Uncaged

Unspoken #2

by Celia McMahon

Not every queen needs a crown.

After escaping Stormwall, Izzy and Fray have finally crossed through the Archway and into The Old Kingdom in search of allies. But finding a place within Fray’s former pack is harder than they imagined. When Izzy’s father warred with the Gwylis, it made a lifelong enemy of the Rowan name. Fray’s betrayal of siding with Aquarius in the war makes him no less an enemy to the pack.

Izzy struggles to understand her newfound magic and build a relationship with her new family, but when the new king’s soldiers arrive in The Old Kingdom, Izzy must fight to secure the protection of her new home. With war looming once again, Izzy is thrust back into the life she tried to leave behind.

As danger mounts, past, present, and future collide between kingdoms, and the lines of allegiances are drawn. Izzy must decide who she is willing to fight for, and where her loyalties truly lie.

UNCAGED is the stunning sequel to Celia McMahon’s debut UNSPOKEN, the first in her fantasy trilogy set in a world of curses, wolves, and war.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal

416 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 5, 2020

About the author

Me in the third person:

Celia Mcmahon is a devourer of books and coffee. If she’s not busy buying more books than she can read or discovering new ways of being tired, you can find her scouring the world army-wife style for book ideas.


What I read: I read fantasy and contemporary with your occasional biography and horror thrown in.

Unapologetically addicted to jalapeno Cheetos.

What I write: I write Young Adult books about wolves and magic and things that scare me. I throw in some kissing too.

I like gaming, books, potato salad and Star Wars.

Add me to your TBR! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

I got that 100 review badge thing on NetGalley. I'm so cool.

How I rate books:
⭐ DNF and probably terrible
⭐⭐ DNF/ or a complete waste of my time, not for me but others may enjoy
⭐⭐⭐ liked the story but had major issues with it
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great story. Minor issues
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I would probably die for this book

Reviews

[Lindsay (pawsomereads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved getting to revisit this world and these characters again!! This sequel is so action-packed and we get introduced to a whole new cast of characters who are each dynamic and captivating in their own way. I loved the journey taken by Izzy and her friends/allies in this book and I can’t wait to see what happens next in the third novel!

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to Celia McMahon and The Parliament House for giving me access.

Oh. My. Heart. I think it is breaking. Why? I can’t even begin to answer that without leading to spoilers. But there is death, which is to be expected because we are at war, but I am not okay.

Moving on…

Celia Mcmahon does and amazing job at world building and storytelling. We have love and loss, traitors and heroes, more Gwylis and FIRE MAGIC! I didn’t want it to be over.

I cannot wait for the final book and I am looking forward to see how Izzy takes back her kingdom. I can just imagine her now, with a gleam of fire in her eyes.

On a path of fire, you will walk. And out of the flames, a beast will rule. – Celia McMahon, Uncaged.

Once again, thank you Celia for incorporating sign language into your story. It is something that should be thought about more often and included in more stories. All the disabilities, really.

[[ReadersRealms] Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Celia McMahon and The Parliament House Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

In the sequel to Unspoken, we finally get to see more of the world outside of the New Kingdom. We get to see the other side of the ravaged land and those affected by the centuries-long war. We watch as Izzy and Fray struggle to find themselves and hold onto each other as they try to build a new life beyond the Archway.

I love this world that Celia has created and was thrilled to be diving deeper into it. I was also happy to see the growth in Izzy’s character as she learns more about what it means to be human and wolf, her powers, the world beyond, and her new family.

Izzy’s strength lies in her determination to protect the innocent and those she loves. As is the case in stories like this, it can also be her weakness. Her fear of losing them and the life she loves, creates turmoil and fosters doubt. As she realizes and accepts her path, she is finally free to do what needs to be done, even though the price may ultimately destroy her.

“I finally knew what part I had to play, and the realization was a lightning strike from the heavens. Like a beast, finally uncaged.” — Izzy

I can’t wait for the final installment in the trilogy and to see what awaits as Izzy fights for her kingdom.

[Celia]

UNCAGED was the most challenging book I'd ever written. When UNSPOKEN was first picked up by a small indie publisher back in 2017, I started up on the sequel right away. But when the small press decided to close, I was left with two books that I never thought would see the light of day. So, Izzy, Fray, and Ashe's stories were left dangling. Enter The Parliament House Press, who took a chance on my wolf children, and with the best of eyes, transformed this difficult book into something that made sense.

Izzy is, by far, the most insufferable and bratty of all my protagonists (some of my negative reviewers of UNSPOKEN have pointed this out!), and she makes some bad choices. But as I sit here writing this, and taking a break from book three, I know that she's the most complex character I've ever created and that her growth in book two and three will not only surprise you but give you a female fighter to root for.

With all that being said, I hope February comes quickly. My wolves yearn for readers to sink their teeth into.

[Yolanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Liked:
*Aesthetics ~ the covers for the whole series are so good! I love the color scheme and the cover art is just so beautiful.

*World Building ~ Izzy and Fray have left Stormwall and now they are in The Old Kingdom which is very detailed. I enjoyed learning about this land of Gwylis who aren’t voiceless, the Gwylis history and their way of life. We get a lot more wolves in this book as Izzy meets Fray’s old pack.

*Characters ~ I like meeting the new characters like Olio (he’s my fave). Sonia is tough as nails too and we learn a little about her. Branch is cool too since he comes off scary in the beginning but starts to train Izzy and she needs training.

*There is a darkness to Izzy now and I’m sure it will be explored more in the final book of the series. Whatever powers she inherited from the Gwylis, Aquarius, has come with some consequences that she has to figure out.

Random Notes:
*This one was slower than the first one because Izzy is new to the Gwylis and finding where she belongs. She is also busy training and learning her powers. I know Izzy is a strong female and now even more powerful with her Gwylis form but at times I feel like she doesn’t listen to anyone and I wish she would.

*I’m not sure why Ashe is trailing her and what his role is? To remind Izzy of what she once was? Human? 🤔 I guess we shall see in book three.

*Speaking about feelings – what is happening with her and Fray? They were tight and now unravelling. They do not communicate very well even though they can communicate through sign and with voice! 🤦🏻‍♀️ I know she’s going through some things though.

*Triggers: grief, violence

Final Thoughts:
This felt like a second book because how slow the story became and we spent time just watching Izzy trying to find where she belongs and learning all about her new powers. I think it definitely sets up some things to go down in book three where she has to go back and figure out what to do with her home Stormwall. This was a solid sequel but not my favorite of the series so far – but I do enjoy this world of wolves this author has created.

[Nessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you @theparliamentpress for the eARC of ‘Uncaged’ by Celia McMahon
This book oh gosh. There were so many moments in this book where I was just like whaaaat. First of all Fray and Izzy’s relationship. So confusing. At first they’re all in love with each other and then Izzy starts pulling back and they start having issues and Ghetee another Gwylis tells her to communicate better but I think it actually gets worse. Her relationship with Fray gets so bad that they barely touch anymore and don’t even kiss but she still says she loves him so much and then when he proposes she refuses because she says they barely know each other. Like what? Y’all were literally living together and spending so many waking moments together and have you learned nothing about each other? And so much for all the ‘ooh I love you so much’. Moving on. So many of the characters seemed to just have wonky personalities where I have no clue why they did certain things. I couldn’t connect to any of the characters at all and I felt like I couldn’t suspend my disbelief and I just couldn’t get immersed in their world. Also how everybody deals with Ashe makes no sense. They can’t decide if they hate him or want to forgive him and there’s just so many wishy washy feelings towards him. The part where the New Kingdom attacks and there’s a supposedly huge battle, only 4 Gwylis die. At one point the Gwylis queen or someone says that humans are bad and need to be destroyed or something but weren’t the Gwylis originally human... I could go on and on XD This book was just a tad bit frustrating to read but the cover looks so badass 😍

[Brigette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I needed to get through this book so that I could write this review. This book was so incredibly sloppy. There were MANY errors - to the point that it wasn’t “Easter eggs” like the acknowledgments say, it was embarrassing. Obvious spelling errors and the wrong words used (“on” instead of “of” for example). On top of those errors, there were issues with continuity. For example, Izzy was training with Branch. She says Branch woke her up before dawn and then it was afternoon and she hadn’t eaten anything yet. Training is over so she goes home. Another pack member invites her out - suddenly it’s morning again on the same day! And then when she is out with this other wolf, it later becomes afternoon again. So many times she was with Fray hugging and then suddenly she would be across the room. These are just some examples; again, sloppy.

Then these characters were mainly just frustrating especially Izzy. She loves Fray but then keeps hurting him and saying he is drawing away from her, but she is obviously the one doing that and they aren’t trying at all! Either one! There were so many times Izzy is like I’m so bad I’m a monster I have no hope, that there was certainly enough time to expand on Izzy and Fray’s relationship. I enjoyed it in the first book but man was it bad here.

Also I don’t care about Henry and Lulu. It’s weird how she can see and talk to ghosts but apparently no one else can. This book was terribly disappointing after an enjoyable first book. I have very low hopes for the last book in the series.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

It started with a princess and a kitchen boy with no voice. Now Izzy is one of the Gwylis and Fray has been cured if the sickness that left him unable to speak or to change. They try to escape to the Old Kingdom, but uncover darker secrets than the ones they left behind.

If you haven’t read Unspoken, you need to go do that now. If you have, then you need to immediately pick up Uncaged, because it is SO. DAMN. GOOD. This isn’t a “happily ever after” story, the prince does not get the princess, and the princess has descended into a literal den of wolves.

This book was so much more heartbreaking than I thought it would be. By the end, you are left pretty emotionally raw, but that’s what makes it so good. And that’s also what is gonna make waiting for the third book(Unleashed, check the cover in an earlier post) so painful.

Another 5 star book from Celia, I can’t wait to see how she wraps up this epic story.

[Brigid - thereadingsassenach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first book in this series and I loved it. I definitely fell in love with the world and the magic system that Celia uses. I think that it is so well thought out and fun. Coming into the second book I didn't know how she would top the plot of the first book.

I will be honest and say that the second book wasn't my favourite. I found that it got slow in some places and I wasn't sure where it was going. It took me a little longer to get through for this reason. There was a lot of what I will call "setting up" for something to come with the feeling of the "what's coming" never coming. This was how I felt until maybe the 85% point and I will admit that I thought it wouldn't have gotten better from that point. BUT, it did. From that point on it really ramped up again and some of the twists and turns in this one I did not expect and I can, looking back, understand exactly what Celia was setting up for. For me, that was fantastically done.

I also really loved the growth in Izzy was great in this book as well. I loved that it explored more of her relationships with people. I also liked that we saw and explored the magic more in this book.

All in all, I did enjoy this book. I think if you can stick with it, it really goes somewhere and I can't wait to see what book 3 will bring!

[Kimberly Gordon-Bercich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beta Testers

Adult content, reader discretion advised. Please find more Beta reader or an assistant to grammar check and proofread. I am terrible at grammar so if I am distracted its noticeable. Izzy and Fray are meant to be. She needs to accept herself and accept the help of her loved ones. She is so hell bent on protecting everyone that Izzy is taking their choices away and pushing everyone behind stone walls.

[Savannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sink your fangs into worthy

A beautiful twist on wolves, princess and adventure. This is not your typical fantasy happily ever after. This is heart wrenching, breath taking and can’t eat shower or function without completion type of story. My love and heart goes out to Izzy... True Love and Adventure aren’t always happy..

[Maria Lebron · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this second book in series and the first i can say i liked both books and the plots. I enjoy reading different kinds of books. I like the plot And structure of the story.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This one was a little slow until towards the end. Looking forward for the 3rd book and to learn where Izzys journey ends!

[Cassidy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3 Stars
Read: February 2020

Thank you to Celia McMahon and The Parliament House Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not sure what to say about this book. I did like it better than Unspoken. However, some of the same issues I had with the first book carried over to this one. Two books in, I am still unsure if Izzy's kingdom is called the New Kingdom, Mirosa, or Stormwall. I felt no attachment to any of the characters (except Ghetee) welp. okay none of the characters. Isabelle and Fray are not great at communicating, which is one of my pet peeves in stories.
There are too many main plot threads, in my opinion. Izzy wants to find information about Henry, her brother. She and Fray are striving to become accepted by the pack. The pack is in danger from soldiers. Izzy needs to explore her magic and train. Stormwall is still in trouble and needs a better ruler. And suddenly there are magic stones to track down? It felt like I, as the reader, was being tugged in too many directions at once.
I did like seeing more of the Gwylis and Ashe. It was nice to have a change of setting and see some of the Old Kingdom.

[A.J. Vrana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uncaged, the gripping second installment to Celia McMahon’s Unspoken Trilogy, follows our princess-turned-Gwylis protagonist Izzy as she travels to the Old Kingdom with Fray on a quest for truth and justice. Where the first book took place in Izzy’s home, in the confines of the palace and amid a world she’d always known, Uncaged takes us to a foreign and forgotten land of magic, treachery, and danger. The daughter of her new people’s old enemy, the pack into which Izzy and Fray wander are resistant to accepting her—not just as a Gwylis, but as a young woman trying to hold her ground in a society where might is right.

The atmosphere is tense, the politics veiled, and the relationships tenuous. As Izzy struggles to find her place and assert her loyalties, her way of relating to herself and those around her must necessarily change. It doesn’t help that beyond the internal strife of the pack, an even greater danger looms close by. Enemies are around every corner, and intentions are left unclear. Can Izzy win the pack’s trust and find her place in their hierarchy? Will she find a way to conquer their enemies, from both within and without? And perhaps most importantly, will Izzy find herself, her true nature, and her true purpose?

A queen carved in flames awaits to take her throne.

Uncaged is the heart-wrenching sequel to a powerhouse debut. It’s darker, grittier, and maintains higher stakes than its predecessor. Your heart will bleed and your mind will spin wondering what comes next in the grand finale.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I finished this almost a month ago and I’ve been sitting on it thinking of everything that happened. I can honestly say I enjoyed it and plan to read the next installment in this series. I love Izzy and her bad self. I love Frey. I love the struggles they are enduring together, but I didn’t love all of it. I am having personal qualms because I would have handled so many things differently than Izzy has handled them. And I’m hoping that she grows in the next book, and I am sure she is because Celia hasn’t let me down yet.

I rated this 4 stars because I love the adventure, story, and a lot of the characters. I love the magic she has made and the magic system. I will add there are some typos throughout the story that I hope have been fixed/edited by final release day. I don’t let these things get in the way of a good story like some readers do, so it is not accounted into my final rating.

[K. Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to Unspoken and the second book in Celia McMahon's fantasy trilogy, Uncaged offers an action-packed continuation of a story about magic, loyalty, wolves and war.

If you haven't read Unspoken, stop here. Do not pass "Go," do not collect $200 (I saw it first, and finders keepers). Uncaged is not for the faint of heart, and this review is going to contain spoilers. To really appreciate them, you're going to want to start at the beginning.

Now, on to the juicy stuff. We've got alliances, backstabbing, clash of the kingdoms, and death. On top of that dark, bigger picture, there's plenty of individualistic struggle and development to keep readers engaged with the characters they first encountered in the start of the trilogy, not to mention a few new players introduced in this book. Readers may recall that the first book left off with Izzy and Fray's escape from Stormwall, and Uncaged picks up with their journey through the Archway and into The Old Kingdom, hoping they'll find some allies in Fray's former pack. Easy enough, right?

Wrong. McMahon presents her characters with challenges unique to those trying to navigate a brewing war. With loyalties being called into question, and new enemies cropping up out of broken agreements, it's really not the time for Izzy to have to juggle newly realized magical power, too. But, if she wants to stay in the home she's found with the family she's surrounded herself with, she'd better learn fast.

One of the things I loved about McMahon's writing style is her ability to build an entire world without it being so obvious that it took me out of the story. Her transitions and exposition sections are smooth, almost sneaky in that you learn about her characters and her world without even realizing just how much you know until a crucial moment arises and that background comes in handy. This read is heavy in subject matter, but gentle on the ears and brain in terms of narrative flow and story construction.

Though I have to stress how crucial it is to read the first installment of the series before this book, I will say that once you do get to Uncaged, you'll find yourself in an immersive literary adventure that could almost stand on its own. McMahon reels you in with sympathetic characters, thrilling twists, and an easy to digest tone that will make you feel as though she were sitting right in front of you, spinning a yarn for your ears only.

[Laura ( Latteandbookz ) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like I didn’t get to enjoy this book because I didn’t read the first book in the series. I feel like I could have enjoyed it more knowing the back story. This book wasn’t for me. I wish that it was because the synopsis made the book sound interesting.