Cruel Crown by Victoria Aveyard 5 ✭

Title: Cruel Crown

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Series: Red Queen

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy,

Publish Date: January 5, 2016

Pages: 208

Ages: Teen

Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭

If you are reading this series this is an absolute MUST read. This is a novella short that features Queen Song and Steel Scars as well as a short preview to Glass Sword. I have already read Glass Sword and I'm glad I did. I 100% recommend anyone who has an interest in the series that they need to read this. For me, it is all about Queen Song. This whole part is about Cal's mother from her perspective. This part was like reading a tragic horror story that you know the end too but it is still a great read to see it unfold. To know what Coriane was thinking during her whole ordeal, from meeting the boy who will be her husband, to being a pregnant queen and feeling lost and depressed. I think it is really important to see this side because you can see how Cal has parts of his mother there too. 

(Slight spoiler) The Steel Scars section was about our favorite Scarlet Guard member, Captain Diana Farley, code name Lamb. It is also really good to see this side of the world too. You see a young girl who is given her first true task being a commander and gets to leave her father's side. It is her first time doing a solo mission and what that grows into becoming. It becomes the beginning of the whole revolution. Reading this after Glass Sword really helped me understand why she reacted the way she did at the end. Instead of knowing her skill level and prior circumstances. In Red Queen and Glass Sword, you always get the impression she is this amazing spy who has been doing this cloak and dagger for a long time. I loved reading it in this order.

I looked up the reading order of the books and found on Victoria Aveyard's site that she recommended this to be the reading order. It's why I read them in the order I did and I suggest anyone else should too. 

1. Red Queen
2. Glass Sword
3. Cruel Crown (the two novellas)
4. King's Cage
5. War Storm

You can buy each novella separately as an ebook but I personally chose this paperback version since all the others I've owned have been physical copies.  I have linked the sample chapter for each book below, that links to the Kindle versions. 

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard 4 ✭

Title: Glass Sword

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Series: Red Queen

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fairy Tales & Folklore

Publish Date: February 9, 2016

Pages: 464

Ages: Teen

Rating: ✭✭✭✭

I am very glad that I decided to continue the Red Queen series. The first book I felt was a little predictable, but it was also the intro to the characters and the world so I wanted to continue. 

When you start Glass Sword you have Mare and Cal being viewed by the country as an evil lying temptress and a murdering prince who killed his own father. All of this is done by the machinations of the Queen, Elara, who has used her whisper abilities to read everyone's minds and control others to her will. She had been hiding some of Mare's antics with the Red Guard to her own benefit to kill the king and exile the firstborn son. Elara is a mental master, and her son Maven is not just her puppet, but her willing accomplice. 

Mare has gone through so much change since the initial moments of Red Queen, it really is like she is stuck between who she was, is, and will be when necessary. The first book she was a thief who had no other skills, that her own family was completely disappointed with. Then they made her into the fake princess, who had to be cold-hearted around everyone. Then they go and kill anyone associated with her so that makes her lockdown. She needs to protect people but she isn't capable enough to do it alone. In Glass Sword that is one of her biggest conflicts with herself. She wants to care and worry about everyone, but she knows from the previous experiences that if she does she will be crushed and broken. So she makes herself emotionally distant from everyone around her. Her personal struggle is very important. You see her at her weakest, her strongest, and how far she is willing to go. 

Another thing is seeing the characters around her and how their opinions of her change. They praise her and raise her to a pedestal, only to then completely turn around and abhor what she has become. And for different side characters, it isn't even in the order. That makes you wonder who knows more than she does, who has also changed during this book, and who is true to Mare or not. I will be honest, I'm still not sure how the next book is going to turn out. Which is a nice change from the predictability of the first book. 

I am currently reading Cruel Crown which is two novellas that you can read additional. I've only started and I think that it is worth it. I got it for $5 and was happy about that. I'm looking to get King's Cage soon I hope. I'm sort of hooked on the cliffhanger of Glass sword at the moment. 

Read below for a free sampling of the start of Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard 
without leaving the page.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard 3 ✭

Title: Her Dark Half

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Series: Red Queen

Genre: Young Adult, Supernatural

Publish Date: February 10. 2015

Pages: 398

Ages: Teen

Rating: ✭✭✭

I think this series has potential. It is definitely part of the trend of the 2015 dystopian book fever, however, it has a little change to it with half of the people, the silver bloods, having powers.

I rated this low because I found the major twist predictable. Overly predictable that when the scene played out I was almost uninterested in that section of the book. I say almost because it does continue at a good pace and I did want to see how it would continue from there.

The characters were pretty interesting throughout and it made me think of each scene "the game is afoot". Just because of the sneaky dealings, or background characters relationships the main character, Mare, isn't aware of.

Romantic interests in this is a little interesting because there are three. Maven who she has some feeling for and it seems like he might truly feel some too. Cal, who is Maven's brother does also and it's clear as day but they can't because of the circumstances they are all in. Lastly, we have the childhood best friend type. The one who she might have ended up with if she didn't meet the prince.

I did like this book enough that I ordered the next book in the series. I want to give it a chance and the storyline itself is pretty good. I really enjoyed the writing and the world building. Especially when you are reading about the different parts of the lands. The silvers live in the wonderful cities and the reds get the dirty towns, or the towns full of radiation.

The second book in the series should be here in a couple days, so I am going to be reading the next book in the series after my current book. 

If you would like to read the beginning of Red Queen, you can check it ou below without leaving the page.