual es bastante obvio con solo ver todo el número de progresos de esta lectura que hice aqui, ya que necesitaba fangirlear y como no tengo amigos pues le toco a mi comunidad goodreads aguantarse. Sorry. Hablemos de la historia: SPOILER ALERTEmpezamos exactamente en donde termino Glass Sword, Mare sangrando a los pies del Rey Maven. Como era de esperarse Maven no la mato, la mantuvo encerrada sin saber muy bien qué hacer con ella.La primera mitad vemos a Mare tratando de sobrevivir el encierro, la vemos debilitarse día tras día, la vemos sufriendo por los interrogatorios que eran más dolorosos que los que le hizo Elara. La vemos darse cuenta de sus errores, que si bien recordamos, eran muchos. "My shame and my mistakes eat away, gnawing on my roots." Pudimos ver mucho de Maven, su locura, su obsesión por Mare, su impulsividad, lo manipulador que es. También lo vimos SOLO, lo vimos en sus momentos más crudos, contándonos como lo torturaba su mama. "I was seduced by his pain. He was the boy in shadow, a forgotten son. I know now that was by design. He caught me back then, ensnaring me in a prince’s trap. Now I’m in a prince’s trap. Now I’m in a king’s cage. But so is he. My chains are Silent Stone. His is the crown." Lo mucho que Elara lo llevo a convertirse en lo que es. Difícil no sentirme mal por él, difícil no enamorarme de él, difícil no querer que gane. Si ya sé que es el villano, que ha hecho cosas horribles, pero de todos los personajes él es MI FAVORITO. Necesito que se entregue de lleno a su maldad, porque aquí lo vimos peleando contra esa parte de él. Mare es su ancla, para bien y para mal, Mare será la que defina el futuro de Maven. "You are the only person I care about, the only person who reminds me I am alive. Not empty. And not alone.” Tuvimos UNA BODA SYLVER. Wow la boda me afecto más de lo que debería. No creí que Maven en serio lo llevara a cabo, pero lo hizo y mi corazón se rompió al igual que el de Mare. Al igual que ella tenía la esperanza que él se arrepintiera.Pero Maven ahora ya tiene a su Reyna, SU SILVER QUEEN. Una de los nuevos personajes que tendrán mucho más peso en el próximo libro. Iris Cygnet, una Reyna poderosa con un país que la respalda, inteligente, de temperamento tranquilo, pero que al igual que la mayoría de Silver ve con desprecio a los Reds y controla el agua.Después de la boda, Mare por fin es rescatada.Mare se reúne con Cal, y paso lo que queríamos que pasara. Tienen sexo salvaje en el lodo bajo la tormenta. Fue completamente romántico, me hubiera gustado más detalle, porque soy un horndog sin remedio, pero en si fue una escena muy bien manejada, en la que se sentí la química y conexión de los 2 personajes. "This is a different kind of battle. There’s no training. And instead of donning armor, we throw the rest of our clothes away. After six months of sitting by his brother’s side, lending my entire being to an evil cause, I have no fear of giving my body to a person I love." Cal le confiesa su amor y juntos se vuelven un fuerte unido dispuestos a pelear contra lo que se les ponga enfrente.Vemos 2 grandes batallas, una en la BODA SILVER y otra en una Ciudad que la Scarlet Guard ya ha conquistado, la segunda batalla fue bastante hardcore, muchos muertos, poderes por aquí, poderes por haya. La Scarlet Guard ya tiene bien firme su unión con Montford, vemos muchos New bloods, inclusive unos con poderes parecidos a los de Mare.Una sorpresa es que tuvimos capítulos desde la perspectiva de diferentes personajes, como la CAMERON Y EVANGELINE. Los capítulos de Cameron ayudaron a saber que les paso a ellos después de la captura de Mare.Los capítulos de Evangeline fueron muy importantes porque nos dieron una perspectiva más específica de los Silver que no quieren apoyar a Maven.Vimos como el Líder de casa Samos, familia que controla el metal, le da su espalda a Maven y decidí autoproclamarse Rey de Rift. Ellos tienen el propósito de mantener el anterior orden, en el que los Silver siguen al poder esclavizado a los Rojos.Nos enteramos que Evangeline es gay, y muy enamorada de su novia, pero que también está obsesionada con tener la corona, ya que ese ha sido su propósito desde que nació. Pero después de la coronación de su padre, ella se vuelve princesa volviendo su sueño realidad. "Princess Evangeline of the Rift, of the royal house of Samos. Lo que no vi venir, fue la aparición de Anabel Calore , la abuelita de Cal. Juega un papel muy importante en la historia, es ella la que facilita el escape de Mare, ella es la que está juntando apoyo para que Cal tome su tan merecido lugar como el Rey de Norta. Ella hace todo para que eso pase, inclusive hacer un trato para que Cal y Evangeline se casen y regresen el orden a Norta. “Long live King Tiberias the Seventh” -EL final.Oh ese FINAL que odie tanto.Cal acepta su matrimonio con Evangeline para poder llegar a ser Rey.En una página Cal nos estaba haciendo suspirar con sus besos y dulces palabras y al siguiente nos rompía el corazón al verlo escoger la corona, sobre todo. Ese momento en el que le propone entre línea a Mare que sea su amante, lo odie y perdió todo respeto o sentimiento que sentía por él.Mare, no quiere ser Reyna, es más lo ve como algo impensable. Al parecer lo que ella quiere es que el pueblo decida a quien quiere como gobernarte. En el próximo libro supongo que tendremos mucha más guerra, en un bando tenemos a Iris y Maven, en el otro bando tenemos a La Scarlet Guard, Monfort, el King del Rift y muchas familias importantes de Norta.La pregunta es, ¿QUE BANDO TOMARA MARE?Los 2 príncipes rompieron su corazón, los 2 príncipes son egoístas, los 2 príncipes no la merecen. Pero ella tiene mucho peso, seguro su decisión definirá que bando ganará, o quizá solo siga causando más problemas.-Mención especial para:-La mama de Evangelina, me da miedo. La Reyna del Rift tiene el poder de controlar animales, por lo que utiliza serpientes como accesorios. -Farley, embarazada y recién parida, y aún asi ascendió como general y es súper bad ass. Mommy Power.-Por cierto, Farley le da una pastilla misteriosa a Mare, supongo que era para no embarazarse, con lo cual se rompió mi ilusión de ver qué pasaría si in silver tuviera un bebe con una Red, o en este caso con una newblood.

"You are only a shadow, and who looks at shadows when they have flame? Who would ever choose a monster over a god?""Sólo eres una sombra, ¿y quién mira a las sombras cuando existen las llamas? ¿Quién escogería a un monstruo en vez de a un dios?"Esta saga va a acabar con mi vida y con mis nervios. Si bien King's Cage se me hizo un libro un poco más lento que los anteriores, entiendo que fue porque la carga emocional fue muchísimo mayor y dejaron la acción para el final. Cuando Glass Sword terminó con Mare entregándose y arrodillándose ante Maven, supe que nada podía ir bien en King's Cage. Mientras Mare está desvaneciéndose entre paredes de silent stone en el palacio de Maven, la Guardia Escarlata intenta crear alianzas con países vecinos, infiltrar personas en el círculo interno de Maven y, por supuesto, idear un plan para rescatar a Mare que no acabe con la mitad de sus efectivos muertos. En realidad, leer todo lo que sucede desde la perspectiva de Mare, encerrada y sin poder hacer nada ni rebelarse, es asfixiante. Sobre todo porque, a pesar de que en un primer momento ella estaba decidida a luchar, se va notando con el tiempo cómo la soledad, el no poder usar sus poderes, las torturas y el no saber qué está sucediendo fuera de su celda la afecta un montón. Ahora, a pesar de que tenemos a Mare encerrada casi la mitad del libro, podemos ver a Maven muchísimo más de cerca y comprender realmente el monstruo en el que se ha ido convirtiendo. Y no sólo eso, sino que se nota también que todo el poder que ha ido reuniendo es supremamente frágil. Las casas más prominentes de los silver están dividiéndose, creando facciones e incluso pensando que Maven no debería ser el Rey de Norta, sino su hermano Tiberias Calore. Del lado de la Guardia Escarlata también están sucediendo un montón de movimientos, se crean tácticas, hay campos de entrenamiento y se están gestando alianzas con los países vecinos para acabar de una vez por todas con la opresión que los de sangre roja han vivido durante cientos de años. Cada vez más, la Guardia está empujando más y aprovechando los poderes de los newbloods que, en el campo de batalla, les darán la ventaja sobre quiénes los han menospreciado, enviado a morir y explotado durante todas sus vidas. Es muy interesante ver cómo personajes como Cal, Cameron e incluso Farley van subiendo en sus rangos y van adoptando actitudes de mando y liderazgo con cada página que pasa. En King's Cage hubo un punto de vista que me sorprendió muchísimo y fue el de Evangeline. Si antes la conocíamos como la caprichosa y poderosísima prometida de Maven, en este libro nos muestra una faceta completamente diferente de ella y de sus intereses. Si bien Evangeline ha estado guiada toda su vida por los intereses políticos de su familia, en esta ocasión vemos lo que ella realmente aspira a ser y las medidas que no dudará en tomar para conseguirlo. ¡Y es que, encima, nos revelan algo muy inesperado sobre ella! Nunca en mi vida lo vi venir. Lo que queda claro con King's Cage es que Evangeline ha dejado de ser una marioneta y que ahora nada ni nadie la va a manipular nunca más. Ahora ella mueve sus propias fichas. Hablemos ahora de Cal y Mare. Dioses, ya no sé qué va a suceder con estos dos. Su relación siempre ha sido un tira y afloja muy frustrante, pero que en el fondo quiero que funcione. Disfruto un montón de sus momentos felices, pero honestamente creo que Mare no puede estar con absolutamente nadie. Ha pasado por demasiados traumas y, a pesar de escapar una y otra vez de las garras de Maven, una parte de ella siempre seguirá atrapada en el corazón y los ojos de ese rey. Y, joder, si empiezo a hablar de la conversación final entre Cal y Mare... Digamos que es un momento tremendamente intenso, lleno de palabras hirientes, de decisiones que no debieron ser tomadas y de una sensación de que no hay vuelta atrás. La guerra ha empezado, los ha alcanzado y hay palabras y acciones que no se pueden retirar. Creo que, en realidad, King's Cage es un libro complicado de seguir porque tiene una carga psicológica grande de muchísimos personajes y, además, la carga política que se introduce es enorme. De un momento a otro, la geografía a la que estábamos acostumbrados se expande a territorios vecinos: aparecen los LakeLands y el Rift. Cada uno con sus tendencias políticas, sus monarcas, sus leyes y sus bandos muy definidos. Pero no se quedan ahí, cuando las alianzas aparecen cuesta un poco seguirle la pista a las lealtades, a quiénes están esperando ser traicionados y vendidos por otros. Hay bodas, promesas, intereses políticos cambiantes, familias que ascienden en el poder y otras que quedan en el más absoluto olvido. Pero, sobre todo, hay movimientos militares muy calculados que van a empezar la guerra más temible que todos esos territorios han visto. War Storm, estoy preparada para leerte. ¡Llega ya! Ah, y si me lo preguntan, creo que Victoria Aveyard es de las autoras que no le tienen miedo a matar a ciertos personajes muy importantes. Vayan mentalizándose.

Ich fand auch den dritten Teil der Farben des Blutes wieder absolut gelungen, zwar nicht ganz perfekt aber dennoch mehr als gut.Ich weiß ehrlich gesagt nicht, warum alle Mare so schrecklich finden, ich habe schon so viele Bücher mit dummen Protagonistinnen gelesen und muss ehrlich sagen, dass Mare da für mich nicht dazu gehört 🤷🏼‍♀️Ich kann den Großteil ihres Handelns und Denkens wirklich nachvollziehen. An diesem Band gefielen mir auch die 3 verschiedenen POVs - Mare, Cameron & Evangelina.Auch die Plottwist waren wieder absolut grandios und unvorhersehbar. Die Action fand ich auch gut, zwar nicht ganz so dominant da es auch grade zu Beginn einige ruhigere mehr taktische Passagen gab. Die neu vorgestellten Charaktere haben sich auch klasse in die Geschichte eingeführt, genauso wie alt bekannte wieder auftauchten.Zusammenfassend lässt sich festhalten dass ich mich verdammt darauf freue wenn der letzte Teil im Herbst diesen Jahres erscheint, denn ich hab null Plan wie Victoria Aveyard das alles auflösen will 🤔😅

THE ENDING WAS CRUEL AND I AM DYING INSIDE AND ABOMINABLE DOESN'T EVEN BEGIN TO COVER THAT EPILOGUE! NO HOW COULD SHE WHY VICTORIA AVEYARD??? MY POOR HEART! I AM PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY, AND EMOTIONALLY UNREADY TO WAIT FOR THE RELEASE OF WAR STORM, BUT I ALSO DON'T KNOW WHAT I WILL DO WITH MY LIFE WHEN THE SERIES IS OVER.I THOUGHT IT WAS FINE BUT THEN JUST THAT EPILOGUE DESTROYED ME! WHYYYYYYYYYYYY???Oh yeah, forgot to mention that this book is awesome and you should all go read it!Just to reiterate: THAT ENDING WAS CRUEL AND I AM NOT OKAY!This has been My Feelings: A summary. Thank-you for reading!

1000x besser als band 2 ! Bin allerdings etwas verwirrt von Ende, da ich angenommen hatte, es handele sich hierbei um eine Trilogie 😳 bin gespannt auf den nächsten Band...

There were many, many problems with this book series.The only thing that kept me going was my queen Evangeline Samos.BOW PEASANTS