February 7, 2017sarahylockwood

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

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Rate: 1/5

Medium: Audiobook

Overview (No Spoilers): After severely disliking the Glass Sword’s predecessor, the Red Queen, I went into the second novel of this series with hope that the series could only get better after the dismal start. Unfortunately, this second installment failed spectacularly to redeem the storyline, to the point that I will more than likely not be finishing the Red Queen series, regardless of my typical drive to find out how the story ends. The main protagonist and intended heroine, Mare Barrow continued her selfish ways with every aspect of the story being thrust into an exasperating pattern of tunnel-vision. Every interaction, feeling and decision Mare makes can be alluded to picking petals off a daisy. For example: “I love Cal. Cal is my enemy. I miss Maven. Maven must die. I trust Cal. I can’t trust anyone. Cal only understands me. He is the absolute worst.” This insufferable back and forth occurs not only multiple times a chapter, but can also happen within the same page. This repetitive nature of her internal mantra not only revolves around her complicated love life but is recurring for her feeling regarding leadership, the worth of her life, how people treat her, among many other topics. I did enjoy the addition of the many Newbloods and their corresponding talents, however this was one of the few bright spots for the Glass Sword. Overall, with the overwhelming quantity of similarly premised novels available to choose from, please heed my advice and steer clear of the Red Queen series. The hours spend in agonizing frustration with Mare Barrow will be better spent in the arms of other literary figures.

Additional Insight (Spoilers Abound):

  • It seemed out of character to me that Mare did not put any special feeling toward the 15 year olds being sent to their death in the front lines. How could there not be a plot brewing to recruit the Newbloods, while simultaneously saving the Dagger Legion. Also, why did they only go on one recruiting mission at a time, as such causing the book to drag during what could be an exciting, action filled segment?
  • What is Jon’s end game? What was he doing by Maven’s side?
  • Our heroine flirts with being evil as she mercilessly kills the Silvers in the control room despite Cal’s pleas. Cameron was another character that held such promise with her strong willed personality, however she quickly degraded into a headache.
  • So in the end Mare is broken and gives in to Maven. I couldn’t believe that the story concluded with her sitting at the foot of Maven’s throne on a leash. Did anyone else have déjà vu of the Empire Strikes Back, i.e., Leia and Jabba the Hutt? Why would Maven release Cal and Kilorn when he had captured everyone? He already had Mare so what bargaining room did she really have?
  • Mare is devastated when Shade dies and her family has always been important to her. Why does she continue to leave them without saying goodbye?
  • Also, it was obvious from the beginning about Shade and Farley, as well as the impending child from the random comment about Farley being sick and attempting to hide it.
  • Of note, in a young adult dystopian novel, when a family member or friend is killed off in the first book, the aforementioned character will likely return, however that same character will be killed/severely injured off by the end of the series in a most tragic manner. After reading the same storyline over and over again, it is time to stop being surprised by this tragic event.

 

39 comments

  1. I was worried about this… I’ve heard the same thing a lot of times! Some love it others think it’s a mash up of everything out there… Still, I’ll robably give it a shot just to make sure, but I hate those kind of inner ramblings… they get on my nerves!!!

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  7. i just posted my January wrap up and February tbr and this book is on the tbr list.I read Red Queen last year and didn’t like it either but i thought it will get better. Having read your review iImust say a big thank you for saving me the trouble. love the way you review.

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  8. Good critique. I think it is harder to write a review about a book you don’t like than one you do. I am one that pursues to the end if I am going to review a book–in fairness to the author. That causes me to limit my selections to things I think I will like since we can’t read them all anyway. I think you did a service to a number of readers. If they choose to read the book, because we all have different tastes, then they will be forearmed.

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    • It is really hard to write bad reviews! I know the author put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into their books and I feel so bad proclaiming my displeasure. I try to place exactly what I disliked about the book so that future readers might decide for themselves if it is a deal breaker or not! Thanks again for your wonderful insight!

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  9. I actually enjoyed the first book well enough, but I agree, not a fan of this one! There were just so many things that didn’t click for me and it was quite disappointing. I will probably read the third book though, fingers crossed it gets better?? Lovely review!

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  10. I actually enjoyed the first book, even though it was the same old story, but this one has been on my ereader for months now and I can’t seem to get through the first few pages for some reason.

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  11. Yes! Thank you! I thought I was crazy for not liking this book series because every review I read raved about it but I couldn’t stand it! The first one was hard for me to get through and there were times I laughed out loud because of how ridiculous it was. Then tried to read the second one hoping I would figure out what all the fuss was about but I couldn’t make it past a few chapters–glad I didn’t continue! Thanks for the review!

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  12. I’m very curious about this series, I’ve heard a lot of positive and equally negative reviews now. I’ve got them both checked out from my library. I appreciate your review, helps me keep my expectations a bit lower!

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  14. I am so glad someone else feels the same way about this series. Why do so many people love it?How has this series ended up on the bestsellers’ list?! These things boggle me. I started The Red Queen with such high hopes and had them crushed into dust by the end. I am new to your site, so I don’t know if you have read them or not, but I would recommend The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas over The Red Queen any day. To everyone. Loudly.

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    • I completely agree with you about The Throne of Glass series! It has everything that The Red Queen lacks! I have been so baffled at how many wonderful reviews I’ve been reading for this series. I understand and appreciate that everyone can have their own opinions, but this series is so painful. Are you going to read the next book?

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  15. Totally agree with your review! Just finished this last night and I struggled to get through it! Mare drove me insane in this book; she was so annoying. Glad to hear I’m not alone in my opinion !

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