The Caged Queen

By: Kristen Ciccarelli

Narrated by: Aysha Kala

From Kristen Ciccarelli, New York Times bestselling author of the Crimson Moth duology (The Heartless Hunter and Rebel Witch), comes this lavish and romantic dragon fantasy set in the world of The Last Namsara. Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and Renee Ahdieh.

Once there were two sisters born with a bond so strong that it forged them together forever. Roa and Essie called it the hum. It was a magic they cherished—until the day a terrible accident took Essie’s life and trapped her soul in this world.

Dax—the heir to Firgaard’s throne—was responsible for the accident. Roa swore to hate him forever. But eight years later he returned, begging for her help. He was determined to dethrone his cruel father, under whose oppressive reign Roa’s people had suffered.

Roa made him a deal: she’d give him the army he needed if he made her queen. Only as queen could she save her people from Firgaard’s rule.

Then a chance arises to right every wrong—an opportunity for Roa to rid herself of this enemy king and rescue her beloved sister. During the Relinquishing, when the spirits of the dead are said to return, Roa discovers she can reclaim her sister for good.

All she has to do is kill the king.

©2018 Kristen Ciccarelli (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

Letting Go

Twins have an amazing bond that can transcend death, but how healthy can that be? Being royal is lonely and heavy, can one do it alone? Not everyone is as they seem, ask questions. #Lovewins #SiblingStories #Tagsgiving #Sweepstakes

I loved it!

I listened to this whole book in one sitting.. just like the first book, this one was so good. I think I even loved it more! I cannot wait to read the third and last! the love stories in this are written so beautifully and the theme of love woven throughout done so masterfully! she did it again!

Great follow-up

This is not your traditional sequel, and it is a stronger book because of it. It’s lack of tradition rests in the fact that the main characters from the first book in the series are merely extras in this one. At first, I was a little confused because I was expecting to hear a continuation of Asha’s story. But in the first few minutes of the audiobook, I realized that, instead of one character’s arc continuing, Ciccarelli was working to build on the arc of the entire world the Iskari series is built on. Ciccarelli gives us a whole new set of characters to root for and fall in love with. It was a refreshing step away from the traditional way series of this type are handled, and I commend Ciccarelli on a job well done.

Ayesha Kala’s narration was perfect.

5 stars all around.

Great sequel

Really liked the sequel from another character’s perspective. It was more character driven and the slow burn love story kept me going. I really love her writing, she builds a beautiful world with characters that seem real and taken you along with them on their story. The narration was really good.

Captivating plot

Loved it!!!! Such a beautiful, captivating plot. The writing is exquisite and powerful . Highly recommend!

oh my STARS!!

What a beautiful and powerful tale this was. I had to fight back the tears reading this until the very end. Such a beautiful story about love, grief, and the bond of sisterhood.

Nobody else can make you want both sides to win like Kristen Ciccarelli. What an incredible genius she is. Ciccarelli is honestly just the best author there is.

This story follows the Last Namsara with Roa and the tale of her sister Essie and Roa's marriage to Dax. What I loved here was how Ciccarelli tied in this story with the timeline of The Last Namsara and Roa's childhood. I love how Ciccarelli writes in a way that you just feel the pain and love that the characters are in. She's the only author I can tolerate reading a slow burn story as it's done so intricately and beautifully that every detail matters.

I would place this more of a 4.75 stars compared to Ciccarelli's other work, as this is the second book and should have been a little less slow in the beginning, but even then, you understand why it's so slow at the end as everything has such purpose and the small details are important to pay attention to.

Bra👏🏻vo👏🏻 Ciccarelli, you truly only know how to create masterpieces 🙌🏼

Unnecessary, drawn out character tension

3/4 of the book is drawn out character tension that can be eliminated with some action in plot. I loved book one, so I was disappointed. the book two was so slow.

Story was a bit scattered

I really liked the first book. I also enjoyed the twin dynamic since I’m a twin myself. However, the flow of the story was not as concise as the first book.

What a surprise!

As other comments have mentioned, this isn’t a continuation on Asha’s story. Rather, it’s about other/related characters in the same world, happening at the same time. At first I was a bit confused and disappointed (because I loved the first book), but I’m so glad I stuck with it! It’s more about royal politics, but just as full of heart and twists. What a clever concept to continue the “story” in a different way!

I wanted to like but

This was difficult for me because I loved the first book audiobook. The narration on this just kept throwing me off. It just seemed slow and choppy. It paused at the wrong times I felt like the story wasn’t moving along when it should be or it wasn’t exciting at times when it should be. I think if I were reading it myself I would have liked it more or if it had a different narrator. But, with this narrator I didn’t want to listen to it at all. I know that’s harsh but I’m sorry, that was my experience.