This book was even better than the first one. I am loving the journey Kiva is on. It kills me that each book ends with me needing to know more. I can’t wait to read the next one!

In this the next book in The Prison Healer story finds our royals, Tipp, and Kiva in the capital. Tipp and Kiva are settling in well and Kiva has also gotten a offer to study healing at the most coveted healing school. All seems to be going well until Kiva's magic starts popping up unexpectedly and is getting harder to hide, so she goes to find her siblings and in doing so sets into motion a avalanche she doesn't want to happen, and might just be the reason for her to lose all she has and the only true friends she has ever had.

This book was just as wonderful as the first, its action is one hundred miles a hour from the start and doesn't let up. The suspense is just as thick and oh my the twists and turns might just give you motion sickness, only to stop and leave you wanting more. This is one wonderful book and I hope you like it as much as I do.

This review will appear on my blog on Oct 12th

I read The Prison Healer earlier this year and was obsessed with its world and its characters. So when I was given the chance to read its sequel as an advanced reader's copy, I knew I was going to be in for a ride, as my good friend Chloe best described it.

Kiva has just escaped Zalindov and is now living out her days in the kingdom palace with Jaren and the rest of his family. What is now a peaceful life is now interrupted when Kiva's family comes knocking on her door, asking for her aide in the rebellion set to take down Jaren's family. Will Kiva stick to the vengeance she once sought out, or will her heart pull her elsewhere?

The characters in this sequel are still so complex yet so beautifully crafted. Caldon is the charismatic brother to Jaren but still holds a fierce, tainted heart close to his chest. Torell is lovable and caring but also defensive. Jaren is absolutely swoonworthy in all the best ways and you can't get enough of him on the page. And Kiva was smart and wise and may have made some (really) bad decisions, but you still root for her at the end of the day.

The worldbuilding, especially with the magic, is done so well. We learn more about Kiva's family history and what else composes the world outside of Zalindov and the rest of the kingdoms. Political intrigue, betrayal, engagements, so much that really pulls you into the story. I also loved the information that we find out about Kiva's true bloodline and what else it may entail.

One thing I love about Noni's writing style is how beautifully she writes scenes and dialogue. There's so much suspense, so much love. She knows how to tug at your heartstrings so that you're laughing one moment and wanting to throw your book across the room the next.

Which leads me to my next big point: THE PLOT TWISTS WERE SO WELL EXECUTED! I couldn't stop gasping the entire last 10% of the story. My dad literally had to ask me if I was okay because of this book. I wanted to punch people. I wanted to cry. It was a rollercoaster of emotions that I can't tell you the last time I experienced a cliffhanger like this. My friend and I had bets going on to guess the end of this book. And surprisingly we were both kind of right, even though our theories were completely different.

The Gilded Cage is so much better than its predecessor. With a slowburn romance, betrayal, and destruction, Lynette Noni has stolen her way into my heart with probably my favorite sequel this year, if not of all time.

I received a copy of this story as an e-arc on NetGalley. Any and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Well Lynette you’ve done it again. The QUEEN of cliffhangers has once again left me in absolute shock and denial 😂 The Gilded Cage continues on from where we left it in The Prison Healer, as Kiva journeys to the royal palace and has to learn how to navigate her new life outside of the walls of Zalindov Prison. This book gives us incredible world building of Evalon and the palace. After spending the first book solely in a prison, Lynette has given us a whole new world to explore in book two.

I loved the character building in this story as we delve deeper into the lives of Jaron and Naari, as well as getting to know my possible new favourite character, Caldon. There is so much tension throughout the story and the ending will leave you breathless. I now have the impossible task of waiting for book three.

I will recommend Lynette’s books to absolutely everyone because she will take you on a journey of emotions and always leaves you desperately needing more!

Fantastic read, story line was amazing amd so gripping, couldn't put it down and I didn't want to I stay up till 4am finishing this because I had to know what happened, proper yourself to be gripped

The Prison Healer had me trapped from page 1, and Kiva’s continued story in the Gilded Cage did not disappoint. Kiva continues to break everything she touches, facing the consequences throughout the book up through the cliffhanger of an ending. Looking forward to book 3.

The Gilded Cage is the second book in The Prison Healer series. Kiva has made it out of prison and is living at the Palace with Jaren. But, her duty to her family has not ended. This book really gets into the nitty-gritty of Kiva's life outside of prison and what she wants that life to be like versus what does her family expect. I really enjoy how Noni demonstrated this as Kiva's character continues to grow and meet challenges. I enjoyed seeing her relationships grow and change with characters from the first book and all of the new ones from this book. As with the first book, the beginning meanders a bit, letting the reader get comfortable with the setting and characters and then everything starts to kick off near the end with a wallop of a cliffhanger ending. I really love how Noni takes what you think will be a somewhat predictable end and flips it around so that it is jaw-dropping. This series is suitable for older YA readers as some of the themes are still heavier than the average YA story.

First of all, this is an absolutely beautiful book in person. The picture above doesn't capture it at all. It practically glows in your hands.

Secondly, it's a great read. The second book of a series is often weaker than the first, but I didn't think so. This was just as exciting, in a whole new way. Although she's free of the prison, Kiva is still trapped by her differing commitments and wavering beliefs and it was interesting to watch her change her mind over the course of the novel.

There were, as usual in this kind of novel, several problems that could have been completely avoided if people had just said what they meant - I'm looking at you, woman in the swamps who only knows pronouns and not names apparently - and from an outsider's view, it was frustrating watching Kiva falling into obvious traps and not noticing the things that were practically screaming at me. But it's always easier from out here, and she was dealing with a lot of things!

I'm not near my copy of the first book to check, but I believe there was a family tree in it. I'd have loved another in this one, as it took me a while to figure out who was related to who how, but that's very much a me problem - I don't remember characters between series very well and I'm always looking for recaps. I really wish they were more common. I adore the map though! I loved studying it as the story went along.

Also I love Caldon and I'd like one of my own, since Jaren seems to be off limits.

Can't wait for book three!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This book was just as good as the last, possibly even more so as we got answers to questions from the first book and a more indepth look at some of the characters. These cliffhangers really aren't fair though! I'll be first in line for the next book!

The first book in this series was a surprise to me. I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did. I was very surprised to get the eARC of the sequel and I’m so hype that I did. It’s a great follow up to a really great first book. It does not disappoint. I read it so fast and stayed up too late to get to the ending. Thank you Clarion for the eARC!

The first book in this series was a smash hit with my students and it l99ks like this sequel will be flying off the shelves yet again!

This is the sequel to the Prison Healer, a book that I was like "sure, this is decent" as I reading it, right up until the end when the cliffhanger took it up a notch for me, so I was really excited for this one. I liked that it was so much less claustrophobic than the first book in the series, which took place entirely within the Zalindov death prison. After escaping the prison at the end of book one, Kiva Meridan, prison healer and secret heir to the rebel queen, escapes Zalindov with her young friend Tipp, prisoner Jaren (who turns out to be the prince and heir of the currently reigning royal family), and his guard Naari. In this book, Kiva reunites with her siblings, the leaders of the rebel troops, and tries to weigh her loyalty to them and to her late mother against the increasing feelings she has for Jaren and his family. This had some of the "second in a trilogy" syndrome in that it got bogged down a little in what seems to be set up for the next book, but I enjoyed it and it ended with another great cliffhanger so I'm excited for the next one!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

This is the unbelievably spectacular, captivating, and heartbreaking sequel to the Prison Healer. (No spoilers ahead)

Somehow, this book was even more emotional to me than the first one. If you’re like me and you’re here for all the Jaren content—you won’t be disappointed! New characters are introduced, and all the characters are fleshed out so well. I love how well Lynette Noni writes her supporting characters—they add SO much to the story (ahem Caldon). I am absolutely✨dying✨ for the next book already. My heart is still recovering from that ending.

This is without a doubt one of my favorite new releases this year. I have no idea why I waited so long to read this series—just like the first book, it lived up to all the bookstagram hype.

OH MY GOD. THANKS NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR THE eARC OF THIS. 5/5 STARS. CHEFS KISS.

Look, I LOVED LOVED LOVED the Prison Healer. I meant to read this sequel months ago since it releases in a couple of weeks...oh my god. Like, I knew things were going to emotionally rip me apart but THAT ENDING. THE DANG cLIFFHANGER.

I love the relationships in this book. I love Kiva as a protagonist. I like the family issues. I was not expecting the ending. at all. I guess I could see it coming, but I didn't expect it to rip my heart out. I am in so much pain. the betrayal. the angst. the tension. and Kiva :(((((

I really hope the whole "outliers with magic" come into play in the next book, and I hope Kiva finally is able to stand up for herself instead of being pulled in multiple directions.

This series is amazing. It's still trope-y fantasy, but it's unique and I need more of it.

After the cliffhanger ending that occurred in The Prison Healer, I was thrilled to get an advanced copy of this book. This series is quickly becoming one of my all time favorites. The main characters are wonderful, well developed and so multi faceted. Second books in a fantasy trilogy often have tendency to be mostly filler before the epic series conclusion of the last book. This book was not!! Plenty of action, romance, secrets, revelations and just drama here. But that ending!! I really need book three now.

I LOVED this book. I have been eagerly awaiting this book for over a year and Noni did not disapoint. The world buidling was brilliant and i was on the edge of my seat to find out what came next.

I think I may have loved the 2nd book more than I did the first. This series is perfect for Sarah J Maas fans, especially if you loved Throne of Glass.
I really enjoyed the first book with the trials and all the characters we met throughout it, but the book ended on a note where I didn’t know what direction we would go with the story. Let me tell you, it was better than anything I could have imagined.
While this is the second book in a trilogy, so it is setting up for the last book, I still went on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. So many highs and lows. And the characters! Just like the first book, this author does an amazing job giving us characters with so many layers and dimensions. Part of the fun is picking at each layer, discovering something new with not only the main two characters, but the cast of secondary characters.
But I think what I loved most about reading this book was how well the author did in sneaking in plot twists. I like to think I am pretty good at guessing what will happen next, and I did do well guessing at some points throughout this story, but Lynette Nonni had me distracted with particular plots and characters that she snuck underneath my notice all these other things. I didn’t even realize the signs were there until the twist was revealed.
If you are debating reading this book, especially because the series isn’t complete yet, READ IT! It was so good! Yes, I am going to suffer until the next book comes out in June, but the pain is worth it.

This book!! This was the perfect continuation of Kivas story. Each character became even more loveable and now have such a precious place in my heart. The way Kiva and Jaren's relationship is developed throughout this book is the definition of slow burn but you find yourself so invested in these two. Another cliffhanger ending that has made me crazy excited for the third book! 5 stars!

Lynette Noni has done it again—another can’t-put-it-down installment in this stunning fantasy series.

I was skeptical about this sequel. Not because I didn’t love The Prison Healer, but because I loved it so much. Specifically the ending of plot twists upon plot twists. I doubted The Gilded Cage could live up to that standard. And for me, it did!

While the atmosphere, setting, and overall pace of this book is different, it is no less compelling. There are still the characters you can’t help but root for even as you’re screaming at them to make better choices, the slow burn complicated romance, and the conflicting priorities and loyalties.

I won’t say much for fear of spoiling this amazing story, but beware there is a brutal cliffhanger. Again. Be prepared, you’ve been warned.

This is a story about cages, but not the kind created by others.

I loved this, but I have so many feelings about the end. What even was that?! The fact that the next book isn’t out for months is horrifying. Should you read this? If you enjoy good books, yes… but prepare yourself for the distress! Fingers crossed for a solid revenge plot in book 3.

Thank you so much Netgalley & Clarion Books for the eArc!