Buckle Up.
Alright. I would like to say I’m a patient reader. I’ll wait. I typically don’t NOT finish a book if you know what I mean. I don’t “save it for later”, I’m a stick to your guns kinda gal. That being said, this series really tested me.
Don’t get me wrong, it is still such a compelling story, and Victoria Aveyard is an incredible writer. So everything I’m about to say in no way is telling you to NOT read it. Let’s not forget I’m a bratty “blogger” with no writing experience and honestly have no justification to really anything I say. So there’s that.
Let’s start at the top. The first book in this series is my favorite by a long shot. I was obsessed. We have Mare Barrow, our lightning girl, as the protagonist. I absolutely loved how Aveyard made her bratty, stubborn, rude, and unlikable. It felt real, and I was here for it. She had her trusty side kick Kilorn, and they lived in a district called the Stilts. Mare’s family consists of her parents, three older brothers, and a younger sister. I got major Hunger Games Vibes from this whole situation. The kindgom had a rule where kids at the age of 18 either had a trade they could go into, or they were sent to the war. This was due to them being “reds”. Reds were those who had no powers, while the “silvers” had special powers and lived a much wealthier lifestyle.
Long story short. We find out Mare has lightning powers after she goes on a failed mission to save Kilorn from going off to war like her brothers. She then has to live in the pretense of being married to the younger prince since the Kingdom doesn’t want the world to know that a Red has powers. A love triangle quicly forms between her fake fiance Maven, and his older brother, Cal. Here is where I get conflicted. Honestly, I was a Maven fan. I loved him. Cal was cool, but he lacked the complexity Maven gave me.
I honestly don’t want to spoil the series, but by the end of the first book, there is a new villain, the love triangle continues, and the remaining books throw us into war. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good war plot, but this was a tad too political for me. I felt like pages and pages were dedicated to strategizing just to have it not even matter. While I love the series, I feel like maybe it was just a tad too long, or maybe I’m just bitter because of the romance aspect.
I think you should give it a go if you’re into politics and happened to love the vibes of the third Hunger Games. The writing is good and it truly is such an interesting plot. I just think I got lost in it all a bit, but not in a “can’t put this book down” kinda way.
Let me know what you think, and who you wanted Mare to get with! I know it’s not all about the romance, but really really really want to discuss.
xoxo Reb
20 Something POV 