About this item
A darkly fantastical debut set in a modern England where magically gifted aristocrats rule, and commoners are doomed to serve - for readers of Victoria Aveyard and Susanna Clarke NOT ALL ARE FREE. NOT ALL ARE EQUAL. NOT ALL WILL BE SAVED. Our world belongs to the Equals - aristocrats with magical gifts - and all commoners must serve them for ten years. But behind the gates of England's grandest estate lies a power that could break the world. A girl thirsts for love and knowledge. Abi is a servant to England's most powerful family, but her spirit is free. So when she falls for one of their noble-born sons, Abi faces a terrible choice. Uncovering the family's secrets might win her liberty - but will her heart pay the price A boy dreams of revolution. Abi's brother, Luke, is enslaved in a brutal factory town. Far from his family and cruelly oppressed, he makes friends whose ideals could cost him everything. Now Luke has discovered there may be a power even greater than magic: revolution. And an aristocrat will remake the world with his dark gifts. He is a shadow in the glittering world of the Equals, with mysterious powers no one else understands. But will he liberate - or destroyPraise for Gilded Cage"Beautifully characterised and compellingly plotted, Gilded Cage is an impressive debut." - The Guardian"An alternate modern-day England where enticing drama and social unrest mix with aristocratic scandal and glamorous magic . . . conjuring up the specters of Les Misrables and Downton Abbey . . . an absorbing first installment that presages an intriguing new fantasy series." - Kirkus Reviews "Gilded Cage is a heart-pounding combination of dark magic, political revolution, and forbidden romance that had me addicted from the first page!" - Danielle L. Jensen, USA Today bestselling author of The Malediction Trilogy"Devious and deliciously dark with lashings of magic, mystery, and mayhem, this juggernaut of a book will keep you hanging on by your fingernails until the very last page." - Taran Matharu, New York Times bestselling author of The Summoner Trilogy "A dark and intriguing vision of an alternate, magic-drenched Britain, Gilded Cage kept me up long into the night." - Aliette de Bodard, author of The House of Shattered Wings"Brisk plotting, sympathetic characters, and plenty of intrigue will keep readers on the edges of their seats, eager for the next book in a very promising series." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
About the Author
Vic lives in London's Notting Hill, but her life is more action-adventure than rom-com.
She studied History and English at Merton College, Oxford where Tolkien was once professor. Relocating to Rome, she completed her doctorate in the Vatican Secret Archives (they're nothing like The Da Vinci Code) , then spent five years living in Tokyo where she learned Japanese and worked as a journalist. She now writes full time.
Vic has scuba-dived on Easter Island, camped at Everest Base Camp, voyaged on one of the last mailboats to St Helena, hang-glided across Rio de Janeiro, and swum the Hellespont from Europe to Asia. But there's little she loves more than lying in bed till midday with a good book and a supply of her favourite biscuits.
