The Unique Setting of The Cage by Megan Shepherd & Giveaway

Posted 20 May, 2015 by Danny in Blog / 15 Comments

Wohoo! Day 3 of this amazing week where we are going to feature a super awesometastic book! The Cage was so super fantastic and I’m truly excited to have Megan Shepherd here who shares some insights into the setting of The Cage!

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The very special Setting  in The Cage

by Megan Shepard

One of the things I loved most about writing THE CAGE was creating the setting itself. The Cage is a “human zoo” where all of earth’s habitats, time periods, and cultures are crammed together in a mind-bending mismatch. So the captives find deserts right next to forests, Japanese arcades right next to French salons. And each of the different areas contains a puzzle that will reward them with treats. Here were some of my favorite settings to write about in the book:

The Victorian Bookstore

There is a bookstore in the cage that contains an alphabetizing puzzle that constantly resets itself. But I really loved writing this setting because it was a nod to the Victorian time period of my first series, THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER, with its musty old ornate furniture and tea trays.

lello-bookstore-porto

The 50s Diner

The captives are fed each day in a recreated 1950s style diner with checkered tablecloths and a jukebox that plays the same song endlessly on repeat. The diner was a great way to show that their alien captors didn’t really understand human culture: the name of the diner was wrong (Greasy Fork instead of Greasy Spoon), and the food all tasted off.

Diner

The Temperate Forest

I included a forest as one of the habitats because it’s the area I grew up in. In the cage, the forest contains a tree-top high-ropes course that the characters have to complete to win tokens. This was inspired by my own childhood at summer camps in the area, and my own fear of heights.

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The Grasslands

I’ve always wanted to visit East Africa, but since I haven’t, I had my main character, Cora, visit it instead. Since she’s been to the real Serengeti, she is able to notice all the ways that the artificial one in the cage is wrong. I also loved the idea of having a musical puzzle, and put that here because of the beautiful sound of the wind through tall grass.

Grasslands-menggu

The Candy Shop

One of the first stores the captives discover in the town in a candy shop that could be straight out of WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. It has every kind of candy imaginable, all available as a reward for solving an anagram puzzle in the shop’s artificial cash register. I wanted to include this to show how little their alien captors understand about humanity: they think candy alone can keep humans happy.

Chocolate factory

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The Unique Setting  of The Cage by Megan Shepherd & GiveawayThe Cage by Megan Shepherd
Published by HarperCollins on 2015-05-26
Genres: Death & Dying, Science Fiction, Social Issues, Young Adult
Pages: 400
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
5 Stars

The Maze Runner meets Scott Westerfeld in this gripping new series 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—a handsome young guard called Cassian—appears, 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.

As a forbidden attraction develops between Cora and Cassian, she realizes that her best chance of escape might be in the arms of her own jailer—though that would mean leaving the others behind. Can Cora manage to save herself and her companions? And if so . . . what world lies beyond the walls of their cage?

 

About Megan Shepherd

Megan Shepherd grew up in the mountains of Western North Carolina, where her family has owned and operated an independent bookstore for over 35 years. Shepherd attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she majored in international studies and went on to live and work in Costa Rica, Senegal, Scotland, Spain, and many other countries. Now, Shepherd has returned to Western North Carolina and is a full-time writer of young adult novels.
She is represented by Josh Adams of Adams Literary.
Author Photo by Kristi Hedberg Photography

 

Tour Schedule

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Review

Excerpt from my 5* Review 

The Cage by Megan Shepherd introduces a erie and creepy Setting that is quite terrifying. It comes with some intriguing, interesting characters that together with a sweet wonderful, slow burning romance made up for some great twists and turns!

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a signed ARC of THE CAGE with a CAGE bookmark and sticker sheet. US Only.

And… what do you say? Excited about this book?? I truly truly loved it and I truly hope you you are going to love it as much as I did! 

 

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15 Responses to “The Unique Setting of The Cage by Megan Shepherd & Giveaway”

  1. ReadiculousGirl

    I loved the Madman’s Daughter Trilogy so much, and I cannot wait to see what Megan Shepherd has written this time! So excited for The Cage!

    Reply »

  2. danielle hammelef

    I love the bright-colored candy store! The photos are stunning. I would love to visit that library too. I have this book on my summer reading list!

    Reply »

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