Please be sure to check the trigger warning for this one, as there are quite a few.

This YA fantasy unfortunately didn't live up to the hype for me. It was slow and I found it a bit confusing too.

Thank you for the copy in exchange for a review. If this book seems interesting to you, please give it a go!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

To Cage a God felt like a book specifically catered to me. As a big fan of fantasy books that borrow from Russian history I was already intrigued when I read the synopsis of this book. But when dragons were also included? Count me in.

The world is so alive in this book and it just makes me all the more excited for the next installment. I felt for all those in the Blackshore under the regime of the empress. It truly felt like a lived in neighbourhood and it made me all the sadder to see the residents suffer as they did. I loved every attention to the world building and the politics of the regions, it reminded me of other works that weave politics into their stories so effortlessly and that is what it felt like here. I also loved the dragon magic, how well thought out the ways it worked was and how incredibly disturbing the experiments done on the young girls were written to be.

I also loved how most of the major players here - as well as some of the most important relationships - were female characters, my personal favorite being the princess Vasilisa. Her story broke me and made me feel for her in so many ways, as well as adding to the tension in her relationship with Galina. I adored how their relationship developed and played out, two women realising how much they really have in common and finding they may be alone but now they have found someone to be alone with. It also felt so refreshing to have such a solid sisterly relationship, as I often feel like familial relationships are lost in epic fantasy stories. Sera and Galina truly love each other and you can really feel it at certain points in this book. I longed to see them meet up again and each time they did it tugged at my heartstrings even more.

The writing was at points incredibly beautiful without straying into overly purple which I personally appreciated. May has such a talent for crafting emotions and feelings into words so effortlessly that you relate to them yourself while reading. Her talent for writing yearning (especially between women) was so fun to read and I loved each time scenes like that showed up.

However, I did have one gripe with this book that lowered it to 4 stars and that was Vitaly as a character and his relationship with Sera. I often found him grating and at times hard to like when all he seemed to talk about in relation to his wife was how physically attractive he found her. I failed to see at times why he truly loved her beyond vague impartings of said love which never really landed with me. I also was not a fan of how their relationship was re-kindled considering how, personally, his blatant disrespect for Seras boundaries early on in the book plus the amount of times he seemed careless for anyone except himself (even when he claims Sera is the only one that matters to him) grated on me and their rekindling at such an odd moment when it felt unearned on his side turned me off their relationship entirely. I would have loved to have seen him work more to regain her trust and ease his way back in to her life in a way that felt like he worked for it rather than him appearing to wear her down with his so called "charm".

Overall though I really enjoyed this book on so many levels I was able to overlook the slight issues I had with it. I will for sure be picking up the sequel when it comes out and cannot wait to recommend this to friends upon release! Such a great winter read and I feel I will re-read this each year from now on.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for providing me this book in exchange for an honest review*

I've tried to read Elizabeth May's other books but they didn't draw me. So, I was reluctant to pick "To Cage A God". And Oh boy, was I wrong.
I loved the world building and I really loved Sera's and Galina's realationship. Vitaly's chapters were my favorite. It reads YA at some parts but other than that I loved it. I can't wait for book #2.

It has taken me the better part of over 1 month to make it just under 60% into this book and I think it’s safe to say I am now going to admit defeat.

I really did try (REALLY I did), I was HIGHLY anticipating this release, so to say I am heartbroken that it became such a slog to get through and took away any and all drive I had to read is an understatement.

The concept of the story itself is such an interesting one - gods are bound to mortals, granting them immense powers but at a cost. Two sisters with such god powers rise up to save their nation and overthrow the empires leaders.

Sounds cool!…but I felt the execution just forever fell flat as nothing is really ever explored in much depth past very surface level passing comments. Like what is actually the deal with the gods? and powers? and basically the ENTIRE world that this is set in?! Who knows the author doesn’t care to share.

I found the writing very clunky, trying just that little bit *too* hard to be some sort of lyrical prose that didn’t quite hit the mark. I think the author does have some stellar ideas just this wasn’t it for me.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this!

To Cage a God by Elizabeth May had a brutal first scene which definitely hooked me to the story.

It follows two sisters, Galina and Sera who have been in hiding for four years after their mother was executed. Though this sounds horrific, their own mother tortured them, carving their bones and summoned and trapped a God within them.

Sera’s God was a failed experiment and it requires her own sacrifice to use its powers.

Galina’s God was carved with more success.

Together they plan to overthrow an oppressive, destructive Emperor who revels in the misery and torture of those around her.

‘Let my face be the last you ever see. I will burn myself into your memory.’

There was some unusual language used and some fairly obvious things happening in the story but I did enjoy it. The magic system and how God’s became intertwined in the beginning confused me a bit. However, I really enjoyed Vasya and Galina’s relationship.

If you enjoy F/f relationship, snarky husband and wife … a whole lot of stabbing and a bit of spice you will enjoy this!

3.5 stars

Thanks you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

It’s taken me a couple of weeks to get through this book and I have to be honest the first 30 to 40% felt like hard work and I almost DNF’d. The world building and scene setting felt awkward and cumbersome, plus the writing and language felt overly complex. It did eventually pick up, but in my opinion, it took too long to really get going.

The romantic relationships were hit and miss and felt immature at times, more suited to YA or NA. It felt like the author tried to make this an adult novel by fuelling the romance with lust and explicit language, and I liked what she was trying to achieve between Sera and Vitaly as some of their sniping was amusing to read, but sadly overall it fell a bit flat.

Generally the book just did not do it for me. The concept was good but underdeveloped and parts of the plot were too generic for my liking, I felt like I’d read it all before in multiple others books, which can be a good thing but in this instance wasn’t.

2.5 stars (rounded up)

Thank you to Netgalley and Daphne Press for providing a copy of the book for an honest review. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.

I really enjoyed this! The concept of gods being caged within humans, humans having access to godlike power which comes at a cost, but the gods also being sentient beings of their own with emotions and wants and dislikes. Sera and Galina were good characters from which to see this plot unfold. The Empress was a conflicting antagonist, and I do wish she'd gotten her own POV to see things from her own point of view. I do agree that maybe some further stakes might have been necessary for the plot, other than the overall, broad necessity of getting rid of a brutal coloniser. Otherwise, I thought this was well done! It reads like a dark romantasy novel, like a fairytale but more Brothers Grimm than Disney. Anyone looking for a crossover fantasy novel will enjoy this one!

This book sounded amazing, and I was really keen to give it a go. Unfortunately it didn't quite hit the mark for me. The world building felt clunky and I had a hard time getting into the story properly. There are some good parts, I just wasn't enamoured with the book as a whole.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. This was a fast paced easy read, perhaps too much so at the start as it felt a bit rushed. I would say this is a NA book rather than adult, it felt a little shallow at times, especially in terms of some of the characters who came across rather one dimensional. I would have liked it better if there was more depth especially in the backstory of the characters. Nonetheless I did enjoy it, and it was nice to see established relationships as well as new ones as well as disability rep.

DNF at 69%

I am admitting defeat. Reading this book has not been an enjoyable experience for me, and whilst I really tried my best to give it a fair chance, I just found it very disappointing and cannot bear to finish it.

The writing style is not for me, I found the prose tedious and a little ridiculous at times.

I didn't like either of the main romance plots. The first one was already existing, it was almost a lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers dynamic, and whilst we got to see the other relationship developing, it just felt like they were both built on pure lust and nothing more substantial.

The only characters I cared about were Katya and Vasilisa, the others all read like very immature teenagers, despite being adults. The entire book felt oddly YA in a very inappropriate sort of way. If I had to guess the characters ages, I'd have said 15-16.

Lastly, I wish the world building was more detailed, because the concept sounds incredible, but I still don't get the whole dragon/god thing. There could have been more background information given on this, and I suppose it's possible that more is revealed later - I no longer care to find out though.

Elizabeth May's adult fantasy debut is a high fantasy world based around the Russian Revolution. Some interesting world building and concept around the magic. The characters were all pretty morally grey and didn't always make the best or right choices, they did read very young, apparently they were supposed to be in 30s but I couldn't imagine them more than late teens. For an adult book there was a lot that felt very YA. This would probably be a good crossover for someone that usually reads YA and wants something a little spicier, darker and more gritty but not complex in ideas or world building. I think this book will find its audience and those that love it will go hard for it.

5 stars

This book had me gripped from start to finish and I loved every minute of it.

To Cage a God takes inspiration from Imperial Russia and contains strong themes of rebellion, power and inequality embedded in the plot. The plot itself was very intriguing for me with a unique magic system whereby Dragon Gods are caged within human bodies, giving these humans special powers and abilities. It was action-packed and fast-paced while also having focus on the political scheming of those involved.

The book is written in multiple POVs with multiple romances, including sapphic and high-stakes romances which both include some great banter. I found myself rooting for every single character we were introduced to - unlike some books where you can take or leave the odd extra characters - they were interesting, loveable, and certainly morally questionable at some points. I was invested in all of them. On top of all that, there is some great disability representation.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and am highly anticipating the sequel! I will also be going back and reading other books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

DNF at 9%

Writing was too complex and I didn’t have a clue what was going on at all. The descriptions were so extra that it took away from the actual happenings of the book.

I also felt like there was no flow or structure and it was just random events being thrown together.

Sad about this as I was looking forward to it!

Overall this was a good beginning book for a new world.
It took me a while to get into but I still felt interested enough to keep going, the ending was worth the wait and had a payoff.
The only downside is I never felt that the characters were at risk or that anything was at stake.

It took me almost a month to finish this one and I almost DNF'd it a few times because I got so bored and the prose is dull. The beginning of the book feels both slow and rushed; slow because not much happens for most of the book, and rushed because the magic system isn't explained very clearly and the politics are very confusing. It's also unclear to me how the alureans end up with zmei inside of them, even though the process of caging a god in a commoner was explained about 3 times throughout the book.

There was just one character that I was interested in at first (Vitalik) and my enthusiasm died when the principle he lived by shattered instantly. It's not really enemies to lovers, it's just miscommunication (one of my least favorite tropes). I'm trying to keep this review spoiler-free, so all I can say is that if he stood by what he believed in, the story would've been a lot more interesting.

All the characters are immature and most of their choices are questionable, and the whole thing reads more like YA than Adult. The book is full of clichés and it's all very formulaic, unfortunately.

A huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled hard with this book. I almost DNF’ed due to the prose which felt so lacklustre and almost like an editor didn’t even look through it, but I persevered and in the end I’ve come to the conclusion that I didn’t care for the characters nor the plot.

The story is rushed, two characters go from one extreme to another in one chapter that just felt unrealistic and ridiculous.

The characters are meant to be more mature than characters in other books within this genre but it felt like a bunch of kids swearing for the first time and getting a bit too carried away.

A battle of mind, strength and godly power. With vibes of Wolf and The Woodsman and a dark fairytale this soft sapphic fantasy takes you on a journey of inner power.

3.8⭐️
Thanks to Netgalley and Daphne Press for this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a little while to get into this book, but once I got past the first part and got to know the characters a bit more, I was very intrigued to see where things were going.

I’m not normally a huge fan of so many character perspectives because usually there’s a character or two who I don’t like and I end up skimming their chapters, but in this case the multiple perspectives worked well and I enjoyed seeing all the different characters. It helps I am a sucker for sassy characters and I loved Vitaly’s chapters. I also loved the romance.

All in all, after a slow start I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to book 2!

Also to note: I didn’t realise until I’d finished the book, but there’s a glossary at the back for various terms. I just wish I’d realised it was there earlier, as it has some pretty helpful definitions!

This book was not for me at all unfortunately.

I wouldn't call this a Romantasy book, there was barely any romance. It was mainly political and the magic/gods powers were interesting but I would have liked to delve deeper into the magic system. Unfortunately I was just bored throughout.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a dark romantasy that holds a story thats told well.
The writing started a little bit slow with a lot of world building, but then it tumbled into action, adventure, magic and romance. Building on a story based in imperial Russia which shows how actions can lead to consequences that aren't always calculated when making a decision.
It holds multi POV, which allow for great character banter to be lifted, relationships to develop and it leaves you hanging just a little bit when PoVs change when you're not wanting it to.

This book isn't for the faint of heart, but it's defintely worth the read