[I was given and ARC copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review] 
 2.5 stars 
 If this book has a quality is that it confirms two facts: 
 - Mare has absolutely no taste in men 
 - Cal is an idiot, liar and a power-obsessed (as I clearly knew already from the beginning) 
 "You are only a shadow, and who looks at shadows when they have flames? Who would ever choose a monster over a god?" 
 It was hard to witness Mare's suffering while being held prisoner, seeing how the powerful lightning girl was almost reduced to an empty shell, an obedient puppet for propaganda. 
 But what really hurt me was seeing her using the love Maven feels for her against him. Because even if it's true that his behaviour is like the one of deranged person, I personally find horrible such an attitude. 
 In "King's cage" a little bit of Maven's past is finally revealed: secret and dark atrocities of his childhood that left me deeply shocked. However, he doesn't reveal just his past self, but he also tries to show Mare that there still is some parts of the old Maven in him. He really, really cares for her in his own way, he protected her from being horribly killed, and still... for her point of view, his love is nothing but a weapon to weaken him. 
 This is why I didn't feel pity for her at the end of the book, just a little satisfaction for having foreseen how things would have developed. Well, to be honest I've never been a huge fan of this heroine, so my opinion doesn't really change. 
 Even though I appreciated this side of the story, I must also admit that for the most part I was rather bored. There are just very few plot twists concentrated in the second half, while in the first one the focus is only on Mare's imprisonment, and honestly some parts could probably be at least reduced because the pace was a bit too slow considering all the things happening. For the majority of the time there was no tense atmosphere, no scheming, just a scared and powerless girl. 
 Things got a little better later, considering the new alliances, betrayals and various news, but still they weren't as good as the events of the first book. 
 The book is built through three differents POVs belonging to Mare, Evangeline and Cameron. A patchwork of complex feelings, hopes, thoughs that allowed indeed a wider knowledge of the events, but should probably have been more balanced and better chosen. I personally wouldn't have chosen Cameron as third voice, preferring rather someone like Cal or Maven. Characters with more complex - and obscure - personalities, difficult to grasp without a first person narrator. 
 All in all it wasn't really that bad, but I miss that fascinating, intriguing, tense atmosphere that I loved so much while reading Red queen. Being constantly on a razor's edge, being constantly surprised by the events, being really into the story.