I don’t think I’m a fan of dystopia romances. To be fair, I love dystopias, I mean look at my blog title. But I don’t think this worked out for me. Keep reading this book review of To Cage a Wild Bird for my full thoughts.
Summary
In the city of Dividium, the law is simple: commit a crime, and your punishment is a life sentence in Endlock.
Raven Thorne is Dividium’s most notorious bounty hunter, living on the edge of society. But when her younger brother, Jed, is sentenced to Endlock, Raven will do anything to save him—even if it means getting herself arrested.
Now trapped in a prison where danger lurks around every corner, Raven must use all her cunning and strength to protect Jed—and herself if she is to complete her perilous mission. But there’s one obstacle she never expected: the prison guard who stirs something deep inside her. The man she should hate. The man whose true motives seem impossible to pin down.
In a world where trust is a weapon and love is a liability, Raven must decide if she will risk everything to tear down a vicious system.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Okay so my main problems with To Cage a Wild Bird is the world building and the romance. Firstly, I felt like the world building was a bit shallow. It seemed like dystopia was the only way to get our main characters into this high stakes situation. Additionally, to get the pressure and the direness, we are told the bare minimum about the world. I wanted more details to locate their struggles within the larger world. To see their lives as just another symptom of this broken system. And all of the details felt like they were only there when it was necessary and didn’t paint a fuller picture of the world. For a dystopia, I just felt like it needed more to really situate it within the genre and for this world.
Secondly, the romance gave me the ick. Not only did I feel like their interactions weren’t enough to build a romance or feelings, but whatever interactions they had were all based on this uneven power dynamic. He’s a prison guard responsible for enforcing the rules and also for preparing them to be hunted like sport for the elite. And I don’t think there were enough redeeming threads, just whispers that we are supposed to read between the lines. I also felt like any of their interactions just were shadows of their unequal power and also like he’s the only other romantic interest so there isn’t a lot of connection or competition.
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As a whole, To Cage a Wild Bird is an example of why I think dystopia romance can be tricky. This is an example of not the best execution – in my opinion – but it just reinforced my reservations unfortunately. Find To Cage a Wild Bird on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.