Glass Sword Red Queen Book TwoContains spoilers for Red Queen. See my review here
Written by Victoria Aveyard
Dystopian, Fantasy
Published February 9th 2016
320 Pages
Thank you to Hachette Australia
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★★★☆
If there's one thing Mare Barrow knows, it's that she's different.Mare's blood is Red, the colour of common folk, but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from the prince and friend who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.Pursued by the Silver king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red and Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat. Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?
On the run from the new empire, Mare Barrow and the disgraced Prince are now seen as traitors to their kingdom. Mare has placed her trust in the Scarlet Guard to stop the bloodshed of Newbloods, those with silver abilities that bleed red. With only Julian's legacy to guide her, Mare plans on finding the Newbloods before Maven can end their lives.
I absolutely adored Red Queen, a wonderful mix of fantasy and dystopian elements from some of our favourite young adult series. While Red Queen was uplifting and at times, brutal, Glass Sword is a much calmer read, the focus being on developing it's characters and relationships while edging towards what seems to be the next civil war.
Mare is still coming to terms with the deception she experienced at the hands of Maven, a point that readers are constantly reminded of. She feels betrayed, but longs for the quiet and reserved young man she believed Maven to be, a gentle fighter who believed in the rights for all.
The biggest difference between Red Queen and Glass Sword besides the shift from fantasy to dystopian, is Mare Barrow herself. She was fierce in Red Queen but is incredibly self doubting and seemingly feeds on her lack of self worth and guilt. She's now killed, but also has the deaths of others who aligned themselves with her on her hands and spends her quiet moments of reflection torn between bringing the Newbloods into battle or protecting them from Maven's Silver army.
And Maven?
Sadly he's mysteriously absent as is Queen Elara. Both characters make brief, cameo appearances which sadly is why I felt disappointed by Glass Sword. I love a well written villain, especially after audiences see the character transformation from good to... Not so good. The storyline needed to focus less on Mare's self pity and more on the kingdom who were hunting her and the Newbloods. Dual points of view may have ensured Glass Sword to be more widely praised by the reading community. It needed a point of difference and personally, I needed a break from Mare who seemed to be masquerading as Katniss Everdeen.
With Shade and Kilorn beside her, Mare plans to track down each name but before she can enlist the help of the Scarlet Guard, Prince Cal is taken from her grasp as a pawn to be used by the newly in charge Lakelanders and securing freedom for the red population who would otherwise be used as soldiers, sent into battle against their own."Hundreds of names, hundreds of Reds with abilities. Stronger, faster, better than they are, with blood as Red as the dawn."
Kelly's Thoughts
Mare is still coming to terms with the deception she experienced at the hands of Maven, a point that readers are constantly reminded of. She feels betrayed, but longs for the quiet and reserved young man she believed Maven to be, a gentle fighter who believed in the rights for all.
The biggest difference between Red Queen and Glass Sword besides the shift from fantasy to dystopian, is Mare Barrow herself. She was fierce in Red Queen but is incredibly self doubting and seemingly feeds on her lack of self worth and guilt. She's now killed, but also has the deaths of others who aligned themselves with her on her hands and spends her quiet moments of reflection torn between bringing the Newbloods into battle or protecting them from Maven's Silver army.
She just felt... Hollow. Her inner thoughts were contradictory and seemingly didn't want the responsibility of being the Lightning Girl, but also relished in her title of power. Prince Cal is a character that I need more from. He was so overshadowed by Mare's catchphrases and indecisiveness that he felt like little more than a background character, rather than her potential love interest. I feel his character deserved much more development, especially seeing his life has been ruined by Lightning Girl entering his world.If I am a sword, I am a sword made of glass, and I feel myself beginning to shatter.
And Maven?
I love the series, even though I wasn't as engaged with Glass Sword as I had expected. Apart from Mare, I loved the introduction of new and wonderfully sassy and moody characters none more so than Cameron. Her ability far outweighs Mare's ability to create and control electricity and she's lived to escape her confines under King Maven. She not only refuses to abide by Mare's rules but she challenges the Lightning Girl, merely a breath away from being able to take her life. I adored her, but there is more to Cameron beyond her abrasive facade and I can't wait to discover who she truly is.Some know what I am, and they have written it across the posters for all to see. Red Queen. The lightning girl. She lives. Rise, red as dawn. Rise. Rise. Rise.
As much as I enjoyed Glass Sword, I couldn't help but feel it was stretched a little too thin. Be prepared for character soul searching, an uprising, indecision and absolute heartbreak. The crescendo has me excited for book three in the series, let's just hope Mare gets her shit together in time.The Final Verdict
I'm still very bitter about this trilogy/duology being extended into 5 books. There isn't that much story to tell here so I can definitely see why it was being stretched thin. I loved Red Queen, but I don't think I'll be continuing on with the series. Mare sounds exhausting to be honest and I would definitely want more of Maven. He was the best part of Red Queen for me! I'm glad the ending has you excited for book 3 though. Maybe, I'll see what that one is like and pick this up.
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Kelly!
I honestly don't know how there'll be enough for five books either Nick. Mere really was in Glass Sword. All her likable traits had been replaced by a constant whine and the dilemma of being Lightning Girl verses wanting to not be Lightning Girl. I like character who have an internal struggle, but she was so contradictory and lost that drive and passion readers loved from Red Queen. Only made worse by only snippets of Maven.
DeleteLovely review.
ReplyDeleteI actually really enjoyed Mare in Glass Sword. Which, based on a lot of reviews I have read, is not a normal reaction. I thought her attitude was well fitted to the situation she was placed in. I completely agree that the book could have used more Maven. I was shocked that he had such a small presence in this book. Based on the ending, however, I think we'll be seeing more of him in book three. Also, I just read Nick's comment above and I didn't realize that the series was extended into five books. I thought it was ending at four. News to me! :)
I worry about how much filler will be added to pad a five book series when book two struggled though. I did enjoy seeing the softer and more practical side of Mere, but the push and pull of her indecisiveness really irritated me after a while. I think with all that's going on, the content could have been better spent to develop other characters, like Cal for example. I'm so glad you enjoyed it though Sarah and hope others can enjoy it as much as you have as well.
DeleteI could have sworn your post said Red as the Yawn...which is what it sounds like this book is, a big yawn according to the reviews I've read. I really liked book one but I lost all interest in reading the rest of the series after hearing the series was extended. I got the audio a few weeks ago but once the reviews started coming in, I doubt I'll get to it.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if I'm bored one day with nothing else to listen to...
It probably should have Nere. It really should.
DeleteIt's a quick read, so the audiobook wouldn't take long to finish, but it just felt so repetitive. Mare's 'I'm special... I don't want to be special' just carried on too long. I can understand the turmoil her character faces and has already endured, but it's hard to play the special snowflake when you have those around you who are more powerful and you're constantly complaining about being dun dun duuuuun... The One.
I worry about losing interest in the series which really has so much potential, especially being spread across five books. That's a big series.
Ooh, see, I'm so torn on picking this up! Sure it's a bit short and it has a lot of hype, but so did Red Queen and ultimately I was disappointed on that one. I gave that 3 stars because you gave this one 3 stars, I'm even more torn. Ugh, I hate when significant characters in previous books barely shows up in the sequel! That actually happened to me in a recent read (Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes) and it was really a problem for me.
ReplyDeleteOh no Jess. I loved red Queen and if you didn't enjoy that all that much, then I dare say that you and Glass Sword might not get along. I have issues with that too. It felt as though Maven was missing in action perhaps not to further his character or storyline and using it for the next book. Although I did still enjoy it, a fair chunk of the storyline felt like padding just to reach the end and have fans excited for the next book. I'd love to see what you think of it.
DeleteI did not enjoy the first book to this series, to be honest. And it certainly looks like the second book will not offer me hope. :/
ReplyDeleteI won't sugar coat it Joy, it probably won't. It's much slower and didn't really further the storyline or character development, in fact, Mare seemed to regress. I'd love to see what you think of it though as the reviews seem to be pretty split down the middle at the moment.
DeleteI haven't read the first book, but I just had to see what that Jack Sparrow gif was all about. lol.
ReplyDeleteIt is completely appropriate for the lack of Maven's character. You should definitely pick up book one Christy, it's brilliant.
DeleteI haven't read the first off, but I did skim your review. I'm sorry about the characters ! Great and well-written characters are often my fave thing for a book.
ReplyDeleteMine too Lauren. The first book on the series had that in spades, but sadly I didn't feel as though they won me over in Glass Sword. The ending was awesome though and fingers crossed it picks up for book three.
DeleteYeah...I felt pretty much the same way Kelly. :( It’s almost like Mare is a completely different person here – she’s so selfish and I couldn’t believe how much she looked down on the people who were trying to help her. And the way she kept putting herself on a pedestal and saying she was “too special to die.” �� Thanks for sharing this and, as always, fabulous review! <3
ReplyDeleteExactly the same attitude I had issues with too Zoe. It just felt as though even with those around her being stronger and their characters still underdeveloped, I was hoping the storyline would focus more on them rather than Mare's pity party. I really hope book three picks up the pace again.
DeleteOh man, this one sounds like it's really going to piss me off with how self pitying the main character is. And how characters are absent but others are introduced? That's disappointing too. Thanks for the review Kelly!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see what you make out of it Jeann. Readers seem to be so split over this one.
DeleteI haven't started this series yet, but it sounds like it suffers a little from second book syndrome (or is that too much of one slightly annoying MC syndrome? lol)
ReplyDeleteHopefully the third book is a better read :) great review Kelly!
This is exactly how I felt as well. There was just way too much angst in this book like: "ERMAGORD I KILLED SOMEONE WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WAAAHHH I HAVE SO MUCH BLOOD ON MY HANDS". Meanwhile, I just sat there like: "Get over it, please". SO MUCH OF THE BOOK WAS DEDICATED TO ANNOYING (and time consuming too!) SOUL SEARCHING. I look forward to book three, and hopefully it moves a little faster than this one. Great review!
ReplyDeleteSo far I'm in the middle of reading it, but it wasn't been that interesting- I've stretched it over the whole of March, and so far it seems I'm not going to be getting much farther. It's disappointed that Queen Elara and Maven will only be making brief appearances, because a villain is pretty much what makes the story great! Nonetheless, awesome review! :)
ReplyDeleteWHAT, this is being stretched into 5 books? HOLD THE PHONE. I utterly despised GLASS SWORD and I can't imagine reading another THREE BOOKS OF IT. Haha. I totally don't dig the romance, either. It's just so ... void of feeling.
ReplyDelete