domingo, 24 de junio de 2018

Review: “King’s Cage” (Red Queen #3) by Victoria Aveyard.




Title: King’s Cage
Book: Red Queen #3
Editorial: HarperTeen
Year: 2017
Pages: 544 (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9780062310712
Mark: 9/10

 ABSTRACT
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.

PERSONAL VALORATION
Justification
"King's Cage" is the third book of the book series "Red Queen" written by Victoria Aveyard. It is a series that belongs to the genres of young-adult (YA), fantasy and apocalyptic futures. It deals with inequality, injustice and rebellion in a dystopian world in which divisions take place according to the color of the blood (the red ones being the harmed ones and the silver ones the beneficiaries). You can read the review of the first book here and the second one here. Obviously, throughout this text there may be spoilers of the two previous books.
Plot
Continuing with the dynamics of the previous book where, apart from Mare's point of view appeared the point of view of Cameron, in this book a third female voice is introduced: Evangeline. In this way, through these three female characters (strong and independent and with different characteristics and ideologies) we can observe the time of confinement and reflection of Mare, the plots of the high houses through Evangeline and the dynamics of the Red Guard with Cameron. In this book we introduce ourselves more and more in the alliances, betrayals, promises and oaths of the different parties and we know in greater depth the role of the different characters in the chess game that is the war. Besides, apart from knowing Norta in more detail, the relations with the monarchy of the Lakelands and with the republic of Montfort become evident; showing their differences, their disputes and their alliances.
Characters
Mare: this is the moment in which I've really realized that Mare is one of the best characters I've had the opportunity to read (#TeamMare). Her development in this book is spectacular, real and painful. She is afraid, isolated, devoid of her lightning but she struggles and persists. Her role in the series has taken hold and becomes important, away from the love clichés and her apparent initial superficiality.
Cameron: her seemingly secondary role serves to perform a comparative analysis of her attitude and her ideological and Mare’s. Although they do not appreciate each other very much and do not share many ways of acting, they have much more in common than they imagine. Like Mare, Cameron is moved by her desire to care for and protect her family and change the social situation in which they find themselves. However, the abilities of each one imply psychologically different types of thoughts and sensations.
Evangeline: It was certainly a great surprise to find the narrative from Evangeline's point of view during this book, but my surprise was even greater when my vision of her changed radically. Although she is still the same as always, Evangeline has earned a place in my heart as the best multifaceted and antiheroic character that she is. Also, I love the representativeness of the character for the LGTBI+ community.
Cal: is a romantic, strong, intelligent, innocent, good boy ... and the true heir to the throne. His identity and the position in which it places him with respect to his personal relationships (ejem ejem Mare and Maven) and the side in which he occupies a very important part of the plot of the book. He has to make a decision about your position before it's too late.
Maven: in this book we can get deeper into his mind, his ideas and his Machiavellian plans. He is a damaged character with a dangerous obsession with Mare (personally, I do not think romantic). He does not inspire compassion, he does not inspire tenderness; and obviously I do not like it at all. I find his story moving, but it does not seem to me that his methods and ideas are appropriate. That is, a 100% villain.
Atmosphere
Continuing with the previous dynamic, in this third book the atmosphere that is presented surpasses the previous one. Thus, we see not only the regalness of the High Houses and the palace and the disturbing of the trenches and the battlefields, but we also know the rest of the regions and countries bordering on Norta. In this way, while the characters meet people from other neighboring countries, we get to the idea of ​​the map that make up these regions and the different forms of government that occur in them.
Writing style
As in the previous books, the writing of Victoria Aveyard has been fast, fluid and very dynamic. The reflections and thoughts are combined in an appropriate way, with the dialogues and the moments of unbridled action. Again, my biggest concern, as in the previous case, is the presence of a tremendous cliffhanger at the end of the book (which, by the way, leaves the previous ones in the background completely). My feeling was such that as soon as I read it, I bought the following: "War Storm (#4)"

GENERAL COMMENT
"King's Cage (#3)" is a third spectacular installment in the series YA, "Red Queen". Through the narrations of Mare, Cameron and Evangeline we can discover three complementary realities of the plot: the prison, the Scarlet Guard and the High Houses (respectively). This complicates the plot of book series, at the same time that the role of the characters is observed in more detail within the social scheme that arises as well as their differences of ideals and desires. Thus, in this book, the established form of government and its implications (class inequality, injustice and alienation) and the revolution that seeks to achieve a new social order are deepened with greater precision.

-R.

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