Book Review: King’s Cage

The third installment of the Red Queen series, I had high hopes for this book due to not loving Glass Sword as much as I had wanted to; starting again from where the last part has ended, we see Mare having lost her lightning, her freedom and her dignity due to the the events of Glass Sword. Imprisoned in Maven's court, it is only his mercy that is keeping her alive. A slow beginning, detailing every element of Mare's imprisonment, however once the action begins it never truly ceases. Aveyard has a fabulous writing style that creates action smoothly; the build up is subtle, mostly using conversation and military tactics to orchestrate full scale rebellion. King's Cage ultimately describes Mare's physical predicament, but it can also refer to the world's mental predicament due to a fast becoming dictatorship. Much of this novel is centered around pain, both physical and mental, across many of the characters. The fantasy elements, such as the territories and the powers are such a massive part of the storyline and so ingrained into the text now that they're easily read without surprise or confusion, although considering this is book 3 of a quartet that's not overly shocking; at this point in the series you need to be committed to the very end. 

This is the first book in the series that has first person narrative from a perspective other than Mare's; a nice touch as it allows the reader to see the elements of the plot that Mare oversees or disregards. The second and third narrators, Evangeline, a metal wielding Silver and Cameron, an unwilling Newblood. Both of them have a different world view to Mare, as well as each other. The addition of multiple layers makes a massive difference to how various characters are perceived, such as both of the Princes and finally the Kingdom becomes more than simply Norta; the mythology deepens, providing the reader with more information on situations involving politics, ownership and the High Houses. Aveyard has created a beautifully described alternative world, one which is addictive; you constantly want to know more, to understand the workings of their everyday life. Although Mare is not as the forefront of the rebellion for this novel, the rebellion is becoming a genuine threat, a concern for all; there are no games being played anymore, the battles are being brought to be won; both sides are determined to see a victory.

I've said it reviews about the books in this series previously, but regardless: I do wish that there was more overall character development, as I feel like there are many characters and not as much understanding of all of them. That said, some characters had excellent development and Evangeline in particular became much than simply a nasty piece of work; she stands up to be the perfect anti-heroine. Cal also showed a lot of improvement throughout this book; we get the opportunity to finally see his intentions and feelings toward Mare. A massive part of this book was the relationship between Mare and Cal, although there were snippets surrounding their relationships with Maven too; as a couple, a brother, a past love. Maven is a fantastic villain, although it was interesting to see how his monstrous personality was shaped, made by his mother; proof that in the Silver world, monsters are deliberately made. His mother effectively cursed his life. The biggest flaw within the plot is the amount of characters that underestimate Maven; he is cold, calculating and determined. Mare also grew as an individual; it was good to see her feel pain, empathy, hope and fear whilst somehow managing to find strength at the exact moment that she would be expected to be weak.

Overall, the addition of two other narrators was a fantastic move; it worked not only in allowing the reader to see the world outside of Mare's imprisonment but also for adding fresh perspective. I liked getting inside the head of other characters, seeing their deepest thoughts and feelings as well as their intentions and loyalties. The relationship between Cal and Mare was nice to see, as the connection was there from the start of Red Queen, there has always been an attraction, the potential for a relationship at some point. At this point in the series, it is impossible not to be emotionally invested and so the ending was heartbreaking for a number of reasons, but ultimately due to it being not entirely unexpected because power always causes strong emotions in people regardless of their blood status. The characters all felt a lot more human in this book than they have previously; powers (or lack of) became irrelevant, it has become a war for equality and the rebellion grows ever stronger. King's Cage was a 5 star read as there are so many strong, interesting characters and I honestly can't wait to see where Aveyard decides to take the next and final installment.

Book Review: Glass Sword

Following on from the first novel in the series, Red Queen we follow the mind of the unusual Mare Barrow once again in Glass Sword. The novel begins immediately from where the first book left off, with a bang. Trapped by her Red blood status but with her Silver abilities, she tries to run from her former friend, love and Prince; no longer sure if Maven is truly who she thought he was, she is constantly on the run from his pursuit of her. Along the way, she discovers that she is not the only one of her kind; essentially she begins building an army, training and understanding herself and others like her, although at points Mare becomes unrecognisable. Changed forever by the actions of Maven and his mother, Mare has started to become exactly the kind of monster that she so desperately seeks to overthrow. Through being betrayed so many times, she’s no longer able to trust or form regular friendships to the point that she doesn’t truly believe or trust in herself either. The majority of this book is based around military tactics, such as training, planning and attempts to takeover the Kingdom. Mare has a genuine understanding of the difference between right and wrong, although through the lengths that she goes to protect others, she creates a ridiculous amount of pressure on herself to be stronger, faster, cleverer... By doing so, she begins to lose her purpose and her sense of self. Her own mind is tearing her apart.

There is a lot of character development for Mare in Glass Sword; she begins to hone her ability and build an army, although as I’ve said, she does start to lose her sense of self, unfortunately. This is what helps the reader to remember how truly young she is, how strong and how much life has thrown the world into her face. As a reader, it is difficult to witness characters that were previously loved and trust begin to betray Mare, although ultimately it is unsurprising due to the world being at war. Mare is both a thinker and an actioneer, which at times does lead to her personality taking over the plot at times as the world is told purely from her first hand perspective and so naturally, Mare does miss some vital points in some cases. It was interesting to see her relationships develop, particularly between Cal and Maven, the two Princes. This second part of the series is definitely more focused on action rather than romance, although both sides of the story are beautifully written, with the reader constantly wanting more information and clarification on thoughts, feelings and intentions. I liked the realistic portrayal of the relationship between Mare and the Princes, how both Mare and Cal mourned the loss of the boy that they believed that they knew; it is so important to remember just how young they all are, as that is the key reason why each of the three 'main' characters have such explosive reactions to the various situations that arise.

Overall, I wasn't as impressed with Glass Sword as I was with Red Queen, but regardless it was still a fantastic read. Victoria Aveyard really knows how to craft a villain, as well as set the scenes for war and add many more characters in the midst of this. The final chapter of this book absolutely saved the whole novel for me; not only was it a cracking cliffhanger, it was beautifully orchestrated. One of issues that I had throughout this book was the amount of emphasis on military operations; as much as it was interesting to appreciate how much organisation and planning is put into staging a rebel group, it came to a point where it was difficult to differentiate rebels from the crown, as both sides were concerned with military tactics. I would have preferred to see more character development of those other than Mare, but ultimately this book felt like it was written to be the bridge between worlds; with Red Queen as pre-war and Kings Cage destined to be full on warfare. The introduction of more characters was welcome, particularly the newbloods as they add another angle to the story, although I would've loved to have chapters told from the first person by characters other than Mare to project more of an overview of the whole story, as opposed to just one perspective. Farley, Shade and Kilorn all had excellent character development and added so much to the story that I found myself wishing for each of them to have a chance at narration. This book wasn't quite flawless, but the ending resulted in it being an easy 4 stars; I can't wait to start Kings Cage now!

 

Book Review: Cruel Crown

After loving Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, it felt completely necessary to read this book. Although it is not a part of the series, it is an added extra; two short novellas, to be read alongside the main series. Generally, I’m not a fan of short stories, but I had so many unanswered questions (plus I was waiting for the second in the series to arrive) that I decided to throw away the rule book and give this book the benefit of the doubt. Split into two parts, it was an opportunity to understand a little more about the world through two very different narrators; it was a welcome contrast to Mare’s narration throughout Red Queen. The first and shortest of the two stories was narrated by Queen Coriane; allowing for the reader to understand further her engagement and eventual marriage to King Tiberias, as well as her own story; her shyness, her friendship with Sara and her brother Julian. Coriane writes her thoughts and feelings down in a Diary, constantly terrified of other people being inside of her mind, reading her thoughts and controlling her actions. Queen Song was beautifully written; definitely my favourite of the two stories but it explained so much about Court life, her feelings for Sara, Julian, Cal and Tibe, as well as her unhappiness with being Queen of Norta due to the amount of court women that openly despised her and wanted her crown.

The main reason I enjoyed Queen Song was because it read as more of a stand alone story, not simply a novella. This was due to Coriane being deceased in Red Queen, so she came across as a new character, rather than a shadow of a character. Although she is a character that is mentioned a fair amount, it was interesting to see the world from her perspective; I would never have guessed how much she despised court life, or how much Elara made her life a misery. It was also nice to understand more about the status within Blood Status; as Coriane may be Silver, but her House of Jacos is not one of those famed for riches, bravery or anything in particular. Even her power isn’t the most interesting or strong, so many of the other women at court actively make her life difficult. All in all, Coriane is both fragile and mysterious and Tibe became a vulnerable, gentle man in her presence; her love story was beautiful and so it’s a shame that their love was cut so short as they came across as really caring and supporting of one another. However, the second of the two stories, Steel Scars didn’t manage to capture my interest quite as much. It was longer and therefore more detailed, but it just didn’t flow as well; Farley is a fantastic character and she is tough, beautiful and determined to see through the revolution; that the Reds will rise against the Silvers. It was a great way to see a little more of the Scarlet Guard’s dynamic, as well as seeing more of Shade, Mare’s favourite brother.

Although the Steel Scars was longer, I felt as though it was not as well written. I understand that the Scarlet Guard is a rebel group, in the midst of becoming a fully fledged army so communication is key. However, to read the communications between members and the Command was really frustrating. Not only were the messages repetitive, they seemed to drag the rest of the text down; in all honesty I would’ve really preferred the story without them, they didn’t feel like a necessary addition to the text. That said, I liked the insight into military operations and seeing how Farley was genuinely a headstrong, confident female. One of the great things about this series is the range of strong female leads; unfortunately though, Farley didn’t come across in this novella as well as she does in the series, which was a shame as I was interested in seeing the world from her perspective. She seemed a lot more vulnerable in this novella, with her true age revealed; very different to how she appears in the series, however it was nice to see some of the conversations and/or situations between her and Mare from her perspective, some which are seen through Mare in Red Queen. She’s driven by the want for equality and it was nice to see how she deliberately undermines those above her in rank to see through to the end of an investigation. What was truly bizarre was little Farley’s personality comes across in this story; considering this is her point of view, I expected more. In the series she dominates those older, wiser and stronger, yet in this tale there weren’t many glimpses of that, although regardless she is still a strong character and I can’t wait to see what the future novels hold for her.

Overall, this novella is a great addition to the series, although I would only only recommend it if you’re willing to remember that it is a novella and not a full novel. It’s important to remember that this book is a part of a series but not a standalone novel. It’s a nice, quick read of less than 200 pages for both stories, plus it does allow for a little extra background information prior to starting Glass Sword. As I’ve said above, I preferred Queen Song not only because it was shorter and to the point, but because it showed a character that was only mentioned in the series; it gave a backstory to the majority of the events that happen in Red Queen and allowed for further understanding of the difficult relationships between Tibe, Cal, Maven, Elara, Julian and Sara as a result of Coriane’s death. I felt like Steel Scars had a lot of potential; ever since Farley was introduced into the series I wanted to know more about her and her motives. As much the text gives information, it hides a lot more. I was expecting more from the text, if I’m honest, although it wasn’t unreadable. It’s important not to compare the novella to the series; it’s an extra, not a necessity, but I would recommend reading Cruel Crown as it does provide a little more understanding for how hard it is to live as both Red and Silver. I’d rate this novella 4 stars, purely because although I felt one story was stronger than the other, both stories add to your understanding of Aveyard’s fictional world. I adored Red Queen and so this is was a nice addition to the series, even if elements of it were somewhat disappointing.

Book Review: Red Queen

In a world surrounded by War and poverty how do you survive? Mare is an ordinary girl, a Red. A Red girl in a world where Silvers rule. Reds aren’t special; whereas Silvers are special due to their unusual range of abilities. Essentially the world is dominated by which blood group you belong to as blood status equals power or poverty. Mare somehow gets by through thieving, although her younger sister is incredibly talented at needlework, earning Gisa a job in the Silver courts, embroidering silks and gown for ladies and between them they manage to help their family in terms of food and water. However, for each day as Mare ages, she’s getting closer to the age where she will be sent away from her family, to fight for her Kingdom: for the Silver gods. Her closest friend, Kilorn has a job as a fisherman’s Apprentice, however that also goes pear shaped, leading Mare to desperate measures and agreeing to become a part of the Rebel group ‘The Scarlet Guard’ for a price; an escape for Kilorn and herself. There are many hidden depths to this book; it's not particularly pleasant with the use of slaves, forced soldiers and near-constant battle, bloodshed and power struggles, but that is also what makes this novel such a fantastic read.

In an attempt to make enough money for her own survival, Mare continues thieving and fairly successfully, stealing a range of coins and items from various merchants and drunks walking the streets. However, in a matter of days Mare finds herself in more danger than ever before; engaged to a Prince but secretly in love with his brother. She needs to use her head, not her heart to survive in her new life. Although there are many stereotypically ‘fantasy’ themes running through this novel such as war, death and love, the details about the different Silver powers, Houses and court life made it interesting. From early on in the novel, it was clear that Mare was destined to be some form of heroine later on although she isn’t without her faults; she’s selfish, hot-headed and to an extent, ungrateful. One of the things that makes Mare an interesting character is her devotion to her family; she often bargains using her own life to look out for her family and constantly puts herself into dangerous situations without considering the consequences. Anyone and everyone in this novel has the potential to be a killer; Red or Silver, everyone is capable of causing damage to another person, inflicting pain and double-crossing one another, regardless of blood status.

Aside from Mare, there wasn’t much character development, which was a shame as there are so many characters that pique interest throughout the novel. Generally first person narrative isn’t a bad thing; in fact, I often like seeing how a characters mind works through situations or conversations as it allows the reader to fully understand their motives and reasoning behind decisions. However, in the case of this book I would’ve loved an opportunity to see inside the mind of other characters too. At times it felt like a multi-narrative aspect was needed to provide some clarification about some situations, thought and intentions, although in hindsight that could've potentially ruined the plot in some ways. I loved the two Princes, Cal and Maven, both of them had something about them to make them lovable; their manners, behaviour and struggle with their heritage, their destiny to rule society made it easy to sympathise with them, even if they are Princes. In many ways it was unsurprising that they were untrustworthy; Mare was so frustrating because of her constant trust in the wrong people. She's a strong lead, as are the two Princes although I would say that she does have the edge as she is the underdog, a Red to their Silver. The love triangle was a nice touch as it wasn't pushed to the forefront of the plot; it was more of a sideline that has the potential to be used later on. It was so easy to be pulled into wishing the relationships between them could work, but ultimately Silver rules and Red suffers.


Overall, I demolished this book in only a few sittings; I'll admit that at first, I was skeptical to due the start being slow. However, once you start to read more, deeper into the novel you begin to realise that nobody is who they say they are, it's impossible to trust anyone as everyone is capable of murder. Slow, painful murder. This novel is completely addictive; once you begin to understand the dangerous relationship between ruling Silvers versus the servant Reds. I liked the idea of rebellion, of creating equality, although I'm not convinced that the Red rebels will be successful, but that remains to be seen. The plot has the start of an excellent villain, heroine and martyr; it'll be interesting to see how the rest of the series lives up to this book as it managed to capture my attention after only a few chapter. Mare is a fantastic but frustrating protagonist, often not thinking before doing, creating chaos in her wake and usually finding herself in unnecessary danger by putting her family and friends first. This book was 5 stars for me because I love it when a book surpasses my expectations; I'm excited to read the second installment, hopefully many of my questions will be answered but I'm sure I'll end up with many more as it's a four part series. I would recommend having the series to hand before reading the first, as I really wish I had Glass Sword to be able to continue the series immediately, rather than wait a while.