juliwi's review against another edition
3.0
The Red Queen series has been on my list for a number of years now and yet I never got around to really reading it. As I'm working on my backlog now this series immediately jumped out at me as the one I want to spend some time on. Cruel Crown is a prequel book, really made up of two different stories taking place before the series' main events. Did it help, reading this before the first book? Or did I just confuse myself? Maybe a bit of both. Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Gratitude also for the patience.
I remember the craze a few years back where every series got random little novella-esque prequels in between the main installments, always numbered 0.1 or 1.5. On the one hand I love having extra material from a series I loved, on the other hand I always wondered whether these little books actually added something to the overall story. With Cruel Crown I find myself in the position that while technically these stories come first, chronologically, they don't feel entirely useful without having read at least the first book. I could tell, while reading, that I was meant to recognise characters or understand the gravity of certain moments, but I couldn't, really, because the context was missing. The world-building in this book, while enough for the stories themselves, also seems to assume a certain knowledge. Cruel Crown was my first introduction to the Silver/Red divide and I had to really pay attention to have it make sense to me. Perhaps that's on me for starting here rather than with Red Queen. What Cruel Crown did do, however, is whet my appetite. I've had a glimpse at the world, seen all kinds of different stories that clearly intertwine but are just out of my reach. So Red Queen is definitely going to be my next read.
Cruel Crown is split into two stories. The first, 'Queen Song', is the story of Coriane Jacos who finds herself falling in love with and being loved by a prince despite all odds. Struggling at a Silver court full of intrigue, Coriane desperately tries to protect the integrity of her own mind and her own self. This story had a very Gothic, dramatic feel to it. The descriptions were sumptuous and Coriane's concern and restraint does really come through. When things begin to unravel I could tell that this would maybe be relevant in the rest of the series, but I mainly felt sorry for Coriane herself. The second story is 'Steel Scars' which looks at the other side of the coin, the Reds. Captain Farley is a completely different character to Coriane, much more stern and steely, but they share a certain resentment about their fate, about the world they're growing up in, about their families. This second story has a very different feel to 'Queen Song' in that it focuses on something akin to guerilla warfare, undercover missions, and more immediate tension. I liked Farley, but here I really noticed my lack of background information because the struggle between the Reds and Silvers was still so unfamiliar to me. I figured out enough through context clues, but I didn't really understand her motivations and history properly. I liked our introduction to Mare Barrow though, so I'm excited to see her story develop in Red Queen.
As my first introduction to Victoria Aveyard's writing Cruel Crown was rather intriguing. The two stories are so separate in their focus and setting that I got a taste of the variety of what Aveyard can do. 'Queen Song' is lush and evocative, a story of a woman who feels attacked from all sides, even by her own mind. 'Steel Scars' is a story of a woman who is actually often attacked, but there is a steel core to her, a conviction, that allows her to make tough decisions on her own. They provided a nice counter-balance to each other and I liked seeing Aveyard go from descriptions of court scenes and etiquette to scenes of undercover work and military reports. While much of the world of the Red Queen series is still a mystery to me, I think Cruel Crown has given me a good idea of what to expect. I can't wait to learn more about the presence of technology alongside archaic kingdoms, the use of knives alongside actual guns. I will definitely keep reading this series!
I would definitely recommend reading the stories in Cruel Crown after having read one of the main installments of the Red Queen series. That way the stories will actually fill in gaps and expand the world of the series. However, it nonetheless worked well as a teaser for me and I can't wait to read more.
URL: https://universeinwords.blogspot.com/2022/09/review-cruel-crown-01-02-red-queen-by.html
I remember the craze a few years back where every series got random little novella-esque prequels in between the main installments, always numbered 0.1 or 1.5. On the one hand I love having extra material from a series I loved, on the other hand I always wondered whether these little books actually added something to the overall story. With Cruel Crown I find myself in the position that while technically these stories come first, chronologically, they don't feel entirely useful without having read at least the first book. I could tell, while reading, that I was meant to recognise characters or understand the gravity of certain moments, but I couldn't, really, because the context was missing. The world-building in this book, while enough for the stories themselves, also seems to assume a certain knowledge. Cruel Crown was my first introduction to the Silver/Red divide and I had to really pay attention to have it make sense to me. Perhaps that's on me for starting here rather than with Red Queen. What Cruel Crown did do, however, is whet my appetite. I've had a glimpse at the world, seen all kinds of different stories that clearly intertwine but are just out of my reach. So Red Queen is definitely going to be my next read.
Cruel Crown is split into two stories. The first, 'Queen Song', is the story of Coriane Jacos who finds herself falling in love with and being loved by a prince despite all odds. Struggling at a Silver court full of intrigue, Coriane desperately tries to protect the integrity of her own mind and her own self. This story had a very Gothic, dramatic feel to it. The descriptions were sumptuous and Coriane's concern and restraint does really come through. When things begin to unravel I could tell that this would maybe be relevant in the rest of the series, but I mainly felt sorry for Coriane herself. The second story is 'Steel Scars' which looks at the other side of the coin, the Reds. Captain Farley is a completely different character to Coriane, much more stern and steely, but they share a certain resentment about their fate, about the world they're growing up in, about their families. This second story has a very different feel to 'Queen Song' in that it focuses on something akin to guerilla warfare, undercover missions, and more immediate tension. I liked Farley, but here I really noticed my lack of background information because the struggle between the Reds and Silvers was still so unfamiliar to me. I figured out enough through context clues, but I didn't really understand her motivations and history properly. I liked our introduction to Mare Barrow though, so I'm excited to see her story develop in Red Queen.
As my first introduction to Victoria Aveyard's writing Cruel Crown was rather intriguing. The two stories are so separate in their focus and setting that I got a taste of the variety of what Aveyard can do. 'Queen Song' is lush and evocative, a story of a woman who feels attacked from all sides, even by her own mind. 'Steel Scars' is a story of a woman who is actually often attacked, but there is a steel core to her, a conviction, that allows her to make tough decisions on her own. They provided a nice counter-balance to each other and I liked seeing Aveyard go from descriptions of court scenes and etiquette to scenes of undercover work and military reports. While much of the world of the Red Queen series is still a mystery to me, I think Cruel Crown has given me a good idea of what to expect. I can't wait to learn more about the presence of technology alongside archaic kingdoms, the use of knives alongside actual guns. I will definitely keep reading this series!
I would definitely recommend reading the stories in Cruel Crown after having read one of the main installments of the Red Queen series. That way the stories will actually fill in gaps and expand the world of the series. However, it nonetheless worked well as a teaser for me and I can't wait to read more.
URL: https://universeinwords.blogspot.com/2022/09/review-cruel-crown-01-02-red-queen-by.html
rhisread's review against another edition
2.0
Not necessary and I knew it but it didn’t fill in blanks or give backgrounds where I wanted it to. It’s ehh.
jellichor's review against another edition
4.0
Worth a read
For those who have read the first 2 books in the Red Queen series - even if you've just read the first. Nice insight into two important females.
For those who have read the first 2 books in the Red Queen series - even if you've just read the first. Nice insight into two important females.
jasminerosekoop's review against another edition
4.0
Rise, red as the dawn...
QUEEN SONG
Since I first read "Red Queen", I'd been curious about the King Tiberias the Sixth's first wife, Cal's mother. Here, we get to see who she is and experience her turmoil - the kind that can only come from being a woman in Court. Gripping, and almost frightening, it kept me on the edge of my seat.
STEEL SCARS
I hadn't anticipated this story to stay so close - in time, and characters - to "Red Queen." In fact, I was surprised when I realised the identity of one of the Scarlet Guard's operatives. Captivating and full of suspense. I loved seeing the Scarlet Guard from the inside - a perspective we never really saw in "Red Queen." I'd like to see more of it.
QUEEN SONG
Since I first read "Red Queen", I'd been curious about the King Tiberias the Sixth's first wife, Cal's mother. Here, we get to see who she is and experience her turmoil - the kind that can only come from being a woman in Court. Gripping, and almost frightening, it kept me on the edge of my seat.
STEEL SCARS
I hadn't anticipated this story to stay so close - in time, and characters - to "Red Queen." In fact, I was surprised when I realised the identity of one of the Scarlet Guard's operatives. Captivating and full of suspense. I loved seeing the Scarlet Guard from the inside - a perspective we never really saw in "Red Queen." I'd like to see more of it.
cristinaelenalaaa's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the short stories and how they fill in the blank spaces between several main book scenes.
wintersorbit's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting short stories about the backgrounds of Farley and Coriane. I think they're worth a read if you like the Red Queen series.
libby1990's review against another edition
2.0
Okay guys, for this book is the 2 novellas that we get for this serise. I did not like them at all, i think that they where not really something that we needed in the book. I get why the author wrote the books, yes we do get to learn more about 3 character that are in the book one who is not but is mentioned in the book, but i just don't understand why they ended the way they did. We also got to know how the queen became who she really is and why she did the things that she did.
kai7085's review against another edition
2.0
I read this with no previous knowledge of Red Queen since prequel should explain stuff better but let me tell you I was confused maybe I'll understand it better within the series but with no prior knowledge I was very confused
mgmaliska's review against another edition
5.0
Delicious deeper dive into characters you always wanted to know more about. I listened to this after reading books 1-4 back-to-back and wish I had known about it before. I certainly recommend this mini-book if you're looking for more plot and deeper characters.
sieniutek1's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5