Glass Sword

Title: Glass Sword

Series: Red Queen - book 2

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 442

Publisher: Orion Books

Publication Date: 2016

Summary: Mare's blood is red, but her unique Silver ability - the power to control lightning - has turned her into a weapon that the Silver court will do anything to control.

As Mare escapes the cluthes of Maven, the prince - and friend - who betrayed her, she discovers something shocking: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, no a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters.

But Mare is treading a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat. Will she shatter under weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

Glass Sword begins right where it left off. The last sentence of Red Queen and the first sentence of Glass Sword follow each other almost as if you have started a new chapter not another book. Not many authors do this but I found that I loved it. Rather than waiting for the story to pick up again so I could get back to the amazing world that Victoria Aveyard has created, it was like I never left.

I want to say so much about this book but I won't because I don't want to spoil this for anyone. 

Glass Sword has one very interesting theme that runs through out it, especially towards the end. A theme that is often touched in many books which involve uprisings but never in quite this much clarity and detail. 'At what point do your actions stop becoming that of saving others and instead become the first steps that your enemy once took themselves with the same ideals'. This is something that is really clearly seen and something that the characters struggle with. A lot of thought and planning has gone into how the characters will face such a challenge.

But the thing I loved the most about this book and about Victoria Aveyard's writing is that she holds no punches. Victoria is a brave writer and if she wants to put something in her books she will. This means that certain parts of her books can get very dark, the characters can be shockingly cruel but most importantly she creates characters that are so uniquely diverse and different you actually feel like you are meeting truly different individuals and not just characters with slightly different personalities that give the illusion of different.

Glass Sword is perhaps the best sequel novel I have ever read and I can't wait to see what happens next...

Favourite Books of 2015

2015 has been a great reading year for me. My Goodreads Challenge started off at 50 books, then it was 60, then 70 and so on until I had it set for 100. In the end I reached 120 books and that's not including the books I have forgotten to add. The following is a list of my top 10 books of 2015. This list is in no particular order and only some of these books were published this year.

The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead

This book which was released at the beginning of 2015 brought about the conclusion of the Bloodlines series and also brought about an absolutely fabulous ending to the Vampire Academy world. The ending of this book is one of those endings when you need more than 5 stars.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

This book was an intense and mind boggling read. This is one of those book that will test you and hold onto you long after you have read the last page. You will question everything in this book as to whether what you are reading is reality or not. So if you love a book that challenges your sanity this is your kind of book.

Click here for my full review.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Outlander (previously published as Cross Stich) is one behemoth of a historical novel. But don't let this put you off. This story is filled with history, action, romance and a little bit of time travel. This book will draw you into a dark past and make you wish you could stay there.

Click here for my full review.

Red Queen by Victoria Averyard

While I must confess that it was the cover that originally drew me in, the story itself was absolutely incredible. It took me a couple of chapters to get hooked into this story but in the end I read it in one sitting. This book is filled with betrayal and treachery around every corner.

Click here for my full review.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

This is the first book in the Caster Chronicles and is set in a small Southern American town. This book makes many references to To Kill a Mockingbird and the two stories share many similarities in the sense that both books are about overcoming prejudice with Beautiful Creatures being the paranormal take.

Click here for my full review.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

All the Bright Places is Jennifer Niven's debut novel. This book will make you cry and laugh as you are drawn into the intense and dark lives of Violet and Finch as they through each other they try and learn to find happiness. This book is an emotional roller coaster but well worth the read.

Click here for my full review.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Lani Taylor

This is the first novel in a trilogy and a book I can find no faults in. The characters, the plot, the worlds, the writing style. This book is like nothing I have ever read before.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

This sci-fi book which is set on Mars was not what I expected. While I was intrigued I never believed I was going to be amazed. The characters are well thought out and the plot is well balanced. The book is filled with quite a bit of politics but this did not diminish the story.

Click here for my full review.

Cut & Run Series by Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban

Cut & Run is the first book in a 9 book series which follows two FBI agents Zane Garret and Ty Grady as they struggle with falling in love with each other and trying to solve some of their toughest cases yet. Where Garret and Grady are involved things are bound to blow up, someone is sure to get shot and their may even be a big cat or two.

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Queen of Shadows is the fourth book in the Throne of Glass series. A series which is quickly forging itself a permanent spot on my favourites shelf. While many people feel that this book sees the characters developing some major character shifts, I personally felt that this book was the first time none of the characters had to pretend to be anyone else in order to survive.

Click here for my full review.

Red Queen

Title: Red Queen

Series: Red Queen - book 1

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Fantasy

Number of Pages: 383

Publication Date: 2015

Publisher: Orion Books

Summary: This is a world divided by blood - red or silver. Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like super powers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change. That is, until a twist of fate brings her before the Silver court. Here surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly ability of her own. Fearful of Mare's potential, the king hides her plain view: betrothed to his youngest son. Trapped, Mare decides to use her new position to bring down the regime - from the inside.

The first thing I want to say about Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard is look at that cover! Isn't it stunning! For me a great book cover is usually what draws me in initially but it's a good summary that ensures I read it. And this cover, well it called to me. Even better, this great cover contains an incredible story inside. This book did not let me down.

I read this book in one sitting; granted I was in bed sick and couldn't do anything else, but still, one sitting is one sitting. In fact I possibly would have faked being sick just to continue reading this book.

This book took a couple of chapters to get into the main story but because it is a fantasy book, it did need a few chapters to do some world building. And what an amazing world it was! The silver's and red's are clearly defined and are so well done and thought out.

The writing style of this book is easy to get lost and drawn into and each character is believable and unique. The writing style is neither to complicated or simply, it's the kind that's...what are the words I'm looking for...oh yeah...right on point!

The main point that stuck with me through this book was the deceit and betrayal! Which can be summed up to: WOW!!!! With every new development in this book you are waiting for that moment of betrayal, because you know as much as you wish it will work out something will go wrong! But when the ultimate betrayal comes you aren't surprised, yet at the same time it knocks you flat on your back and laughs at you. The betrayal in this book is done so incredibly well, both in the sense of when it happens and how it happens.

This book is a stunning read and I am giving it a solid 5 out of 5 stars. I cannot wait for the second book to come out in 2016.