Glass Sword is the 2nd book in the Red Queen series. We pick up where Red Queen left off and follow Mare as she attempts to track down and recruit New Bloods, Reds with abilities like herself. The clock is ticking and she needs to find these people before a certain villain finds and destroys them. After that explosive ending and major twist in Red Queen I was more than eager to hop back into this world. 

The first half of the book gives us a bit of action and we begin meeting new characters as they join Mare's team. I noticed I was having trouble connecting with Mare's character this time around. She was moody and self absorbed. She claimed to give the New Bloods a choice whether or not to join her and learn to use their powers but at one point she stops asking and starts forcing them to join her. She even regrets letting one New Blood go and feels that she should have forced him to stay as well. She uses people like game pieces, treats her family like an after thought and even begins killing needlessly. I'm a bit disappointed in the direction her character is heading.

There is very little romance in this book. Through most of the book, Mare and Cal just barely get along, which is understandable. Cal lost his parents and has horror and guilt weighing on him in addition to the immense hurt and betrayal he was dealt. Mare still has her family, both parents and siblings, alive and well. The betrayal she suffered was on a lesser scale than Cal's. I couldn't understand why she continued to act as if she alone carried the weight of the world.

I didn't feel we got the chance to really get to know the new characters. They had so much potential, their abilities were interesting and unique, but they were never fully fleshed out. In the second half of the book we are able to see them in action and that's about the time things get exciting.

The loss of a certain character really hurt. I felt this character was one of the most likable characters in the book. In addition, something big happens in the finale but we don't actually get to see it happen. We skip right over it. The fight is over and suddenly you realize, THAT happened? Wait, when and how did THAT happen? Did we black out and miss it? I would definitely remember something like that. This, mixed with Mare's melancholy attitude throughout the entire story made me love this book a little less than Red Queen.

I'm really hoping to see more character growth from Mare in the next book. At this point, things can go in any direction. Maybe we'll see our villain seeking redemption and Mare ending up as the villainous little lightening girl. Who knows what Victoria has in store.