King's Cage (Red Queen #3) by Victoria Aveyard
Publisher: HarperTeen
Goodreads Summary: In this breathless third installment to Victoria Aveyard’s bestselling Red Queen series, allegiances are tested on every side. And when the Lightning Girl's spark is gone, who will light the way for the rebellion?

Mare Barrow is a prisoner, powerless without her lightning, tormented by her lethal mistakes. She lives at the mercy of a boy she once loved, a boy made of lies and betrayal. Now a king, Maven Calore continues weaving his dead mother's web in an attempt to maintain control over his country—and his prisoner.

As Mare bears the weight of Silent Stone in the palace, her once-ragtag band of newbloods and Reds continue organizing, training, and expanding. They prepare for war, no longer able to linger in the shadows. And Cal, the exiled prince with his own claim on Mare's heart, will stop at nothing to bring her back.

When blood turns on blood, and ability on ability, there may be no one left to put out the fire—leaving Norta as Mare knows it to burn all the way down.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Review: Mare is Maven's prisoner. A puppet and figurehead, she endures the worst at Maven's mercy. Meanwhile, Cameron Cole and the other newbloods are busy planning out their next move against Maven, and possibly a rescue attempt for Mare. But their allies are nothing more than their enemy's enemies, with hidden agendas that threaten to divide them forever.

The first part of King's Cage is Mare's POV. Then, Cameron's POV is smartly chosen and used well to show the rebel (or should I say terrorist) side of things. Later, we have a few chapters from a surprise POV which answers many of your questions from earlier books. We also get some insight into this mystery character's personality and why it is that way. I really loved reading this book, and I devoured page after page but it did drag along quite a bit especially during the earlier stages. This didn't make me lose interest, but I did pay less attention to those pages.

Mare is portrayed well in this book, with things such as trauma and other issues carefully thought out and weaved into the novel. Cameron is but a little girl wondering if she should join the war, but her tough exterior is something I admire. Evangeline is such a troublemaker in this book, her motives unknown. I have a feeling she'll be key in book four. Farley, Farley, still the same brave woman, yet haunted by loss. My baby Cal... I really hope he realises what King's Cage has done to him and wakes up.

We move well outside Norta in terms of territory, and well into neighbouring areas. The climate/landscape is described frequently and consistently in detail. Can we all just stop and take a moment to appreciate Marecal (miracle!!)? Stuff happens in King's Cage. I repeat, this relationship is not dead, and neither is Marven (unfortunately for me). Finally, the hating and "different worlds" thing is shoved aside, albeit temporarily. As for the ending... I'm telling you, it's another Glass Sword, but in my eyes it's worse than that.  King's Cage has a stellar plot, character development and storyline that can't be missed.
Purchase Location: ~I received a copy from Hachette NZ and willingly reviewed it~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Quotes:

"I stare at him, trying to see the man beneath the crown." – Mare Barrow, King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard

"Those who know what it's like in the dark will do anything to stay in the light." – Maven Calore, King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard

"I pushed away the people closest to me thinking I could bleed alone." – Mare Barrow, King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard
Recommended for: Fans of fantasy, betrayal and romance.

Glass Sword (Red Queen #2) by Victoria Aveyard 
Publisher: Orion Books
Goodreads Summary: If there’s one thing Mare Barrow knows, it’s that she’s different.

Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul.
Rating: 5 Stars
Review: After I finished Glass Sword, read the last sentence, my heart literally stopped. The ending, very much a cliffhanger, caused me actual pain.

Following on from Red Queen, Mare's character really develops. She struggles to remain sane, almost becoming a cold hearted mechanical killing machine. She turns to Julian's list for some relief, and it is a race to find other likes her before Maven does.

When I was near the end, a few chapters away, I had to go to bed. I told myself I would finish the chapter and leave I stayed true to that promise, but the last few sentences of that fateful chapter killed me. I was in absolute shock.

Since the beginning of Red Queen, I've shipped Cal and Mare. They're perfect for each other. They did get together, though rather briefly in Glass Sword, but I fel as if their relationship was more that they needed each other rather than love. I hope this changes in book three, because they both deserve to love each other and have a genuine relationship.

It seems that Victoria Aveyard, like some authors loves killing characters. The deaths in Glass Sword were many, but the last two definitely were the most significant. Many minds are damaged in Mare's quest for revenge, with "revenge brings pain" a major theme in Glass Sword. It goes without saying that if you haven't read Red Queen, it's a must read for YA Dystopia fans.
Purchase Location: Borrowed From Library
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Quotes: "If I am a Sword, I am a sword made of glass, and I feel myself beginning to shatter."

"'Mare.' He grazes my arm and I flinch away, almost hitting the wall.

'Don't touch me anymore.'

The words sound like slamming a door. I suppose they are."

"Anyone, anything, can betray anyone. Even your own heart."
Recommended for: Fans of court intrigue and betrayals.

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Sarah @ Breaking The Spine.

This week's WoW:


Glass Sword (Red Queen #2) by Victoria Aveyard.

I loved The Red Queen even though many people hated how 'stereotype' it was. I'm excited to see how Glass Sword turns out, and I have yet to read the two prequels.