Title: To Cage a God
Series: These Monstrous Gods
Author: Elizabeth May
Publisher: Daphne Press
Release Date: 20th February 2024
Pages: 443
Source: ARC
Rating: ✰✰✰✰.5
CAWPILE: 8.00/10
Synopsis
Using ancient secrets, Galina and Sera’s mother grafted gods into their bones. Bound to brutal deities and granted forbidden power no commoner has held in a millennia, the sisters have grown up to become living weapons. Raised to overthrow an empire―no matter the cost.
With their mother gone and their country on the brink of war, it falls to the sisters to take the helm of the rebellion and end the cruel reign of a royal family possessed by destructive gods. Because when the ruling alurea invade, they conquer with fire and blood. And when they clash, common folk burn.
While Sera reunites with her estranged lover turned violent rebel leader, Galina infiltrates the palace. In this world of deception and danger, her only refuge is an isolated princess, whose whip-smart tongue and sharp gaze threaten to uncover Galina’s secret. Torn between desire and duty, Galina must make a choice: work together to expose the lies of the empire―or bring it all down.
Review
"Martyrs breed more revolutionaries than criminals."
I really didn’t know what to expect going into this, but I ended up completely devouring it in a day! The reason it doesn’t get a full five stars for me is that I still left a little confused on some of the worldbuilding fronts, and I’m not sure if this is just because I read it so quickly or if some elements just weren’t touched upon. But I was confused as to why the Gods haven’t bonded to commoners in so long and why the different countries hate one another (other than their rulers being generally unpleasant people). So I wonder if this is something that will be expanded upon in the sequel?
My favourite thing though was without a doubt the relationships (both romantic and non-romantic) within the book. I thought that the dynamic between Katya and the Empress was so interesting to look at, despite how gross the imbalance was, I thought it was really well done. Elizabeth May did really well to highlight how atrocious the Empress was being, while also never letting Katya become passive - I loved being in Katya’s head during their interactions. I thought it was also interesting how she made you slightly question whether or not the Empress truly cares for Katya or not, and I can’t wait to see people’s perspectives on that when the book is released!
"I'd rather spend an eternity hoping we cross paths again than resign myself to a single moment without you. I'll always belong to you, until my last breath. In this life and the next."
My favourite relationship though was without a doubt Sera and Vitaly’s, what can I say? I’m a sucker for a man who is essentially a chaotic knife-wielding simp. This relationship really played up to so many tropes but I loved it because it didn’t feel like it was just trying to hit different tropes but instead felt fleshed out and thought through. I loved how funny they were together too, Vitaly especially really made me laugh throughout.
Ultimately, I really liked where it left off but I’m not sure it really left me with a lot of suspense for a sequel - there are some definite questions to be asked about some of the loose ends and I am intrigued to see how those are tied up but I almost wish this had ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, which I didn’t massively think it did (though there are some big questions about the future looming). I would really recommend this though, so I hope you buy it once it is released!
Comments