Hardcover, 444 pages
Published February 9th 2016 by HarperTeen
Rating: ★★★★
Rating: ★★★★
Glass Sword picks up only moments after the end of the previous book, meaning that there is no skipping over any fallout of the previous book's explosive climax. While a lot of Red Queen was about the rise of Mare Barrow, the lightning girl, the girl with red blood and silver powers, Glass Sword was about her slow destruction, in every way. In a lot of ways, that sets this book and its protagonist apart and elevates the book in an ocean of similar YA dystopian fantasy.
The main plot of Glass Sword involves Mare Barrow and a small team of followers racing against newly crowned Silver King Maven and the mind controlling queen mother to either capture or recruit 'newbloods' - people like Mare and her brother, Shade - on a commandeered military plane. Because of that it's heavily reminiscent of Mockingjay and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; though I feel that Aveyard manages to dig deeper into Mare, so that you don't realize you've been reading the deconstruction of her until she does.
I surprisingly enjoyed the continuation of the relationships between Mare and what I assume are her 'love interests' exiled prince Cal, childhood friend Kilorn, and even her cruel, turncoat ex-fiance Maven. Each relationship went in interesting directions, with Aveyard managing to sidestep obnoxious love triangles (the true villain of YA fantasy) and a whole trope of cliches. I actually quite loved the way Maven cast a shadow over the entire book despite appearing only rarely, it added atmosphere. His petulant, clever brutality makes Maven a dangerous villain, while his age and desire to control Mare add a subtly menacing sexual vibe to his evil. I also loved the relationship between Mare and her brother Shade, though I'm disappointed in the lack of Farley, who is a very interesting character.
The main plot of Glass Sword involves Mare Barrow and a small team of followers racing against newly crowned Silver King Maven and the mind controlling queen mother to either capture or recruit 'newbloods' - people like Mare and her brother, Shade - on a commandeered military plane. Because of that it's heavily reminiscent of Mockingjay and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; though I feel that Aveyard manages to dig deeper into Mare, so that you don't realize you've been reading the deconstruction of her until she does.
I surprisingly enjoyed the continuation of the relationships between Mare and what I assume are her 'love interests' exiled prince Cal, childhood friend Kilorn, and even her cruel, turncoat ex-fiance Maven. Each relationship went in interesting directions, with Aveyard managing to sidestep obnoxious love triangles (the true villain of YA fantasy) and a whole trope of cliches. I actually quite loved the way Maven cast a shadow over the entire book despite appearing only rarely, it added atmosphere. His petulant, clever brutality makes Maven a dangerous villain, while his age and desire to control Mare add a subtly menacing sexual vibe to his evil. I also loved the relationship between Mare and her brother Shade, though I'm disappointed in the lack of Farley, who is a very interesting character.
