Glass Sword (Red Queen, #2)

by Victoria Aveyard

[ladygrey]

Two stars seems mean, but I really didn't love this book. I also didn't hate it. It's too easy to think of the criticisms and not enough (or much of anything) I really enjoyed to offset them. Still, I didn't dislike reading it and will totally read the next one. So, like 2.75 stars would be fair.

Mostly, I don't like Mare very much. But, I dislike her in a completely different way then I normally dislike characters, so she has that going for her. I don't like how contradictory she is. One page she's reminding herself how she can never tryst Cal and two pages later she's arguing against Bree and Kilorn on why they can trust him. She's like that the while book - flipping between harsh judgements back and firth in every direction. And even worse, she reminds herself that Cal is a soldier and a general and isn't that such an awful thing... that she has become herself. Shes completely heartless and annoyingly controlling "for their own good" and ridiculously unable to let anyone else make any choices or know better than her. My favorite part of the book was Cal telling her how heartless and manipulative and stupid she is. And how she's more a killer than he is. Because it was all true and it felt good to hear it said out loud.

And, like the first book, her harsh judgements cast a very narrow minded view on a book I feel like is supposed to be about bringing down division. Mare is so focused on how the Reds have been oppressed, how the Silvers should be nice and fair and on the Red's side. She doesn't see, even when its pointed out to her again and again that she's as intolerant as the Silvers, more blinded by anger than a lot of the people around her. She seems to think because it's her anger it's ok, but doesn't everyone think that about themselves.

Cal doesn't have nearly enough to do. And Shade probably would have been a great, fun character but mostly he's only there when they need him. It's like Aveyard only uses him, the way Mare says shes uses everyone. But thats annoying too because she doesn't really "use" them to very good effect. She just doesn't really care about them very much. Kilorn has a little bit to do. But its like all the characters have no purpose, no life or point of view or anywhere to move other than around Mare.

And the plot seems unhinged. Like theres this purpose to it, but the moments that turn the plot often aren't about that at all. It feels rambley. Especially at 440 pages. A good deal of which is Mare repeating the same lines, the same lessons, to herself.

Oh, and sometimes the transitions are outright confusing. Like Mare wakes up after a horrible attack that should have required a great deal of effort and luck and intrigue to escape. Her waking is so normal and so removed from the scene I honestly was wondering which side if it was a dream. neither. Their escape from this horrible predicament was just so convenient as to be not worth mentioning. And then she's outside, having left Cal alone, fretting over how she's using him. And it was so abrupt I kept waiting for the part where she shocked him, or lied to him or left him to do something he'd disapprove of or... something. Not, "oh well thanks I guess I'll be going now and leave you alone. peace out." It was so weird.

I wanted more of Shade and more for him to do. I wanted Mare to have a heart in all this. I wanted so much more for Cal to be able to do. I wanted a more focused and interesting plot. And I wanted Maven. He may be her enemy, but he's an interesting character and this book isn't as interesting without him.