Reviews with content warning for Torture - Glass Sword

I absolutely loved the first book, but this one was such a let down for me. I don’t know what it was about it, but it didn’t hold my interest, and it took me so long to get through. There were so many new characters and details introduced, but it felt just brushed over. I would’ve loved for there to have been a map with the country so I could at least keep track of the places. I really didn’t feel any like or connection with most of the characters, and as for Cal and Mare’s relationship, I don’t really root for it at this point, like it’s just there. One thing that annoyed me so much was Mare’s constant lack of faith in everyone else. Instead of being a badass heroine, she went beyond that to the point where she just became unlikeable. I thought Mare was supposed to be an actual hero, not a morally grey antihero. I do not know what it was about this era of novels that decide it was a good idea to make the main character insufferable; it was not. With that being said, there were some parts I enjoyed so it wasn’t all bad.

Content Warnings

psnchz's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

ameydireads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

"I am a weapon made of flesh, a sword covered in skin. I was born to kill a king, to end a reign of terror before it can truly begin. Fire and lightning raised Maven up, and fire and lightning will bring him down."

The book starts with Mare and Cal running away with the Scarlet Guard. She is ready to go on a quest to find others like her before Maven hunts them all down. There are so many newbloods out there with amazing abilities.

"I could control it if I wanted. I could shut this whole thing down. I could drown us all."
In this book, Mare is very confident of herself and her powers. She realises that she is very powerful and dangerous.

"Lightning has no mercy."
But she is also very angry at the world, especially at the Silvers for the injustice that they bring upon Reds and the newbloods. She didn’t deem them worthy of her mercy which scared and infuriated Cal.

"Anyone can betray anyone."
Maven’s betrayals have really hurt her and now Mare finds it very difficult to trust the people around her. This very sentence haunts her throughout the story.

I did expect Mare and Call to renew their romantic interest in each other, but they are both so traumatised by recent events that this didn’t happen. Mare’s relationship with Kilorn also changed. She realises that they have both grown much since their time in the Stilts. He is a great friend to her!
And at the end, she managed to kill Queen Elara. I expected more of a fight between them - it seemed quite abrupt. At the same time, she also loses her beloved brother Shade. I really liked Shade and his powers, so his death was quite shocking. Unfortunately, Mare ends up in Maven’s hands again to save the people she cares about and he is not happy about his mother’s death.

Very excited to see how the next book plays out!

Content Warnings

julienicole1106's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

stitchof's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Content Warnings

jassieex's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Content Warnings

psliz's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

lot of planning, not that much action. but definitely lots of romantic angst.

Content Warnings

micaelamariem's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I absolutely loved finally diving back into this world and seeing how Mare’s journey progresses. I’m always a sucker for YA fantasy and dystopians, so I probably will always rate them highly, but I didn’t want to stop reading this. Lately, though I’ve always loved a redemption arc, I’ve been loving the exploration of when it’s okay to do some morally gray things and when do we turn into monsters if that’s who we’re trying to defeat? Mare’s grip on her own morality and her learning to love and trust again are the biggest themes of this book. I loved meeting new characters and getting more depth in the old ones. I didn’t like Cal in the first book, but now I’m in love! And I don’t hate Kilorn anymore. And I have a deeper understanding of Farley. Though there may be animosity between characters, I’m sensing some found family vibes coming and I am so here for it. Though the ending was such a disheartening cliffhanger, that I’m almost scared to start the next book! (Good thing I don’t have it yet I guess eh?)

Content Warnings

More...