The Cage

by Megan Shepherd

Overview

“Gripping and addictive—Shepherd has delivered again! A captivating mix of intrigue, deft twists, and complex questions, this is a must-read.”—Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, New York Times bestselling authors of These Broken Stars

The Maze Runner meets Scott Westerfeld in this new series Kirkus Reviews calls “swoon-worthy and thrilling” about teens held captive in a human zoo by an otherworldly race. From Megan Shepherd, the acclaimed author of the Madman’s Daughter trilogy.

When Cora Mason wakes in a desert, she doesn’t know where she is or who put her there. As she explores, she finds an impossible mix of environments—tundra next to desert, farm next to jungle, and a strangely empty town cobbled together from different cultures, all watched over by eerie black windows. And she isn’t alone.

Four other teenagers have also been taken: a beautiful model, a tattooed smuggler, a secretive genius, and an army brat who seems to know too much about Cora’s past. None of them have a clue as to what happened, and all of them have secrets. As the unlikely group struggles for leadership, they slowly start to trust each other. But when their mysterious jailer appears—a handsome young guard called Cassian—they realize that their captivity is more terrifying than they could ever imagine: their captors aren’t from Earth. And they have taken the five teenagers for an otherworldly zoo—where the exhibits are humans.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062243065
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	05/24/2016
Series:	Cage , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	582,711
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 5.30(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	HL680L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Megan Shepherd grew up in her family’s independent bookstore in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The travel bug took her from London to Timbuktu and many places in between, though she ended up back in North Carolina with her husband, two cats, and a scruffy dog, and she wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. She is the author of the Madman’s Daughter and Cage trilogies. Visit her online at www.meganshepherd.com.

Editorial Reviews

A brilliant, exciting tale of what it’s like to be human, even when all hope is lost. Shepherd perfectly contrasts freedom and entrapment, humanity and alien nature, loss and love.

Beth Revis

Compelling contemporary science fiction with a classic Star Trek flair.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Gripping and addictive—Shepherd has delivered again! A captivating mix of intrigue, deft twists, and complex questions, this is a must-read.

Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Riveting and haunting, The Cage is both a suspenseful page-turner and a thought-provoking look at humanity. With its terrifying premise and captivating plot, this is a story that truly lingers. I can’t wait for the next book!

Megan Miranda

Praise for THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER: “Romantic, haunting, and full of spine-tingling thrills, THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER kept me reading late into the night.

Veronica Rossi

Megan Shepherd’s The Cage is a thrilling sci-fi/thriller mix with a healthy helping of Lord of the Flies. This fast-paced speculative tale will keep you thinking long after you turn th elast page.

Aprilynne Pike

Praise for THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER: “A deft twist on a familiar classic, THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER has the best of everything: beautiful writing, breakneck pacing, a pulse-pounding mystery, and an irresistible romance.

Carrie Ryan

Praise for THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER: “Anyone who doesn’t pick up the next volume is mad!

ALA Booklist

Praise for HER DARK CURIOSITY: “Shepherd’s integration of romance into her nods to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dracula, Frankenstein, and Jack the Ripper is masterful, and she does not back down from a hugely dark cliff-hanger ending. Bosoms, prepare to heave—and throats, prepare to scream.

Booklist

06/22/2015
Shepherd (The Madman’s Daughter) gives a hoary premise—alien abduction—new life in this twisty tale. Sixteen-year-old Cora Mason, daughter of a powerful Senator, has just gotten out of juvenile detention following a fatal car accident when she is kidnapped by psychic extraterrestrials and dumped in an Earthlike habitat with four other teens. Expected to mate within 21 days to “ensure the continuation of species” or face a dire fate, the captives—including a Norwegian genius, a Thai model, a Maori black marketeer, and a Colombian-American with a mysterious connection to Cora—differ in their responses. Cora is determined to escape, but is going home possible or even desirable? While the characters and their cultural backgrounds remain lightly sketched, their complicated relationships with each other ring true. Multiple points of view provide a complex picture of Cora’s actions and their impact on the people around her. Shepherd is a master of pacing, and each chapter brings new revelations. First in a series, the novel ends with a satisfying conclusion to the central mystery, while maintaining suspense about Cora’s fate. Ages 13–up. Agent: Josh Adams, Adams Literary. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Gripping and addictive—Shepherd has delivered again! A captivating mix of intrigue, deft twists, and complex questions, this is a must-read.” — Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, authos of These Broken Stars

“A brilliant, exciting tale of what it’s like to be human, even when all hope is lost. Shepherd perfectly contrasts freedom and entrapment, humanity and alien nature, loss and love.” — Beth Revis, author of the New York Times Bestselling Across the Universe series.

“Megan Shepherd’s The Cage is a thrilling sci-fi/thriller mix with a healthy helping of Lord of the Flies. This fast-paced speculative tale will keep you thinking long after you turn th elast page.” — Aprilynne Pike, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wings and Earthbound

“Riveting and haunting, The Cage is both a suspenseful page-turner and a thought-provoking look at humanity. With its terrifying premise and captivating plot, this is a story that truly lingers. I can’t wait for the next book!” — Megan Miranda, author of Fracture, Hysteria, Vengeance, and Soulprint

“Compelling contemporary science fiction with a classic Star Trek flair.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Shepherd is a master of pacing, and each chapter brings new revelations…Satisfying.” — Publishers Weekly

“Swoon-worthy and thrilling” — Kirkus Reviews

“Will make readers squirm, even as it causes them to reflect on what it means to be human.” — Booklist

Praise for HER DARK CURIOSITY: “Secrets and mad scientists offer a gory gothic adventure.” — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for HER DARK CURIOSITY: “Shepherd’s integration of romance into her nods to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dracula, Frankenstein, and Jack the Ripper is masterful, and she does not back down from a hugely dark cliff-hanger ending. Bosoms, prepare to heave—and throats, prepare to scream.” — Booklist

Praise for HER DARK CURIOSITY: “The mash-up of classic literature with modern paranormal fiction is refreshing and appealing.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

Praise for HER DARK CURIOSITY: “Deliciously dark and exciting” — School Library Journal

Praise for THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER: “The fast-paced book is rife with excitement, romance, and intrigue.”\ — School Library Journal (starred review)

Praise for THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER: “A deft twist on a familiar classic, THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER has the best of everything: beautiful writing, breakneck pacing, a pulse-pounding mystery, and an irresistible romance. — Carrie Ryan, New York Times bestselling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth series

Praise for THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER: “Unexpected twists and a cliffhanger ending that should leave [readers] craving more.” — Publishers Weekly

Praise for THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER: “Romantic, haunting, and full of spine-tingling thrills, THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER kept me reading late into the night.” — Veronica Rossi, New York Times bestselling author of UNDER THE NEVER SKY

Praise for THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER: “Anyone who doesn’t pick up the next volume is mad!” — ALA Booklist

From the Publisher

Will make readers squirm, even as it causes them to reflect on what it means to be human.

Booklist

Praise for HER DARK CURIOSITY: “The mash-up of classic literature with modern paranormal fiction is refreshing and appealing.

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

Compelling contemporary science fiction with a classic Star Trek flair.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

02/01/2015
Gr 9 Up—When Cora wakes up in the middle of a desert, the last thing she can remember is driving to a ski resort with her brother. She comes across five other teenagers in this unfamiliar world, and they learn that they have been selected by highly intelligent aliens as study subjects; they are watched and controlled at all times. Each captive has been paired with another—with the charge to procreate within 21 days or face a fate worse than captivity. Cora can't forget home, and her constant search for an escape puts her at odds with the rest of the group, who begin to see her as a threat to their survival. The originality of the setting and its diverse cast of characters make the story compelling at the beginning, but as the book continues, the characters stagnate and become predictable. The romantic interest Cora has for Cassian, a 7-foot-tall, metallic-skinned alien, seems unlikely, but drives the plot and leads to the twist at the end. VERDICT Readers who want more alien YA fiction may like this one, but Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave (Putnam, 2013) and Pittacus Lore's "Lorien Legacies" series (HarperCollins) are a better place to start newly interested teens.—Marian McLeod, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, CT

School Library Journal

2015-02-16
Six teenagers face a life of captivity in an alien-designed human zoo. Cora awakens in a most unusual land, one divided into disparate environments stitched closely together: a desert, a beach, a farm, a city, and more. She certainly isn't in Virginia anymore. Terrified, she runs, quickly encountering Lucky, a cute stranger who knows far more about her than he lets on. Cora reluctantly teams up with him, and together, they find three others inside a strange city filled with candy shops and toy stores. All around them are murky, black windows with shifting shadows behind them. Soon enough, an ET appears, looking much like an alluring figure from Cora's dreams. He calls himself their Caretaker. He's one of the Kindred, and it's their mission to protect humans—an endangered species. The cost of their protection is compliance with their rules. However, Cora isn't the type to be caged in. The narrative perspective shifts between her and far more thinly characterized cohorts; Cora's pulses with her fiery resilience, outshining the others. A love triangle that frustrates at first delivers both a swoon-worthy and thrilling cliffhanger that will compel readers to the sequel. A riff on a Twilight Zone plot unfolds into a richly drawn alien dystopian replete with romance and horror. (Science fiction. 13 & up)

Kirkus Reviews