Review: Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Book: Glass Sword, Victoria Aveyard

Series: Red Queen #2

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date February 9^th, 2016

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.

*Warning: spoilers for Red Queen. Don't read unless you've read that book first!*

Oh Lord, that ending. I’m still not over it.

I’ve been waiting for this book for over a year. I adored Red Queen so damn much, and the ending for that undid my soul. So maybe it was the hype of Glass Sword that caused me to expect too much of it. Although I enjoyed it, it was missing a factor to make me love it. What that factor is, I cannot say. All I can say is that Glass Sword is pain and suffering, and will break your emotions into tiny, irreparable pieces.

Mare, our Red and Silver combined protagonist, has just escaped the wrath of Maven, a boy she once cared for and trusted deeply, but who betrayed her and hurt her in the worst way possible. Suddenly Mare is in the middle of the Scarlet Guard with the brother she thought she’d lost and the recently exiled prince, reuniting with her family.

However, the safety of the Scarlet Guard does not last long and soon Mare, Cal, Shade and Farley are thrust right back into action against the king and his army of Silvers. It’s up to Mare and her newly found allies to search for new-bloods – reds like her and Shade, who have unique Silver abilities.

While Aveyard introduces us to more of the Scarlet Guard and how deep and intricate a group they really are, Glass Sword is really Mare’s story: how she learns to control and harness her powers, attempting to find and lead other people like her, and how she’s attempting to deal with the emotional trauma Maven left on her heart and soul; and no matter how hard she tries, she can’t bring herself to trust anyone anymore. It tells the story of her hopes, dreams and nightmares that have come from the horrors she’s been through.

I felt a little conflicted towards Mare’s character in this book, to be honest. She’s been through so much – way more than anyone should ever have to deal with at her age – and she’s not handling it well. After Maven’s betrayal, she’s reluctant to let anyone close to her, not even Cal or Shade, even though she’s also petrified of being alone. And while my heart broke for her, I also really wanted to shake some sense into her and make her realise the damage she’s also doing by continually pushing them away. Her power definitely goes to her head and she believes that only she can defeat Maven and save the new-bloods; that without her, they would all be lost. All of this makes Mare lose some of the kindness and selflessness that made her Mare, until not even she recognises her face in the mirror.

Despite this however, all the people she loves and who love her are not willing to give up on her and are determined to help her fight past the monster residing in her heart until the Mare we met at the start of Red Queen can be recovered.

Other relationships are developed in this book as well. Cal is still struggling with his new status as exiled prince and becoming part of a group he didn’t believe in. He and Mare rely on each other as they are the only ones who understand the pain Maven conflicted, and they receive strength from each other. I adored (most) of their scenes together.

Farley and Shade are still wonderful, unique characters. Shade’s protectiveness and determination was great to read and as the older brother, was the only one who could put Mare in her place. Farley is a respected and courageous leader, willing to do whatever it takes to free the Reds.

Glass Sword had me gasping and crying and screaming for joy all at once. Multiple times I had to put the book down and take a couple of deep breaths before I could continue reading.

If your emotions were blown away by the ending of Red Queen like mine were, be prepared for more of that in Glass Sword. Twists and turns are around every corner and “anyone can betray anyone” is an underlying theme Aveyard never lets us forget.

Glass Sword will constantly keep you on your toes. With every question answered, new ones get asked. While it’s not perfect, and I did prefer Red Queen, it’s still a very enjoyable sequel to this series. Could it be wrapped up in three books instead of four? Probably, but I believe that Aveyard has plenty of twists and betrayals up her sleeve that requires a fourth book. That lost star is due to Mare’s character deteriorating, but I have faith that she will learn to trust and open her heart again by the series’ end.

If you’re a fan of awesome world building, interesting and varied characters and constantly being kept on your toes, then this series is the one for you.