Review: Poison’s Cage by Breeana Shields

I received this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Poison's Cage by Breeana Shields
Series: Poison's Kiss #2
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on 2018-01-16
Length: 336 pages
Reviewing eARC from Netgalley
Rating:
Reading Challenges: 2018 New Release Challenge, COYER Winter Switch

A single kiss could kill. A single secret could save the kingdom.

Iyla and Marinda have killed many men together: Iyla as the seductress, Marinda as the final, poisonous kiss. Now they understand who the real enemy is—the Snake King—and together they can take him down. Both girls have felt as though they were living a lie in the past, so moving into the King's palace and pretending to serve him isn't as difficult as it sounds. But when you're a spy, even secrets between friends are dangerous. And each girl has something—or someone—to lose. Does every secret, every lie, bring them closer to the truth or . . . to a trap?

Brilliant!! Utterly brilliant! Seriously I have no other words to describe this book. Poison’s Cage by Breeana Shields is the fantastic conclusion to Marinda’s story that began in Poison’s Kiss. Full of intrigue, politics, and crisis of conscience, readers will not want to set this book down until the final page. I just thought I loved the first book, it doesn’t even compare to my feelings after finishing its sequel.

Picking up a few months after the end of Poison’s Kiss, Marinda is back with Gita and heading to the Naga’s hideout. She is determined to bring the Naga down and bravely volunteers to be a spy for the raja in exchange for her brother Mani’s safety. I’ll admit I was a little lost at the beginning of the story as it’s been a year since I read the first book, but I quickly caught up to what was happening and realized that Marinda was getting herself in over her head. One of the things I love about Marinda’s character is her honesty and loyalty to her friends. This girl would die if it meant saving one of them and that is a real possibility going into the Naga’s inner circle.

But it isn’t just Marinda returning to the Naga. Ilya also goes on assignment from Deven to protect Marinda. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t a fan of Ilya in Poison’s Kiss. I liked her, and I felt sorry for her. Here is a girl whose whole life has been taken in service to the Naga and in creating the visha kanya, the poison maiden Marinda. Yet as much as she resents Marinda, she loves her. They have a bond that goes deeper than just friends. These girls survived atrocities at Gopal’s hands and they did so together. I loved seeing their relationship from both girls. In fact, I fell in love with Ilya reading her POV chapters. She is such a conflicted character and I loved her redemption in this novel.

While Poison’s Kiss was a fantasy, it focused more on Marinda and her discovering the Nagaraja. This book focuses more on the mythology and building of those myths. I absolutely fell in love with the plot. I loved learning more about the Naga, Garuda, and the others. I found it interesting how the author built her own myths on these characters who appear in Hindu texts. I loved how it was interwoven with this plot to bring down the Nagaraja and the truth behind what he actually is. Seriously couldn’t have predicted it and it gave me chills while reading. As I’ve already said….Brilliant!

Overall I believe that I loved Poison’s Cage more than I loved the first one and I really didn’t think that was possible! I loved getting two POVs, Marinda and Ilya’s. I loved their friendship, I loved Deven (because seriously that has to be said), and I loved the mythology. This book broke me in the end though. I cried like a baby and then cried some more. It’s a beautifully written story about two strong girls willing to give their lives to save the other. If you enjoyed the first, if you enjoy fantasy, grab a copy and read it as soon as you can. It will not disappoint!

 

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