Book Review and Storytellers On Tour Event: Kept From Cages by Phil Williams

Storytellers On Tour Link Here

Thank you, precious reader and book lover for stopping by!! Make sure to check out all the other (link above) amazing people on the tour, as I’m sure they will do a better job than I at pointing out all the great things about this book!

Official Book Blurb


No one returns from Ikiri.
Reece’s gang of criminal jazz musicians have taken shelter in the wrong house. There’s a girl with red eyes
bound to a chair. The locals call her a devil – but Reece sees a kid that needs protecting. He’s more right
than he knows.
Chased by a shadowy swordsman and an unnatural beast, the gang flee across the Deep South with the
kid in tow. She won’t say where she’s from or who exactly her scary father is, but she’s got powers they
can’t understand. How much will Reece risk to save her?
On the other side of the world, Agent Sean Tasker’s asking similar questions. With an entire village massa-
cred and no trace of the killers, he’s convinced Duvcorp’s esoteric experiments are responsible. His only
ally is an unstable female assassin, and their only lead is Ikiri – a black-site in the Congo, which no one
leaves alive. How far is Tasker prepared to go for answers?

I love the textures created on the cover!!

Book links

Author Info:

Quick Sidenotes:

Thank you to Storytellers On Tour, Justine and Timy, and The author, Phil Williams for including me on another tour. I believe Under Ordshaw, the first in Phil’s Ordshaw series, was one of the first SOT events, and my first time participating in anything book related, other than a normal review. It has been a fantastic experience as a Roadie, and I give them so much credit for getting to discover the frightening abilities that self published, and indie writers consistently produce. First class all the way when traveling with the SOT gang!!

Another thanks to the author for providing a physical copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Phil!

My Review

The official description does a great job at filling you in on what its about, so my review will summarize the things that stood out, while sitting down and writing this.

I really enjoyed the previous Phil Williams book I read called Under Ordshaw and after setting the bar so high expectations wise, I was sure this one wouldn’t hit that mark i unconsciously set. I’m so happy to say I was thrilled by Kept in Cages. There was a wide cast of interesting characters and globetrotting locations that kept the pages turning. It leads to an incredible location, as well as some rewarding surprises and a neon sign pointing me in the direction of book 2.

It is a meatier book than Ordshaw. Due, in part, to substantially heavier dialogue between characters and the number of them.  It works by creating a much more realistic image of the people in the story and  helped me create an emotional connection to them.

Where as Under Ordshaw was rapid paced and the whole book occurring in a day, this is a much more sprawling and mature Urban Fantasy in comparison. With connections to the previous series, boosting the level of fun, its direction is wider and the events having more global implications sets a more serious tone.

Not to say its a stonefaced serious book by any means, its got hilarious banter, and a lot of it coming from a group of Cajun musicians who call themselves the Cutjaw Kids. Smiles also induced by a legendary ghost of a hitwoman, known as Katryzna. She makes for an absolutely odd but quaint team with our Spy, family man, and on the job to save the world. From Norway, to the Congo, to find the source of some strange forms of energy, and potentially a lot more.

Phil splits the book, alternating chapters between the goings on of the Cutjaw kids, and Tasker and Katryzna.  As a result, we get a great mix of adventure, mystery and his own brand of Urban Fantasy. The ONLY Urban Fantasy writer I will not hesitate to read, other than Dyrk Ashton of course.

In a world of ratings, Kept From Cages deserves four Stars. Nt just ay flashy stars though. These ones are made of a mysteriously unknown-until-now element. One that is rich in a mix of adventurous worldbuilding, powerfully dark creatures, and a cast of clear and interesting characters, aptly named “Philwillineum.”

Also gang, for less change than your vacuum sucks upThe Kept From Cages ebook will be available for 99p/99c in US/UK Kindle from
January until the 19th. In case you missed the link earlier, here ya go: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1913468097

One thought on “Book Review and Storytellers On Tour Event: Kept From Cages by Phil Williams

  1. Pingback: Storytellers On Tour: Kept from Cages by Phil Williams - Encore * Queen's Book Asylum

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