The Gilded Cage By Lynette Noni
Out Now from HMH Books for Young Readers; 429 pages
Content Warnings: Blood, death, drug abuse, physical abuse, graphic injuries, PTSD
About the Author: “Lynette Noni is currently Australia’s #1 YA fiction author. After studying journalism, academic writing and human behaviour at university, she finally ventured into the world of fiction. She is now a full-time writer and the bestselling author of the six-book young adult fantasy series, The Medoran Chronicles, as well as a second bestselling and award-winning series called Whisper.
Lynette won the 2019 ABIA Award for Small Publishers’ Children’s Book of the Year, along with the 2019 Gold Inky Award (Australia’s only teen choice book award). She is currently collaborating on a project with #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas.
The first book in Lynette’s newest series, The Prison Healer, released globally in April 2021, with the sequel coming in October.” (Bio taken from Author’s Website.)
Find on Lynette Noni the following platforms:
After escaping Zalindov with Prince Jaren, his Royal Shield, and Tipp, Kiva finds herself living as a guest in the royal palace. The only problem is that she is a Corentine, the blood of the Rebel Queen runs through her veins, as does her hidden healing magic. With her growing romance with the heir to the throne and her dream of studying healing at the prestigious Silverthorn Academy dangling in front of her, Kiva has to make a tough decision. Does she side with her last remaining family, her brother and sister, the leaders of the rebels, or the royals, who she trusts and feels safe with? Loyalties waver and truths come forward as Kiva learns how to live free after ten years of being a prisoner. Complications arise and Kiva questions everything, especially her quest for vengeance.
I was so excited to continue this series after the cliffhanger in The Prison Healer. I was especially excited to be out of the prison setting, and to see how Kiva reacted to her new setting. After seeing Kiva rough around the edges and only caring about herself and Tipp in the last book, it was like seeing a new character in this book as she opened herself up to romantic and familial love. Nonetheless, she maintains her sneakiness and secrecy. We get to see Kiva’s inner struggle to be selfish for the first time in her life. She just wants to be her own person and make decisions based on her best interests. I enjoyed getting to know the new characters and what the rest of Wenderall is like: the luxury of the palace, the normality of society, and the serenity of nature. The Gilded Cage hooked me in and left me begging for the next book to come as soon as possible.
PRR Writer, Adrianna Muñoz