On My Bookshelf: Steel Scars by Victoria Aveyard

The basic plot from Amazon: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Aveyard, this 100-page digital original prequel novella follows Scarlet Guard leader Captain Farley as she exchanges coded transmissions with the resistance and 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.

A rare look into the world of the Scarlet Guard, Steel Scars is the perfect companion to the #1 New York Times bestselling Red Queen series.

Why I liked it: After finishing War Storm, the final book in the Red Queen series, I found myself wanting more, which led me to Steel Scars, a novella connected to the series. Steel Scars focuses on Farley, a leader in the Scarlet Guard and allows you to see the start of her relationship with Shade, Mare's brother, Shade's reaction to the reveal of Mare's powers at Queenestrial, and gives you more insight into Farley's character. 

Farley takes risks and her willingness to bend the rules and make her own decisions, even if it costs her the lives of her teammates in the name of the cause. While these characteristics make her a bit of a wild card, they also seem to be why she is chosen as a leader and given more and more responsibility within the Guard.

Though the novella was focused on Farley, I found I still had many questions about her past. What caused the strain in the relationship between she and her father? And what happened to the rest of their family? I also found the sections of the book formatted as messages to sometimes be confusing to read.

Classroom application: As with the rest of the series, there is violence in the novella, though mostly of the fantastical kind, so the book is appropriate for upper middle school and high school students.

The novella could also serve as inspiration for some creative writing for students. Students could choose a favorite novel or series and write a short story from the perspective of a minor character.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Steel Scars for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

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