This review contains spoilers for the entire Red Queen series.
Ah. I see. Here’s the Surge of Emotion.
VICTORIA. Why was this fifteen-page-long novella SO SAD? I swear! I nearly cried!
Maven. He tried. The scene from his perspective was heartbreaking, because he just seemed so empty? And his mother was still with him, still controlling everything thought he had. The last line of his perspective was so heartbreaking.
I think I know why Maven appeals to me so much. Yeah, I mean he seems popular within the fandom, but I think I can relate to him on a personal level — and it’s just clicked with me, why.
Maven’s voices in his head — his mother, kind of remind me of ocd. In case you didn’t know, yeah. I have it. And also, just anxiety in general. It’s strange how this is the first time I’m explicitly opening up about it on this blog. In a book review. I have implied it in many posts, but not outright said it. And yeah, I mean the real thing. The mental illness that makes you want to die, but simultaneously makes you do the most pointless things over and over and over and over and over just so you don’t.
I believe that I suffer from heaps of subtypes — but I guess an overarching theme is the absence of love. I guess I’ve conditioned myself not to “love” anyone in fear that if I do, something horrible will happen to the relationship or the person themselves. (I kinda talked about this in my post, Love and Bucky, but I only realised months after that it was probably a part of ocd.)
And I guess Maven is kinda like that too? Except that his mother just kind of took the love away. So it’s not that similar I guess, but I still find that I relate to Maven.
I’m gonna stop ranting about that now.
The part of this novella that was like Cal’s diary… I’m gonna have to admit it was kinda funny. He taught me an important lesson: do not lure wolves with dinner scraps. He also said that he… stepped in a geyser? I’m not sure why I found that so funny.
But then. The other scene from Cal’s perspective. Oh my gosh. I just… don’t know what to say. I would call that scene the most emotional one in the entire Red Queen series. And it was also the last one. I feel like crying. And I just don’t know how to word it. But I think I liked how the final scene of the whole series was so heartbreaking. Because I guess that’s how I’ll remember it.
And the brotherly love and the grief that comes from that is so well written in this scene especially. I feel like it’s not really explored in many books I’ve read. I don’t know what to say. Somehow Victoria Aveyard has rescued this series’ reputation in my mind, with this last scene. It was so so so so so damn sad. But I think it had a sense of finality to it, as you’d expect, with it being named Fare Well and everything.
I can’t word things. I don’t know what to say. Maybe it will come to me later. But for now, I will leave this here. I can’t believe I finished the series.
Fare Well by Victoria Aveyard, 13+*
*This age recommendation is only my opinion. Some younger people might feel comfortable reading this book, and some older people might not. That's fine, either way. Warning for swearing, and potentially upsetting themes such as grief.
Comments
Post a Comment