A Review: Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Warning: This review contains spoilers; read at your own risk.


“If there’s one thing Mare Barrow knows, it’s that she’s different.”

Glass Sword, the sequel to Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen, started right where the story left off, with Mare and company fleeing from Maven and the rest of the Silvers. The same elements that made Red Queen so likeable continued in this sequel and we continued to learn more about the characters that we loved in the first book.

What I Liked About It:

• We learned even more about the characters we were introduced to in the first novel, allowing readers to better understand their motives and choices. We were also introduced to a large amount of new and lovable characters. 
• The plot was just as unpredictable as the original. There were so many things that happened that had me at the edge of my seat as I was reading it. The fight scene at the prison was amazing, as was the cliffhanger at the end. I can't wait to find out what happened with Cal, Kilorn, and the rest of the group after they were (hopefully) let go. 
• The death of the queen. She was by far my least favourite character and I was incredibly happy to see her go. Especially since she was so evil. 

What I Didn't Like About It:

• Shade's death. He was my favourite character and it hurts to see him gone. That being said though, I like seeing what it has done to Mare and look forward to seeing how it continues to change her in the next book. 

Once again, I loved this novel. Aveyard did an amazing job making Glass Sword just as good as Red Queen. I continued to love these characters, this story, and this world overall. Can't wait for the next one!

Rating: 4/5

What did you think of the book? Do you agree or disagree with my rating? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

A Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Warning: This review contains spoilers; read at your own risk.

“This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.”

A world where those with silver blood, those with special powers, rule over the weak with red blood. This book has an overall similar plot line to many other popular YA novels, but Victoria Aveyard manages to take these elements and weave them into an original story, one that I happened to love.

What I Liked About It:

• The characters were extremely complex and many were quite likeable. The quote “anyone can betray anyone” is a recurring theme throughout the novel and as a result it was incredibly difficult to know who to trust and who not to. Many twists occurred throughout the book as well with betrayal after betrayal.
• The many twists and turns. As mentioned above, betrayals occurred frequently throughout the book and constantly kept me on my toes. I never knew what exactly to expect. Maven's betrayal, and the subsequent death of the king, shocked me despite the fact that I was expecting him to be evil.
• Cal and Mare's fight scene in the arena at the end of the novel was, in my mind, absolutely fantastic. The book had been a bit slow in places, but the huge amount of action here was well-worth the wait.

What I Didn't Like About It:

• A little slow in places, but the pacing was fairly good.
• Maven's betrayal. I loved the character throughout the book and was really hoping he would turn out to be trustworthy. However, the twist was huge and leaves a great plot for sequels.

Overall, I loved this novel. The world-building was great, the characters were interesting and complex, and the plot was full of twists that continued to surprise me. Already eagerly part-way through the sequel, and loving that as well.

Rating: 4/5 (really liked it)