Glass Sword (Red Queen #2) by Victoria Aveyard

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?

This is such a tough book to rate. I have no idea how I actually feel about this book because I had such high hopes. I loved Red Queen so much and could not wait to read its sequel, but I hate to admit, I am a little disappointed. This was just an okay book for me.

Here’s why:

• Slow plot: Honestly, this couldn’t have been more slow. The first 50% was ridiculously slow paced and it is astounding because the writing wasn’t bad (it was still great). Also, it had action in the beginning to keep you entertained, but it was still such a slow burn!
• Mare’s struggle: I understood it. Mare is dealing with the repercussions  after what happened with Maven and the arena, but it lasted a little too long, in my opinion. It pretty much lasted the entire book. Mare holds onto the person she thought Maven was and it messes with her head. But I get it, I missed Maven too. Which brings me to…
• THE LACK OF MAVEN: Now I realize why I loved Red Queen so much. I missed the palace and training with the new abilites. I missed Maven! I missed Julian and the lack thereof really messed up my enjoyment with this book.

However, it wasn’t a complete disappointment. I did enjoy the new additions and the ending that left off at the worst possible time! Thanks for another cliffhanger, Victoria! But I also really liked Mare and Cal’s connection. Even if these two are hard to read and you can’t really tell if there will be anything romantic between them, I still enjoyed their comfort in each other. Mare and Cal are both struggling over Maven and they found comfort in each other and it was so sweet. Again, it reminded me of Katniss and Peeta and they way they helped each other deal with their nightmares, Speaking of, Kilorn, my god he is so the Gale in this series and it drives me crazy because Gale was so infuriating to me. I just couldn’t deal with Kilorn’s sulky attitudes and avoiding Mare just because she was around Cal or didn’t feel the same way about him. Move on buddy! But other than that, I hope they keep their friendship because I actually really do like their friendship and Mare needs someone who supports her even she goes off the deep end and loves her unconditionally.

With that being said, I look forward to seeing more of the new characters and their abilities. If the next book doesn’t give me more Maven I will seriously be more upset though. I know he is twisted and cruel but I am sorry, I always seem to fall for the bad guy these days.

So call me crazy but I think I am still #TeamMaven XD

Overall, I liked this book but wasn’t blown away. Maybe it is just another example of the sequel syndrome, but I thought it could be a lot better. Regardless I look forward to the next book. I want more Mare growth!

Until next time,