Broken Throne: A Red Queen Collection

“The snow made the choice, not me. Not the party. And certainly not the lure of a young man with bronze eyes and a broken throne.” Broken Throne is a collection of novellas that take place before, during and after the Red Queen series. It features the previously published novellas Queen Song and Steel Scars as well as three new novellas. Additionally there are some extras, such as maps, flags and journal entries by Julian. World Behind takes place during War Storm.  It follows Ashe, the captain of a keelboat and Lyrisa, the niece of Prince Bracken and a Silver princess, as their paths cross. It was interesting to read from these perspectives, who aren’t involved with the main events in the series and who don't want any part of the war. Iron Heart takes place after War Storm and it follows Evangeline and Elane as they struggle to let go of their past and adjust to life in Monfort. I loved this novella. Evangeline is such an interesting character and after War Storm, I wanted more of a conclusion for her character arc. This novella delivered it! Fire Light takes place two months afterWar Storm and is told from the perspectives of Mare and Cal, as they return to Monfort after spending some time apart. Although I was satisfied with the ending of War Storm and I would've been fine even if Mare dumped Cal it was nice to read about their reunion and that they will take things slow. “I am almost nineteen. I have nothing but time. To choose, to heal. To live.” Fare Well the last novella is told from the POV of Maven, as he is confronted by Cal one last time and also Cal himself, as he faces the memory of Maven after his death. This novella surprised me, because I thought I knew all there is to know about Maven. I think that Maven’s decision not to show Cal that there was still a part of him left in order to prevent Cal from hurting with his memory after his death was touching. Even though his mind had been warped and twisted beyond repair, there was still a part of him that cared deeply for his brother. Reading those novellas was bittersweet. I loved that some loose ends were tied, but I'm going to miss this world and most of the characters.

Zerschlagene Krone von Victoria Aveyard ist eine ergänzende Sammlung zur Red Queen Reihe, die bekannte Ereignisse aus neuen Perspektiven beleuchtet und der Welt zusätzliche Tiefe verleiht. Die Novellen konzentrieren sich vor allem auf Nebenfiguren und frühere Geschehnisse, wodurch Zusammenhänge klarer und Charaktere greifbarer werden. Besonders spannend ist, wie Figuren, die in der Hauptreihe oft im Hintergrund standen, mehr Raum bekammen und ihre Motive, Loyalitäten und inneren Konflikte aussahen. Dadurch gewinnen viele Entscheidungen und Entwicklungen der Reihe im Nachhinein an Bedeutung. Ergänzt wird der Band durch Bonusmaterial wie Stammbäume und Einblicke in die Weltgestaltung, was vor allem für Fans interessant ist. Zerschlagene Krone ist kein eigenständiger Teil der Reihe, sondern eine wertvolle Ergänzung für Fans der Reihe, die tiefer in das Universum eintauchen möchten. Der Band rundet die Reihe ab, vertieft emotionale Bindungen zu den Figuren und bietet einen gelungenen Abschluss für alle, die sich noch nicht ganz von der Welt der Roten Königin lösen möchten. Für mich war vor allem wichtig zu sehen, wie bestimmte Charaktere sich nach der Reihe weiterentwickelt haben und einfach um noch ein bisschen in der Welt von Red Queen zu verweilen.