Synopsis
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.
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.
Review
Despite it not being what I expected, I enjoyed Red Queen enough to add the next book Glass Sword to my birthday list. It wasn't one I wanted to rush out and buy, but one I was looking forward to reading.
Overall, this sequel was quite a disappointment. Aveyard's usual turn of phrase which I adored in the last book, was spaced few and far between. The whole rebel military unit setting was not my particular cup of cocoa, but what really bothered me most was that Glass Sword was like reading an alternate version of Mocking Jay; all the melodrama and self loathing without any of the good parts. Mare was frustratingly negative, winy, cowardly, cold, and harsh through the entire book. It was like dealing with Katniss on the brink of her breaking point all over again.
Here's the difference though-I actually liked Katniss. Sure she was over dramatic and a pain in the rear all through book three, but it had taken two whole great books to get there. I felt like she and I had been through more than what I had witnessed with Mare. Because of that I was able to deal with Katniss's suicidal mind set much easier. I guess Mare and I don't click. And I guess that's the real reason I didn't like Glass Sword. It all takes place through Mare's POV and most of the story is told through her jaded thoughts and opinions. There were times I just wanted her to shut up and let the actual story happen.
What saved this book for me was the ending, which was pretty good, it just took way to long to get there. Before I read the ending, I was convinced I wasn't going to pick up the next book. But alas, I feel bad just leaving things where they ended so I'd like to know what happens next. Regardless, the third book is not high on my priority list.
2.5 stars
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