Vic James continues to blow me away with this series! Every time I thought I knew where things were going, a new surprise or twist would throw everything out the window. The action picks up right where book 1, Gilded Cage, left off, so readers should be aware that this is book 2 in a trilogy and is not a standalone.

There were some truly amazing and wonderful moments in this book, but there were also some horrible lows and heartbreaking losses. The overall feel of Tarnished City was darker and grittier than the previous book, which really amped up the intensity and emotion. Told in multiple POVs, we are privy to the inner thoughts, fears, and hopes of both our heroes and villains. We become painfully aware that few things are as they seem on the surface and are left questioning the true intentions of some of our characters. Unlikely heroes rise, the depth of evil will at times seem limitless, and we are forced to say goodbye too soon to some of our motley crew. I'm not going to lie, there were a few times when I was just gutted. I was barely done processing the events, when another thing would smash my heart again to bits. I think part of what left me so heartbroken, was the sheer surprise and lack of fanfare surrounding these events. No heroics or blaze of glory. Just a sudden and profound loss.

I thought the commentary on human nature and the disparity between the haves and have nots was especially moving. The entire "social experiment" at Eilean Dochais as well as the Blood Fair was disturbing to say the least. It really makes one question what humanity is capable of when they can act with impunity. Familial love and loyalty also play a huge part in this series. The love between siblings and between parent and child influence so many of the actions of our characters. Abi, Luke, and especially Gavar grew so much through the course of this book. I cannot wait to find out what's next for our characters, as new alliances are formed and bridges are burned. Highly recommend this series!

*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book*

4.5 stars. Tarnished City, the second book in Vic James’s DARK GIFTS YA fantasy series, is a hard-hitting novel that picks right up where Gilded Cage left off, without any infodumping to remind the reader what happened in the first book. In this alternate version of our world, England is controlled by a minority group, the ironically-named Equals, who have magical powers and brutally use them to enforce their rule on everyone who isn’t magically skilled. The heaviest burden is the slavedays, a ten year period that each ordinary person is required to spend serving at the whim of the Equals.

In Gilded Cage (here’s your warning of some spoilers for that book), the Hadley family decided to serve their slavedays together, hoping to work them out on the Jardine estate in relative comfort. But the experience has turned disastrous in only a few months. Their teenage son Luke is now a prisoner of the sadistic Lord Crovan, accused of murdering a prominent Equal. Older daughter Abigail is a fugitive on the run, and the Hadley parents have been sent to the industrial slavetown Millmoor (conveniently removing them from the action). The youngest daughter Daisy remains with the Jardines as a babysitter for the baby daughter of their eldest son, Gavar Jardine.

Tarnished City, like Gilded Cage, shifts between the viewpoints of several characters. Its primary focus is on the teenage siblings Luke and Abi. Luke, now wearing Lord Crovan’s magical golden slave collar, is helicoptered to a remote estate in Scotland, where the worst political prisoners are given over to Crovan’s sadistic control. Luke is terrified of the mental and physical torture for which Crovan is infamous, but what actually happens at the inescapable Eilean Dòchais is something he had never imagined. Abi heads to the south of England to find the revolutionaries ― including some sympathetic Equals ― that her brother Luke had previously been working with. Her hope and goal is to rescue Luke with their assistance.

But Tarnished City also follows the viewpoints of a few key Equals: the oldest son and Jardine heir Gavar, a playboy who is beginning to take life more seriously and is finding himself at odds with his father’s plans to control England; Javar’s fiancée Bouda, an ambitious young woman who will do almost anything to increase her own power; and the youngest Jardine brother Silyan, an immensely gifted Equal who is following his own mysterious agenda.

Life is chaotic and holds unforeseen twists for all of these characters and others. The odds against the commoners and their few Equal allies are nearly overwhelming in the face of the immense magical powers of the Equals. Vic James uses this setting to examine the ills of slavery and humanity’s tendency to abuse power.

"The truth was, everyone in Britain wore a collar they couldn’t see. Millions of people, unquestioningly obeying the Equals. Slaving for ten years in appalling conditions. Subject to rulers they couldn’t choose or criticize. Confined to a country they couldn’t leave until their days were done. And accepting it all as normal.

Better to wear a collar you could see. That way you never forgot."

Tarnished City is a darker YA Fantasy, focusing on a culture of modern slavery that leads to foreseeable results, including murder and public executions, torture (both physical and psychological), profound betrayal, and hinted-at sexual assault.

James’s characters are complex and do unexpected things. After two books, I still haven’t figured out the end game for some key characters, and whether they’re trustworthy or not, which adds a great element of suspense and intrigue. Two characters in particular undergo shocking shifts in their behavior and outlook, heading in opposite directions from where they started. In both cases it improves the plot tremendously, although the shift in characterization is so profound it left me with the sneaking suspicion that James had a change of heart and plans after writing Gilded Cage, possibly in response to some criticism of one particular plotline: (view spoiler) Whether or not that’s true, I’m still a fan of the new directions for these characters.

I’m also a fan of this DARK GIFTS series, which creates an imaginative though brutal magical society, brimming with political and social intrigue and upheaval, and uses it to pose some serious questions. Highly recommended!

I loved this book! It was just as enthralling as The Gilded Cage. Perhaps the best part of this book, to me, was seeing the character development. I don't want to give any spoilers, so I'll just say that some of the characters shocked me, while others made me proud to see growth. I was happy to see more of certain Equals' thought processes. I can't wait for the third and final book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Delray for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.

Fair Warning this is Book 2 in the Dark Gifts series, I highly suggest you read Gilded Cage before you read this review.

So our favorites are back and new additions. This is told from even more points of view than the first one. Luke has been condemned for assassinating the Chancellor. He is taken by Lord Crovan up north to a prison that no one can escape from. He finds himself stuck in a horrible and twisted place. He makes friends with a young woman who has been on the island since she was a child.

Abi finds her way to Heir Meilyr who has been stripped of his Skill in some horrible fashion. They want to plan a rescue of Luke, but unsure how to get past all the defenses and rumors surrounding Lord Corvan's island. Jenner joins her for a bit, but leaves when becomes the Heir to his Aunt's estate.

Gavar finds himself in a horrible marriage with Heir Bouda and faced with his father being named the temporary chancellor, his brother Silyen has become the Heir to Lord Rix, and his father plans to enact legislation that will affect his daughter and he must decide which path to take.

Silyen is just learning to understand the depth of his abilities. He has a certain bond with Luke, and his own agenda that may be darker then even his father's.

First off I was a little thrown off with so many different POV's, there were a lot in this book and I almost suggest reading the first one again before reading this that being said. Whew is this book darker, more game of thrones than the first one. There are so many secrets revealed in this book, and so many more questions to ask at the end of it. I almost wonder how it could be wrapped up in the next book.

That being said I loved every minute of it, it hit the ground running and did not stop until the breathless end where you feel almost out of breath and wondering what just happened to you. Sigh I can't believe I have to wait a whole year for the next book. I think next time I will reread both books before savoring the 3rd.

Delightfully dark and twisted, Tarnished City is a phenomenal second installment in Vic James’ Dark Gifts trilogy. Gilded Cage introduced a high-stakes storyline centering around the imbalance of power and what life is when you’re power-less. Political machinations, cruelty, and magic aplenty in Tarnished City, but the heart of this tale is the price of freedom and how it’s often just a word without hope.

Gilded Cage left readers with the mother of all cliffhangers and Tarnished City picks up right after the events with Luke and Winterbourn Zelston, and now Luke finds himself in the worst place imaginable — Eilean Dòchais, Crovan’s estate. When it comes to Equals, Crovan is the worst of the worst - feared for his ruthlessness, his penchant for sadism and violence, and his ideals that he, as an Equal, truly is above and beyond humanity and reproach. The old club knows that time is running out to try and rescue Luke, never mind the fact that Crovan’s estate is impenetrable, but it still won’t stop them from trying.

Tarnished City is even darker and more twisted than the first book, and just when you think things can’t possibly get any worse, they inevitably do. Common folk in the slavetowns are slowly but surely organizing and carrying out their various uprisings, and while they don’t have much of an impact, it’s at least sending the message that they’re sick of the inequality and the treatment they receive. Much of the Equal population turn a blind-eye to the commoners in the slavetowns, not caring that their humanity is slowly stripped away with each passing day, but this book showed that Equal doesn’t always mean cruel. Luke and his fellow resisters have gained a few surprising allies through the course of the story, several of them with close connections to the Equals. I’m certainly excited to see how several of them fit in to the resistance and more importantly — what this means for the current power structure and the remaining Equals.

Bottom line - I love this series. I love the characters, I love the world and how James’ dystopian society often mirrors the power imbalance currently found in our own world, and I love how the power-less are often more powerful than the ones born with and handed power. Highly recommend, and I can’t wait to see how this series concludes. Especially after yet again! - another major cliffhanger. The wait will be torture, but at least it won’t be long with the final book releasing this fall.

Sequels are such tricky things for trilogies. They have to bridge the gap between the (hopefully) exciting end with all the answers and the intriguing beginning with all of the questions. In many cases, authors use sequels to develop characters and further establish the setting. However, they still run the risk of creating imbalance in the series. Give away too much and the ending suffers. Do too little and readers lose interest in the series at large. It is my opinion that Tarnished City suffers more from too much explanation which creates more questions and will disappoint fans hoping for a bit more action and more answers.

Vic James does not spend much time on character development as she does on politics. Politics are at the heart of the goals of the different factions, and Ms. James uses the sequel to explain it all. Between the various Skilled families and their ancestors, there is a lot take understand, and the names and political plots seem to never end. Making things worse is the fact that we add a few new narrators to the story. Not only do you have to keep track of who is against what or whom at any given time, you have to remember which narrator is which and on whose side they stand. By my count, there are at least five different agendas or factions ready to fight for power, making this story a bit more complicated than a battle of the Skilled versus the Unskilled as the first novel made the series out to be. It is more than a little confusing.

There are some compelling character developments and discoveries that are bound to play an important role in the series' finale. However, these serve almost as inflatable rafts in a storm. They are there to keep readers from giving up on the heavy exposition and detailed history lessons of her world. They do work in the short term; Luke makes a rather shocking discovery which could be a game-changer, as does Abi. The fact remains though that the story by the end of the novel is so complex that it is virtually impossible to determine how it will all end. Five different factions all fighting over the right to rule and the fate of the Unskilled creates not only mass confusion but a myriad of possibilities.

While you can admire Ms. James for her willingness to tackle such a complicated story, you do have to wonder if it is all worth it in the end. Already, after two weeks, the developments of Tarnished City are fading from my memory. By the time the final novel is available, the history lessons and general understanding of the various dynamics at play will be nothing but a distant memory. Should Ms. James find it necessary to rehash much of what was covered in this sequel, the finale is not only going to be very long but it will also be rather anti-climactic. However, to assume that readers do not need a refresher of past discoveries, she runs the risk of further alienating readers by confusing them even further than they might already be. To that end, one's enjoyment of the second novel hinges on what happens in the finale. Ms. James needs to find a way to tie all of the dry exposition into what hopefully is an exciting close to what is turning out to be an ambitious story.

This book was a crazy ride that picks up immediately after the first. It's definitely a middle book which ends on another cliffhanger but it's a thrilling adventure. This installment in the series was darker and grittier than the first and full of shocking developments, which left me stunned on multiple occasions. I can't wait to see how the developments and surprising new alliances from this book are wrapped up in the conclusion. I still have no idea what Silyen's plans or motivations are but that just seems to make him more intriguing. I can't wait for the conclusion to this amazing series!

First line: Jenner reined his horse to a halt, and it stamped and snorted in the long blue-black shadow of the trees.

Summary: In a modern day Great Britain the powerful are called Equals. They have magical powers called Skill. And the common people live their lives just as we do except for each person is required to serve 10 slave years during their lifetime. Many are sent to the slave towns to work in factories but the Hadley family are assigned to work at a home of an Equal. However, when Luke kills the Prime Minister he is condemned and sent to the dreaded prison island for a lifelong punishment. His sister Abigail is determined to rescue her brother. She escapes and tries to find the other rebels who are intent on bringing down the Equal regime and end the slave days. Revolution has begun in Great Britain and it will be a battle to the death.

Highlights: This series reminds me of the Hunger Games. There is lots of action and drama. The characters are really well established. I hate Whittam Jardine almost as much as President Snow. I was deeply saddened by several deaths in the story. I was completely shocked when they happened that I gasped and had to take a minute to recover from them. If a book can make you do that, you know that you are invested in it. I keep having complicated feelings about Silyean. He is an interesting character that I cannot decide if I want to trust or not. When I was nearing the end the whole story sped up and it was like a marathon. I had to finish it and was exhausted at the end. It was great! I cannot wait till the author releases the final book to find out how the story ends, if I can trust Silyean and see if the Hadley’s survive the revolution.

Lowlights: The magical powers of the Equal is called Skill. I felt like the word was over used at times. On several pages, the word is mentioned multiple times. As a reader of the series, we understand what they are doing. It does not have to be pointed out repeatedly.

FYI: Lots of violence. This is the second book in the series.

Tarnished City by Vic James is the second book in the young adult fantasy Dark Gifts series. From the title of the series to the intense book cover one should guess that this series is not all rainbows and sunshine but one that is incredibly dark and sometimes disturbing. If at all possible I think Tarnished City got a little darker than Gilded Cage if that was possible.

The series takes place in a society in which the world is ruled by Equals who are aristocrats with magical gifts. Everyone else are known as commoners and at some point during their lifetimes they have to serve the Equals for a period of ten years as their slaves. Commoners can choose to serve at any point in their lives from 10 to 80 years old.

In Gilded Cage we met a family that when the youngest child turned ten the parents decided to sign the whole family up for their slave days to be completed together. Luke’s older sister Abi has arranged for the family to work together at a plantation owned by England’s most powerful family of Equals. But upon arrival the paperwork had been messed up and Luke is shipped off to a slave town separate from the rest of his family.

Now this is a series that definitely needs to be read from the beginning of the first book as the story only continues on from where that book ended and probably wouldn’t make much sense jumping into the middle. Tarnished City however does have subtle reminders of what had been happening to remind readers where they had left off as the story picks up again.

From the very moment the series began a part of me is just so darn angry at the whole idea of forcing kids/teens into signing up for their slavery days without actually letting them voice their own choice. Of course it would have to be done but the parents were able to put it off until they had built their life together so why take that choice away from their kids?

Of course the whole society and the way it’s set up comes into play in the overall plot to the series. The point of view changes in the series between several different key characters mainly from the commoner family that had signed up and the Equals with the powers that they are involved with but now there have been more added as the story has expanded even further.

While this one does have a bit of that middle book feel as it picked up from the first and left a bit of a cliffhanger at the end to lead into the second so I'd rate it at 3.5 stars myself but it was still a solid addition moving the story forward. I would definitely suggest too that this one is definitely for the more mature readers as I mentioned earlier it is a extremely dark read and I’m sure will only get more intense in the next installment.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Tarnished City is book 2 of the series, and absolutely must be read in order. The story builds off of the last book, Gilded Cage and advances the storylines of Luke, Abi, and the Jardine family. It is action packed, not one word is wasted on any fluff, long descriptions, or mere speculation.

Although it may seem young adult, it is not in themes. It shows the worst of humanity, its brutal nature and the quest to save everyone from themselves. No character is black and white (except maybe the Jardine patriarch) and everyone has the potential to be both bad and good.

My one complaint is that the character of Daisy is barely mentioned. She was a bit unlikeable in the first book however I am interested to know where she fits in.

I need to read book 3 immediately, I cannot wait to see how it ends.

Tarnished City
by Vic James
Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine
Pub Date 06 Feb 2018
Courtesy Netgalley
Tarnished City is the sequel to Gilded Cage. You must read Gilded Cage first or there will be major spoilers in this review. Gilded Cage is amazing so go read it.
Tarnished City continues with the same lush detail that I enjoyed so much in Gilded Cage. Every event, person and thing merits a second look because nothing is what it seems at all. The Skilled and the Unskilled both have unexpected reactions to the events that culminated in Gilded Cage. Abbey goes on the run in an attempt to find the truth and free her brother, Luke. Luke is taken captive and delivered into the hands of Crovan. At Crovan’s isolated castle, which cannot be entered or exited without the lord’s permission, Luke is to be tortured and questioned about his activities at Kenyston.

I have read over 100 books in 2016, and The Gilded Cage was in the top 3. It is a finely crafted novel. I enjoyed it so much I purchased it in a Kindle version, a hardback and an audiobook version. I plan on doing the same with Tarnished City. I already have the paperback from the United Kingdom because I could not wait for the American release date. It continues the wonderful story lines that Gilded Cage excelled at. Now everything is in flux. Abbey has found the resistance and found them to not all be Unskilled like her. Luke is trying to survive each day and find a way to escape the castle without instant death as he walks through the door. The Jardines work to consolidate their power, seeking to make their family not just powerful but royal.
I was so pleased that Abigail Hadley, strong in the first book, continues to fight to save not only her brother but all the Unskilled. She has moments of doubt but stays strong. It makes her a very relatable protagonist. Luke has lost some of the strength he gained in Milltown. What the Jardines and Corvan did to him has left his brain broken. Gavar is still hot tempered but not as naive as he once was. To share his father’s vision of a powerful future means to lose his Unskilled daughter. Silyen has his own plans for the family’s power. He just has not shared them. Since he seems to be the most powerful Skilled of all, people must use caution around him.

All of the characters in both books are 3 dimensional. None of the characters are flat or unformed. This world, with all its magic and class distinctions, is very believable because the characters and their reactions to the events are so real. Tarnished City takes the politics and action from Gilded Cage and turns it up several notches on the scale. It leaves the reader breathless and ready for book number three.

"Tarnished City" is a powerful sequel to "Gilded Cage," a dark YA fantasy. This series takes place in an alternate reality, where Equals, people will extraordinary Skills (think X-Men type powers) rule several countries, including Britain, where Abi and her family live. All the Commoners (people without Skills/powers) are required to do slave days, which are 10 years spent in horrible conditions, doing labor for Equals. Equals have all the power because of their Skills. This sequel begins where the first book left off- Abi's family is being separated. Her little sister will be staying with the Jardines to watch over Gavar's illegitimate daughter, while Abi and her parents are being sent to a labor camp for slaves (where Luke had previously served).

Luke has been condemned for the murder of the Chancellor, which he had done while being controlled and then had his memory erased to not remember the event. As someone who is Condemned, he is going to Crovan's- a cruel Equal- estate where people are tortured for their crimes and no one gets out unscathed. Things are not quite what they seem there, and this was perhaps one of the most fascinating parts of the book- everything is a bit shrouded in mystery and an unusual brand of torture is the norm.

Abi has had some awakenings about what being a slave really means- and it isn't the portrait painted by the Equal government. She finds her way to Heir Meilyr (Doc Jackson) and Bodina, Angel, who are continuing their crusade and trying to do it without leaving anyone behind. However, things are going to get much more difficult for all of them as they fight against the enormous power of Equals. These cast of people were my favorites from the first book, and they continue to be in this book- they have a lot of strength and really bring up the questions of power and corruption that permeate the plot. Abi really matures during this book and begins to really come into her own. "She used to think 'courage' was a reckless, slightly stupid thing. She understood it a little better now. It was doing what was right, even when every shred of self-preservation screamed against it."

Similar to the previous book, there are many different point-of-views in different chapters (told in third person limited so it is easy to follow). I really liked being able to follow so many different plotlines. Silyen's story became particularly interesting as he begins to explore what is Skill and how some people do/don't have it. For instance, why he has so much and Jenner so little. He's a bit of a mystery, and even by the end of the book, I am not sure I totally understand where he will be going- but I'm very interested to find out.

Overall, I think this was a powerful sequel for what is rapidly becoming one of my favorite series. It's a dark story and definitely has some adult themes (slavery, power dynamics, birthrights/prejudices, murder/death, and punishments for crimes). However, I think it's an excellent read for adults and older teens. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to give anything away, but the later parts of the book really blew me away. There are a lot of twists and surprises that I absolutely did not see coming, and I love to be awed like that. I cannot wait to continue this fantastic series- so sad I'll have to wait until the next book to continue this jaw-dropping plot!

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I was a huge fan of Gilded Cage when I read it. So when I saw that Tarnished City was up for review, I jumped at the chance to get it. I am so glad I did because Tarnished City exceeded my expectations for it. To be honest, I was expecting the sophomore slump, which is very common. Usually, 2nd books in a trilogy or series fall way short of book 1. I have read series where book 1 was fantastic and book 2 sucked. This isn’t the case with Tarnished City. The author keeps the same sense of urgency throughout the entire book. Not an easy feat but it was done.

Tarnished City starts off shortly after the end of events of Gilded Cage. Luke has been accused of murder. He is going with a man who is notorious for torturing and killing the criminals kept at his island estate. Luke’s only solace is that his sisters and parents were spared the same fate as he was. He also finds out that he has an unlikely ally in the Jardine’s youngest son, Silyen. Silyen knows not only what happened but he knows that Luke is innocent. Promising not to let Crovan hurt him, Luke is sent to Crovan’s island. Abi escaped from the transport that was taking her mother, father and herself to a slavetown. Reaching Luke’s band of rebels, she falls in with them. She needs them to find a way to free Luke from Crovan. But that doesn’t happen. Instead, Abi is sucked into the same revolution that got Luke imprisoned.

On the Skilled end, there were a ton of things happening. Silyen discovers something very important about one of his ancestors and about himself. He realizes that he might have done something that compromised Jenner’s use of Skill. His research and experimentation have some surprising results. Gavar is bullied into marrying someone he doesn’t love. Pressure by his father threatens to undo Gavar. Jenner is dealing with his own issues. He loves Abi but is that love enough? Bouda, Gavar’s wife, has discovered that there is more to her Skill than what she thought. She also realizes that the only way to get ahead is to form an alliance with her father in law.

I enjoyed seeing the progression of the characters. What I also liked is that characters straddled the line between good and evil. There were definitely gray areas that made me go “hmm” when I read them. I also liked that I got the feeling that the characters’ were barely tapped into. That we were only seeing the first few layers of their characters. It made me excited to see where these characters will go in book 3.

The relationships in Tarnished City were screwed up. Actually, the relationships between the Equals were screwed up. I couldn’t believe how much backstabbing and double-crossing was going on. There was a hint of it in the earlier book but it blew up in Tarnished City. I also liked that you couldn’t count on the relationships being rock solid. There were a couple of times where I was shocked over events that had taken place in the book.

The end of the book was one of the best endings that I have ever read. I was in shock over what happened at the Blood Fair. Those were some very gruesome scenes that portrayed what mob mentality could do. I liked that the one character I thought I had pegged ended up doing something heroic. I also liked that none of the plotlines were resolved. There was a huge twist in a relationship that I didn’t see coming. All that made me very excited to read book 3 when it comes out.

Tarnished City was a great read. The plotlines were fantastic. I got vested in the characters lives. I would recommend that this book is for adults only. There is a reference to rape and there are sexual situations. Also, there is violence and language. This is a book that is not stand alone. You need to read book 1 to understand the events in Tarnished City. Saying that I would recommend this to family and friends with a suggestion that they read Gilded Cage first. This is also a book that I plan on rereading.

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group, Del Ray, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Tarnished City.

All opinions stated in this review of Tarnished City are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Thanks to the publisher for access to this title.

Luke and his family are in more danger than ever. His sister Abi is on the run, and Luke is in prison for committing a murder he didn't do. . . or did he?

Old characters make a reappearance, and new ones come into play as those who do not have powers struggle against the growing rebellion for freedom and equality. Alliances are forged, and as more people die, it is clear that more is on the line than just life and death.

A great middle book for a series, this has plenty of action and keeps the plot moving forward. It's a little more of a complexity than the first in the way the plots are intertwined, but still easy to follow and see how things are coming to the ultimate show down and conclusion.

This sequel to Guilded Cage begins right where the first book left off. Luke has been convicted of killing the Chancellor and is turned over to a cruel Equal who will manage his imprisonment. The Equals are the aristocracy and they have skills or magical powers. The Unskilled are the commoners and they are at the mercy of the Equals. Luke knows his act of murder was committed under the total control of an Equal and yet he will be the one to suffer. His sister Abi has been sent with her parents to live in the slavetown Millmoor. Determined to prove Luke’s innocence, Abi escapes and looks to the rebels to help save her brother. The Equals get even crueler in this book. They actually relish in their growing domination of the Unskilled.

Abi must grow and become more assertive if she hopes to save her sibling. Luke must learn how to live in a madhouse of a prison where his own memories are being ripped away. Meanwhile, Gavar and his younger brother Silyen are rising in the ranks of the Equals as their father asserts himself as acting Chancellor. Gavar marries an ambitious girl who will do whatever it takes to secure power. He still has a very strong attachment to the child he had with an Unskilled girl who he ended up killing. His brother Silyen is as enigmatic as in the first book. He manipulates situations, adding to his own power and yet he is fixated on learning about the nature of the Skills his family wields. He’s also fascinated with Luke.

James not only builds upon her strong fist book but continues adding surprising events that may shock readers. Her characters are complex and difficult to categorize. Some of the situations are unexpected and intriguing. Despite a slight lull in the middle, the ending packs a wallop. This is a strong sequel that readers will not want to miss and which will leave them pining for the next book.

I was invited by NetGalley to read and review this ARC edition. I didn't realize it was the second book of a series and have discovered after about 30 pages that one MUST read book one!

Therefore, I will NOT be reviewing or rating this book! it is unfair to the author, the book and myself to do otherwise.

Tarnished City is the second installment in author Vic James Dark Gifts trilogy. This story picks up right exactly where Gilded Cage left off, so if you haven't yet read that story, make haste and do so now. This series is set in a sort of modern Britain with a very dystopian feel to it. Magic users control everything: wealth, politics, power—and you. If you’re not one of the ultimate one-percenters—the magical elite—you owe them ten years of service. Do those years when you’re old, and you’ll never get through them. Do them young, and you’ll never get over them.

Unquestionably, this story is about two main families; the Jarden's and the Hadley's. Most especially Luke and Abigail Hadley, Jenner, Silyen, and Gavar Jardine. As the story picks up, Luke is in deep, deep trouble after being found guilty of doing something he has no recollection about. Abi and his parents are being sent to Millmoor, while his younger sister Daisy is staying behind to take care of Gavar's daughter.
Luke is given away to a new master named Lord Crovan who we met in the previous installment. If Luke survives, he may never be the same again. Can anyone save him, or will he find his own allies and save himself?

Meanwhile, Abi finds a way to escape going to Millmoor with her parents who are rightly distraught after what happened to Luke and leaving Daisy behind with the Jardine's. Abi, now a fugitive from her slave days, has no desire to leave Luke behind, especially since the idea of doing their 10 years together as a family was her idea. Now, she must do things that she never would have thought possible. She must put together an alliance to retrieve Luke before he is permanently lost to everyone. If she fails in her attempt, her entire family might end up facing the wrath of the so called Equals. One could say that things actually flip flopped.

I would say that most of this story keys on Abi's exploits, but let's not forget about the political shenanigans from not only the Jardine's, but other characters as well. Let's not forget about Luke and his experiences with other characters who we meet at Crovan's castle. Let's not forget that Silyen is up to something and we haven't yet uncovered what his ultimate plans really are. He knows that he is perhaps the most powerful Equal around, which he has shown time after time.
Whatever Silyen is up to, it is just simmering under the surface waiting to explode and take everyone down.

The character the most individual growth has to be Gavar and that's mostly because of his love for his daughter, his respect for Daisy, and a bold move that saves someone when all hope is lost. Plus the fact that he really doesn't fit in with his family nor has any desire to make his future wife happy and content and close to achieving her goals. One of the darkest & most driven characters to me has to be Bouda Matravers. She doesn't care how many people she has to sleep with or kill in order to get the ultimate power. She'll sleep with your brother, father, sister, mother, uncle, or whomever in order to rise to the top of the ladder.

This is book is filled with shifting alliances, surprising twists and shocking turn of events. It is perhaps the most entertaining book of the trilogy so far. I have to be encouraged by Abi's growth as a character was well. She may have made mistakes, and she will again soon, but she at least has a clue as to what drives her the most; saving her brother. My only real criticism of this entire series so far has been the numerous alternating narratives. I would love to see that cut back in the final installment called Bright Ruin releasing in 2018.

Note: I actually read this book in September. I later realized that it wasn't releasing in the US until February! I choose to write my review now because it is a whole lot closer to February than September was. I have all intention of requesting and reading the sequel once it is posted on either NetGalley or Edelweiss.

Rating 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 stars.
In this second book in the Dark Gifts series, which should not be read apart from the first book, commoners Abigail and Luke have been separated- Luke has been framed for the murder of the leader of the Skilled class, and sent to live as a prisoner of the sadistic Lord Crovan, whose home is on an island, protected with devilish wards and traps. The novel follows Luke's sister Abigails attempt to free her brother, and to network with other Equals and commoners to mount a rebellion against the leadership of the Skilled class who rule in this alternate-history version of modern England.

In this world, the ruling class, or Equals, have developed abilities to control others-to harm or to heal with their minds. Lord Crovan is one of the most powerful, with the apparent ability to strip the ability to use Skill altogether from another Equal. The commoners are used as glorified slaves to keep the infrastructure of the country working, and to serve the Equals. In this second book, battle lines are being drawn between factions- it is not just Equals against commoners, but Equals plotting against each other to consolidate power and to grind all others under their heels. Some Equals are sympathetic to the commoners, but in this environment weakness is seen as unacceptable, and any wrong step can be fatal. Sinister forces abound, especially among the Jardines, the ruling family of Equals, with their ruthless patriarch, and the psycopath Silyen, who plots to usurp power not only within his family, but to control much more, using whatever means necessary, as he seeks to uncover the secrets of Skill, lost for generations.

The characters here are enjoyable, whether deliciously evil and manipulative, or sympathetic and often tragic. In a "Game of Thrones" way, all the characters here that fight for good seen to be in the minority, and always at an extreme disadvantage. I'm curious to see how the series will end. The author clearly raises questions about what it means to be human. Does might always make right? Does being the most powerful class or having special abilities make one superior? In this novel, the Equals mostly seem to have devolved into little more than intelligent beasts with special abilities. Can we be entrusted with more power, or will it always end badly for us? Does it necessarily result in a Faustian bargain in which we lose our soul and our humanity?

The series is focused pretty narrowly on a few locales for now, and I again wish I knew more backstory or what was happening in the world at large- but I have enjoyed the series so far, and look forward to the next in the series.

The first book in this series was high on my list of favorite YA reads last year, and Tarnished City is quite possibly better.  

This is a darker, grittier read, and the world-building continues to be phenomenal.  Every character is so well-drawn - the depth is exceptional.  Be prepared - deaths, betrayals, and surprises abound, and my jaw drops to page number ratio was exceedingly high.

As with the first novel, many of these characters aren't what they initially seem, but Silyen continues to intrigue me the most.  I feel like there's a clue right in front of me, but he remains an enigma.

Such a complex storyline - politics, rebellion, power struggles - a YA read that doesn't underestimate the intelligence of its audience.  Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

This is an amazing series that I have suggested that all of my friends must read!!