Red Queen #2 Glass Sword

Presenting Red Queen #2 Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard.

Here is the summary of the book:

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.

REVIEW ==

Red Queen came as a surprise and stayed ablaze with its newness and it's exciting and dangerous new premise. Not only did the author create a different world but one that promises much and delivers on it too. With the flow of words as such the plot... No this series is as a whole is enough to set our hearts racing. 

And the same can be said for the sequel "Glass Sword". Beginning soon after the events of the first book. Cal and Mare are on the run from Maven. She knows as the synopsis says that she is not the only one of her kind, there are others.... Maven knows that too and for lack of a better term this is a race against time as the good guys must save these new bloods before Maven gets to them. 

Along the way Mare must learn the do(s) and don't(s) of her ability and hopefully save everyone. Cal on the other hand is the outsider and while the resistance see him as the enemy, things are on always black and white. Danger lurks in every corner of their world. Throughout Cal and Mare may have their ups and downs but in a sense they maintain their solidarity till the end.

There was a certain ounce of darkness that prevails throughout this book and if the events are any indication then the next books in the series too maintain that vibe.... Yes I am excited to learn what happens next and really you should be too. 

"With a darker vibe, Glass Sword delivers as an enticing sequel"

Genre :     Young Adult, Dystopia, Paranormal, Romance, High Fantasy

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: 9th February, 2016

My Copy: Courtesy of  Hachette India

Rate:             5/5 (It was Amazing)

Other Books by the Author(review links):
         #1 Red Queen

Buy:         Amazon | Book Depository 

Red Queen Trilogy #1 Red Queen

Presenting Red Queen Trilogy #1 Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard.

Here is the summary of the book:

Graceling meets The Selection in debut novelist Victoria Aveyard's sweeping tale of seventeen-year-old Mare, a common girl whose once-latent magical power draws her into the dangerous intrigue of the king's palace. Will her power save her or condemn her?

Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood--those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.

To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard--a growing Red rebellion--even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal.

A Dystopia like no other. A fantasy-like world far more technologically advance than imaginable. Dynamic characters. Layers and layers and layers of secrets. A royal power play. Treachery, love and the ultimate betrayal notwithstanding and a world that contains them all and lets them shine all on their own. Red Blood vs. Silver Blood. The conclusion remains to be seen but "Red Queen" marks for an explosive start.

Mare, Maven & Cal. Our protagonist trio. One a red girl from the village and the latter two royal silver Princes. Nothing connects them. The girl waiting out her conscription to the army, a faith that awaits all those who are unable to attain jobs at a certain age. The two princes Cal & Maven, set in their life of comfort, the oldest meant to rule and the youngest meant to live out his days in his brother's shadow. But rebellion brews tall and as fate would have it Mare, Cal & Maven's lives tangle in the most unlikeliest of coincidences, and ensnaring us in their brilliant narrative.

Mare was a stubborn and hardheaded heroine. Being taught since the start that the Silvers get everything and the Reds must labor for their's , she had developed a harsh view of the world. But black and white are not the only shades of life, there is a gray too, she learns that soon. Showcasing the most character growth throughout, Mare ensconced in this game for power and learns to survive against every hurdle this dark game sends her way.

Cal & Maven, not far behind form another section of the lot. Hidden beneath layers of complexity. And they hide quite a few secrets themselves. Heart & Mind do not go together when court politics comes into play and as the story progresses and we peel away layer by layer of their character, their roles change and our understanding of them changes by the minute and each and as every twist & turn plays out.

The question of romance is considered too. It wasn't a focus of the tale but it did play its role where the dark manipulations are concerned. Who pulls which string and who gets the short end of the straw, politics is not made for the light-headed as it soon becomes apparent when the final blow is struck and we are left feeling the stench of betrayal.

This has the bearing of becoming the book of the year. A riveting plot. Dynamically complex characters. A well constructed world. And all of its twists & turns and surprises. It will keep you holding onto the edge of your seats from page one and you will wont to have it any less. 'tis a YA Dystopia I highly recommend. Victoria Aveyard has put forth a smashing debut and I urge you all to read it. This is a must read for all.

"A smashing debut. A riveting page-turner"

Genre :      Young Adult, Dystopia, Paranormal, Romance, High Fantasy

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: 10th February, 2015

My Copy: publisher and edelweiss

Rate:              5/5 (It was Amazing)

Buy:           Amazon | Book Depository