Glass Sword: The second YA dystopian fantasy adventure in the globally bestselling Red Queen series

Red Queen is a clever blend of The Hunger Games, The Selection, Graceling and Divergent - STARBURST

'A whirlwind of betrayal and plot twists' - SCI-FI NOW

An inventive, character-driven twist breathes new life into tired fantasy trends - KIRKUS

'It's slick, it's interesting and . . . gripping' - SFX

I have been anxiously waiting to read this book since I finished Red Queen back in April. Having been so excited to read this, I was hoping it wouldn't reach my high expectations. In fact, it excelled by expectations and was a fantastic read from the very first page. Picking up moments after the first book, Mare and Cal join Kilorn, Shade, Farley and other members of the Scarlet Guard as they travel to Naercey. But here they are met with King Maven and his army of Silver and Reds, determined to bring back the traitors who killed his father and defied him. But the Guard has many tricks up their sleeve, and after a battle, that sees the ruined city of Naercey crumble even more, Mare soon finds herself on the way to an island off the coast of Norta. Tuck, now the Scarlet Guards headquarters, is also home to Lakelanders, who have joined the Guard to help bring down the boy King. But the Colonel fears the Newbloods, determined to wipe them out as quickly as he wants to kill Cal. Despite being safe from Maven (for now) and with her family, Mare knows she must leave Tuck in order to find and save the Newbloods across Norta, before Maven has a chance to kill them first. Escaping the island on a stolen jet, Mare, Cal, Kilorn, Shade and Farley infiltrate the cities of Norta and build an army of Reds more powerful than any Silver could imagine. While it comes at the expense of some of the Newbloods, a battle looms on the horizon and Mare must make a deal with the devil in order to survive. I was speechless when I finished Red Queen and I sit here again unable to write the words that can truly express how blown away I am by this book. Victoria Aveyard again delivers a book that changes in an instant. As the book neared the end, I thought we wouldn't get a massive plot twist like we did in the first book, but I was so wrong and did not expect this book to end how it did. From the first page, this book is action packed, a lot more action and drama than we saw in book one. At times, I couldn't read the words fast enough because there was just so much going on. There is not a dull moment in this book, so if you love action and drama, you will certainly enjoy this book. The plethora of Silver powers we were introduced to in the first book amazed me, but the Newblood powers that Victoria Aveyard has conjured up are amazing, and I commend her on coming up with so many interesting abilities for the powerful race of Reds. Every Newblood character that we were properly introduced to were very interesting, and I loved getting to know them. This was my most anticipated book release of the year, and it has certainly surpassed all my expectations. My only regret about getting a review copy is that I now have to wait that little bit longer until the next book comes out. The next book is sure to be just as amazing as this book - the ending for Glass Sword just has me wanting more! Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this book! If you loved the first book, you'll love this book even more. If you were on the fence about the first book, this one will have you hooked on the series. If you didn't like the first book, then give this one a go because I'm sure it'll change your mind. Whatever you do this year, make sure you pick up this book and read it. You will not regret it and you'll be anxiously awaiting the next book!

Victoria Kennedy