It’s a good day to read a book, and to ponder on what the hell happened after the Battle in the Bowl of Bones!

Almost like an immediate instinct after finishing the first book, I dove right into Glass Sword with hopes of seeing a more strategic Scarlet Guard.

Is it good? That, I still have to weigh in.

I will only share my opinions of the book, cleanly divided into 2 different sections: WHAT I LIKE and WHAT I DISLIKE. 

Let’s get to it. What about Glass Sword:

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.

Meanwhile, here’s my two cents about the book:

WHAT I LIKE:

The Newbloods: All throughout the story, Mare was busy fighting her ass off so she can save more gifted individuals, just like her. What makes them so special? Well, every Silver has an ability that is a part of them since birth. But a mutation in some of the Reds allowed them to possess such powerful abilities. Scratch that. EVEN MORE POWERFUL ABILITIES. So in the story, it’s basically a competition on who’ll get to the Newbloods faster. Will it be her or Maven? At the same time, our little lightning girl must be quick with her work to prevent being captured. She’s a traitor to the crown. At least that’s what Maven announced to every known living and breathing individual. Next, no two Newbloods possess the same freakin’ ability (unlike Silvers). You have one that can fly, one that can shapeshift and transform into any person, one whose body is more impenetrable than a super thick metal wall, one who can create visual illusions, AND MORE. Just imagine how they battle the Silvers.

Mare’s character growth: I don’t know if I was more glad about Mare’s badass fights, or if I simply enjoyed the leader side of her. Heck, her growth didn’t really mean it was all for the positive side. She’s meaner, sure. She had to make lots of really tough decisions (some that don’t win any Yes-es), and she’s owning up to those! She’s not the only one to make huge sacrifices. There are also others, and she is partly responsible for those. Quoting one of the main characters, Farley betrayed her father. You forced Cameron to join us against her will, you chose to ignore everything but Julian’s list, and now you want to abandon the kids back at the Notch. For what? To step on the Colonel’s neck? To take a throne? To kill anyone who looks at you the wrong way? You may think she’s too selfish, unpredictable, and maybe even annoying, but I see a very conflicted Mare who needs to suck it up, because she’s taken a different course in life. It’s one she didn’t choose, but she wants to come out heroic anyways. At times, she seems to be losing it, and I’m glad Shade and Kilorn are there with her, because they pretty much serve as her anchor to her Red past.

WHAT I DISLIKE:

Queen Elara’s death: For the record, I’m happy this twisted woman is dead. But again, it didn’t really have that big of an impact. I don’t know if it’s because of the writing style, or the build up to that very moment was weak and anti climatic. But ultimately, maybe her death happened at the wrong time and place. It’s just so MEH. You constantly have to remind yourself that she’s gone for good. Also, since she’s the main antagonist in the story, why did she die an easy death? She killed Coriane, manipulated Cal into killing his father (the King), and  poisoned Maven’s mind altogether. I think she deserved a slower, painful death.

Shade’s death: SPOILER ALERT! OOPS. Too late. Another death. Well, even if I hadn’t grown into his character completely, he’s the best sibling to Mare, next to Gisa. The big brother who would take care of her anywhere and anytime. The thing about Shade, he respected Mare as a warrior/leader, but at the same time, protected her as a precious little sister. It just sucks that he won’t be there to see Mare finally rise, red as the dawn in King’s Cage. He believes in the cause just as much, but he believes in his sister more.

Action-packed: Trust me when I say Victoria Aveyard thinks there’s no such thing as too much action in Glass Sword. As in every single chapter would have some sort of exhilarating fight-escape scene. More of the fierce warrior Mare, less of the puppet princess Mareen! Good! But it’s not really that exciting.

Lack of Maven: It bothers me so much that I only read about Maven everytime Mare goes to save a newblood, or when they hear some sort of “intel” news as to what his next move would be! He only has a few mentions in the book, but he still carries and influences everything about the story (You know it). I’m still hoping our sadistic Prince can still tap into his inner good. A wishful thinking, but who knows? Reading Glass Sword, I realized I want HIM for Mare, not Cal. As for the ending, Mare finally submitted herself to Maven. I would have preferred to see him torturing her more so we know how far his antagonistic side stretches out in the story.

Rating: 3/5 Mostly because I need more Maven, and the action scenes get a bit more mundane each passing chapter.

How do you like this second book?

If you haven’t read my review for Red Queen, you can read it here.

I also did a review for King’s Cage. Click here!