Title: Glass Sword
Series: Red Queen #2
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publication Details: February 9th 2016 by Harper Teen
Link: Goodreads
If there’s one thing Mare Barrow knows, it’s that she’s different.
Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color 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 Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.
Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive 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?
The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul (Goodreads).
It'll be difficult to review without spoiling anyone, but I will try my best. :)
An engrossing installment to the Red Queen series.
Plot
Following the events of Red Queen, Glass Sword started in an action-packed, fast-paced manner. Setting the mood that way made me look forward to the succeeding events, consequently making the book hard to put down. Along the middle through the end, the pacing varied as Mare and her group started their mission. But even so, my reading did not get dragging, and the story still kept its gripping factor.
Glass Sword mainly revolved around finding and training the new bloods. Thus, more characters were introduced, and more depth to Mare's world shown. Albeit partial, more information was also given about Scarlet Guard and their inner workings. I liked that there are still a lot of rooms to explore in their world, and I'm looking forward to reading more of it.
Along the plot-driven story is Mare's internal struggle with her character, as she's becoming an anti-hero. Throughout the book, Mare is somewhat constantly finding herself in decision-making situations, inconspicuously defining her character, and losing a bit of herself in the process.
Characters
Mare's circumstances made her a little bit less likable than who she was in the first book. Even so, I liked the way her character development (though quite negative) was presented, and how there might be an opening for her redemption. I am very much looking forward to how things will play out for Mare and how she will choose to deal with what's going on in her life.
Maven did not get a lot of exposure in Glass Sword, but I think I got enough that made me want to know what happened to him that made him who he is. Cal, on the other hand, seemed distant but with his situation, it's understandable. I'm also looking forward to knowing what will happen to him, especially now that he's slowly losing his place in the world he has ever known.
As for the other characters, likewise, I am interested to know how their fight will continue, and how each will play a role not only in their cause but also in Mare's character development.
Writing
While Red Queen has an almost equal mix of predictability and unpredictability. Glass Sword has more unpredictability in it. Still told in Mare's POV, the author was able to deliver her character well, and the story line easy to follow and understand.
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Overall, I enjoyed reading Glass Sword. It brought too many feels. And I think I liked this one more than I liked Red Queen. Nevertheless, I can't wait to read the third book and continue with Mare's adventure.
After growing up in small town Massachusetts, Victoria attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She graduated with a BFA in Screenwriting, which is exactly the degree being sought after in a recession.
She tries her best to combine her love of history, explosions, and butt-kicking heroines in her writing. Her hobbies include the impossible task of predicting what happens next in A Song of Ice and Fire, road trips, and burning through Netflix. (Source: Author's blog)