Title: I Am the Cage 
Author: Allison Sweet Grant        
Genre: YA       
Rating:  4 out of 5

Fish Creek, Wisconsin—Beautiful. Quiet. Isolated. Anonymous. It’s all that nineteen-year-old Elisabeth needs, and everything she wants. Cloistered in her tiny cabin, Elisabeth is determined to be alone, hiding from her memories and making sure that no one can ever hurt her again.

But when a massive snowstorm strikes, plunging the town into darkness, Elisabeth finally allows herself to accept help from her neighbor, Noah, the town’s young sheriff. Forced to show him more vulnerability than she ever intended, Elisabeth realizes she can no longer outrun the scars of her childhood, and facing the darkness might be exactly what she needs to let the light in.

I have a hard time with passive people who just let life—and people—happen to them. What Elisabeth went through as a child was horrific and is something no child—or anyone else—should ever have to go through. What the doctor did, and what her mother let happen, was terrible. And what kind of mother lets her child be tortured like that?

But Elisabeth as an adult kind of got on my nerves a bit for a while, with her passivity and hiding from the world and everyone in it. You do not have to let things that have happened to you control your life—you can move past them and grow stronger from them. For a long time, Elisabeth was content to live in the shadow of her past without attempting to heal from it, and that was very hard for me to read. I was glad when she started to embrace who she was now without clutching the horrors of her past around her like a protective cloak.

Allison Sweet Grant lives in Philadelphia. I Am the Cage is her new novel.

(Galley courtesy of Penguin Group/Dutton in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 2/25).

Wow, just wow. 100 stars…. I haven’t read a book like I Am the Cage in a very, very long time. Allison Sweet Grant has written a beautiful, poetic, heart wrenching story that is so very raw and so real you can’t help but cry throughout the story, painful tears, gut wrenching tears and happy tears as well.

“You’re a not-good, not nice, not-lonely-but-all-alone coward.”

“Staying locked in was my way out.”

Elisabeth endured childhood, medical trauma. She was born with fibular hemimelia, which is a short femur. This story is about how she coped, or didn’t cope how she suffered, how she felt about her doctors and her mother and how she survived life her way and on her terms. My daughter was born with half a heart and has had many surgeries and hospitalizations since she was born. She will never be fixed. This book hit home for me. I highly recommend it for moms who have gone through hell and back with their medically sick children and for young adults who have gone through medical trauma as children and are still struggling emotionally. There are no words for the poetic way this story was told. The actual poetry in the book tugged at my heart. I could feel all the feels like I was living Elisabeth’s pain.

Allison Sweet Grant please write a sequel so we can find out what happens to Elisabeth. She is now part of me. Noah was a beautiful human with a heart of gold and I want to read more about their relationship later in life. I am also curious if the author lived through childhood trauma. I can’t seem to find anything on the internet about her life.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I Am The Cage
By: Allison Sweet Grant

4 Stars

This story is one about growth and pain. Change and life. It was real and gritty. A decent blend of past and present is shared through the eyes of a girl who is different. Having been born with a "birth defect," this can mean so many things, but to her, it was pain, trauma, and betrayal. In this book, you see the experience through vivid imagery. Through poetry and experiences.

This is a book that makes you feel. Feel for the character, feel for others that are born as "defective." You see the pain, the sadness, the real of it all. I would love to say that this book is completely relatable, but it can only be to an extent. It was a great book that kept me invested. I loved Justine with her quiet resolve and resilience.

This was not what I would call a pleasant book, but it was raw and real and worth the read. The end alone makes it worth it.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

This book far exceeded my expectations. From the first page, I was drawn into this world of Elisabeth’s, both tragic and hopeful. I devoured it, reading furiously in the dark with my covers pulled over my kindle. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this ebook. It was an exceptional read. Opinions are entirely my own.

incredibly well done book about pain and fear and emotion. 5 stars. tysm for the arc, would definitely recommend.

This book is chocked full of raw emotion, most of which is full of pain and hard for the reader to swallow. The book alternates between the present tense with Elizabeth living alone proving to herself she can do it and 11 year old Elizabeth who has medical issues that require a torturous amount of pain to correct. Elizabeth has not fully dealt with her path and she learns the hard way that telling yourself it’s fine does not mean it is fine. During a rather big snow storm she finds herself having to accept help from her neighbor Noah, the town sheriff and it forces her to start to examine herself and who she is going to be. This book was beautifully written and includes some amazing poetry. This is a powerful book and I greatly enjoyed reading it. This book is a very quick read, but one that wills it with you as you continue to digest it for a long time.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this early!

The author's ability to capture pain of all kinds (and how they all combine) in such a raw and honest way left me speechless. The writing was lyrical, it helped really capture who Elisabeth is. The back and forth from flashbacks to current day were perfectly paced. Everything flowed seamlessly. I was rooting for Elisabeth the whole time, wanting her to experience happiness and healing. Her journey really touched me.

This book was just okay to me. It was readable, and I finished it, but (these are my opinions only) I didn’t feel connected to the main character at all. I am also not a young adult reading this book so I may be looking at it through the wrong set of glasses, but I felt like more needed to be explained to completely feel for this character. I kept thinking I wanted to hear more from the mother and the reasons behind everything. I did enjoy the banter between Elizabeth and the Sheriff. That also could have been developed a little more.
I feel horrible for not feeling anything toward the character when she had all the medical trauma but there was just something lacking that kept me holding on to hope that this was done for a good reason and Elizabeth was too young to completely understand. To me, it sounded like there were problems with her legs that needed correcting and her mother was trying to correct them. Like I said, just my opinions!!

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. This isn't necessarily something that I would normally pick up and I don't think this is quite what I was expecting it to be. I thought this was a pretty great YA novel though. I think if I picked this up 10 years ago, I would have absolutely eaten it up. I enjoyed the main character's point of view. I think I liked the chapters from the past better than the present day ones. This book was hard hitting but the writing was very easy to read.

I Am the Cage is the kind of book that grabs hold of your heart and doesn’t let go. I stayed up until 4 a.m. with tears in my eyes—something I haven’t done in a while.
Set against the quiet beauty of Fish Creek, Wisconsin, Elisabeth’s story is raw, emotional, and achingly honest. Her journey from isolation to vulnerability, with the help of Noah, the kind and steadfast sheriff, is both heart-wrenching and hopeful. The blend of poignant flashbacks and stunning poetry adds so much depth. This is a tearful, unforgettable coming-of-age story that lingers long after the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

What an achingly beautiful story all around! For a novel that is technically considered "YA," I AM THE CAGE is incredibly mature, raw and genuinely vulnerable in both its plot and prose. Although a bit slow to start (at least, for me), Grant's writing is very captivating and nuanced while also still maintaining its ability to be easy to understand and follow along with; furthermore, I really loved the slow-building of plot points coming together and realizations being made/coming to fruition as the story unfolds. Elisabeth's story and character arc is honestly..... terribly heartbreaking all around, and yet still very relatable on an emotional level. This book explores the themes of mental health/illness; recovery from trauma; learning to accept and grow around painful past memories &/or grief while still honoring the space they may hold over/in our lives; and how to acknowledge and heal from abuse – among others – all in a very empathetic and honest way. I thought Grant did a great job when it came to portraying all the complexities found within Elisabeth's relationship with her mother, Iris, as well as the latter's "failings" and overall lack of inaction when it came to her daughter's struggles. On the other side of things, Elisabeth's support system - made up of her friends and colleagues - were also very well-written; they aren't perfect, of course, but they show up for Elisabeth in all the ways that count most: with empathy, kindness, patience, and acceptance— even when times are hard and even when they may not understand the true depth of Elisabeth's feelings or situation. Overall a wonderful read to start off the year and I truly believe many readers, like myself, will find something within these pages that they can resonate and walk away with.

Excellent story with writing that flowed off the page. The dual time-line with flashbacks to her youth really propelled the story forward. I felt connected to Elisabeth and the raw pain she is still overcoming as she works past the trauma of her childhood. A beautiful story for anyone needing inspiration and the courage to believe in their own strength and resilience.

A young woman moves to a secluded town where she can be anonymous. She doesn’t trust people after a very traumatizing childhood which we see glimpses of in alternating chapters. Justice, aka Elisabeth, fights to keep everyone and every memory out until she meets the next door neighbor, Noah. An emergency may just force Elisabeth out of her shell.
Good book although the medical trauma is quite descriptive so it was a bit much for me. The relationships and characters were pretty good and kept me reading.

Moving, emotional and an excellent read about trauma and how the roads we take to try and heal. A book about finding and excepting yourself. I good book for anyone wanting to see what another endures.

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton Books for Young Readers for the advanced E-edition of this touching book in exchange for my honest review

This was a lovely read. The writing was fantastic, and reading through Elsabeth was both beautiful and heartbreaking. This book is widely advertised as YA. And While I think many of more mature (17+) readers could handle this content and the trauma explored, it would not be a good fit for a HS library which serves 13 year olds. Perhaps a rebranding at New adult?

This book. This writing. This is creativity that feels so very real. It is extremely deep and human.
I received an advanced readers copy of I Am the Cage written by Allison Sweet Grant from Dutton Books via NetGalley. This is my unsolicited opinion. I really appreciate being given the opportunity to read and review this profound book. Elisabeth Amos lives in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. She works for the equally quiet Mr. Terry Ito at the Treasure Box which is sort of a souvenir shop. She spends her days dusting, selling and ordering products such as snow globes and lavender soap. She constantly tells herself, "I am all right."
This is a powerful book for me. As I read, I learned bit by bit about present day Elisabeth, she works, she goes home; alone. This is what she has lived for. Next, I run into a chapter that is titled "Then" the first of many. I am carried back in time, bit by bit where it is explained what has formed who Elisabeth is. There is information about her past, in her memories. I read the medical term, fibular hemimelia. This young woman, in a way, has been born of a medical condition. It's treatments, public prejudice, family reactions, childhood trauma and so much more. It is a hugely touching story in my mind.
This author knows physical and spiritual pain in my opinion. The descriptions are perfect when the character, as a child, speaks up. If any reader wants to try and understand someone who is enduring chronic pain and trauma, read this book! If you want to get a glimpse into the world and memories of a child who lives with medical trauma, loss of trust, even into adulthood, this story is IT. I can so relate to this character. This is my first big Wow book I've read in 2025. I think it deserves to be up for awards.
The author has carefully crafted solid characters to be part of Elisabeth's life. Her mother is a major force, her sisters, believable siblings and Kasey, a dear best friend. Mr. Ito has a small part but is integral. When you are a kid, the bad guy just may be a doctor, sad to say. Or it could be a parent. The reader has thoughts and reactions in that matter. Then. there is the neighbor, Sheriff Noah Harmon. Does Elisabeth find anyone to trust?
Triggers: Childhood medical trauma, adult expectations, mistrust and long-term pain.
Some language.

I Am the Cage by Allison Sweet Grant is a compelling, heartbreaking novel of hope. As I looked through reviews I wanted to shout back at the reviewers who didn't understand what pain can do to a person, how it can shape you and change your very makeup. I have suffered with this type of life changing pain for the last 13 years and I know how what it does to your relationships, your personality, everything. As Elisabeth was describing the removal of the pin I had a visceral reaction. An excellent novel! Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely horrific and lovely story about a young woman looking to work through her trauma (even though she is running away from it at the start). The writing is beautiful and the tragedy feels real.. Well done!

I don't know that I've ever read a book about medical trauma before. Though she wasn't written as a sympathetic character, I found myself identifying with Elisabeth's mother, who surely made the decision to have her daughter have the surgery because she felt it would be best for her child. We never see the perspective of the mother, who has gone through the experience of having to continually inflict pain on her child, in service of healing her.

I think the teens I teach will like this book. As an adult, I wished for more character development, but I overall enjoyed reading it.