This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.
The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.
That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.
Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.
But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.
It’s been so long but I’m finally getting back time to write blogposts again in between work shifts 😀 So here I am with a brand-new bookreview.
Well… brand new :p Since King’s Cage is coming out in a week, I’ve been rereading the series and I came to the discovery that I never uploaded a review on Red Queen before. Not on GoodReads nor on here. So here it is. My very first review ever about Red Queen.
Red Queen is a debut novel by Victoria Aveyard and it’s one hell of a read. It’s about this poor girl who has turned to thievery in order to show her skills and be part of the family. In a world where having red blood means being lesser than those with silver blood in their veins, Mare struggles to keep her head above water but she manages to keep her family fed and her best friend safe from conscription. Only her own conscription is coming up rapidly and there’s nothing she can do to stop it.
In her world all reds are send to the army when they’ve reached the age of 18. Boy or girl, doesn’t matter. Everyone needs to see the land they call the Choke, a wasteland with nothing but dust and death.
But then something happens to her family that forces Mare into a job at court as a servant. It terrifies Mare to be arround so many silvers. Silvers who want her dead, mostly, just for being a red. But she behaves and does her job. It’s the only way to keep her family and friend from being send to the army or starve to death. It’s the only way to help them.
Only… there’s more to Mare than meets the eye. She’s not just a red servant but one blessed with power alike the silvers but stronger. More powerful. Electricity doesn’t hurt her at a touch. It doesn’t kill her when it should and so Mare stumbles into a dangerous game of deceit, betrayal, secrets and lies. Or in other words… a life at a silver court where no one can know she is red by blood instead of silverborn.
Although this is very much a debut novel and, as a reader, you can spot the aspects that still need to mature a little, it’s crazily insane. The characters are well-rounded, the world-building is sprinkled inbetween the lines and the scenery comes alive with Victoria’s words. She definitely has a skill for descriptive scenes in which I could easily imagine myself standing in front of Mare’s parental home or feel the heat.
i love those kind of books where the words just kind of absorb me and make me feel like I’m in the main character’s shoes.
There wasn’t much that I found faulting in this book. Sure.. there were some little things here and there but overall Red Queen is definitely a must-read for anyone who loves fantady YA novels and is craving for some slow romance.
Personally, I really liked the dynamic between Mare, Cal and Maven. There was an obvious tension between the two brothers, even though they teased and accepted each other. I really felt for Maven at some point, for always being second best or no best at all. There was even a time when I disliked Cal for not noticing how his brother felt but I shave hopes for them. Hopefully they get to talk things out.
The love-triangle thing didn’t really suit me, though. I didn’t really see the connection between Mare and Cal as I did between her and Maven. Now that I have read the second book I’m seeing it more and more but still
As far as recommendations go, I truly recommend this one. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars because it’s top-notch for a debut novel. It still has room to grow and needs to mature a little but it’s still up high on my fave list.
With love,
Leanne
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