Weekend Reads #58 – Cruel Crown by Victoria Aveyard

Only 3 more days until Victoria Aveyard‘s Glass Sword hits shelves and I CANNOT wait!! I’ve been on pins and needles since the end of Red Queen and I want….no I NEED to know what will happen to Mare Barrow next. To sate my need, I dove into the novellas last week and thought I’d share them with you today. While you don’t necessarily have to read them, they do give a great backstory and a little insight on what’s to come. However if you have NOT read Red Queen, I would not read these unless you like spoilers ?

Queen Song by Victoria Aveyard
Series: Red Queen,
Published by HarperTEEN on 2015-09-01
Length: 100 pages
Reviewing eBook from TN R.E.A.D.S.
Rating:

Queen Coriane, first wife of King Tiberias, keeps a secret diary—how else can she ensure that no one at the palace will use her thoughts against her? Coriane recounts her heady courtship with the crown prince, the birth of a new prince, Cal, and the potentially deadly challenges that lay ahead for her in royal life.

In Queen Song by Victoria Aveyard, we finally find out about Cal’s mom, King Tiberias’s first wife, Queen Coriane. This novella broke my heart on so many levels! Coriane is a wonderful character who was perfect for the soon-to-be king. She was his balance, his confidant, his best friend…you know, what every wife strives to be.

Coriane’s family—the house Jacos—was a part of the court, but just barely. Her father had lost all their money gambling, and Coriane wished for the day that she could leave him, prayed for a life she knew she’d never have. She didn’t want a court life, despised it as she despised how her silver gift elevated her above those with a different color blood. She didn’t understand it, it wasn’t fair, and she wanted it to change.

When Coriane first meets Tibe by chance, they strike up an immediate friendship. He can just be himself with her and her with him. This doesn’t go over well in the court, especially from Elara Merandus. In Red Queen, it was implied that this woman was somehow responsible for Coriane’s death and we get a look at Elara that is truly terrifying.

Elara is a Whisper, meaning that she can read others’ minds and also manipulate thoughts and dreams. She takes offense to not being chosen as queen and I really didn’t want to be in Coriane’s shoes! This woman is evil…let’s just leave it there.

Overall I enjoyed this story. It was great backstory and confirmed some suspicions I had from the first book. If you enjoy the series and you want to know what really happened to the first queen, grab a copy of this book!

Final Conclusion: 

Steel Scars by Victoria Aveyard
Series: Red Queen,
Published by HarperTEEN on 2016-01-05
Length: 100 pages
Reviewing eBook from TN R.E.A.D.S.
Rating:

Farley was raised to be strong, but being tasked with planting the seeds of rebellion in Norta is a tougher job than expected. As she travels the land recruiting black market traders, smugglers, and extremists for her first attempt at an attack on the capital, she stumbles upon a connection that may prove to be the key to the entire operation—Mare Barrow.

In Steel Scars by Victoria Aveyard, Farley’s story comes to light. Farley is introduced in Red Queen as the leader of the rebellion against the silver leaders. I knew there had to be more to her story, especially after that ending, and I was right! While I personally wasn’t thrilled with this story, I felt like it gives some important background information that hints at what to expect in Glass Sword.

Farley’s character is a little dry. She was raised to be a soldier, a part of this rebellion against Silvers, and her whole life, her motives, everything revolves around being the perfect soldier. When she gets a secret mission to infiltrate Norta and begin to plant the seeds of rebellion, she jumps on the task. However she doesn’t follow orders to the letter. She makes her own judgment calls, brining in new recruits who are Nortan.

One particular recruit that I was shocked and excited to see was Shade Barrow, Mare’s older brother. He’s got an odd sense of humor and this ability to either move really fast or teleport. I’m unclear on the specifics. Either way he becomes an invaluable informant to Farley and the cause. His only request is to help his sister if she can.

The entire novella alternates from army communication with code names and the whole bit to short narratives from Farley’s POV. It was a bit hard for me to follow if I’m being completely honest. Farley didn’t hold my attention like Shade did and she was kind of boring. However the story itself is enough to make me like it! It adds some great background to what is going on in Norta and hints at what is to come. If you enjoy the series, I wouldn’t skip this one!

Final Conclusion:

Now Available in One Volume!!!

Cruel Crown by Victoria Aveyard
Series: Red Queen,
Published by HarperTEEN on 2016-01-05
Length: 208 pages
Rating:

Two women on either side of the Silver-Red divide tell the stories no one else knows.

Discover the truth of Norta's bloody past in these two revealing prequels to #1 New York Times bestseller Red Queen.

Also includes an exclusive excerpt of the hotly anticipated second book in the Red Queen series! Glass Sword transports readers to the world of Silver tyranny, a Red dawn rising, and one girl's resolve to break down the system that will hold her back no longer.

 

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