"Hate ricochets, but kindness does too."

"A List of Cages" is a powerful and sometimes disturbing look into the world of child abuse. Julian's parents died unexpectedly about 5 years ago. Julian was briefly placed in a foster home where he met Adam, the son of his foster mom. Adam quickly became like a brother to Julian. Then one day Julian's long lost uncle came to claim him. Julian disappeared with him without a trace. Until one day, several years later, Adam accidentally bumps into him at school. But Julian is very different from the boy he use to be.

This book is indescribably mind blowing. It was very eye opening to watch how vulnerable Julian was to abuse. How easy it can happen. How bad it can get. I think this is an important book for young people to read. To help people look beyond their own world and take in what can be happening just under their noses.

***Advanced Copy obtained from Disney Book Group/Disney-Hyperion via Netgalley***

I was not entirely impressed by this book. THe pacing was decent and the flow was natural. THe characters were so-so. While the voices were strong they were a little too extreme, one too good to be true and the other too down-trodden. The plot was a bit extreme in its cruelty. I might have passed it off as amateurish if not for the writing. There were a few lines that just blew me away. I suspect people will oject to the violence, the cruelty, and the unbelievability of Russell.

This is one of those beautifully broken stories. The ones that make your heart hurt, your eyes water and have you wanting to just hug the main character. Especially when that character is a young man with a childlike mind and sense of being.

Julian has not had an easy life. Having his parents ripped away from him at a young age was never going to be easy, but he was lucky when he landed at Adam Blake's house. He quickly wove his way into Adam's families hearts, but was then ripped away without much word afterwords.

Years later fate brings these two young men together again. While Adam is a happy go lucky senior, Julian is a quiet underclassman whom is constantly the subject of ridicule. From the moment Adam realizes who exactly is before him, he tries to turn Julian's outlook on life around. There's only one problem, Julian's current guardian.

This story was hard to read a times, but only until I told myself that it had to get better for Julian. With the type of character he is, I couldn't see the author tormenting him until an untimely end. I just knew there had to be something more in store for him. Make sure to pick up your copy to see if I was right.

Received from NetGalley for review.

Hate ricochets, but kindness does too.


A List of Cages is a heart-breaking, but ultimately heart-warming, novel about the friendship between fourteen-year-old lonely and shy Julian and seventeen-year old vibrant and loving Adam. We learn early on that Julian used to be Adam’s foster brother, until his Uncle claimed custody, and five years later they meet again, with Adam taking an elective as the school psychologists’ assistant and being assigned to Julian – initially to escort him to his appointments with Dr. Whitlock.

The narrative switches between Adam and Julian’s perspective, which quickly builds an image of each character and their vastly different lives; I can guarantee that Julian’s chapters will tear you apart and have you feeling so deeply for him it hurts. Adam is a happy-go-lucky senior, who happens to have ADHD, and his personality shines off the page – you can easily imagine him being loved by all who come across him, as he has a naturally happy disposition and looks on the bright side of life thanks to his strong relationship with his mother and his friends (you’ll love Charlie, trust me). When he is assigned to Julian he immediately knows something is wrong; yes Julian’s parents are dead but Adam remembers him as so much more when he was younger, now he is just a shell of his former self, hollowed out and in clothes that don’t fit. Julian’s story is slowly revealed throughout the novel and it will break your heart – his teachers are impatient with him, his Uncle is abusive, and friends are non-existent, but Julian remains a bright, sweet, and kind boy who deserves love and kindness in return.

Because when you’re between two shores and no one can see you, you don’t really exist at all.


The writing is fast-paced and easy to read whilst still building a very strong sense of Adam and Julian’s characters and all the atmosphere and feelings that go along with being in high school. I especially love how Roe has shown how vastly different people’s lives can be, especially in terms of the school setting; Julian’s home life shows the sad reality that not everyone has a loving home and that perceived behaviour issues are often the result of something else, something entirely out of the student’s or teacher’s control. People (teachers and students alike) think that Julian is a strange loner who can’t read or write and cuts class but it is his home life and the influence of his Uncle that cause many of his problems. I know myself how hard it can be when you have a student you just can’t seem to reach, but A List of Cages reminds me to simply keep trying and to always remember that there’s usually a good reason for disruptive or rebellious behaviour.

If you enjoyed The Perks of Being a Wallflower I imagine you’ll enjoy this, as the story has a very similar vibe without being a carbon copy. There’s heartbreak and horror, but I think it is ultimately uplifting; everything is not resolved and sunshine and daises at the end, but there is hope and potential for such a thing. I’m going to sign off this review with this gem of a quote that had me laughing out loud and falling more in love with this book:

“Getting smacked in the face with a Harry Potter book does not qualify as a fight,” Charlie says.

“First of all, it wasn’t just any Harry Potter book. It was Order of the Phoenix.”

Matt gasps. He knows Order of the Phoenix is the longest and most potentially dangerous of all the Harry Potter books when used as a weapon.

Where are the happy, "feel good" young adult titles? I have just finished reading some soon-to-be or newly released YA books, but it is difficult to call any of them truly uplifting. Perhaps the titles should have given me a hint of how dark they would be?

For example, A List of Cages by Robin Roe is extremely well-written. Once I reached a certain point in the novel, I did not want to stop and kept reading long into the night. A List of Cages is the story of Julian, a high school freshman who is befriended by Adam, a senior whose work study job is with the social work department. Adam has ADHD and Julian has dyslexia. They come from different home situations and teachers are portrayed as reacting very differently to each of them. Sadly, there is a strong element of child abuse in this novel which can make for some very uncomfortable, though compelling, reading.

Although several of the educators tend to appear overly harsh or clueless, debut author Roe runs a mentoring program for at risk teens and gives her adolescent characters realistic voices. A List of Cages received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly.

A List of Cages by Robin Roe

2 stars

A List of Cages follows two young men at very different stages of adolescences who share a past. Julian is a shy fourteen-year-old freshman. His parents’ tragic passing has left him stunted socially, emotionally, and physically; being under the care of Russell doesn’t help. Adam is a senior in high school and he has a group friends that mean the world to him. His ADHD makes him the lovable guy around campus and when he runs into Julian, his old foster brother, he makes it his mission to get Julian to break out of his shell.


I probably would have never read this novel if I wasn’t invited by Disney through Netgalley to review this title. It’s not my type of story. I’m not a big contemporary reader. The only time I read novels that have fantasy is if it’s historical or psychological because that’s just my preference. Even when I enjoyed contemporary as my main literary diet, I probably would’ve never picked this novel up. It’s not a striking novel. It has a gorgeous cover, but the synopsis doesn’t really draw me in or make me instantly interested in stepping out of my comfort zone.


I wish I could say that leaping out of my usual reads was amazing and groundbreaking, but this book left me feeling inconclusive about the overall story. It’s a quick read, but it’s not a read that will stick with me or haunt me. I like my contemporary to strike my heartstrings and make me feel like the lessons and tribulations the characters have experienced have helped me to become a better person. I don’t really think I took away from this novel. All I can say is… meh.


The writing wasn’t horrible, but it felt elementary. The sentences were choppy and short. There was also a lot of repetition. I can definitely see younger middle school students enjoying this novel because of its readability. My biggest issue is that it felt like a Perks of Being a Wallflower rip-off. Shy, awkward kid (who probably has a mental or social handicap) is welcomed into a large group of seniors who have fun parties. It felt way too much like watching Charlie interact with Sam and Patrick; just characters had different names and genders. Although there is a character named Charlie in this novel who plays a HUGE role throughout the novel.


Whimsical Writing Scale: 2

The main characters are Adam and Julian. I honestly didn’t care for the majority of Adam’s POV throughout most of the novel. It felt inconsequential and irrelevant. I think his POV was only necessary towards the end in the second part. His whole passages with his friends and their interactions were just boring and pointless. Julian is a really sad character, but everything just felt a little too sad for him. I just couldn’t connect to him. I felt sorry for him, but I also didn’t care until he was going through the absolute worst forms of torture. After that I just felt frustrated with him and I couldn’t wait for the whole story to be over. He’s too naïve and it was probably supposed to make me want to hug him, but I wanted to sit him down for a long talk on being sensible.


Adam’s friends were an interesting aspect to the story. I can’t say I really cared all that much for them. Charlie’s interaction with Julian were integral to the story and I enjoyed seeing the progression of the relationship. Besides that, I couldn’t connect to any of these characters and I just could care less overall.


Character Scale: 2

The Villain- I love villains, especially in everyday stories because in reality there aren’t any visible villains unless you find yourself in something akin to an Investigative Discovery special. The villain, Russell, Julian’s adoptive guardian didn’t feel understandable. I didn’t get why he was inflicting the horrible level of psychological torture that he was. That half-assed explanation in the heat of the “final showdown” felt disjointed and like a failed attempt to explain why he did what he did. Then, again, do we ever really know why serial killers kill? I guess I can see why his actions don’t make sense, but from my standpoint I’m dissatisfied.


Villain Scale: 2

Overall, I’m not sure who I would recommend this novel to. It’s one of those stories that I would recommend if you are interested based off the synopsis or if someone recommends it to you personally, but besides that I don’t feel like it’s a novel to seek out in a bookstore.


Plotastic Scale: 1.75

Cover Thoughts: I do love this cover. The illustrations are beautiful.

Thank you, Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.