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A review by deena_
Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard
4.0
4 stars ☆
➸ “No one is born evil, just like no one is born alone. They become that way, through choice and circumstance.”
'Glass Sword' is the second installment in the 'Red Queen' series.
After escaping the bowl of bones, Mare is on the hunt for newbloods like her—red bloods with silver abilities yet more powerful than all the silvers combined. Exiled prince Cal, rumored to have murdered the former king, a threat to the crown now in the clutches of the scarlet guard. With the same goal of overthrowing the traitor king and his manipulative mother, he is compelled to work alongside them. He helps recruit newbloods and trains them against the king's force.
Mare Barrow is the protagonist of the book, the entire story is told from her perspective. She is not perfect or good in any regard, her character is thoroughly flawed. She's selfish, disorganized, violent, confused, single-minded and brokenhearted. One day she was a little kid wandering around her small village, stealing goods for her family. The next day she's on this impossible conquest with the whole of Norta on her trail, ordered by the king himself to kill her on sight. In her situation, that kind of behavior is given.
➸ “I can’t shake the feeling that, while they stand with me, there’s no one beside me. Even with an army at my back, I am still alone.”
-Coming out as the 'lightning girl', she seemed to have developed a mindset that everyone is beneath her, this sudden sense to do everything alone and receive no one's help. She knew she couldn't fight all the demons alone but still insisted on pushing away the only people who cared for her. She called her childhood friend Kilorn useless for not having any special powers to defend himself and accused him of slowing them down, refusing to acknowledge his efforts to help her, keeping her own brother who took bullets for her at arm's length and constantly judging the newblood recruits at how their powers might not come to use in their mission. Mare chose to blindly trust Cal over her own people when he's the last person she should. I have no doubt the fallen prince would ever turn his back on her but it did make her close ones feel unsettled.
I swear I told myself I'd hate Maven for his grand show of backstabbing in the last book but for some reason I couldn't. Mare and her little group were always on autopilot for fear of Maven's next move. His presence was this living breathing thing even when he wasn't there.
➸ “Maven lies as easily as he breathes, and his mother holds his leash but not his heart.”
-He caught Mare on one of their recruiting missions and told her how he promised to always find her, I was almost sure he'd give something away that he wasn't on the Queen's side. I still think that could be true, his mother, the Queen has twisted his mind to make him do her bidding. Sometimes the cracks in his cruel mask is enough to tell us he cares for Mare and maybe even feels guilty for those kills.
Reading 'Glass Sword' I realized that I really like when the magic system is divided and connected to different houses. Each house has possesssion of different sort of magic. House Calore is in control of fire while house Osanos manipulates water, house Samos can bend iron to their will and house Merandus can control minds, house Blonos are blood healers and house Arven has the ability to nullify others powers; and some more. The newbloods are unique in their own powers, their power varies from person to person but each stronger than the silvers.
-I have a suspicion that Mare's father is a silver, two newbloods coming from the same family can be no coincidence. Mare's father is always the one less surprised; the wistful look on his face and the knowing gleam in his eyes tell a story of their own.
This book moves forward at a devastingly slow pace, all events appear to be taking place in the same circle. It's definitely more progressive and action packed than the first book. This book will make you feel frustrated, annoyed and intrigued all at once...
➸ “No one is born evil, just like no one is born alone. They become that way, through choice and circumstance.”
'Glass Sword' is the second installment in the 'Red Queen' series.
After escaping the bowl of bones, Mare is on the hunt for newbloods like her—red bloods with silver abilities yet more powerful than all the silvers combined. Exiled prince Cal, rumored to have murdered the former king, a threat to the crown now in the clutches of the scarlet guard. With the same goal of overthrowing the traitor king and his manipulative mother, he is compelled to work alongside them. He helps recruit newbloods and trains them against the king's force.
Mare Barrow is the protagonist of the book, the entire story is told from her perspective. She is not perfect or good in any regard, her character is thoroughly flawed. She's selfish, disorganized, violent, confused, single-minded and brokenhearted. One day she was a little kid wandering around her small village, stealing goods for her family. The next day she's on this impossible conquest with the whole of Norta on her trail, ordered by the king himself to kill her on sight. In her situation, that kind of behavior is given.
➸ “I can’t shake the feeling that, while they stand with me, there’s no one beside me. Even with an army at my back, I am still alone.”
-Coming out as the 'lightning girl', she seemed to have developed a mindset that everyone is beneath her, this sudden sense to do everything alone and receive no one's help. She knew she couldn't fight all the demons alone but still insisted on pushing away the only people who cared for her. She called her childhood friend Kilorn useless for not having any special powers to defend himself and accused him of slowing them down, refusing to acknowledge his efforts to help her, keeping her own brother who took bullets for her at arm's length and constantly judging the newblood recruits at how their powers might not come to use in their mission. Mare chose to blindly trust Cal over her own people when he's the last person she should. I have no doubt the fallen prince would ever turn his back on her but it did make her close ones feel unsettled.
I swear I told myself I'd hate Maven for his grand show of backstabbing in the last book but for some reason I couldn't. Mare and her little group were always on autopilot for fear of Maven's next move. His presence was this living breathing thing even when he wasn't there.
➸ “Maven lies as easily as he breathes, and his mother holds his leash but not his heart.”
-He caught Mare on one of their recruiting missions and told her how he promised to always find her, I was almost sure he'd give something away that he wasn't on the Queen's side. I still think that could be true, his mother, the Queen has twisted his mind to make him do her bidding. Sometimes the cracks in his cruel mask is enough to tell us he cares for Mare and maybe even feels guilty for those kills.
Reading 'Glass Sword' I realized that I really like when the magic system is divided and connected to different houses. Each house has possesssion of different sort of magic. House Calore is in control of fire while house Osanos manipulates water, house Samos can bend iron to their will and house Merandus can control minds, house Blonos are blood healers and house Arven has the ability to nullify others powers; and some more. The newbloods are unique in their own powers, their power varies from person to person but each stronger than the silvers.
-I have a suspicion that Mare's father is a silver, two newbloods coming from the same family can be no coincidence. Mare's father is always the one less surprised; the wistful look on his face and the knowing gleam in his eyes tell a story of their own.
This book moves forward at a devastingly slow pace, all events appear to be taking place in the same circle. It's definitely more progressive and action packed than the first book. This book will make you feel frustrated, annoyed and intrigued all at once...