I have quite a mixed feeling about Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard, but first, disclaimer: please stop reading if you haven't read Red Queen yet (you can read my review of the first book here). Following where we left off in the first book, Glass Sword starts with Mare and Cal as a refugee, running away from Maven and her evil mother Elara with the help of the Scarlet Guard. Now taking refuge from an abandoned secret island called Tuck, Mare is introduced to one of Farley's leaders, the red-eyed Colonel who seems to look at the Red-and-Silver fighters with disdain.
Mare and her small team decide to leave then. With only a list of names from Julian to hold on to, they start the search for people like her and Shade, people with Red blood and Silver ability. But the attempt is all like a deadly game of chase. With Maven breathing on her neck, almost always one step ahead, Mare realizes how much the rebellion is costing her loved ones and herself. She knows that she is starting to turn into the monster she is trying to defeat.
Simply put, Glass Sword was a story of running away, recruiting the other chosen ones, while at the same time trying to outsmart the enemies. The formula was quite familiar: I had stumbled upon a similar trope in the second book of other dystopian stories, and just like the priors, a trope like this bored me in the beginning. The search eventually became repetitive with only a little twist here and there. I had even seen that ending coming from the start.
Albeit predictable, I was glad that the last few chapters finally picked up. Even if they shared only a small portion compared to the search of the newbloods, they were quite memorable still. Something about Mare's journey kept me on my toe all night, and it's not even because of her. It's the newbloods. It's Farley. And it's Shade, the best brother a girl could ask for.
It didn't cease to amaze me then, that Mare, the main character I had quite a bland feeling about, managed to make me feel something close to understanding. After everything she had survived, I could see why she's starting to lose herself. It grieved me to witness the lament, but I appreciated the fact that the author didn't make her seem strong all the time. It made her more mundane somehow, and a little easier to understand.
In conclusion, Glass Sword was a little more than okay, somewhat similar to what I had expected it to be. Mixed feeling or not, I still can't wait to get my hands on the next installment. Cal is where my heart is moored to, and I wish from the deepest part of my heart that no one would do him dirty.
Actual rating: 3.5★
