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fuelledbymonster's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Suicide, Stalking, Murder, and Body horror
isaxbella's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have to admit that even though a lot of people say this book has the "second book syndrome" I enjoyed it a lot more than the first one! The dive in on the characters was way deeper and I also liked the suspense at the ending!
!!!Spoilers!!!
The plot
At the beginning the story has the same tight time schedule as the first book, which I did not like. Too much happens in the time span of one week or even a day which annoyed me a little, even though it was supposed to put a lot of pressure on the characters. At first Cal and Mare escaped the castle and were rescued by the scarlet Guard. Afterwards they had to flee from Mavens Armee and escaped on an uboot. They seeked refuge on Tuck island but Cal and Mare were imprisoned soon by the Colonel who was afraid of new bloods. They managed to escape with Kilorn, Shade and Farley and went on a hunt for new bloods to recruit them. Maven left notes for Mare at the places where he killed new bloods before she could save them. he actually kept them and stored them in a box. The beginning of the book was pretty slow and I guess that it was easier getting through it with the audio book. However the end was very interesting and suspenseful and I couldn't stop reading. The death of Shade broke my heart as well as Mare's reaction and the description of the scene. I was surprised she managed to kill Elara. Especially the end was very brutal as well as the whole book, but I liked that setting. Still Maven got her in the end when she tried to save the soldier children. She sacrificed herself to save Kilorn, Cal and some other from the red guard. The end was an absolute pain. Starting with freeing the prisoners and then Shade's death, her fight with Farley, her fight with Cal, confronting her family, Shade's funeral and the moment with Cal when the plane crashed. I don't have to lie when I say this book has destroyed me.
Characters
Mare's character development felt a little bit forced at the beginning. She acts extremely tough and unaffected. Every page it is mentioned the she is not the same and has changed so much. It is okay if it is addressed once or twice, but now ten times throughout the first 3 chapters. She also kind of seems to switch between personalities of people that she "used to be". I guess it's supposed to show how she's trying to find herself, but it's just not well executed. Mare thinks of Maven very often throughout the book, even more so after she receives his notes. His shadow haunts her as much as her own. She can't quite forgive herself for killing all these people, but knows that she has to keep killing. She is indeed a bit self centered, telling herself that she is giving the new bloods "a choice" but she needs them for her war, as is shown when she takes Cameroon against her will. (Which I actually understood) She definitely trusts no one, not even Cal or Shade 100%. But it is clear that she loves them and also Kilorn. Mare is absolutely crushed when her brother dies, which was to be expected since he was somehow her rock through all of it.
I actually like Mare, because she is the kind of strong character with a lot of pain who does horrible things and knows it. She is breaking inside because she doesn't feel good about the horrible things she has to do to survive and protect her friends. But she still does it because she has to, even though Cal scolded her for it.
Shade was the blooming dandelion of the story. His light heart, humor and smartness was very refreshing and made him the most loveable character in the book. As I had expected after "Steel scars" his realationship with Mare was pretty deep and they cared about each other a lot. I loved how he gave her advise and how they understood each other through only gazes. He would absolutely die for her as shown in the beginning when he took a bullet for her. And even though he didn't consciously save her when he died, I'm sure he would've done it all over again for her. Still, she somehow distrust him at the beginning and I'm sure, even in the end she wouldn't have died for him. They remind me of Grenade by Bruno Mars. My theory about him and Farley was also right, which I liked, but had wished to see more of it in the story. Sadly he did not have a lot of scenes after Tuck island. He was my favourite brother and not only Mare's heart broke when he died. Very strong and emotional death scene, I was definitely shocked.
Cal had a way better development and depth to his character than in Red Queen. He was way more understandable and it finally felt like he had a mind of his own. He does not wish to kill his own people, but has to do it the further the story goes on. I think it breaks him a bit and changes him also. Still, he knows and feels that he will never be truly accepted by the reds, first imprisoned in Tuck and later not really one of the new bloods in the camp. He is still loyal to his people but feels extremely torn between to worlds and his ideologies. He doesn't wish to kill reds or new bloods, but still wants the crown and the monarchy to stay the way it is. He doesn't want to see the silvers fall either. It is hard to tell what his intentions are and what he truly wants, but it's supposed to show that he doesn't know either. I am still surprised he does so much to help the Scarlet Guard and even kills Silvers in Harbor Bay. He still is very angry at Mare for killing Silvers in the prison and frees the others who are being held there. Opposite to Mare is, that he is not willing to pay the price of his own soul to move the rebellion forward, because he doesn't believe in it or because he can't do everything that is takes as Mare is. Or both. And he kind of hates her for it and what she is becoming.
Julian was my favourite character in Red Queen and I was very happy that he was still alive. Sadly we didn't see much of him in Glass Sword, but he wasn't broken after Mare saved him from the prison and still the kind and timid teacher. I really loved the scene of him and Mare when he told her that she has to be careful not to lose herself in his lovely way. Mare basically came up with the idea of storming the prison because of him. I really like their realationship and I hope they'll have more scenes in the future.
Farley was also way better developed than in Red Queen. She is introduced again as a very good manipulator and actor, who acts very vulnerable in front of her father but then just returns to her mischievous self. The Colonel is still her weak point, which you can see in various scenes, especially at Shade's funeral when Mare tells her that he still cares about her. Even though Farley has no ability she appears very strong, determined and self-confident. Other than Mare and Cal she doesn't get distracted by her feelings and even though Shade's death broke her a bit, she holds up straight and gets up every time.
Kilorn was veeeerrryyy annoying most of the book. And just towards the end I kind of had a bit sympathy for him. I actually liked how Cal and he connected and became friends, nevertheless the love triangle with Mare. I also like the thought of him being like a brother to Mare and the bond they share, even though it was a bit overshadowed by his unnecessary feelings... I felt like that was only there to stir things up a bit and make Mare look even stronger and more desirable. I still really like how loyal he is to her and would to anything for his family. I might call him a bit reckless.
Cameroon was a pain in the ass at the beginning. I understand she was mad that Mare practically abducted her but I understand Mare more. That 15 year old stupid child wouldn't have made it far on her own. She really annoyed me a lot but towards the end I kind of grew to respect her a little bit. Even though she is only 15 she helped save a lot of prisoners and killed many silvers in the progress without going insane. I think her character might be pretty interesting in the future
Maven I kept for last because he did not have a lot of scenes in this book. Still he seems to be always present like a demon lurking in the shadows. Mare is thinking a lot about him and also Cal still misses him. I feel like his character is slightly dragged out a bit more through the notes he sends to Mare and the way he tortured her. He definitely is going down the path of a psychopath. In his own twisted way he still loves Mare and is definitely obsessed with her. He left her a dead baby to scare her into coming to him and threatens to kill lots of people if she doesn't. So I wouldn't call this healthy. He also extremely tortured her with the "sounding device" and branded her, which was both horrific and showed how he doesn't see her as a person, but something that he can possess. I am extremely looking forward to how his villainous character will unfold.
Romance
Mare and Cal are the main couple of this book. It is clear that they care for each other a lot. I still think that they do not have that much chemistry in general but are rather a couple of circumstance. They are both extremely lonely, broken and were betrayed by Maven who they both loved. They can relate to each other in a lot of ways and they feel understood by the other person. Their realationship is more like dependence than real love. Still I actually like them together, how they comfort each other and chased the nightmares away when they slept together in the camp. Especially through the end of the book Mare turns more violent and kills a lot of silvers, which hurts Cal a lot and he tends to see her with different eyes. He knows that they don't exactly have the same goals and is afraid and a bit disgusted of what she is turning into. That part is pure pain. But in the end he can't let her go and I felt like when the plane crashed, their gazes were love declarations. Also because Mare knows how torn Cal is she doesn't fully trust him and is afraid of when he'll finally leave her. I don't think they'll be endgame and more pain is incoming.
Mare and Kilorn were a joke to begin with. At the end of the book when Kilorn was less annoying I really enjoyed their "sibling vibes" and in my opinion the love troupe was just unnecessary. It would've felt more intimate and enjoyable if he just loved her as a sister. I Still like how loyal they are to each other and that they can count on the other to save them.
Mare and Maven are one hell of a headache. After what Maven has done there is no possible way of the two of them even being together again. Still it feels like they both have a split personality, where the old one is not able to let their love for each other go. Even though Mare talks about killing him a lot, she keeps the notes and even admits that she misses him often. She also thinks about him a lot. After Cal kisses her and Kilorn confesses his love, she thinks about Maven.
"In the deepest part of me, I think to ice coloured eyes, an empty promise and a kiss abort a boat."
Even though I am not a fan of the "falling in love fast" I do belive that she loved him. He had the same goals as her, was extremely smart, cunning and ambitious and didn't stop at anything to get what he wanted, just as Mare. In the end they are more similar than Cal and Mare are. The same way she used other people, he used her... His "love" for her is obviously not normal. He isn't even gentle with her, and submitting her to torture that is absolutely unecessary. He sees her as a possession and marks her with the letter M. I am very interested in how their realationship unfolds in Kings Cage now that he has her captured.
"Given time, he would've won me too. I see him in every shadow of every tree, the ghost standing tall against the rain storm in the bowl of bones. Water streams between the points of his iron crown, into his eyes and mouth, into his collar, into the icy abyss that is his wasted heart."
!!!Spoilers!!!
The plot
At the beginning the story has the same tight time schedule as the first book, which I did not like. Too much happens in the time span of one week or even a day which annoyed me a little, even though it was supposed to put a lot of pressure on the characters. At first Cal and Mare escaped the castle and were rescued by the scarlet Guard. Afterwards they had to flee from Mavens Armee and escaped on an uboot. They seeked refuge on Tuck island but Cal and Mare were imprisoned soon by the Colonel who was afraid of new bloods. They managed to escape with Kilorn, Shade and Farley and went on a hunt for new bloods to recruit them. Maven left notes for Mare at the places where he killed new bloods before she could save them. he actually kept them and stored them in a box. The beginning of the book was pretty slow and I guess that it was easier getting through it with the audio book. However the end was very interesting and suspenseful and I couldn't stop reading. The death of Shade broke my heart as well as Mare's reaction and the description of the scene. I was surprised she managed to kill Elara. Especially the end was very brutal as well as the whole book, but I liked that setting. Still Maven got her in the end when she tried to save the soldier children. She sacrificed herself to save Kilorn, Cal and some other from the red guard. The end was an absolute pain. Starting with freeing the prisoners and then Shade's death, her fight with Farley, her fight with Cal, confronting her family, Shade's funeral and the moment with Cal when the plane crashed. I don't have to lie when I say this book has destroyed me.
Characters
Mare's character development felt a little bit forced at the beginning. She acts extremely tough and unaffected. Every page it is mentioned the she is not the same and has changed so much. It is okay if it is addressed once or twice, but now ten times throughout the first 3 chapters. She also kind of seems to switch between personalities of people that she "used to be". I guess it's supposed to show how she's trying to find herself, but it's just not well executed. Mare thinks of Maven very often throughout the book, even more so after she receives his notes. His shadow haunts her as much as her own. She can't quite forgive herself for killing all these people, but knows that she has to keep killing. She is indeed a bit self centered, telling herself that she is giving the new bloods "a choice" but she needs them for her war, as is shown when she takes Cameroon against her will. (Which I actually understood) She definitely trusts no one, not even Cal or Shade 100%. But it is clear that she loves them and also Kilorn. Mare is absolutely crushed when her brother dies, which was to be expected since he was somehow her rock through all of it.
I actually like Mare, because she is the kind of strong character with a lot of pain who does horrible things and knows it. She is breaking inside because she doesn't feel good about the horrible things she has to do to survive and protect her friends. But she still does it because she has to, even though Cal scolded her for it.
Shade was the blooming dandelion of the story. His light heart, humor and smartness was very refreshing and made him the most loveable character in the book. As I had expected after "Steel scars" his realationship with Mare was pretty deep and they cared about each other a lot. I loved how he gave her advise and how they understood each other through only gazes. He would absolutely die for her as shown in the beginning when he took a bullet for her. And even though he didn't consciously save her when he died, I'm sure he would've done it all over again for her. Still, she somehow distrust him at the beginning and I'm sure, even in the end she wouldn't have died for him. They remind me of Grenade by Bruno Mars. My theory about him and Farley was also right, which I liked, but had wished to see more of it in the story. Sadly he did not have a lot of scenes after Tuck island. He was my favourite brother and not only Mare's heart broke when he died. Very strong and emotional death scene, I was definitely shocked.
Cal had a way better development and depth to his character than in Red Queen. He was way more understandable and it finally felt like he had a mind of his own. He does not wish to kill his own people, but has to do it the further the story goes on. I think it breaks him a bit and changes him also. Still, he knows and feels that he will never be truly accepted by the reds, first imprisoned in Tuck and later not really one of the new bloods in the camp. He is still loyal to his people but feels extremely torn between to worlds and his ideologies. He doesn't wish to kill reds or new bloods, but still wants the crown and the monarchy to stay the way it is. He doesn't want to see the silvers fall either. It is hard to tell what his intentions are and what he truly wants, but it's supposed to show that he doesn't know either. I am still surprised he does so much to help the Scarlet Guard and even kills Silvers in Harbor Bay. He still is very angry at Mare for killing Silvers in the prison and frees the others who are being held there. Opposite to Mare is, that he is not willing to pay the price of his own soul to move the rebellion forward, because he doesn't believe in it or because he can't do everything that is takes as Mare is. Or both. And he kind of hates her for it and what she is becoming.
Julian was my favourite character in Red Queen and I was very happy that he was still alive. Sadly we didn't see much of him in Glass Sword, but he wasn't broken after Mare saved him from the prison and still the kind and timid teacher. I really loved the scene of him and Mare when he told her that she has to be careful not to lose herself in his lovely way. Mare basically came up with the idea of storming the prison because of him. I really like their realationship and I hope they'll have more scenes in the future.
Farley was also way better developed than in Red Queen. She is introduced again as a very good manipulator and actor, who acts very vulnerable in front of her father but then just returns to her mischievous self. The Colonel is still her weak point, which you can see in various scenes, especially at Shade's funeral when Mare tells her that he still cares about her. Even though Farley has no ability she appears very strong, determined and self-confident. Other than Mare and Cal she doesn't get distracted by her feelings and even though Shade's death broke her a bit, she holds up straight and gets up every time.
Kilorn was veeeerrryyy annoying most of the book. And just towards the end I kind of had a bit sympathy for him. I actually liked how Cal and he connected and became friends, nevertheless the love triangle with Mare. I also like the thought of him being like a brother to Mare and the bond they share, even though it was a bit overshadowed by his unnecessary feelings... I felt like that was only there to stir things up a bit and make Mare look even stronger and more desirable. I still really like how loyal he is to her and would to anything for his family. I might call him a bit reckless.
Cameroon was a pain in the ass at the beginning. I understand she was mad that Mare practically abducted her but I understand Mare more. That 15 year old stupid child wouldn't have made it far on her own. She really annoyed me a lot but towards the end I kind of grew to respect her a little bit. Even though she is only 15 she helped save a lot of prisoners and killed many silvers in the progress without going insane. I think her character might be pretty interesting in the future
Maven I kept for last because he did not have a lot of scenes in this book. Still he seems to be always present like a demon lurking in the shadows. Mare is thinking a lot about him and also Cal still misses him. I feel like his character is slightly dragged out a bit more through the notes he sends to Mare and the way he tortured her. He definitely is going down the path of a psychopath. In his own twisted way he still loves Mare and is definitely obsessed with her. He left her a dead baby to scare her into coming to him and threatens to kill lots of people if she doesn't. So I wouldn't call this healthy. He also extremely tortured her with the "sounding device" and branded her, which was both horrific and showed how he doesn't see her as a person, but something that he can possess. I am extremely looking forward to how his villainous character will unfold.
Romance
Mare and Cal are the main couple of this book. It is clear that they care for each other a lot. I still think that they do not have that much chemistry in general but are rather a couple of circumstance. They are both extremely lonely, broken and were betrayed by Maven who they both loved. They can relate to each other in a lot of ways and they feel understood by the other person. Their realationship is more like dependence than real love. Still I actually like them together, how they comfort each other and chased the nightmares away when they slept together in the camp. Especially through the end of the book Mare turns more violent and kills a lot of silvers, which hurts Cal a lot and he tends to see her with different eyes. He knows that they don't exactly have the same goals and is afraid and a bit disgusted of what she is turning into. That part is pure pain. But in the end he can't let her go and I felt like when the plane crashed, their gazes were love declarations. Also because Mare knows how torn Cal is she doesn't fully trust him and is afraid of when he'll finally leave her. I don't think they'll be endgame and more pain is incoming.
Mare and Kilorn were a joke to begin with. At the end of the book when Kilorn was less annoying I really enjoyed their "sibling vibes" and in my opinion the love troupe was just unnecessary. It would've felt more intimate and enjoyable if he just loved her as a sister. I Still like how loyal they are to each other and that they can count on the other to save them.
Mare and Maven are one hell of a headache. After what Maven has done there is no possible way of the two of them even being together again. Still it feels like they both have a split personality, where the old one is not able to let their love for each other go. Even though Mare talks about killing him a lot, she keeps the notes and even admits that she misses him often. She also thinks about him a lot. After Cal kisses her and Kilorn confesses his love, she thinks about Maven.
"In the deepest part of me, I think to ice coloured eyes, an empty promise and a kiss abort a boat."
Even though I am not a fan of the "falling in love fast" I do belive that she loved him. He had the same goals as her, was extremely smart, cunning and ambitious and didn't stop at anything to get what he wanted, just as Mare. In the end they are more similar than Cal and Mare are. The same way she used other people, he used her... His "love" for her is obviously not normal. He isn't even gentle with her, and submitting her to torture that is absolutely unecessary. He sees her as a possession and marks her with the letter M. I am very interested in how their realationship unfolds in Kings Cage now that he has her captured.
"Given time, he would've won me too. I see him in every shadow of every tree, the ghost standing tall against the rain storm in the bowl of bones. Water streams between the points of his iron crown, into his eyes and mouth, into his collar, into the icy abyss that is his wasted heart."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Murder, Body horror, and Death
Minor: War, Child abuse, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
anniereads221's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Grief, Gore, Murder, Torture, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Violence, and War
trulydevious's review
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, and Body horror
Minor: Confinement, Gore, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Torture
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