Reviews with content warning for Murder - To Cage a God

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To Cage a God by Elizabeth May

6 reviews

kpturner90's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book is a bit of a twist on your classic fairytale princess love story. I love the characters and their commitment to making the world a better place no matter how dangerous it may be. They see the unfairness and cruelty done to the people and are determined to do what it takes to make things right at any cost. The fierce protectiveness these characters have for each other is the type of loyalty everyone should have from at least one person in their lives, and these characters have it from many- sisters, friends, and lovers. They will do anything to protect and save one another. The romance aspect adds a nice touch without overpowering the main story that's being told. The couples are well-matched, and you can't help but love seeing them together. This book was relatively slow-paced, particularly in the beginning and middle, but picked up closer to the end. I'm not a big fan of slower-paced novels, but it's to be expected from the first book in a series because it needs to take the time for world-building so the story can be told in a way that pulls you in. Overall, I enjoyed this book well enough, and although it isn't one of my favorites, it has the makings of possibly becoming a favorite series. I am excited to see what happens next, and can't wait for the next book!

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madscientistcat's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

A solid romantasy vibe. It has a somewhat shallow and predictable but enjoyable fantasy story with a fine but not overly deep double romance threading through the whole book (second chance M/F pairing & fated mates/forbidden F/F pairing). I think fans of a strong, feisty female lead will enjoy this queernormative, people’s revolution styled romantasy.

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gen_wolfhailstorm's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Thank you to Black Crow PR and Daphne Press for sending me a hardback copy for the book tour. All opinions remain 100% genuine.

I absolutely, whole heartedly adored this novel immensely.

May's writing in this is absolutely exquisite! I hadn't realised I had read another book by her. It was a duo author book, called Seven Devils and it was just okay to me (I think I would enjoy it more now having loved more sci fi recently), but I couldn't help but note that the contrast to her current fantasy writing is just so sharp. She definitely won me around in this beautifully rebellious novel.

The multi pov was rich and diverse, the characters so dimensional & I loved to love them & (even better imo) loved to 𝕝𝕠𝕒𝕥𝕙𝕖 them! Isadora was a particular favourite villain and I felt so swoony over Vitaly's criminal charm and Vasilia's ice cold, carefully crafted emotions.

The atmosphere & landscape demonstrated in To Cage a God was so vivid and descriptive, that I felt like I had been transported there. Every time I picked it back up, I felt like I was flying through the pages. The story was just so moreish.

The cultures, queer representation and themes of oppression and rebellion and the overal overthrowing of a corrupt hieracy felt so prevalent and empowering.

The tantalising & forbidden romance that Galina was battling through was a particular favourite character/relationship development. It was so addictive and made me all giddy and excitable for it all! The spice in this was unexpected. May did not shy away from those scenes and they were so good.

Another favourite character/relationship development was the sisterly bond between Galina and Sera. This relationship was beautiful to read and felt so fraught with shared trauma and experience. The love that bound them together was amazing.

There's so many different types of relationships in this story, that links the multiple perspectives, and I was appreciative of how complex and realistic each relationship felt. They were all necessary to the building of individual characters as well as carrying the story through and creating drive, ambition and bond between characters. It also strengthened my attachment to the book as a reader as I had to know what would happen to everyone.

Then there's the magic - it's so unique! Literally caging these dragon-like gods in the vessel of a human body and the price one pays for that? Ugh, absolutely fantastic. I loved the magic system and the study of the potions and medicines that Sera and Vasilia conducted, respectfully. Some of the godpower felt a bit overpowered but to explore that, I would love to learn even more about the gods and their dimension, what they can do and what their limits are. Does this become weaker once their bonded to a mortal? More of the lore from their perspective would be awesome.

Overall, I loved every moment of this book. I can't wait for the sequel.

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persephonefoxx's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

“I’d rather spend an eternity hoping we cross paths than resign myself to a single moment without you”

This is a romatasy that wins in the romance category and struggles in the fantasy category.

I was as a fan of the romances in this book, actively rooting for both major romance plot lines wholeheartedly. However, when it came to the fantasy side things got a little hazy. I definitely enjoyed this story more for the romance aspects it had to offer than what it brought to the table in terms of fantasy and there is a clear moment within the narrative itself where despite the incredibly dire circumstances, the characters find themselves more focused on intimacy than the villain in their midst.

I don’t think this book had any business having five POVs. Personally I don’t believe the characters were different enough in their depiction, to constitute the switching perspectives. The story could have been achieved with POVs from Sera and Galina alone (although I will give Vitaly a pass for his solid ‘wife guy’ energy).

I really did enjoy the representation in this book. Particularly the inclusion of someone experiencing chronic illness and how she had to navigate the world in light of that. Also huge props for said character experiencing romance where at no point was she seen as a burden on her partner.

This book was enjoyable. But I wouldn’t say it was groundbreaking. It was cliche and a little tropey at times, but that isn’t always a bad thing. The story, and more importantly the relationships between the characters, has intrigued me enough to continue with this duology.

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devynreadsnovels's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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lovefromhannah's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Move aside Throne of Glass, Elizabeth May is in town.

To Cage A God combines high fantasy with all of your dark romantasy desires. Told in multiple perspectives, it combines deities and political fantasy as our characters gear up to begin their rebellion against their oppressors. The characters are written well and flip tropes on their heads from the beginning (the quiet protagonist doesn't cower away and the louder character is more than their snarky one-liners and has layers to their character). It is clear that May took great care when creating these characters and the world.

I've seen criticism of the title being misleading. However, without giving too much away, the 'caging gods' aspect is a fresh take on the deity trope. I hope you give this novel the chance it deserves.

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thank you to the publisher for gifting me a free arc. all opinions and words are my own.

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