Caged Bliss is a crime book published by Roxanne Ward in December of 2021. It is 259 pages long and was originally published on Amazon.
This was an interesting read. The plot is well thought out and conveys a strong sense of mystery. It is very fast paced with lots of action and drama. There is some good character development as the story progresses, although sometimes the character seems too overpowered and undefeatable. In addition to this, although lots of the action is engrossing, some scenes are unrealistic and the individual fights themselves do not flow naturally. Most of the dialogue flows nicely but at times seemed forced, as if Ward was trying too hard to get certain points across.
SPOILERS
The start of the book is very interesting, the main character: Lizzy White starts by saying that she is on the run but not explaining why, only showing fear of man, creating a sense of anticipation. Who is Lizzy White? And who is the man hunting her?
The story moves very quickly, with the first few chapters each being in different locations. We slowly see cracks develop in Lizzy’s mentality, going from unshakable, unstoppable, and unwilling to make friends to having a group of friends willing to die for her, causing her to start accepting her feelings instead of burying them. The overall character development of Lizzy is good and is almost the opposite of most books. She seems to become more human and mortal as the story goes on however, the inconsistencies with her mannerisms did confuse me at times. The book does also deal with some sensitive topics, such as sexual assault and PTSD, but overall deals with the subjects in a well worded and mature manner. There were times when reading that I was confused with what was happening, as if there were gaps in the story, but those moments were few and far between.
Overall, the book is okay. The plot is good, but in I can see Ward becoming a more accomplished writer after refining her writing style. I’m excited to see her growth and look forward to seeing where her career leads.