The Caged Queen audiobook

The Caged Queen by Kristen Ciccarelli is the sequel/companion to The Last Namsara, which happened to be one of my favourite reads of 2017, so I was eagerly awaiting this one… so eagerly. I couldn’t wait to dive in, and this did not disappoint me one bit. The synopsis of this book starts with “ What would you sacrifice for love? Death-defying, world-altering love?” But please, do not let this fool you into believing this is a cheesy love story, for the love they talk of is the love between sisters, a bond unbreakable, even in death. Spoiler warning, if you haven’t read The Last Namsara, do not read on, it will spoil that book enormously (unless you don’t care, then be my guest!). I will, however, try not to spoil this one for you, as this is a review. In this novel we follow Roa, who has recently become Dragon Queen, and King Dax’s wife in an attempt to support her homelands by sitting on the throne. She holds no love for her husband, and in fact wishes him dead for the accident he caused 8 years previous, killing her sister, Essie. But there might be a way to bring Essie back - killing the one who should have died in her place with the skyweavers knife. Roa must sacrifice the king, to bring back her true love, the one she could never let go, her beloved sister. In doing so, dooming herself. I loved how this focussed so strongly on the sisterly bond between Essie and Roa, and so beautifully on the topic of grief. Our main character has lost so much and holds on so tight to that one thing keeping her afloat. I think the plot flowed beautifully, and kept me so thoroughly engrossed in this novel. At all times I was eager to read on and learn more, I wanted to gobble this story down. Not only did we have the emotional plot of Roa’s love and loss, but there was, of course, a lot of action, a few dragons, and a plot to overthrow the throne - all things I kinda dig in a fantasy novel! I loved each aspect of this story so thoroughly, and was completely hooked.I know that a few people were worried about going into this with the switch of the main character, people would miss Asha. But as much as I thought I would miss Asha, I was excited to learn more about Roa, I loved what we saw of her in book 1, and was very excited to learn more about this incredibly strong and courageous woman. The more I learned about Roa, the more I enjoyed her. I mean sure, she makes some stupid choices, but we all do, and in those heart-tearing situations, can you blame a girl? She was enjoyable to read about, and a character I came to care for a lot. I would actually go as far as to say I preferred Roa to Asha, I feel she’s slightly less problematic, and a lot more likable. Accompanying Roa in the limelight, we have Dax, Dragon King, cunning and courageous… if not a bit clumsy and foolish. He was a delight to read about too, I adored his character development, and the more we read about him the more I cared for him too (even though Roa’s planning to kill him, oops). Dax’s character has a lot of layers, and it took some digging to get to the core of him, but it was worth it. He was a quality character.I found something about each of these characters compelling to be honest with you, I didn’t feel that any of the side characters were flat or underdeveloped, each one had their own narrative that we got a peek into, and I really liked that. The relationships were all nicely fleshed out and it all made sense to me, I loved it. It is probably no secret that atmosphere is so wonderfully important to me in any novel, the atmosphere of a book really can make or break it for me. I was immersed in the atmosphere of this book, it sucked me in and wouldn’t let me out. There’s such a rich culture about this world that so beautifully made, along with the dangerous politics and fantasy air, I couldn’t ask for more (expect maybe more dragons?)I absolutely adore Kristen’s writing style. I love the way she includes the ‘old stories’ in between chapters, this time mixed in with stories of Essie and Roa’s past. Although it separates the story, I don’t feel this breaks the pace at all, or removes me from the narrative. It adds another dimension for me, and I really like it. It adds to the ‘ancient’ and fantastical air of the novel, gives it a history, building on the culture of the world. Kristen’s word building was beautiful to me, along with the development of her characters, everything she’s constructed in these books just feels so deep to me, and I feel so connected. Is there a potential for me to be looking at her writing through rose tinted specs as I love the story so much? Maybe… but I care not. I feel the connection to these books. I can’t sing my praises loud enough for this, ‘The Last Namsara’ was so strong, and in a way I did worry that ‘The Caged Queen’ wouldn’t live up to it, or my expectations... but it so completely did. I had an enormously fun time reading this, the wait, although painful, was worth it. Now I must endure that again for the third novel!To conclude, I feel like all I’ve done just there is gush about how much I loved this, but it can’t be helped. I loved it, and I am not sorry about it. I love this world, and can’t wait for more (although it’s a very long wait!)

This is the second instalment in the high fantasy Iskari series and despite following the same set of characters as featured in the first, a different protagonist narrates this tale.Roa is a daughter of the House of Song. Once there were two daughters but her sister Essie lost her life in a tragic accident, leaving Roa to walk the world alone. Companionship came in the unlikely form of Dax—the heir to Firgaard’s throne and her childhood playmate. She quickly realises that their alliance will be far from a simple one, with politics forming the bases for their relationship and tensions running high between their people. Roa knows, however, that appeasing the one who rules is the quickest way to deliver fair treatment to her people, but when an ancient story brings a possible solution to her predicament Roa must decide what she is willing to sacrifice for the one she loved the most.I was initially not as engaged as with the first book in this series as I had a preference for the former female narrator. Soon, however, I found I was just as intrigued with the story-line featured here, which followed from the former but brought its own set of individual trials. Political intrigue forms the backstory for the entire series but book one's protagonist, Asha, had very different difficulties to present Roa.I also found it interesting how differences soon appeared in the formation of side-characters, when viewed through different eyes. Roa's viewpoint meant the reader was introduced to other personality nuances that Asha had failed to notice or saw differently. Dax, in particular, was an intriguing character study. His sister, Asha, opened up one side of his personality, whilst the one he courted, Roa, saw a very different individual. This made the characters feel more authentic and brought reality to and reasons for the perspectives chosen.My favourite aspect of this novel, however, was in how Ciccarelli interwove backstory and lore into the story-line. Many chapters ended with either a scene from the characters' childhoods or a legendary tale from the world. The narration for these segments differed and were delivered in a lyrical and charming style that likened it to classic fairy tales. These all had a reason for inclusion, as each had a bearing on the story-line and illuminated some previously unforeseen facet of the tale.The pace built consistently during the novel but I found the beginning sequence to be a little drawn out. Once the characters reached the city I recognised, from the former series instalment, I was once again captivated and the ending delivered a bitter-sweetness that had me yearning for more, despite the tears it also delivered - both happy and sad.I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Kristen Ciccarelli, and the publisher, Harper Teen, for this opportunity.

This was so different from the first novel, but I loved it just as much! Ciccarelli really has a way with lush storytelling and sneaky plots!

What are souls, but stars waiting to be born? You know i didn't enjoy this one as much as i loved the first one but this story did hold its own and i still somewhat got some enjoyment out of it. Plot: This plot wasn't as strong for me as the first one and i think it's the fact that it lacked in a couple of things that i really loved from the first book. I really enjoyed having Dax and Roa as the two main leads for this one but i was confused starting this book because i thought the story was going to continue Asha's story but i must have misread the blurb before reading it. Following this totally different story was very confusing and hard to follow but once i got going and got deeper into the story i finally started to enjoy myself and power through this book pretty quickly. The plot of the actual story is very different to the first one because we are now following the new king and queen after the events of the first book and i actually did enjoy learning more about the royal system in this world. Roa's journey in this book was really well done and i loved seeing her journey of becoming a new queen and going through the motions of royal life. She does go through it all from joining, to plotting and to even getting her heart broken this girl goes through the ringer and i honestly did feel sorry for her a fair bit and other points i feel like she got what she deserved.. so basically was a love, hate relationship with Roa. Dax is one character i actually did enjoy and learning more about and he is actually a very complex and smart person that i wasn't expecting to be so i thank Kristen for writing such a different character that changed my perspective as i was reading. This book had the good old hate to love romance and it was very funny watching Roa and Dax try connect through only newly being married and not really knowing each other at the same time. I think Kristen did a really good job and navigating this relationship and letting it just flow and come together over the course of this book and it was really well written. Like a sailor who needs the heavens to find his way home, you were my own star, burning in the night. Helping me find my way I will now await the finale of this series and i can't wait to see what happens and how this series ends, because i have really enjoyed this series!

Absolutely incredible.

'The Caged Queen' is the second book in the Iskari seres, so if you haven't read the previous book then I would advise getting through that before embarking on this one. Most of what happens is continued from book one, so it's imperative to understanding the characters and the plot. We are transported back to the lush, immersive world we were introduced to in 'The Last Namsara', but this time we see things from Roa's perspective. A book that's full of intrigue, betrayal, loyalty, sibling relationships and rivalries, political intrigue, magic, mythology, loss and love. Oh, and look at that - I have a serious case of cover love!As in all of her previous works, Ciccarelli's worldbuilding is simply magical, vivid, evocative, wonderful, and the writing flowed beautifully from page-to-page. The story is expertly crafted, with alluring language that made it difficult to put down even though I wanted to savour every moment of it! The characterisation is incredible with the characters being totally believable - I really cared about them. Although there are less dragons here, there is more than enough to keep a fantasy reader satisfied.I was a little frustrated at times when Roa and husband Dax weren't communicating, and we all know you can come a cropper if you continue to stay silent despite having issues. This is a stunning companion novel to 'The Last Namsara', so if you appreciated that book, you'll likely fall hard for this one too. With lots of twisty surprises in store thoughout, lots of action and strong female characters, Ciccarelli has made her mark in the fantasy fiction genre! I'm already eager to read the third book' 'Deathdancer', out in October 2018.Many thanks to Gollancz for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This one was not as good as The Last Namsara but it was still a good book. There was a lot about this one I did not completely like and even bothered me but that happens sometimes and it does not take too much away from the book. I liked Roa’s story but I did find Asha’s story more gripping. Still a good story though. My quick and simple overall: not as actioned past as the first but still a good story.

Surprisingly, I continue to enjoy this series immensely. While Ciccarelli brings little that is new to the fantasy genre--her debut reminded me of The Winner's Curse series in multiple instances and this novel I would liken to a mix of The Bird and the Sword, The Wrath and the Dawn, and The King of Attolia--I appreciate that this series is a set of companion novels that, though they can be read as stand-alones, build upon a larger political narrative of one kingdom. Where the first novel was all dragons and rebellion and war, this novel was all court politics and treachery and death. It also is, in my opinion, one of the best portrayals of a sibling relationship in YA Fantasy. Where The Caged Queen excels is in its build-up of gentle flashbacks, painting a history of inseparable twin sisters and the friendship they built with a young prince. Juxtaposed with the present day reality of a king and a queen who hold little love for one another and a woman who misses her twin half, they are vividly effective and I wound up feeling so much emotion for this tale. Again, I remain surprised that Ciccarelli's books work so well for me. I don't find her world-building gratifying enough since I am always left wanting more and, as I said, she uses tropes from other well-known and beloved fantasy novels, whether it be the "fool" king or shape-shifting metaphors or "monsters"-to-lovers, but I haven't seen them combined in this manner before and each chapter is absolutely gripping. I flew through this. Although there are hints of a potential love triangle, namely because the main character broke off an engagement to a man she loved before marrying a king in order to save her people, I found the love triangle elements to be extremely limited and the main character is more indifferent to her romantic situation than torn between two men when this novel opens. It's clear when her attentions shift and it's obvious from the beginning (not to mention if you've read the first novel) who she's meant to end up with. And so: go forth and pick up this fantasy gem from an author who is swiftly becoming a new favorite. I'm not sure who will feature in the final novel to this series, but you can bet I'll be picking up with the intention of being pleasantly surprised--yet again.

this book is more driven to characters' development compared to the first book, which is more on world buildingbut after all, I always love the beauty of writing in this series so magic, so raw, and never failed to take my breath away

SECOND READ 11/11/19 - 4 stars FIRST READ 05/12/18 - 3.75 stars (3.75)There weren't as many dragons in this one :( Also it uses miscommunication/no communication to drive the plot which irks me, but I still did end up really loving this. I can't freaking wait for the third book!

This was a solid sequel/companion novel! It was different than what I was expecting, but not in a bad way. This is a much slower-paced, character driven novel than "The Last Namsara" which was fine because I love these kinds of stories. The author's own experience healing from grief was so apparent in the pages of this novel and it was truly beautiful to read. I will say: I don't entirely know if this should 100% be classified as YA as it pushes the boundaries there a bit. Our two main characters are 19 and 21 and the problems they are facing are much more adult-related problems, over coming-of-age ones. Beyond that though, there's also quite a bit of talk about sex. (Never anything more crude than the phrases "consummate" or "warm your bed.") There are also inexplicit mentions of a woman previously having slept with her ex-fiance out of guilt, and the experience was described as painful (but the man wasn't aware he was hurting her, which made her believe that that was just how it was meant to be).This is addressed later as it's explained that's not how sex is meant to be and I appreciated that aspect, as all too often, really crappy messages about sex (and love in general) are sent and never really addressed. It wasn't anything crude or graphic, but if you're planning on handing this to younger readers, know that these conversations are quite prevalent. Overall, like I said, solid sequel but I would only really recommend it if you're looking for a very character driven novel where most of the plot is centered around internal conflict and handling grief.

I am totally heartbroken. How can I wait until November to read the third book in the series? I read both books in 3 days. I can't wait!! I was surprised, because I didn't read the synopsis of the book before buying it (yeah that's me. Pretty cover? Check. Bloggers are loving it? Check!!). So I really thought the story would be about Asha, but NO! It's about Roa. I was a little disappointed at first, but I ended up loving it! I loved how, again, the stories were explaining past events so I could understand more what was happening.I really, really can't wait for book 3!!

The Caged Queen is the second book in Kristen Ciccarelli's Iskari series and picks up the story a few months after the end of The Last Namsara but this story is told from Roa's point of view rather than Asha's. You'll probably remember that Roa is the outlander who married Dax and it was her people who helped him and Asha overthrow their father so Dax could become the new king. Now Asha is living in exile while Roa tries to make sure Dax follows through on his promises to make life better for the outlanders. They have suffered under his father's reign and she wants him to make things right and give them all the chance to thrive instead of continuing to struggle just to survive.Roa and Dax were unlikely allies from the start, especially when you realise that Dax was to blame for the death of Roa's twin sister Essie. Roa and Essie were inseparable as children and the bond between them was so strong that even after Essie's death her spirit remained in this world to stay by Roa's side. Now Roa is struggling to make the people of Firgaard accept an outlander queen, she's fighting with Dax because the promises he made to her still haven't been fulfilled and Essie's spirit seems to be fading away. When Roa is offered the opportunity to solve all her problems in one fell swoop, even rescuing her sister and giving her the future she deserved, Roa has to make some very difficult decisions.I loved getting the chance to dive back into this world and really enjoyed the chance to get to know Roa a bit better. As with the previous book most chapters open with a story from this world or a glimpse into Roa, Essie and Dax's past, their relationship is a lot more complicated than I first realised because they all knew each other as children and I really enjoyed seeing their past unfold alongside events in the present. Roa chose to marry Dax because she believed it was the best thing for her people but now he's king he doesn't seem to be following through on his promises so she is really struggling to deal with the sense of betrayal. There is a lot of bad blood between them and a deep lack of trust so their relationship was rocky from the beginning and only gets worse as time goes on.I felt really sorry for Roa because she was pretty alone most of the time, she didn't really have anyone to turn to and she desperately needed someone to be on her side. I was really annoyed at the way Dax was behaving too, I'd grown to like his character a lot in the first book so I was really surprised by how badly he was acting towards her but I could tell for a long time that everything wasn't what it seemed. I was totally caught up in the story and I did devour this book really quickly but I was a bit disappointed that the big misunderstanding between Roa and Dax went on for so long. I think for about 80% of the book we were led to believe something completely untrue and I was ridiculously relieved when they FINALLY had a proper conversation and started to let each other in on their secrets. The story could have been so much more satisfying if they'd done that a little sooner and then worked together to thwart their enemies!I did love the way things were resolved though and I do find these books incredibly easy to get sucked into. I can't wait to see how the series ends in the next book and I'm really, really hoping that Dax and Asha's cousin Safire is going to be the narrator of the final story.