You know that moment.  That moment when the main character makes a declaration statement that you can’t help but groan because you know they are just going to be disappointed.  Yeah, that happened about midway in this book and yeah, Mare was crushed when she found out she was wrong.  It wasn’t all that big a surprise because it is the third book our of four, so there still needs to be some drama left.  She couldn’t be set in romantic life so soon but it was also like, C’mon Mare!  Haven’t you learned anything yet!?  Anyway, I think I’m getting ahead of myself.  King’s Cage was another fast paced thriller that fits in nicely with the previous two books.  Mare begins as a prisoner of Maven, who is using her as a propaganda against the Scarlet Guard.  As Mare is imprisoned she battles Maven in an emotional tug of war.  She is shackled in silent stone manacles, depriving her of her power and making it impossible to fight back.  Her only weapon is to use what she knows of Maven but this is not easy because her own feelings for Maven are complicated.  The first part of the novel was interesting as Victoria explores the effects of abuse and can you be held accountable.  This is an addition to previous themes of what makes a person a monster.  Mare is scared that her powers has made her cold and heartless, to easy for her to kill someone and move on with her life.  Thanks to Maven’s mother, he doesn’t have those thoughts because so much of his memories she took away from him.  She took away his fears and love of his father and brother.  I’m not even sure what you call this abuse.  She literally molded him to be the cold killer he is today.  The only sense of humanity he has is obsession with Mare but even that has been twisted.  Cal on the other hand is still Cal.  While he has shown some growth over the novels, he isn’t quite as developed as a character as Maven is.  There seemed to be a change in him as he seemed to be turning around about the Scarlet Guard and what they are trying to achieve but the first chance to return to his old life is presented to him the seems to have taken it.  The book is still Mare’s story but as the conflict expands beyond her, we are given new Point of Views from Cameron and Evangeline.  This is a welcome change as all three woman are different and come at the conflict from different views.  They obviously see this conflict from different point views but they all think they are in the right.  My one grip with this book was the ending.  After pretty cool cliffhangers of the first two books, this one sort of fell flat to me.  It wasn’t the game changer of the others.  Sure, it assured that Mare was going to have to stand on her without one the Princes beside her but it was also predictable.  I guess since this is what is leading us to the finale, I wanted it to be more.  That being said, I am super stoked to find out how this series is going to end.