User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Charlaine Harris’s alternative history/urban fantasy GUNNIE ROSE series shifts to a new setting in this third book in the series,
The Russian Cage, one that was foreshadowed by the ending of the prior book, A Longer Fall. Lizbeth Rose, who makes her living as a hired gun or “gunnie,” receives an intentionally cryptic letter from her younger half-sister, Felicia. For the past year, Felicia has been living in what once was California, Oregon and Washington but is now the Holy Russian Empire, ruled over by a young, married Tsar Alexei — certainly a better fate for him than his actual historical fate of being assassinated at age thirteen by Soviet revolutionaries. He’s surviving his hemophilia with the help of magical blood transfusions from Grigori Rasputin’s descendants, which include Felicia (in fact, Lizbeth is also a grandchild of Rasputin, though she hides that fact from the Russians, telling them that she and Felicia share a mother rather than their Russian father).
Reading between the lines of Felicia’s letter, Lisbeth realizes that her on-and-off-again lover Eli, a Russian noble as well as a gifted magician or “grigori,” has been tossed into prison for political reasons. Felicia thinks that Lizbeth can do something to bust Eli out of jail, and Lizbeth can’t wait to try. Apparently finding out that Eli’s in trouble makes Lizbeth realize that her feelings for Eli are stronger than she’s previously been willing to admit, even to herself.
A four-day train ride later, she’s in the HRE’s capital of San Diego, getting the lay of the land from Felicia, Eli’s mother Veronika, and his friend Felix (who we met in
A Longer Fall). Felicia’s life is more complicated — and dangerous — than Lizbeth had imagined, giving her qualms of guilt for sending Felicia to the HRE. There’s a conspiracy to take Tsar Alexei down, and Eli and the tsar’s other supporters are in the crosshairs. Eli’s family isn’t a whole lot of help: his older stepbrothers are antagonistic to him, and his mother and sisters are mostly helpless (1940s-era Russian society isn’t particularly encouraging of noblewomen being tough and resourceful, unless you’re a grigori). And no one seems to have any idea what crime Eli has been charged with. But Eli’s friend Felix, though oddly antagonistic toward Lizbeth, seems anxious to help get Eli out of jail, and Felix has some particularly interesting magical powers, as well as the beginnings of a plan.
Eli’s family and friends are intriguing characters, more complex than I initially would have guessed, and Charlaine Harris does a competent job of creating a believable Russian society in exile in western America, beset by political conspiracies and plots to unseat a tsar who is viewed as weak. The tsar’s wife Caroline, a Scandinavian princess, proves surprisingly useful to Lizbeth and Felix in their efforts to bring the royals’ attention to Eli’s plight.
There are a couple of notable breakdowns in plot logic, one involving Eli’s prison guard, a woman named Hubble who is supposedly a “null,” impervious to magical spells … except it ends up that she’s not, for no particularly good reason, and that seems to be simply an oversight by Harris. The other relates to a direction given by the tsar to Eli at the end, which simply didn’t make much sense from a plot perspective. It felt more like the author simply needed an excuse to move Eli in a certain direction, and perhaps that was the best reason she could come up with.
The plot of
The Russian Cage takes some time to really get rolling, but the details, as they unfold, are intricate and interesting enough to keep the reader engaged, and the bloodstained climax toward the end is gripping. The dénouement in the last few chapters is far tamer, but it does provide a reasonably satisfying wind-up to the story of Lizbeth and Eli … at least for now.
The Russian Cage is a fun adventure, less weighed down by the slavery and social issues that darkened
A Longer Fall, not to mention the constant references to eating and sex that bogged down the pacing of that book. The GUNNIE ROSE series is worth reading if you have an interest in Old West-flavored urban fantasy, which sounds like a contradiction in terms, but isn’t entirely. You do need to start with the first book, An Easy Death, and read the series in order.
Review first posted on FantasyLiterature.com. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!
Rating: really liked it
THE RUSSIAN CAGE by Charlaine Harris brings intrigue, romance, danger, suspense and much more to a well-written and entertaining novel that is a mix of historical fiction, urban fantasy western and alternate history. It is the third book in the Gunnie (Lizbeth) Rose series and is largely set in San Diego which is now part of the Holy Russian Empire (HRE).
This novel picks up soon after book two ends with Lizbeth reading a letter from her half-sister Felicia. There are hints that Lizbeth’s estranged partner, Eli Savarov, needs her help. Lizbeth packs her guns and knives and takes a train to what was once California. Will Lizbeth be able to save Eli? How is Felicia doing in school in a world so different to her native land? How can a gunnie from Texoma (used to be Texas and Oklahoma) fit in when she gets to the HRE? Who can she trust to help her? How will she get along with Eli’s mother and sisters? How is a gunnie supposed to help Eli when she can’t carry her guns in the HRE?
Charlaine Harris is one of my favorite authors and she did not let me down with this addition to the series. The characters are compelling, led by strong and capable protagonist, Lizbeth. Her lack of patience and unfamiliarity with Russian court protocol made her feel more real. Her motivations are believable and well-drawn and the secondary characters were well-rounded and enhanced the story. The reoccurring characters gained in depth in this book and helped sustain the complexity of this story line.
The plot twists were believable but a few were unexpected. The story moved at an appropriate pace and the scenes were well described and gave me a clear sense of place. With this fantastic world-building and the cultural elements, it helped this reader feel as though she were a part of the action. I also liked that there was both some humor and new challenges for Lizbeth to overcome personally.
Overall, this novel brings thrills, action, family drama, political intrigue, magic, loyalty, power and much more making it a definite page-turner. Is it the last or will there be a book four?
If you like alternate history, action adventure, thrillers and fantasy, then this series is for you. I recommend reading the books I order. The first novel explains the alternative history aspect that is not fully explained in books two and three. Additionally, both earlier books show the growth of relationships for some of the secondary characters as well as for Lizbeth and Eli.
Thanks to Gallery Books – Saga Press and Charlaine Harris for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for February 23, 2021. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
Rating: really liked it
This is the third book in this interesting and intriguing series, and it is every bit as enjoyable as the previous two.
In The Russian Cage Lizbeth discovers that Eli has been imprisoned and she races to California, which in this alternate history is the Holy Russian Empire, to rescue him. She finds herself to be a stranger in a strange land but fortunately has friends to help her, including her younger sister, Felicia.
There is a lot of very entertaining world building for this part of the country which is ruled by the Tsar and has lots of modern attributes which are unfamiliar to Lizbeth. Customs are different too and, as in book 2, she sometimes finds she even has to wear a dress.
This is a very easy, fun read with lots of action, great characters and a good story. I hope the author is going to continue with the series.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Rating: really liked it
More or less exactly what I expect from Charlaine Harris and this series. A bit more positive than the previous books; but that was okay. It felt like time some events and scenarios went Lisbeth’s way in her travels. Well besides her just surviving. The body count is not as high here as I recall from the last two books either.
Random Thoughts Theres a little bit too much frivolity and fuss over how non-girly Lisbeth is. It felt overdone and unnecessary. Although it was fun to have all her fancy attire (dresses and the like) described. Clothing was very important in Russian Cage because of appearances at court/palace/whatever they were calling the Russian nobles housing.
I enjoyed all the new characters we met; and really enjoyed getting to know the little sis better. Being in the Holy Russian Empire territory/state was interesting as the rules are so different and our gunnie gal is definitely way out of her element. I’d have liked a bit more in-depth discussion on the politics and laws perhaps; but it was written at the level I expected given Harris tends to have lighter reads. The flow and overall pacing was on par with the previous two novels in the series and most True Blood books.
A decent read and definitely a good break from dense novels. What I would personally deem a ‘beach’ or summer read as I don’t usually read contemporary romance. Just enough romance in this to suffice my limited need for it; but enough violence to distract and create the fun. Although a lot more knives than usual; which is okay too (lol).
Firefly Comparison This makes me sound like I desire the violence but really this series is set as a futuristic western; so gunflighting is mandatory. Think Firefly without being in space. I could totally see our lead gal as the Zoe type. Eli however is Simon with magic (not just medical capacity). The more I think on this comparison to Firefly the more it makes sense. We lack a Mal type or Anara type character; but the little sis is cute and quirky (River plus Kaylee-esque). Yep that’s how I will describe these books from here forward.
Reading OrderLast note, it’s worth starting this series from book 1 so you have character progression but it is not required. Harris does decent reminder/info chapters woven into the new plot well (without being info dumps). So you could jump in anywhere you wanted.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Rating: really liked it
This is third in a series that builds characters and plots over time. So you definitely want to read them in order.
Having read in order, you know more or less what you are getting with this one. So I'll mainly just say that Harris delivers on those expectations. I loved getting to know Eli's family and San Diego as Russia-in-exile held together well, I think. I liked how the politics couldn't transplant wholesale and that Tsar Alexei was painted with some depth, even if he is way more clueless than he should be as a ruler.
We spend a lot of this novel with Eli locked up, so Lizbeth is mostly on her own (though not without allies). My favorite was the relationship with her half-sister, Felicia and exploration of what it means to have family you care about and want to protect. Having Eli off-page for those sections helped highlight the emotional content of those relationships in all the right ways, I think, so I liked seeing that.
And I loved even more how things fell out once we get Eli free. I mean, it's non-stop action for a lot of it, but when things settle, they settle in exactly the right ways.
There are some squirrely bits and the plot meanders a bit so I can't get to a full five stars. But I'll round up to get there on the strength of seeing Lizbeth and Eli reunited in the best ways. And I'll pick up the next, should there be one (this would make a fine conclusion to the series).
A note about Chaste: There's no sex, though it's clear that Eli and Lizbeth are (sexually) intimate. There's a scene of sexual abuse that gets explicit, but Lizbeth interrupts before things turn actually sexual. So when I tag this chaste, it's with the understanding that I don't mean "has no sexual content at all". There's no steam. And nothing titillating. But it's a stretch of my chaste tag.
Rating: really liked it
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I was hesitant to pick up this series as Westerns aren't really my jam, but I requested this one off of Netgalley thinking it was a new series from Charlaine Harris and didn't realize it was third in the Western-esque Gunnie Rose series. So, after approval, I saw that it was book three and went to find books one and two.
I'm really glad I picked these up and I should have trusted Charlaine Harris. Yeah, the series is a little Wild Wild West adjacent, but it's got magic and mystery as well.
This installment finds Lizbeth going west to the Holy Russian Empire (formerly known as California) to rescue an ally from the prior books. It put her WAY outside her comfort zone, and was a refreshing change of pace from Western settings of the first two books.
Plenty of character growth, some romance, and a lot of magical explosions, this one was a riotous amount of fun.
Definitely recommended, but only after reading the first two.
Rating: really liked it
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I really enjoyed this book! I read the first two installments in the Gunnie Rose series about a year ago and I couldn't wait to get to read more of this fun series. I couldn't resist reading this book just as soon as it found its way into my greedy hands. I will admit that my expectations were pretty high for this book and I am happy to report that I was not disappointed in the least.
When Lizbeth learns that Eli is being held in jail, she knows that she needs to see what she can do to help him. Before you know it, she is in the Holy Russian Empire working to help in any way that she can. This will not be an easy rescue and she faces one obstacle after another. Things get complicated pretty quickly and there is more than enough excitement to keep things entertaining.
I had a lot of fun watching Lizbeth navigate a new environment while working towards her goal of setting Eli free. I love how unique each part of the country is in this alternate universe. There were some familiar characters back for this installment and we got to meet a lot of new ones as well. I especially enjoyed getting to know Eli's family and see them work together under pressure.
This is the third book in the Gunnie Rose series which I do think is best if read in order since events from previous books seem to come into play quite frequently. The relationship between Eli and Lizbeth undergoes some pretty big developments in this installment and I am eager to see how things will play out moving forward. This was a really exciting book that I found to be hard to put down so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Gallery / Saga Press via NetGalley.Initial ThoughtsI really enjoyed this book! I read the first two books in the Gunnie Rose series during the past year and was pretty excited to join Lizbeth on her next adventure. When Lizbeth learns that Eli is in prison, she knows that she has to see what she can do to help. Soon she is in the Holy Russian Empire working to help in any way she can. There were some familiar faces and some new ones as well. I enjoyed trying to figure out exactly what was going on along with Lizbeth and enjoyed all of the excitement along the way. This really was a fun quick read!
Rating: really liked it
4 stars
You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.
This is a great finish to this book series......or is it?? I just discovered that the author is writing a fourth Gunnie Rose book (release date 2022) - no idea what the plot will be because the main storyline of this series wrapped up in this book, but there are definitely enough loose ends to continue the series another several books, which I would love.
This book starts off where the last one ends, and Lizbeth finds herself taking a train to San Diego to break her love, Prince Eli, out of Grigori jail. She's all alone, so will need to rely on her half-sister Felicia and her own growing powers. Once there, she meets Eli's family who are devastated about Eli's incarceration, and not exactly thrilled with Lizbeth's appearance. As she digs into the treacherous waters of the Holy Russian Empire, Lizbeth finds herself fighting for her life, but what's new.
I really enjoy Lizbeth and her snarky "I don't give a f*&k who you are, I'm going to speak truth" attitude toward everything from royalty protocols to wearing a dress. It often gets her into some trouble, but nothing she can't handle. It's nice to read about a strong, independent woman who doesn't need anyone or anything, but who is still soft enough to get butterflies about her crush.
Look, Charlaine Harris books aren't Shakespeare, but that's ok. We all need our bubble gum, guilty pleasure, light and fluffy reads to break up all of the other dark stuff we normally read. I look forward to more books in this series, but I hope she ends them before they become silly and cliche like the last couple Sookie books. Go out on top, girl!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Gallery/Saga Press books. All opinions in this review are my own.
Rating: really liked it
This was a good solid read and I loved the ending but for some reason, I didn't love this one as much as I have the others, it felt different and even though the language has always been a bit rough, this felt over done and harder to get through but, I still love Eli and Lizbeth so it was worth the read.
Rating: really liked it
Charlaine Harris knows how to write a cozy and I’m on book three of the latest in the Gunnie Rose series. Once again there’s a lot of filler with descriptions of mundane activities and random thoughts from the protagonist but Harris also added some great action in this installment.
Picking up soon after the events of book two,
A Longer Fall, Lizbeth Rose travels from her home in Texoma (formerly Texas & Oklahoma) to the Holy Russian Empire (formerly California) after receiving a coded letter from her sister Felicia to rescue her estranged husband, Prince Eli who has been jailed for an unknown reason.
Once she arrives, Lizbeth has to navigate politics, her mother-in-law, and royalty to exonerate Eli and clear the family name... while dodging a few bullets and explosions!
Thanks to Gallery - Saga Press and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The Russian Cage is scheduled for release on February 23, 2021.
For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com
Rating: really liked it
The cover - beautiful. The book - not really. DNF.
Rating: really liked it
This is the third book in the Gunnie Rose series, and this is definitely a series that should be read in order. I really love this alternative history/magic/western series and this book did not disappoint. Lizbeth receives a letter from her half sister in the seat of the Holy Russian Empire and when she deciphers it she realizes that her love interest Eli has been thrown in prison. She heads straight there with her main goal to save him. The adventures awaiting her were fun to read and I won’t wan to spoil anything. Lizbeth is one of my favorite characters - so direct and honest and clear in everything she does. Can’t wait for book 4, even if that one seems focused on Felicia instead of Lizbeth.
Rating: really liked it
The first two in the series, although getting the same rating, seemed like a better read somehow. I really enjoyed the gun toting’ vibe. This one is set in Eli’s hometown and we get to meet all his family members. Enjoyable story with a believable magic setting.
Rating: really liked it
"Easy death, Lizbeth."This one was my favorite in the series. I love that Lizbeth finally gets to travel to HRE - Holy Russion Empire. And she finally got to be the one to arrive for Eli - instead of the other way around. There are grigori around all over there. She gets to see the school, meet some people we've heard about and have some great battles. This one introduces more interesting magic users - once I hadn't remembering hearing about yet.
All in all, it felt like a conclusion to the series and I really liked it.
Rating: really liked it
I received this book from Net Galley, in exchange for an honest review.
It probably wasn’t the best idea to start this series on book #3 but it didn’t feel as if I was missing anything vital and the author managed to summarize relevant previous events within the storyline.
The story is set in an alternative North America. The main protagonist is Lisbeth, a gunnie (armed security provider) from Texoma (Texas & Oklahoma) who finds herself in what used to be California but is now The Holy Russian Empire ruled the Tzar of Russia who managed to escape the Revolution alive.
The relevance of the title was not obvious. On a superficial level, I assumed it referred to the prison in which Eli spends most of the narrative. On a more metaphorical level, it seemed to express Lisbeth’s frustration at being limited by the strict etiquette and courtly politics required in the Russian enclave.
Lisbeth is strong and no-nonsense, and although she was often unfamiliar with the etiquette required she was quick to learn and proceeded in a sensible matter such that she succeeded without putting herself into unnecessary danger or turning the situation into a farce.
The characters, relationships and situations are believable even at their most fantastical but there was a lot of travelling around and waiting which slowed the pace and made the story less exciting than I would have liked.
In addition, I was surprised by the pragmatic killing of certain people. Their deaths were required for the safety of the main protagonists but I was still shocked by the matter-of-fact way these actions were presented on the page.
Solid and enjoyable but not quite 4 stars.
