Book Review | To Cage a God

When Galina and Sera were children, their mother grafted the power of a god into their bones and raised them to one day overthrow the tyrannical nobles. Now adults, Galina concocts a plan to infiltrate the palace and dismantle the government from within. However, when she falls for the isolated princess Vasilisa, she finds herself caught between torn loyalties.

To Cage a God by Elizabeth May weaves a Slavic godpunk fantasy inspired by the Russian revolution.

At first glance, the basic premise of caging dragon gods and harnessing their powers sounded really interesting and had so much potential, but unfortunately, the execution of the story itself fell flat.

Now, I’m a sucker for a good fantasy romance, but the romance here felt more at odds with the plot than an enhancement of it—undermining any sense of stakes or urgency. For instance, in one of the opening scenes, readers are repeatedly told that Galina’s life is somehow on the line, yet all consideration for her sister’s life goes out the window when Sera spies her ex-lover, Vitaly, and decides to ogle him instead. She also is way too quick to forgive him after he attempts to have her sister assimilated.

Overall, the characters didn’t feel believable to me and come across as too juvenile for an adult fantasy. I really found it hard to root and care for the main sisters when they so easily forget each other and their own revolutionary cause.

Thank you, NetGalley and DAW, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details:

Publication Date : February 20, 2024

Publisher : DAW

ISBN: 075641881X

Pages : 384

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