Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard Review

Title: Glass Sword

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult

Genre: Dystopian Fiction

Series: Red Queen, book two

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.

Red Queen was a sleeper hit, a blockbuster that I was curious about since before it had come out. Unable to resist any longer, I checked it out from my local library, and I was captivated. As soon as I had an opening in my library stack, I checked out Glass Sword. It had one last renewal on it, so I pushed it to the top of the stack, excited and apprehensive all at once. As soon as I was finished with The Queen’s Rising, I picked this up and began, diving into Mare’s world once again. As far as sequels go, Glass Sword wasn’t a bad one; it tied up loose ends, introduced new characters and brought back familiar ones, was full of action, political intrigue, and rich, exciting character development. The ending was shocking and explosive, and I’m so upset that King’s Cage isn’t in at the library yet!

Glass Sword picks up where Red Queen left off, with Mare on the run from the queen and Maven, the crown prince who desires ultimate power and something else—Mare for his own, no matter the cost. Forced into the uncomfortable position of reluctant revolutionary, she sets forth across the countries to find people like her, people with Red and Silver blood both, in hopes of stopping the bloodshed and taking the crown from the man she once trusted most. With Cal, the misplaced prince, by her side, Mare must decide what more she is willing to sacrifice for justice and freedom, even if the price is her soul and sanity…

I really, really liked this book; I was having some serious sequel anxiety when I began. It took several minutes for me to figure out what was going on, because it had been some time since reading Red Queen, but once things got rolling, Glass Sword had me in its grip and didn’t let go, not even after the last, horrible moment. I just finished it yesterday, and I’m still reeling. The pacing was breakneck, and the prose spare but powerful. I was captivated by the second installment in this series; I’m absolutely invested now. There was a lot of continuity that I liked, there were a lot of topics that were explored more fully in this book. The character development, though, was the star of this novel; Mare’s transformation from a poor, nondescript Red to the head of a revolution, and Cal’s transition from the main heir to the crown to the runaway who must come to terms with the fact that he will have to fight for the crown, against a person who knows him so well that he can predict all of his moves. I also really enjoyed the new characters that were introduced; I’m both relieved and upset that King Cage isn’t here yet, because obviously I need a break after all of that intensity. All I know is, I’m in for the long haul now. I’m so excited for King’s Cage and War Storm; I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Mare Barrow! The bottom line: The second book in the bestseller Red Queen series, Glass Sword was a meaty, thrilling, satisfying sequel, and I can’t wait for King’s Cage! Next on deck: Truly, Devious by Maureen Johnson!