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The Unforgiven Series #1

The Caged Kingdom

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A woman forged by fire. A girl the curse has chosen.

A Soldier with a secret. A forgotten war.

Katanya Leshi is one of the most powerful Wielders left in the Kingdom of Brodanna.

She spent her life becoming a weapon, as deadly with her magic as she is with a blade.

After vowing never to return to Kara's Guild, only a debt to an old friend can bring her back and into the path of Mara Lars.

Mara had only ever wanted to be a story teller, she never thought she’d wind up the centre in a story of her own.

Freed from an oppressive King she finds herself thrust into a world of magic and danger.

The monsters of legend are real, and she must stop them.

In a world on the brink of mayhem Captain Jaxon Rowdedge hides a secret that could get him killed or worse...

After the perfect soldier has lost everything, an unexpected ally may be his only chance.

An ancient enemy threatens to destroy their world, Brodanna stands on the brink of war.

Soon they will have to take a stand or watch all they love burn…

The Caged Kingdom is the first installment in an all new epic fantasy adventure by M A Price, perfect for fans ready to dive into a new world of swords and sorcery.
Ideal for NA and Adult fantasy fans alike.

364 pages, Paperback

First published April 22, 2019

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About the author

M.A. Price

10 books43 followers
I’m Marie and when I was little I’d be so desperate to write stories I’d find blank adverts in the newspaper and write over them.
I’ve managed to find better places to tell my stories over the years and hopefully that’s why you’re here.

I’m obsessed with Star Trek, the latest book that’s in my hand, whatever show I’m watching, the story I’m currently writing and cushions; the last one is a new obsession and I’m pretty sure my husband hates it (I hope I’m not the only one that heard a Gollum voice there). I live in a book covered little house with him and my four incredibly spoilt and slightly podgy cats. Despite the evidence I’m also a dog person.

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5 stars
19 (63%)
4 stars
5 (16%)
3 stars
2 (6%)
2 stars
2 (6%)
1 star
2 (6%)
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Profile Image for Sarah.
3 reviews2 followers
April 18, 2019
I received a free ARC copy of this title, in return for a honest review.

"We can't win this war without Mara Lars."

First of all, I'd like to say I absolutely adored this story. It's always quite nerve-wracking when you review a new Fantasy Author for the first time, but this one was absolutely amazing.

I would honestly compare the story to a cross between A song of Ice and Fire and Throne of Glass.

We meet a character in chapter one who is incredibly important throughout the story, I won't tell you what happens to her because you know...spoilers...but her influence is felt perfectly for every character.

The story then focuses on mainly Mara Lars and Katanya Leshi, with two other POV characters.
Katanya is the perfect lead to any story and the sort of character most Fantasy fans love. She's deadly and horrendously quick-witted. Mara embarks on more of a coming-of-age journey. One of my favourite things is how well you see both characters develop throughout the book. Very few novels successfully show you both leads developing. As a small spoiler, they are also great friends, the sort of female friendship that unfortunately, we never get to see enough of.

The other leads are both men. The four do not have any romantic involvement, although some romance is peppered throughout the story. One I am particularly stanning and already desperate to see what happens in the sequel! Reyn Landress is a dream.

The story also features a cast of incredibly well done background characters; all with their own quirks and personalities.

The enemy, The Unforgiven, as well as some smaller enemies, consistently feel threatening. One antagonist, Xave, does something so terrible I really hope we get to see revenge in future novels.

I will say that it does have hard-hitting moments. As much as it's a NA/Adult fantasy, there are some moments where you will need to reach for a tissue. If you want the sort of book that makes you feel things though, then this is for you, and I'd be lying if I said they weren't my favourite.

There are great quotes peppered throughout, one I'd love to show you, but again I don't want to ruin it for you!!
Overall, I would definitely recommend reading!!

Profile Image for Rebecca Hefner.
Author 32 books1,238 followers
April 27, 2019
This is a fantastic start to a sweeping new fantasy series. I pretty much fell in love with all the characters, which was easy to do because the author writes from many different characters' POVs. I'm a huge sucker for multiple POV stories because I think it gives the reader multiple perspectives on the story. There were so many things I loved about this book, I'm not sure where to begin. The world-building was great and the writing was excellent. As a lifelong romance reader, I absolutely loved the relationship that formed between Mara and Idyn. There were also some definite sparks between Katanya and Reyn. Can't wait to see those evolve in Book 2! Being so invested in the characters, there were some heartbreaking moments where my eyes welled and also some moments filled with humor. If you're a fan of fantasy of any sort, or just a well-written story to get lost in, I'd highly recommend this book!
Profile Image for Jayanth Einstein.
1 review
March 30, 2019
Amazing adventures book! Love it! I highly recommend everyone to read this amazing book! Author M.A price ma'am looking forward to read some more of your amazing book ma'am!
Profile Image for Jenna Neece.
Author 15 books26 followers
May 8, 2019
This book is well worth a read. The world of Brodanna is not your typical fantasy world. Price weaves a narrative and builds a world that not only draws the reader in, but can make you forget you are reading a book. The characters are lifelike and likable! I felt an instant connection to Mara.

I also want to note that I typically don’t like multi POV stories, but this one is written so well! I didn’t have trouble following it at all!

This is the start to a promising new series! Can’t wait to read more!
Profile Image for Brad.
12 reviews2 followers
May 10, 2019
A thoroughly enjoyable read!

I have had the pleasure of reading this book on a couple of occasions, as I was fortunate enough to be one of the arc readers.

The characterisation of the colourful and diverse cast of characters has been done wonderfully, with more than a couple of stand out stars, Katanya, Reyn, Ivloxh and Becca to name a few of my personal favourites!

The world of Brodanna is a refreshing take on the typical fantasy, with a often neglected gender equality and liberal approach similar to the world we strive to live in today, which is so often sorely missed in the fantasy genre.

Overall it is a great introduction to a fascinating world filled with wonderful characters on both ends of the moral spectrum.
Profile Image for Charles Gull.
Author 6 books37 followers
July 18, 2021
3 out of 5 stars for this dizzying exploration of the human condition.

Read my full, spoiler free, review on my website.
Profile Image for Nancy.
Author 25 books23 followers
May 11, 2019
Carried me away!

This is a fast paced and intriguing story that made me sad to have to put it down. A fantastic start to a new series! I can't wait for more!
Profile Image for Matthew.
Author 7 books145 followers
May 12, 2021
I’ve always been a fan of fantasy tales, and in The Caged Kingdom I found a story well worth getting lost in. The author does a great job of creating compelling characters, a rich history, and an interesting world. There are moment of prose that honestly took my breath away, such as Mara’s first encounter with battle and the true cost of war. I can’t recommend this novel highly enough, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series when it comes out.
1,420 reviews1 follower
July 8, 2019
OK?

It moved too slowly for me. I put it down several times and it felt disjointed each time that I picked it up again. I dropped it at 11%. The writing isn't bad but for some reason, the fantasy didn't hold my attention.
Profile Image for Nils Ödlund.
Author 15 books55 followers
May 30, 2019
Engaging and entertaining

I have to admit I had a bit of a hard time getting into the story. Early on, there were a of things that the characters of the story clearly knew, but which didn't become clearly until much later.
I'm happy I stuck with it though. The characters grew into fully fledged people, with their own complex relationships to each other. The setting itself is interesting too, and it'd be cool to learn more about it. Hopefully more little nuggets of knowledge will be dished out in the next book.

What I enjoyed:
The characters. They're well painted and colourful. The book isn't heavy on the action, but when it happens, it's tense and well done.

What didn't work for me:
On a few occasions, things are a little too "easy" for the characters in the story, and things that could have been interesting are just quickly bypassed.
I kept getting the phrases "moon" and "moon turn" confused, which messed up the sense of time in the story.

Will I read the next part? Yes!

Who would I recommend this book to?
Someone who's into fantasy for the adventure and the adventurers, rather than for the nitty gritty details of magic systems and world mechanics.
Profile Image for Nora McKinney.
Author 1 book108 followers
December 28, 2019
This is a wonderful story, told from the perspective of the characters' respective emotional worlds. This is fantasy exactly how I love it: no battle-gore-machismo, but inner struggle and worthy deeds, heroism forced by circumstances and characters who are not necessarily all good or all bad, but various shades of grey. The worldbuilding is wonderful, the characters relatable and real. Lately, I've had some difficulty finding fantasy books that draw me in (I'm saturated after 20 years of fantasy-reading), but this absolutely drew me in, reminding me why I love this genre.

I would have easily given this book five stars, but it needs a good edit. Although it is beautifully written, there are grammatical and syntactic errors, even after allowing for artistic creativity. The punctuation is off and I think at some scenes some line editing would be useful to ensure a smooth timeline.

But I will still continue reading this series because it's quite good.
Profile Image for Audry Wichelns.
136 reviews18 followers
February 16, 2020
The Caged Kingdom (Book 1)

Outstanding! My only regret is that I did not read the prequel first. From the beginning the book grabs your attention and takes you for a ride into a story of horrible villains who are taking control of the humans who once defeated them. They have created a serum and taking over human bodies. The resistance is not doing well and has come close to defeat until some old friends are brought back by their leader. Unfortunately, the puppet king is sending more humans and serum to turn even more innocent people into the creatures. Definitely a fantastic book!
Profile Image for Marion.
23 reviews1 follower
January 20, 2021
This book will take you on an adventure in a new, interesting fantasy realm where you will experience action, drama, love, and heartbreak. Don’t worry if it takes a little while to understand what some of the words (like Wielder, User, The Unforgiven, etc.) mean – stick with it! Because it is a great story! If you’re looking for a great adventure with a diverse cast and some badass female warriors, then this is definitely the book for you!
Profile Image for Momus Najmi.
Author 2 books5 followers
June 3, 2019
Brilliant read

At the beginning it is a bit confusing but the more you read, the more you understand and the more you start to appreciate the complexity of the story and the characters. I can easily see this turned into a movie series, because it has enough in it. Brilliant read.
1 review
May 29, 2019
It's unusual to find a new world that grabs your attention and takes you in quite in the way Brodanna does. I was expecting to sit down with my Kindle and flick through a few pages here and there over a nice cup of tea, how wrong I was.

The first chapter was over, the second, the third, the tea lukewarm and forgotten. I found myself completely drawn into the start of a fantastic new adventure. I rediscovered old friends I'd never known and made new ones in the unlikeliest of places. I felt my heart grow as I experienced the exquisite taste of love and friendship between them. I felt it break when I fell in love with the most masterfully written villain I've ever had the misfortune to meet.

If you're looking for an intense and emotional journey from the first page to the last then this is the book for you. I can't wait to see what's in store for part two.
Profile Image for Sean Greggs.
5 reviews
October 23, 2019
Such a good start to a fantasy series. Each character has their own personality, the world is so interesting and I can't wait to see more of the enemy. Katanya is also the badass heroine actually done right for a change.
Profile Image for C.C. Francis.
Author 2 books20 followers
May 16, 2019
This is a phenomenal read.

An immersive fantasy world. Interesting characters. Excellent writing quality.

Highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews