Plot Summary

Lorel has always wanted to be a witch. She’s wanted to do magic and hold power and travel with a coven, but there’s a problem: she was born a boy. This doesn’t stop her, though, as she also wants to be a girl, so she switches places with her best friend and gets to join a coven of her own. Only now, she’s worried about getting caught. She also joined the coven at the worst time. A blight is going around, causing trees to wither and become colddead, and monsters are appearing that are older than myth. And all of it is being blamed on the witches. Now Lorel has to try and hide her identity while fighting off evil before she even gets a chance to learn magic! 

Critical Evaluation 

The Sapling Cage is a novel filled with great concepts, a lively and interesting cast of characters, a unique world, and a clear plot. Unfortunately, the novel did not carry out each of these aspects to their full potential, except for the explorations of trans identity, environmental exploitation, and systems of power. At times, it felt as though the setting, plot, and characters were prioritized as tools for these themes over fully developing them. The greatest reason for this clash between purpose and fulfillment is the fast and inconsistent pacing. 

For the first novel in a trilogy, the book moved at a breakneck pace. Major scenes, both for the plot and the emotional development of characters, would happen in a few paragraphs. The characters were able to move from one town to another at greatly various lengths, sometimes in a few sentences and other times in a few pages. There was also a lot of back-and-forth movement between locations that was difficult to follow, and it was difficult to understand the characters’ relation to space, particularly since there was no map provided. The fast pace meant that it was difficult to get to know each of the main characters. Within Lorel’s coven, consisting of two crones, two witches, an apprentice, and three whelps (8 total, including Lorel as one of the whelps), only four are characterized enough by the midpoint of the book to be recognizable. I forgot that Dam Sorrel was even part of the coven and separate from Dam Lament for most of the book! There was not enough time spent with smaller moments among the coven on their way to each new location for the reader to become sympathetic to them.

The other major problem is the lack of interiority and thoughts of Lorel. Despite being in the first person, there is a lack of personal reaction from the main character. While internal comments are sprinkled throughout the narrative, they are limited and don’t reveal much about Lorel other than her fear of being found out and which persons she does or doesn't like. The reader would have difficulty knowing much about who Lorel is because of this. 

The book does, however, contain wonderful discussions of trans identity, environmental exploitation, and forms of power. As it is the center of the narrative, the exploration of trans identity is incredibly important and given much nuance. Lorel begins not knowing that she is trans, just that she wants to be a witch and doesn’t want to be a boy. Later in the book, as she becomes more comfortable with being a girl (and more fearful of being found), she learns of a spell that can turn her into a biological woman. But she hesitates before considering it. Not all trans people want surgery or such drastic physical changes, so it was great to see this problem represented in this book. The Sapling Cage also doesn’t shy away from having characters being uncomfortable to outright bigoted towards trans people, even characters that like Lorel and aren’t evil. This is a complex topic, and this book does a wonderful job at showing its many facets. 

The Sapling Cage was a book I was greatly looking forward to read and one that has a lot of potential. It didn’t meet my expectations, but it is still a good book. I’d definitely be interested in reading the following books, particularly if the pacing improves. 

Creative Use for a Library Program 

Margaret Killjoy works to imagine worlds that look completely different from our own, including different economic systems, social systems, and political systems. For her, many fantastical worlds look too much like our own, following similar principles and reflecting our patriarchal, capitalistic worldviews (Nico, 2024). Inspired by Killjoy’s efforts to create more developed and unique worlds, it would be fun to have a world-building program. This could be useful for aspiring writers, game designers, and those who enjoy role-playing games. The best way to change our current media is to make purposeful and active change, so the library could bring in creators that actively work to challenge notions of what fantasy and speculative worlds can be. 

As an alternative library program, and I’m not sure how possible it would be, but there is a lot of weapon training in The Sapling Cage (afterall, most of the year is a time of action). It would be fun to have a weapons-based program, whether it is showing off unique weapons such as different knives, swords, and the like, or a fun weapons practice with a trained expert, or even just a self-defense class. I know there are plenty of teens who love fantasy or history who would love to go to a program that brings them closer to the lives of the characters they read and watch. 

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation 

Transgender people have had a difficult time in recent history, and it’s only been getting worse as their rights are being taken away and fewer people are in support of protecting them (Pew Research Center, 2025). It’s no surprise that so many books with trans characters and authors are challenged, banned, and prevented from being published. Margaret Killjoy and her publisher, Feminist Press, had to have a Kickstarter to fund the project after Killjoy tried for years to get this manuscript published (The Feminist Press, 2025). In preparation to defend this book, I would use justifications of all people needing to be seen and represented in literature and the fact that libraries have a duty to provide materials from all perspectives. There are LGBTQ+ teens who have a right to read literature that reflects their experiences.

As a fantasy book, The Sapling Cage has the further benefit of being a fun tale with a trans protagonist that isn’t centered by self-hatred or active oppression. These types of stories are necessary for trans teens to show them that they, too, can have fun fantastical romps through their imagination and that there is opportunity for them to find joy. This book is also great for people who are unfamiliar with the concept of transwomen or have negative preconceptions. Since the book starts off with Lorel just in disguise, she discovers the concept of what it means to be a different gender than their assigned sex at birth along with the reader. It’s a great learning resource as well as a good representation. 

Reason For Inclusion 

I’ve been wanting more trans representation in the fantasy that I’ve read lately. There have been so many characters and plots that I think would be enhanced or have added nuance if the characters were trans or if trans identities were considered a part of the magic system (*cough cough* Wheel of Time). When I read the summary of The Sapling Cage, I knew that this book would satisfy that craving. While I was frustrated with some aspects of the writing, this book still has great trans representation, particularly since it’s the main character who is trans, not just a side character. This book does a wonderful job of exploring what it means to be a transwoman and discussing difficult problems such as whether or not a person wants to fully change their body as part of their transition. The Sapling Cage has a place in my collection as a good start to what will hopefully be a trend in the future of fantasy and YA literature.