Book Review: Cage of Deceit by Jennifer Anne Davis

Cage of Deceit (Reign of Secrets #1)
Author:  Jennifer Anne Davis
Publisher:  Clean Teen Publishing
Publication Date:  August 25, 2015
*ARC received from publisher via NetGalley

From Goodreads:
Seventeen-year-old Allyssa appears to be the ideal princess of Emperion—she’s beautiful, elegant, and refined. She spends her days locked in a suffocating cage, otherwise known as royal court. But at night, Allyssa uses her secret persona—that of a vigilante—to hunt down criminals and help her people firsthand.

Unfortunately, her nightly escapades will have to wait because the citizens of Emperion may need saving from something much bigger than common criminals. War is encroaching on their country and in order to protect her people, Allyssa may have to sacrifice her heart. Forced to entertain an alliance through marriage with a handsome prince from a neighboring kingdom, she finds herself feeling even more stifled than before. To make matters worse, the prince has stuck his nosy squire, Jarvik, to watch her every move.

Jarvik is infuriating, bossy and unfortunately, the only person she can turn to when she unveils a heinous plot. Together, the unlikely pair will have to work together to stop an enemy that everyone thought was long gone, one with the power to destroy her family and the people of Emperion. Now the cage Allyssa so longed to break free from might just be the one thing she has to fight to keep intact. In order to save her kingdom, she will have to sacrifice her freedom, her heart, and maybe even her life.

Review:
ADORED this book, I stayed up until 3:00 in the morning because I couldn't put it down.  This has everything I love!

1.  Allyssa.  Tough princess who, since the age of twelve, sneaks out of the castle and tracks down criminals and captures them with her commoner best friend.  She knows how to fight, doesn't want an arranged marriage, she wants to be able to marry for love like her parents, but she knows she'll have to marry for political reasons.  Loved her character.  She's kick ass without being a Mary Sue.

2.  Hate to love relationship.  Why does this trope work so well?

3.  War brewing with an absolutely evil King.  Torturing people (chopping them up into little pieces while they're still alive), putting people's heads on sticks, etc.

4.  An assassin who actually kills.  What?

5.  Political intrigue with secrets and deceptions.  Allyssa's parents are keeping a lot from her, the prince who she's supposed to marry changes the subject whenever she brings up politics, and his squire doesn't act like a normal squire.  What is everyone hiding?

Well-written, entertaining, with a nice balance of character and plot. My main complaint is that I knew the big reveal very early on, it was way too obvious.  It didn't detract from my loving the book, but that may bother some people.  Also, there were similarities to other books (one in particular), but I didn't mind.

Cliffhanger…gah!  The author does give the reader fair warning in the beginning of the book that there will be one, but come on…I NEED THE NEXT BOOK NOW!

Posted by:  Pam