Helloooooo rad readers!
There is a million and one things to be said about this book, so let us just begin the spoilers right away.
First half of the book was rocky, not going to lie. I read Red Queen a while ago so I was not so well versed in the characters, but it came back pretty swiftly. I was excited for the action, but the first third of the book was just building a team and talking about Maven and talking about Maven and talking about how people think Mare is bad at her job, oh and also talking a little bit about Maven here and there. Did I mention that in the beginning we only talked about Maven and never actually got to see him! That was extremely bothersome because as psychotic and chaotic as he is, as much as I think he is a very evil psycho, that mad lad is EN--TER--TAIN--ING! I am... as much as I hate to say it... on his team right now. I think that there is perhaps more to him than meats the eye, that maybe he will become a good guy, I just hope that Mare doesn't forgive him for everything he's done after he --hopefully-- becomes a good guy.
Speaking of the things that he's done... a certain someone's death? Maybe... uhm... Mare's brother? There is one word and one word only for that: cold. Ya, that might have been a bit much on Maven's end. Unnecessary, but it was a needed to get the ball rolling. He needed them to act, and everything he did was so calculated, and that is why I love this series. Everything is so smart and calculated. Nothing happens by chance or convenience like so many books exploit, like (not to call out Harry Potter butttt) the Sword of Gryffindor has such a way of just popping out when it is convenient and I know that this is the goal of the sword, but also... what a convenient thing to discover a sword that appears whenever you need it? It's like when a character is getting attacked and they just happen to find a weapon in arms reach that was never mentioned before... too convenient, too easy, too boring. Nary in this book! Dare I say, things are always rather inconvenient on the side of Mare Barrow and her gang.
I digress. This, Shade's death, is when the book started picking up. I hate to say it but it's just the facts. Queen Elara's death was when the book started picking up to build up to Shade's Death and I was also VERY okay with that character dying. Also while we are on the topic of characters I have never liked-- Farley. I mean, UGH! She is just so annoying and bossy and more often than not wrong about her bossiness and that is just such a pet peeve of mine. Like-- dog, if you are going to yell at Mare about what a trash leader she is, be a better freaking leader yourself! Do something about it besides complain! Also, here's a hot take for you, you aren't always right champ! Okay, I am getting heated... Anyways, all I am trying to say is that Shade was no longer needed for the story, so I think it was a good move for the author to turn him into a type of martyr for the story to start picking up again. I didn't like Elara in the first book, didn't like her in the second, even though she is dead now, guess what? I still don't like her! Grade A coldness of Mare to show that she had killed Elara on TV. That is what we call a power move and a half. She knew that is how she would hurt the silvers really bad and she knew that Maven couldn't help but recognize them after she did that, AND she knew that they couldn't just discard the Scarlet Guard as a foolish rebel anymore.
Mare had been big balling recently. She has turned into quite the cool character in my opinion. I know some people harshly disagree with that take because she is either angry or angry or angry all the time, but that is what I really enjoyed. She was never mopey, and sure she was sad which she had a right to be. An evil king that she did not initially think was evil and she still wishes wasn't evil had tried to have her executed and now she is on the run and she had just killed his mother but then he killed her brother and her family is upset with her and so is her best friend and boyfriend-- what I am trying to say is that the girl has a lot going on, and she is sad about it but I LOVE that she turned her sadness into rage. I loveeee that. She held up the queen's dead head on a world wide broadcast and basically said, Maven I killed your mom. That's NUTS. She felt no remorse either! Everyone around her was like... that was messed up and she was like... really? You think so? Huh. YES MARE! You go girl! Of course her morals area bit clouded, she is real! She had been through the ringer and a half and is absolutely traumatized by what happened to her in book one and in this.
The ending. Oh my god. Oh. My god. Oh. My. God. THE ENDINGGGGG! Ludicrous, madness, mutiny. Mare needs to get out of this one because if she just accepts the fact that she is captured and totally screwed in the next book that will just be so lame and not Mare Barrow vibes and I will be wholeheartedly disappointed. That being said however, I have already started the third book... oooo!! I think you should read the third book too.
Okay rad readers, thank you for staying with me through that whirlwind of insanity.
Hail and farewell!
- C8 ;)