Great narrations and good story.
Loved the characters.
The book had me feeling all the emotions.
Highly recommend

I absolutely LOVED the narration in this book! It was dynamic, captivating, and a true production!

With that said, there were some parts I loved and some parts that didn't work for me. I wasn't a fan of the pacing. I think that when you have overlapping/intertwined stories in a thriller it can get confusing very quickly, especially with audiobooks. Fortunately it was easy to discern which character was speaking at any given time, but it got incredibly difficult to keep everyone's stories straight.

I loved how dark this thriller was! Not because I was a fan of the subject matter, but because for a YA thriller, this pushed the boundaries in a way I would have appreciated when I was in the age range this novel seeks to connect with.

I cannot overstate how excellent the narration was!

3.5 ⭐️s
Thank you to SERA Press, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks, and NetGalley for providing an ALC!

I'm rating this book 2 star . I'm not into this type of romances. The narrators were good . But the story wasn't for me.
Thanks netgalley and the author to give me the opportunity to listen to this.💖

It's a love story if two broken hearts that you will like .Altough I didn't read the the first book because there is no sign or mention to this is apart of series I understand the story .
I listened to the audiobook the narrators are great and eachoneof them is typical the characters mina with her broken heart and voice and olive with his brave in love .

I really enjoyed this - I thought it was a great continuation of the story. It kept my attention the entire time and I didn't want to put it down

It was mentioned that it could be read as a standalone, but I had the time and interest in the series as a whole, so I did read both. With that said, both books are fantastic but very different. Book one was so tame compared to book 2. Book 2 was pretty dark for a young adult thriller. It's very heavy stuff but such a fantastic story. Can you read them as standalone? Sure. But I think to truly appreciate Mina and Oliver, you should read this series in order.

I have loved this series so far. It was quite an emotional rollercoaster, and I am completely invested. Also, book 2 is available on audible and was narrated beautifully by the author herself and Will Collyer. Sometimes, when an author narrates their own book, I don't care for it. However, Ares brought a lot of personality and life to Minas character.

Definitely recommend both the book and audiobook.

I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I just finished the audiobook and the author was one of the narrators. Emilia was perfect for Mina/ Lark. The story of her and Oliver was full of struggle and high danger situations and I just loved it. It’s unlike anything I’ve read before and found myself wanting more. I’d love spin offs of some of the other characters like Starling or other agents. That ending left me with my jaw dropped, didn’t see it coming and I need to know what happens next!

Unfortunately I just could not get into the meat of this book, perhaps this is because I did not read the other book in this series, but I did not feel a connection to the characters, and very little effort was made to help me form one. The narration was great, both voices fit into the characters described and seemed to have a good handle on the source material, as well as the emotions presented in the book, for me it was just the writing itself that I did not connect with.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this audiobook, the narration was extremely well done.
After listening to it I realized it’s a series and I think I would have liked it more if I had read the first book.

I liked the two POV between the main characters and how their stories found eachother.

I found the middle to drag on, yet the ending was so abrupt. I’m assuming the author will write a book 3?

The label ‘young adult’ might attract younger teens to read this but due to the violence, sex trafficking references & sex scenes I’d recommend 16 yrs +

Thank you NetGalley & Emilia Ares for the advanced eARC of the audiobook.

Wonderfully written, and amazing character detail! I cannot believe how well this all came together. I love the characters so much and the entire story is so intriguing!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to listen to this book.

Love and Other Cages by Emilia Ares is second book in the Love and Other Sins series. Read the first book before diving into this one. You need the context!
Mina, a high school senior, raised by her single mother. She is taken by criminal underground Russian mobs because of her father’s mistake. Mina’s boyfriend, Oliver, goes out to try to save Mina. Mina is fighting for her and her mother’s lives and Oliver is fighting to save Mina.
I enjoyed the narrator, but the story was very hard to get through. It felt disjointed and the characters needed more depth. Also, I thought it was strange that the FBI was briefly mentioned and then never again. I know that Oliver is a trained fighter…but he is one high school student taking on an entire Russian mob. It just did not seem believable to me. I know that stories we are supposed to suspend our disbelief…but there is a point where it is just ridiculous.

"Love and Other Cages" by Emilia Ares is a compelling and emotionally charged book that sweeps listeners into a world of danger, love, and resilience. The audiobook format heightens the tension and emotional stakes of the narrative, with the narrator skillfully conveying both Mina and Oliver's journeys. The performances bring a palpable urgency to their story, enhancing the listener's immersion into their world. Mina's journey from an ordinary life to one filled with mystery and danger is compelling, and Oliver’s anguish and determination to find her are rendered vividly through the narration. The author’s exploration of love under extraordinary circumstances is captivating, and the pacing of the audiobook keeps the listener engaged from start to finish. The narrator’s ability to capture the emotional nuances of the characters makes the story feel even more immediate, pulling you into every high-stakes moment. The blend of suspense and intrigue makes "Love and Other Cages" a gripping listen. Overall, Love and Other Cages is an immersive audiobook experience. Ares delivers a story that will leave listeners rooting for Mina and Oliver as they fight to rewrite their fate.

DNF at 25%
This one is just not for me. I tried walking away and coming back to it, but alas it's just not meant to be.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to listen to this book.

This was a very unexpected surprise. I didn’t know much about this book before going into it but, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. This book has a lot of aspects but, it reminded me a lot of movies like: Red Sparrow, Black Widow and Taken. It has a combination of thriller, mystery and romance. Mina goes through A LOT in this book. My girl really went through a lot of shit and had to LITERALLY do everything and anything to survive. I can’t believe that her father was such a terrible one and couldn’t help his family and do everything to get her back. Like my man, your daughter is doing through hell and he doesn’t do ANYTHING? That’s insane to me. The love interest was doing everything to get her back, my man went through a lot trying to gather information about her and what was going on. Honestly, this audiobook felt like a movie and there’s definitely gonna be a third book because that was a criminal way of ending things between these two and their lives. I really was surprised and people should read this book because it’s actually good.

I really enjoyed the narrators for this audiobook. Their voices were so easy to listen to. I did however feel like this book was too slow for my liking. It is a slow burn but holy cow.

Love and Other Cages by Emilia Ares is book two in the Love and Other Sins series although you can read this as a standalone. If you like romantic thrillers, dual POV, action, suspense, with multiple twists and turns then you will love this book.

Mina is a high school senior, who is being raised by her single mother. One day her life is turned upside down when she is taken by some criminal underground Russian mobs, to pay for her father’s mistake.  Oliver is Mina’s boyfriend, is a trained fighter, is a senior, and has his own job. After deciding to make it official between them their relationship is short lived. Mina is fighting for her and her mother’s lives and Oliver is fighting to save Mina.

Ares did a great job with this book and I was left hanging with that cliffhanger. Mina did a great job with the storyline and plot. Emilia Area voices Mina and Will Collyer voices Oliver and they did a great job with the characters. Told in dual POV between Mina and Oliver. It was tough to listen to the torture Mina suffered through but she stayed so strong throughout. Then seeing how Oliver would go to any lengths to find her. I was really wanting to know what happened when her father found out about what was being done to his daughter, maybe we will get that in book three. I didn’t realize that there is Love and Other sins was book one, it doesn’t really need to be read before jumping into this one but from what I read we get more of Mina and Oliver’s past and friendship. I can’t wait for the next book because I have to know what happens. Thank you to Sera Books and NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.

Thank you netgalley and SERA Press for the advanced audiobook for review. I will start off by saying I only found out that this was the second book in the series when looking to add it to my Storygraph. That being said it can be read without reading the first one, but if you'd like a deeper understanding of the characters backstories you might want to pick it up. I really liked the dual perspective and dual narration in this audiobook it really brought the characters to life. The fact that the FMC is the author means that every line is delivered just how they'd want it done and It was a great performance. The male narrator did a great job of conveying all of Oliver's tones too. For me the initial setup felt a bit slow because I was expecting the action to start right away, however it's a good set-up as we get to know the characters and their main notifications. When the action does start it goes from 0-100 pretty quick, the main kidnapping plot unleashes all sorts of wild rides as the scope of just how deep Mina is in gets revealed. It's pretty dark and brutal. I really loved Oliver's loyalty and how much he is willing to fight for the solace and love he finds in Mina. The star crossed lovers had me hooked, the question was constantly in my head about how they find their way back to each other. I'm so hyped to find out the rest of what fate has cooked up for them in the next book. I'd also like to go back and read their origins too. Would definitely recommend for people who like languid and lyrical writing with lots of detail and description. Romance readers who like a bit of spice will also enjoy this too.

I thought this was a great, suspenseful YA thrilling story. The narration was well done, the tension was high, and the story and characters were engaging. Thank you NetGalley and Emilia Ares for the opportunity to listen!

So I only got about 30% of the way through this book, but it's not working for me. I was not aware that this was a sequel in a series (I also didn't look into the fact that it said it was part of a series either on the cover).

This story seems to take place immediately after the events of the first book, where Mina and Oliver are waking up together from the night before. After Oliver sneaks out of Mina's room, Mina and her mother are attacked by some men. Mina barely fights them off but not before they can seriously injure her mother, landing her in the ICU. After learning this was orchestrated by a Russian mob due to something her father is connected to, Mina finds herself being kidnapped by them. Oliver tries his best to be there for Mina, but she pushes him away for his own safety, but he refuses to stand down.

I think overall, the concept is interesting where it is similar to an episode of Criminal Minds or FBI, but it's lacking depth. I don't feel like I am captivated enough by the characters or story at this point where I want to see where this goes. I have no idea what Mina's father has done to cause the mob to go after the family or why the police don't seem very concerned with her and her mother's safety or why higher authorities like the FBI aren't really involved with any of this outside of a brief conversation with one agent in the hospital that even local law enforcement aren't involved with.

It is my understanding that the characters are high school students, so for Oliver to decide to try to take on the Russian mob to help save Mina just doesn't make any sense to me, especially since he doesn't seem to have such resources to do such a thing. Also, the way the police go about handling his missing persons/kidnapping report to them, they don't seem very concerned or competent.

Ok. I admit it. I did this book a disservice. I neglected to do a little research and realize it was book 2 in a series. I spent a good portion of the first half thinking “I’m missing something,” because, spoiler, I was !! That being said, I’m going to review this for the story and writing and my lack of all the details will not be factored into the rating. So, this book felt like Black Widow’s origin story and the movie Taken spawned this tale. It was written extremely well, and even though I would have benefited from the details in book 1, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and characters. It was more YA/teen/new adult than it was a romance (kind of a sprinkle of romance). It was definitely more drama, action, intrigue.

Beware: there is a steep cliffy.

Audio Notes: the audio performance was very good!! With dual POV, I do always wish for a duet narration, but I thought both performers brought the characters to life nicely. I love when authors narrate their own books because they tend to put a ton of heart into it.