Review: Glass Sword (Red Queen #2) by Victoria Aveyard

Glass Sword (Red Queen #2)
By Victoria Aveyard

Hardcover, 444 pages
Published February 9th 2016 by HarperTeen
Average Rating: 3.99

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopia, Romance
POV: Third Person Limited (Mare)
Cover Love: Um of course I would love this cover!! Blood, beautiful glass diadem. What could a girl ask for??
My Rating: 5/5 stars

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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.

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Glass Sword was an incredible sequel to Red Queen!! I didn’t have any problems with this book like I did Red Queen. I was ensnared in the story at the very first page. I didn’t put this book down other than to consume food so I wouldn’t die. Nothing could’ve kept me from finishing this jaw-dropping novel.

But I’m no longer the girl who begged for her help. I’m not so easily read anymore. I’ve lived on a razor wire, balancing lie after lie, hiding myself. It’s nothing to do the same now and bury my thoughts deep down.

In my opinion, Mare was a true anti-hero. Although she is definitely not the antagonist or “villain” of the story (that title goes to Maven), there was indeed a point where I had no idea where I stood with Mare and her infuriating stubborness, her overwhelming amount of trust issues with herself and everyone else, and the absolute harsh leadership she took on. I honestly had no idea if I should be rooting for her or worried for the fate of the other characters. She was cruel and unforgiving at times, yet lost and broken at others. This is what I describe brilliant character development and internal conflict. Not only was Mare struggling with her humanity, I was struggling along with her. I love how in tune I was with her emotions, and it’s crazy how much my love for this character shifted. It was actually frustrating to read because I was all over the place with my emotions, ranging from anger to pride to sympathy. I seriously wanted to strangle for a healthy chunk of the novel, but I got the character development I wanted. By the end, Mare had officially won me over.

My heart bent and broke for Cal. You think Mare went through internal conflict? Cal’s conflict was a totally different story. His loyalty was questioned throughout the whole novel by the characters and by me. (Though, the whole time, I was shipping Cal and Mare like a madman.) Readers had no idea which side Cal was on. Cal had no idea which side he was on. There’s a scene where Mare and Cal confess how much they love Maven and how devastating it is that they are now in this situation. How much they hope that the good part of Maven is somewhere inside. Cal gets a great character arc as by the end, Cal’s intentions were pretty clear. But I guess time will tell.

Maven is Evil McEvil. I love this villain. The good guy turned bad guy (sort of). He was ruthless. I’m actually holding out on him; there’s a little hope left in me. But either way, Maven as a villain is entertaining as hell and super creepy. I can’t wait to see what this merciless being has in store for us in the next book.

The romance was subtle but there. There was loads of angst and some squealing moments, but note: the romance was not by any means crucial in this novel. It was important but not what needed to be addressed. The focus was more on Mare’s conflict with herself and the rise of the newblood army. Oh, and Maven hunting Mare down. I’m glad romance didn’t play a huge role or it would have overshadowed the whole point of the novel which was to watch Mare grow, learn and sacrifice.

THE PLOT WAS AMAZING. Aveyard didn’t shy away from taking drastic measures to keep the momentum going. Lots of bold decisions dealing with plot on her part. Very well done. There was never a dull moment reading Glass Sword. I really loved exploring the powers and mechanics of newbloods. The rise of Mare’s newblood army was promising and utterly badass. The blend of dystopia and fantasy was flawless.

If I am a sword, I am a sword made of glass and I feel myself beginning to shatter.

Not to mention, that ending was CRAZY. My mouth was open, mind was blown, heart was out the window. Everything happened at once, and there was no time for me to process what the hell was going on until there was no words left for me to consume. Victoria Aveyard deserves to have a mic drop because last words are pivotal. Remember when I said she didn’t shy away from bold decisions? Yea, the ending was one of them. Incredible. I was speechless. I had to sit back for a moment so things could settle in my head BECAUSE THAT JUST HAPPENED.

I take joy in the fact that I had to pause for a moment and process because those come rarely and are never really as effective as this ending was. It is for this exact reason why I had to give this book a full five stars instead of the initial 4.5 I had drafted before. I was forgiving…this time. You can bet your money that I’ll be expecting nothing less from Victoria Aveyard in King’s Cage.

Glass Sword rose to the occasion bringing extraordinary character development, unbelievable and bold plot twists, and incredible world building. It made up for the rocky start with Red Queen and more. I recommend this novel to everyone, and I’m dying for the release of King’s Cage!!

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Dang, this review couldn’t have came so late. I had a draft and then never felt “ready” to edit it. This review has been untouched for WEEKS. I’m such a procrastinator. *guilty* But it’s finally done!!

Check out my review for Book 1: Red Queen here!