“Who will light the way for the rebellion? Mare Barrow is a prisoner, powerless without her lightning, tormented by her mistakes. She lives at the mercy of a boy she once loved, a boy made of lies and betrayal. Now a king, Maven continues weaving his web in an attempt to maintain control over his country – and his prisoner. While Mare remains trapped in the palace, the remnants of the Red Rebellion continue organizing and expanding. As they prepare for war, no longer able to linger in the shadows, Cal – the exiled prince with his own claim on Mare’s heart – will stop at nothing to bring her back.”
What is the book about?
Mare Barrow is a prisoner, left powerless without her lightning, with no hope of escape. She lives imprisoned by a boy she once loved, a boy who still loves her and is obsessed with keeping her with him. Maven is now a king, but he continues weaving his web of lies and betrayal to keep control over his country and his people – especially his prisoner. Maven will stop at nothing to keep the Scarlet Guard from taking control of Norta (his country) and will use Mare to his advantage to strengthen himself while weakening the rebels. While Mare remains trapped in a king’s cage, the Scarlet Guard continues with its Red Rebellion organising and expanding its forces ready to overthrow the king. As the Guard prepare for war, Cal – the exiled prince with his own claim on Mare’s heart – is no longer able to linger in the shadows and has to step up and ignore his own beliefs to bring her back. Will Mare manage to escape Maven or will she live in fear of a broken king forever?
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
The ending of Glass Sword left me anxious for answers, with Mare trapped I had no idea what would happen and if she would be able to escape Maven a second time. The blub – which I read before beginning the book – only told me what I already knew but also gave me some hope and made me even more interested in starting the book. The book began instantly and in a very shocking way. It left me on the edge of my seat, holding my breath, from the very first page. I immediately felt like I belonged and I was there with Mare every step of the way. Every chapter was perfect and always left me wanting to read on so that I could get answers and find out what would happen to the characters. The book once again had me hooked from the very beginning and I was soon nearing the end without even realising. I knew I would love reading it and I was right. The start was incredible, as was the middle and the end.
Who was your favourite character and why?
I had two favourite characters in this book, one was Mare, who changed a lot during her imprisonment, and the second was Cameron, the newblood from the New Town slums. In the previous book – Glass Sword – I had not liked Mare because of how she changed and became very self-centred and acted horribly at times, destroying anyone that stood in her way. I understood this because the Silvers had treated her and many other Reds terribly and they would never show her mercy so why should she, but she was trying to defeat a monster and bring peace for everyone in a way that was turning her into a monster. However, being trapped in the palace gave her the opportunity to remember why she joined the Scarlet Guard and what the aim of the rebellion really was. She had hope and never gave up, even though she knew that there was no chance she would get out on her own and that there was no way the others could save her. She let Maven believe that he had her when really keeping her locked up was only pushing her further away from the boy she once loved, the boy that is now gone. Mare changed and became the girl that I liked in the first book once again. The other character I liked was Cameron, because she reminded me a lot of Mare in the first book. Cameron hated staying with the Scarlet Guard and had been forced to join by Mare, but she stayed because they were the only people that could help her get her twin brother back from the war safely. Cameron joined the Scarlet Guard because of her brother just like Mare did, and she remains in order to help him. Even though everyone kept telling Cameron that there was no way they could get her brother back and that there were more important things to worry about, she never gave up and kept believing that she could save him. She used her deadly ability to kill in order to get closer to her brother even though she hated it, and she never gave up on him even though it was almost impossible. I really admire both Mare and Cameron and I think that they are both amazing characters.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
My favourite part of the book is undoubtedly when Mare finally manages to escape. I knew it would happen at one point but after a while I started to lose hope and began to question if the Scarlet Guard was actually going to get her out of there. I liked this part because Mare was finally back with her family and was safe from Maven and all the torture he put her through. Mare had felt so alone in the palace with no one she loved and now she was with them again she knew that she was not alone and that people would never stop trying to get her back. This was a happy part of the book where Mare felt strong and safe and where she far away from the king. I also like that she was back with the Scarlet Guard because it meant that they had more of a chance at success with the lightning girl back on their side and now they would be able to attack Maven without worrying that they could harm Mare too. This part of the book restored Mare’s hope and her strength and gave her more reason to keep fighting for what she believes.
What was your overall impression of the book?
Overall, the book was absolutely amazing and I loved it just as much as the previous ones. One of the things I like about the book was that it had 3 perspectives. The other 2 book only had Mare’s point of view but King’s Cage also had Cameron’s and Evangeline’s. I understood why Cameron’s perspective was given, because without a view from someone outside of the palace then the readers would not have known what was happening with the Scarlet Guard, but Evangeline’s view came as a huge shock. I liked hearing from different people but I specifically liked learning more about Evangeline and understanding how she saw things. Having more insight on her made me feel sympathetic towards her because she was made to be cruel and to be queen and all she wanted was to be free from everything and to have the chance to live her own life. Another thing that I liked about the book was the amount of characters – including Silvers – that began to realise that Maven was a horrible king and that he did not deserve the throne. This gave me a lot of hope that the rebels would be able to kill Maven and make Norta equal for everyone. The ending was the only thing that I didn’t really like and it left me shocked and sad but I know that there is another book so there is still a chance for happiness. I wish the ending had gone differently but I still liked it and I am sure that it was the best ending the author could have chosen. I am very happy that I chose to read this book and I really loved every single word, I cannot wait to read the final book in the Red Queen series but I will be sad to see it end.
Which book did you like better, the first, the second or the third?
Red Queen, Glass Sword and King’s Cage were all very good books and I loved them all equally, however I think that King’s Cage was the best book. One thing that made King’s Cage really stand out from the other books was that it had 3 different perspectives instead of just Mare’s. It made the book more interesting since there were more people to hear from and there were 3 different storylines to follow which made it the best book out of the 3. Another thing that makes King’s Cage my favourite book so far is the way that the rebellion expanded. There were so many people helping the Scarlet Guard with their mission and so many more people were beginning to see that Maven was a monster made of lies that no one should trust. The book really showed how even though Reds are thought to be inferior, they are also strong and can achieve anything if they work together and never give up. King’s Cage really gave me hope that Maven could be defeated and that the perfect world was achievable. I think that all 3 books were really extraordinary but King’s Cage was my favourite.
Would you recommend this book?
This is definitely an incredible book that I think everyone should read. I particularly recommend it for readers over 13 and I suggest reading the other books in the series (Red Queen and Glass Sword) before this one, or you will be extremely confused.
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
An inventive and magical new world full of power, lies and betrayal which will leave you gasping for breath.
Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego
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