Review: Glass Sword

Title: Glass Sword (Red Queen #2)
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Pages: 440
Published by: Orion
Release Date: 11th February
Synopsis:
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?

Purchase on: Amazon | Book Depository

Review:

After finishing Red Queen last year, I could not WAIT to get my hands on Glass Sword. I really enjoyed Red Queen, and I hoped that Glass Sword would be even better. Sadly, though, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I liked it, but it wasn’t the explosive sequel that I’d hoped for.

Glass Sword follows on directly after Red Queen finishes, and we are thrown into the action early on — the whole book was packed full of it. There was always something new happening, some other danger that kept you on the edge of your seat, needing to know what happens next.

Mare is a lot different in this book. She becomes someone who is cruel and callous in places. She begins to push people away, and sometimes I found that it could be really easy to dislike her at some points, but Victoria Aveyard conveyed Mare and her feelings so clearly and emotively that, despite her sometimes cruel actions, you really feel for her.
I don’t feel like her character developed much in this book — it was consistent, from start to finish– though this is only the second book, and I can see how she could a LOT in the next one. That being said, I admired her determination and dedication to her mission — saving the Newbloods, the Reds and protecting everyone she loves.

I loved everyone else’s characters; you could clearly see how much Kilorn and Cal, especially, had changed, adapted to their situations so gradually you almost don’t notice it; they’re different, in a sense, but still so familiar.

I love Victoria Aveyard’s writing style; how effectively she depicted the fights and battles and the landscape of Norta — it’s like being transported straight into this world. Aveyard created an emotional rollercoaster of the best kind with each new chapter and she is the queen of endings because THAT ENDING. I finished this book at 3 in the morning and just sat in a stunned silence for probably a further hour. How can I wait so long for the next book now? I need to know what happens!

Rating:  ★★★.5☆☆