Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Genre:  YA Fantasy

Red Queen Series, Book 2

Victoria Aveyard's website

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Note:  This is the second book in a series.  I believe that's enough warning...

Description (taken from Victoria Aveyard's website):

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?

This book picks up right where the first one ended: with Mare and Cal running from the treacherous King Maven.  Cal has lost his crown and Mare has escaped a death sentence.  But when they seek sanctuary with the Scarlet Guard, they find a lot more than they bargained for.

Mare is determined to save as many Reds with Silver abilities as possible before Maven has a chance to get to them.  She always gives them a choice to join her cause or run.  But even when she's hidden behind this choice, is it really a choice?  Or is she so blinded by blood that she will do anything to save people like her and destroy Maven?  And then we have Cal.  Once blinded by blood, but now there's no where for him to stand.  So why stay and fight for the other side?

I am so frustrated with this book.  And I'm frustrated with the fact that I can't tell you why I'm frustrated.  About fifty pages into this book, I determined it was going to be *yawn* a cliché second book.  And it did not prove me wrong.  There were many places within the book that had me hooked and heart-racing.  But it was like a countdown of the expected events.  However I did kind of really enjoy the last ten pages (I give full permission for judgement).

Frustrated camper here.  But I'm going to continue the series.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Genre:  YA Fantasy

Red Queen Series, Book 1

Victoria Aveyard's website

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Description (taken from Victoria Aveyard's website):

Mare Barrow’s world is divided by blood—those with red and those with silver. Mare and her family are lowly Reds, destined to serve the Silver elite whose supernatural abilities make them nearly gods. Mare steals what she can to help her family survive, but when her best friend is conscripted into the army she gambles everything to win his freedom. A twist of fate leads her to the royal palace itself, where, in front of the king and all his nobles, she discovers a power of her own—an ability she didn’t know she had. Except … her blood is Red.

To hide this impossibility, the king forces her into 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 her new position to aid the Scarlet Guard—the leaders of a Red rebellion. Her actions put into motion a deadly and violent dance, pitting prince against prince—and Mare against her own heart.

Let me start off by saying this is a fantasy novel.  Despite the word "queen" being in the title, it is not historical fiction.  And if you're like me who picked up this book solely because of the cover and without having read any description on it (the only thing I knew was a lot of people liked it), then you're in for the surprise of a lifetime.  It took me about two chapters to realize how wrong I was with the assumed genre.  And I'm so glad I was wrong.

Mare lives in a world with two colors of blood: silver and red.  Those with silver blood have special abilities and live a very privileged life.  Those with red blood are the serfs who most likely end up getting conscripted and sent to war.  When Mare tries to help her friend avoid this fate, she finds herself in the middle of Silver society.  And when the Silvers notice her, they find she's not so different from them.  But can Mare keep up with the competing priorities and truly ally herself with one side?

This is a fantasy novel full of political intrigue.  You're always wondering what's going to happen next and what is truly motivating the characters.  And while I had the ending pegged from the beginning, I was still overjoyed by the story that happened in between.  There was so much going on.  And we learn very quickly that your blood doesn't necessarily tell you if you're on the right side.  I can't go on too much with this story just because I feel like you should read it...

From the beginning, this one felt similar to The Pledge, but it definitely has its own kind of feel.  Even though I don't remember much of Night Circus, I still want to say it has similar intrigues (even though the plots are totally different).  You're just going to have to read it and decide for yourself.