Admittedly, I stumbled upon this book a little later in the whole series game? But....it's fine.
This is a side story to the Red Queen series, so if you don't want any spoilers, don't read this blog. YAY!
I've read and reviewed the first three books, RED QUEEN, GLASS SWORD, and KING'S CAGE. I think you're supposed to read this particular book between Red Queen and Glass Sword because it has a sneak peek for Glass Sword at the end? But.... whatever! Here we are!
To the amazon summary! "The #1 New York Times bestselling series!
Discover the truth of Norta's bloody past in this paperback bind-up of two novella-length prequels to #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen series.
Queen Song:
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.
Steel Scars:
Captain Farley exchanges coded transmissions with the resistance as she travels the land recruiting black market traders, smugglers, and extremists for her first attempt at an attack on the capital. She was raised to be strong, but planting the seeds of rebellion in Norta is a tougher job than expected—until she stumbles upon a connection that may prove to be the key to the entire operation: Mare Barrow.
This paperback bind-up also includes an excerpt of the second book in the Red Queen series, Glass Sword.
And don’t miss War Storm, the thrilling final book in the bestselling Red Queen series!" AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE
This book is also a two part story, similar to books I've reviewed in the past. So I'm going to break it down to the two stories inside.
Queen's Song
Queen's song is about Cal's mother, Queen Coriane, and the slow descent into madness she experiences from her ordeals with Elara (Maven's mother). I thought it was an interesting read, but I don't think it was very enlightening to the series in general? If I didn't read this book, it wouldn't really impact my knowledge of the series. However, I APPRECIATE THAT SO MUCH! If you don't read this book, the author doesn't punish you. If you're an inquisitive reader, it does reveal more about the Queen herself, who she was, and what her priorities were. It was kind of nice. I do wonder if this book inspired the author to switch to different narrators in book 3 (and probably book 4). I will say, it was kind of gut wrenching read, similar to Mare's months in captivity and how you see that spiral into chaotic thought.
Steel Scars
I really liked this story. It's about Farley and how she started planting the seeds for the Scarlet Guard to lead the red rebellion in Norta. It showcases a lot more about her relationship with her father, but also gives you a firm grasp of how she views the world around her. I kind of loved it actually. Farley has been a character I've liked a lot throughout the series since she's just been a consistent badass and brings it to you every time (if you will). We also got to see more of Farley's and Shade's relationship before Mare's powers were uncovered, and that was also nice. To know how much they meant to each other before we saw it in the series. Again, I don't think this side story is inherently essential to read to understand the main series, but it also gave me more insight to Farley, Shade, and the Scarlet Guard. I enjoyed it.
I really enjoyed both side stories really, and if you've read the other books and are curious about these story elements, I'd recommend picking up this book. If not, then it really doesn't hurt you at all to not read them.
Happy reading!
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