To Cage a Wild Bird (Deluxe Limited Edition): A Dystopian Prison Romance Where Love Becomes a Weapon and Trust Means Survival (Divided Fates, 1)

Published on Peeking Between the Pages (https://peekingbetweenthepages.com/2026/04/to-cage-a-wild-bird-by-brooke-fast-audiobook.html) To Cage a Wild Bird is the debut novel from Brooke Fast, and what a fantastic debut it is! Fast-paced and exciting, I could not put it down. Combining a dystopian world with a prison setting where the wealthy are allowed to hunt prisoners had me hooked from the very first page. Raven Thorne is a notorious bounty hunter living in the city of Dividium. The rules there are simple: break the law and you receive a life sentence in Endlock. It’s definitely not a prison you ever want to end up in. It’s rough, dangerous, and the wealthy make a sport of hunting the inmates. The chances of Raven landing there are slim — after all, she’s the one bringing criminals in. But when her brother Jed is sentenced to life in Endlock, she deliberately gets herself arrested so she can go inside and protect him. She would die for him if she had to. Daily life in Endlock is as dangerous as expected, but Raven is tough and always on alert. She doesn’t trust easily — if at all. Still, she slowly begins to form connections with a few other inmates as they look for a way to survive… and possibly escape. It doesn’t hurt that Vale, a prison guard she met on the outside, seems to be quietly helping her and her new friends. The connection between Raven and Vale is fierce and intense. Even though Raven fights against being vulnerable, Vale has a way of stirring feelings she thought were long buried. I loved Raven. She’s strong, independent, and fiercely protective of the people she loves. Watching her grow from someone who trusts no one to someone willing to open her heart was one of my favorite parts of the story. The romance between her and Vale felt just right. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Nikki Massoud, and it was amazing. She’s so easy to listen to and really brought the story to life. I felt like I was right there with Raven, fighting to survive inside the prison. To Cage a Wild Bird is the first book in the Divided Fates series, and I’m already anxiously waiting for the next one. A strong debut and a fantastic audiobook experience! Review copy provided by the publisher and The Gloss for an honest review. Previously published on The Gloss.

Thank you Netgalley, Avon & Harper Voyager, and Author Brooke Fast for the eARC copy of "To Cage a Wild Bird" in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars

Brooke Fast brings to life the story of Raven. A girl who would do anything to protect those that she loves even if it means losing herself and sacrificing herself. Welcome to the safe City of Dividium where the only acceptance is for law abiding unquestioning citizens. Failure to comply is not an option, unless you want to end up in the inescapable prison known as Endlock. Raven is a bounty hunter for the lower sector of Dividium. When her brother Jed is arrested and taken to Endlock, Raven sets up a plan to join the resistance and find an escape from the Prison. One prison guard is willing to risk it all to help her and her group.

This book has a good premise to it and raises a lot of good questions. However, at some points it shifted into repetitiveness. The lore was restated way too much in the beginning and middle with only very small details added. It felt as if the author didn't trust me to remember things before adding more to it. The romance was ... not great. We did not have nearly enough interactions or any sense with the romantic interest to form the attachment that we are told they have. It comes across more as lust rather than love. The love interest is an interesting character though and getting to know him more would have been wonderful.

The very beginning of the book for the set-up and the trip to Endlock felt too set up. Everything was just too perfectly lined up in getting her / convincing her to go to Endlock. Everything after that was overtly predictable. A lot of the time it felt as if I was having my hand held through the story and told over and over again about certain things. The prison itself was cool and the concept was great, but at the same time it was lacking and bland. Rather than feeling like I was at a prison, I felt more like I was on the Ark in the 100 or a blander version of the Silo in the book Wool.
The pacing was off a lot of the times as well.

Regardless of my potentially harsh review I left, I think I might still end up owning a physical copy of this book to revisit it later. The characters are interesting and the world is one that drags you in. I do think this story is worth the read.