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Reviewed by Stephanie Chapman for Readers' Favorite
Katie L. Mary’s dystopian novel The Golden Cage features Sansera’s system of grading women according to their beauty. The book is divided into three parts with alternating viewpoints from several major characters. In the first section, the six-year-old girls are brought to the institute, which will raise them until they reach maturity. They are divided into three tiers based on their beauty. Tier one raises girls who are set for a life of ease. Tier two raises girls who will become housewives and produce heirs for their rich husbands. Tier three girls are set for a life of menial jobs as servants. The second part of the book narrates the stories of Elora, Rose, Vaughn, and Odette. These four girls are in Tier one, but they risk losing their rank if they do not conform to the rules. The final part depicts what the girls will encounter when they graduate. All four face different lives.
This dystopian story predicts a possible direction the world could take. Katie L. Mary gave Sansera a patriarchal society, where men reign supreme. Elora and Rose were constantly competing to be at the top of their class. I liked Vaughn’s defiance of conforming. The headmistress Nora Plum knew how misleading the tier ranking was. I wondered why she kept the secret instead of leading a revolution against the king. The unpredictable storyline was easy to follow, providing vivid detail about the inner thoughts of every character. I could look at each moment through their eyes and understand their feelings. Tier three is where I would prefer to be placed because it provides the most freedom. The book's conclusion was poetic. Those who appreciate dystopian stories portrayed through multiple perspectives in varying states will enjoy The Golden Cage.
