I absolutely love competition-style books with fights to the death so this was a no-brainer for me! I know it's probably going to be referred to in like every review lol, but if you love The Hunger Games, grab this one! You won't be disappointed!

Our main female lead is Monroe Benson, and unfortunately for her, one of our goddess-touched girls. She wants nothing to do with this competition or being queen, but is thrust into it nonetheless. I liked how Monroe was unassumingly confident. She's quiet until she needs to stand up to someone, and then she's able to do so with ease. Her character development is slow, but I like the qualities she gains by the end of the book.

While I liked Cohen, I found that he was a bit too timid and weak for my tastes. Too much of a pushover... I would have preferred a stronger character BUT I liked his sweet side and felt that it worked with Monroe's character. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next book does with their relationship after that ending. They both have things to sort through and deal with and I'm curious to see if it will push them apart or bring them closer together.

Thanks to a brutally evil queen, we also have a rebellion on the rise! The people are tired of her tyrannical ways and have banded together to fight back. Monroe is pulled into the Culled's plans and even though she believes in what they're fighting for, she can't help but question what this would mean for Cohen.

The world-building in this book is excellent. I really like this author's writing style, and I think she handled her characters arcs well. Overall, I found it to be quite an enjoyable read with some great action and I'm looking forward to what comes next after such an explosive ending!

⭐️ 1/5 🌶️ 1/5
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC and this doesn’t influence my review. DISCLAIMER: slight spoiler.
Ten goddess-touched girls. Forced to fight to the death for the crown. One survivor will be queen.
Prologue was intriguing, great fantasy-building, however the story didn’t reach my expectations, it was too angsty and I would’ve screamed if I heard the FMC say “she didn’t want to be in the competiton” one more time, she was such a whiny brat who took everyone for granted and didn’t realize how much everyone was helping her.
She kept talking about how much she didn’t want to die crybaby stfu you had more than one month to train!
This book was well written, but was lacking <spoiler> ((only one woman dies in the trial… seriously, everyone else gets killed by the queen pretty much, like what’s the f*ing point of the trials???) </spoiler> I would still read more books of this author though) I loved the chapter names and time countdown for each event.
Tropes: Court intrigue, ballroom, guy falls first.
I loved the blooming friendships, the romance wasn’t swoon-worthy, and it was a medium-burn, honestly I was shipping the side character’s romance the whole time (as it was better) Their romance did get better, but still. No.

*This review contains spoilers.* I could not put this book down!! 4.5 stars!!! The story was wonderful and captivating. I so enjoyed the chemistry between Monore and Cohen. I will be purchasing a copy for my classroom library. That being said, there are so plot holes regarding the setting that I struggled with. For example, how are we expected to believe Ambrose was identified through security footage, but there are no security cameras as Monroe and Cohen are sneaking around the palace?? Or as Monroe goes through the office?? I also found the juxtaposition between modern things, such as fashion magazines and security cameras, and more dated elements, such writing letters with wax seals to communicate, off putting. Overall, though, this book was fabulous!!

I was really surprised how much I enjoyed this book! It was really fast paced with an exciting plot and great characters! If you like books like The Hunger Games and Red Queen, you would like this! Monroe was a great main character! There was a lot of action and the romance was enjoyable! Is ended in a cliffhanger and I can’t wait for the next book!

Wow... Where do I start with this book.. First thing first if you are a Hunger Games and Selection fan you will like this! Think of this book as a dark Selection. The storyline of this book is that there are 10 goddess-touched girls to represent each of the provinces. They have to fight to the death to be Queen and marry the prince (Cohen). The beginning of the book does a great job with world-building and gives you a good sense of what is going on and why their society is the way it is.

Monroe is our amazing female lead character. She is the youngest of three and her family dynamic is one to watch out for while you read. She is hesitant to be who she is and does stick to her morals throughout the book.

Cohen is the prince in this book and he, just like Monroe has strong morals and has an interesting family dynamic. Both Monroe and Cohen are a power couple. Both characters develop in their own way throughout the book which leaves a ton of room for more development in the coming series.

The betrayal and the gore that this book holds... Just hold your breath, I COULD NOT put this book down. I finished this book about a week ago and I can't stop thinking about it. I need the next book soon, but if you are a dark fantasy fan and love twists and turns you will enjoy this book. I was weary about it, but the characters are so well developed. 5/5! If you think the Hunger Games was dark.. well think again.

Thank you Netgalley and Wattpad WEBTOON book group for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book gave me serious vibes of The Hunger Games meets The Selection and Red Queen all lumped together! Interesting magic system, tons of action, and a slow, sweet burn makes for quite the ride!

This cover art drew me in and then the story kept me there. This book had a lot of characters and you really never knew what was going to happen. The story has a Hunger Games vibe to it for sure along with somewhat of a darker Selection hint to it. Monroe was our main character and she had moments that I adored her, and other times, she was a tad frustrating! The side characters were mainly fantastic, they were fun, realistic, enjoyable, and loveable in a lot of ways. All these different characters really made the story full of action and suspense! At times, it was a little more gory than was necessary for me, but it was filled with a lot of action that kept you guessing. A good story that kept my interest throughout the book. Would recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This book releases in November, and I can’t wait to get it in my classroom library. The book gives me The Selection vibes, but instead of the girls being sent home-they are chosen at random to be put in an arena until only one is alive. There are 10 goddess-touched girls who must fight till the death, with the winner marrying the prince and becoming queen. However there are secrets, a crazy queen who likely won’t give up her crown, and a rebellion in the background. The only thing I didn’t love about it is that it ends in a cliffhanger of sorts and the wait for the next book will be too long 😉. But really-this is one that you want to read.

This book felt like The Selection meets Hunger Games and I’m here for it! I loved the fantastical elements and there was the right balance between romance and action which is hard to do in debuts.

I’m excited for what this author will do next!

*** ARC provided in exchange for an honest review***

Wow, this book took me by surprised! I liked the premise of the story to begin with but, the political espionage and a romance spewing between the two love interests was an emotional rollercoaster from the start to end. The plot reminded me of the Hunger Games, but instead 10 goddess-touched girls fight to the death for the prize of becoming queen and marrying the prince. The plot was fast paced and it felt like there was something almost every chapter. There was betrayal, sweet moments, and heartbreak.

The world building in this book was so well done. I could clearly picture the scenes in my head and envision the world that was described. In addition. I felt that the world itself was easy to understand and I didn't feel lost when it became more complex.

The characters in this book were to die for. Monroe, the female character in the book had some good character development. She saw herself as this weak girl who was lost and confused She felt uncertain about her future and was scared of what was in store for her. Everyone saw potential in her but herself. Later, she unlocks her true potential and you see this change in her. I do however wish she felt empowered sooner and wasn't described as this fragile thing for almost half the book.

Cohen , the prince, was the sweetest and made my heart swoon with his romantic gestures. I did feel that romance between Cohen and Monroe felt a bit like insta love, however there love story progresses beautifully. A romance between a prince and goddess-touched girl, where the two are destined to be with one another but, later you see there may be more to their love story than originally thought.

When I finished this book, I was left in shock. I read through the last 100 pages so quickly and was so sad when it ended. I need the sequel ASAP! I'm looking forward in reading how Monroe's story ends and what else there is in store for her. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA dystopian.

I was not prepared for this roller coaster ride! This book has the best characters and plot. The writing is mediocre, but the characters and plot more than make up for it.
The female main character was portrayed as weak most of the story, which I wasn't a fan of. It would be the only thing I would change.
There is nothing more exciting than being pleasantly surprised by a book!

I can best describe this book as a mix of Hunger Games, and Divergent with some fantasy sprinkled.

The story begins with an account of the Creation of Erydia, the country in which the story is set. I absolutely loved the lore and the way it was written so I was hooked. You can think of it as mythology similar to that of any culture - how was the world created and the many practices and rituals that followed. The most prominent ritual practiced is perhaps the Culling - an event that occurs every time the Crown Prince of a generation is old enough to marry and become the king. 10 Goddess-touched girls fight each other and the one who survives and comes to the top becomes the queen.

Monroe Benson is a Goddess-touched girl with the ability to summon fire to her fingertips. But she has denied this ability her entire life, pretending to be a boy until she’s caught and forced to participate in the Culling. Once the Culling began, I quickly read through the chapters because it was impossible to keep down. I feel it was a bit predictable in places but I don’t mind that because things were always exciting. The world-building is extensive and the premise/concept is well-developed. Fans of the Hunger Games and the dystopia genre, in general, will love this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and their chemistry too. There are a lot of heartwarming, nice female friendships (yes I am a huge sucker for that), male love leads that are shy and strong, some really morally grey characters, and great (frustrating) villains. So well done on that front too.

I just feel like the writing could use some more work. A lot of the standard YA phrases have been used and there’s also repetition of things that just seems unnecessary. But since this is the author’s debut novel, there’s a lot of scope to flesh out their unique writing style. I look forward to the sequel.

Well I can certainly see why some people liken this to The Hunger Games although there's a strong sense of The Selection as our heroine becomes embroiled in what they call The Culling. I did like Monroe as she's feisty and yet has the ability to realise that whatever she does it has to be true to herself and what is right. There are surprises here although I did have suspicions about a particular character. It's easy to dislike certain characters as they are very pantomime like and think Mean Girls here but I did enjoy realising that not every supporting character was exactly cut and dried. Is there romance ? Well yes its a Prince seeking his would be Queen and sadly he's very blinkered but with a war about to happen and rebels getting closer I think there's certainly a lot happening here although as this progressed I wasn't exactly sure about the Goddess connection here but hopefully that will be addressed in the next book.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

A great YA fantasy story. A blend of The Hunger Games, Throne of Glass, and the Bachelor? I wish we had more time with all the characters though, I wanted to see more of each girl's powers in action.
My main issue with the story, and the reason I take off 1 star, is because I couldn't figure out the time period. They had cars and planes and guns, but still used gas lighting? And the characters say modern phrases such as "yeah, okay, what the hell, shit show" etc. But then the women all wear flowy dresses, even when working on a farm. Not a huge issue, but one that took me out of the story a tiny bit.

A great young adult fantasy book! Fans of The Selection and Red Queen will devour this book. The story line was so fast paced and held so much tension. This book was truly impossible for me to put down once I started it. There were so many twists and betrayals that I truly was not able to predict. The author wrote all of the characters in such a way that it was so easy to connect with what everyone was feeling. I look forward to reading the next book!
Thank you Netgalley and Wattpad Books for the ARC!

“It is said that our world will end the way it began: with fire”

“My name is Monroe Benson, and I am goddess touched”

Wow this book was just amazing !!!
Fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent this is the book for you!!
This book was just amazing it was entertaining I love the magic system, I loved the characters and I loved the characters’ dynamic which is not something that I expected.
The blurb and the synopsis of the book was amazing and it was very interesting. When I first approached it, I thought maybe I had already read something similar and then it turned out not been the case … absolutely not!!
The idea of 10 goddess touched girls who have to fight in a trial, killing each other in order to survive, because one of them have to become queen, it’s very innovative and unique.
Monroe, as the main character, is very good. I loved her story and I also really appreciated all the way that she was described, in both her relationship with others and her own personality. The Prince is absolutely amazing but I believe that his own sisters are way better (well some of them at least )!!
I loved some side characters more than some main ones and I am absolutely fan of the couples that started to blossom inside this book!!!
I believe that, as a serious, this book has huge potential and I’m very glad that I had the chance to read the first!!!
I can’t wait for the others to be out!!!!

“Having the potential to kill isn’t nearly as scary as having a reason to”

“This was its own game of cages and crowns. And I didn’t know how to play it”

Giving off 'The Hunger Games' vibes, 'Of Cages and Crowns' takes the idea of the Hunger Games competition and uses it to create 'The Culling'. A competition to the death for 10 'goddess-touched' girls.
Monroe Benson has been hiding her goddess-given mark for as long as she can remember. Being goddess-touched comes at a price, entering The Culling where she will have to fight to the death, nine other girls with powers.
We see the division and imbalance between the different counties and their people. There is training in etiquette, powers and physical prowess for the girls. A love interest. An unlikely ally. It has it all!

Looking forward to continuing this series.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eArc.

This is one of those books you can just tell is going to be incredibly popular. It feels like the love child of the Hunger Games and the Selection series, but with enough originality to feel novel. Although it can be more simplistic than either of these series, because it takes the best "tropes" from each, it is still entertaining. Combining the battle to the death trope with fighting for a prince trope could have been overwhelming but it was fairly well executed.

The character of Monroe Benson was well developed and relatable. All of her struggles seem genuine. However I did feel that with Prince Cohen there was less ability to attach to him. He was still a bit elusive and the information on him was less given by his actions and more given by his sister. Honestly the relationship between Uri and Monroe had better chemistry than Monroe and Cohen. However, I think this is something that can easily be developed in a sequel or trilogy.

Overall this book will attract many readers and has the potential to be really big. I predict BookTok will take it far.

⭐️4/5 stars.
What girl doesn’t dream of being plucked from obscurity and getting the chance to marry a prince? Only catch, you have to kill 9 other girls first.
Oh my god, this book was amazing! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time I was devouring it. It felt like the Hunger Games meets The Princess Trials meets The Red Queen. It had the fighting to the death arena element like the Hunger Games, but it felt more like the Princess Trials with the politics and fighting to win the prince. Except, the queen in this book was terrifying! She made what the queen in the Princess Trials did look like child’s play.
I loved the premise of this book and how once every generation ten girls are born blessed by the Goddess. With that, they have extra ordinary abilities that is then used during the Culling (death games) until the last one standing is then declared the next queen.
I will say it slumped a little in the middle, but the beginning was great and that last 25%! Holy cow, my heart is still racing. Any fan of Hunger Games, the Princess Trials, or the Red Queen need to read this book. Meanwhile, I’ll be over here impatiently waiting for book two.
Thank you to NetGalley & Wattpad Publishing for providing the ARC for my honest review.

I don’t even know where to begin! I still cannot stop thinking about this book after finishing it last night! I absolutely loved it and I cannot wait for more of this story!

The world the author created is unique and exciting. The characters are well rounded. It was so easy to love the main characters and hate the villains. Things happened that I didn’t see coming and things that I saw coming happened in a surprising way!

The main character, Monroe, was strong, vulnerable, honest, and charismatic. Choen was the perfect love interest. He was cute, charming, honest, raw and everything you want from a love interest. And I absolutely loved Uri! She was the perfect side character and I always throughly loved the scenes she was in!

The story was interesting and thought provoking. It kept me wanting to know more from the very first page. I didn’t want to stop reading this book! I cannot wait to know what happens next!

Thank you NetGalley and the author for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.