Monday 18 January 2016

REVIEW: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Pages: 383
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Orion
Release Date: February 10th 2015
Genre: Dystopia, Fantasy
Buy The Book: Amazon - Amazon UK

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 . . .

My Thoughts:
There was no escaping the hype that surrounded this book. Red Queen follows Mare as her world changes forever when she discovers that she’s very different to anything her world has seen before, and nobody has any answers as to what she might be. 

I’ll admit this was a little bit of a slow starter for me, and I was worried that it would be one of those reads that doesn’t live up to the buzz, but then Mare ended up in the palace with the royal family, and other Silver ‘nobles’ who are responsible for the suffering of her fellows Reds. That was when the story really took off for me. 

Mare is a feisty character who isn’t afraid to take a stand, so I was instantly drawn to her fighting attitude. I loved seeing her reactions to suddenly being placed right in the heart of the world she resents. Her need to protect the people she cares for is touching and shows what measures she would go to in order to keep them safe. 

Cal, the prince who is destined to take the throne, is a character I had mixed feeling about. He and Mare share a connection throughout the story, but I didn’t quite feel their spark. That could be down to the fact that there is a lot of action going on all the time, so we’re not really given many intimate scenes in which the pair have much of a chance to talk. I’m interested to see how they progress in the next book. 

There are so many interesting minor characters, too, such as Julian, the kind-hearted Silver, or Mare’s family, who we don’t know too much about just yet. Each one of them adds a new dynamic to the story. And then there’s Kilorn. He was one of the small issues I had with Red Queen, probably because from the moment he was introduced, my mind screamed GALE, GALE, GALE. Because, basically, he is the Gale Hawthorne of this story. Whilst there’s not a huge amount of evidence to prove it yet, I’m almost certain he has feelings for Mare, and there will probably be some love-triangle tension in the future. I really don’t want that to happen. It’s something I’ve read so many times before, and I’m over it now. I’d rather Kilorn simply be a great friend and a strong ally.  

Since this book has been out for almost a year now, I’m going to go ahead and discuss a spoilery part. If you haven’t read this book yet, please scroll past the spoiler banner – shield your eyes!


SPOILERS – SPOILERS - SPOILERS – SPOILERS - SPOILERS – SPOILERS


I need to talk about Maven and my crushing disappointment. I loved Maven. Like, A LOT. And I was desperate for him to not be evil, to not become the villain, and despite a few warnings, I was in-denial that he was anything other than the brave and good rebel that he pretended to be. I loved the fact that he was a prince opening his eyes to the horrors around him and determined to do something about it, but of course, it was too good to be true. Credit to Aveyard for her fantastic writing of that particular plot twist, but I AM SO GUTTED. 

Also, whilst we’re in the spoiler section, that Shade-shaped plot-twist at the very end? Amazing. I’d been so interested in Shade throughout the story and was disappointed that we weren’t given the chance to meet him, so I was thrilled with the ending. 


SPOILERS – SPOILERS - SPOILERS – SPOILERS - SPOILERS – SPOILERS


You’re safe to look again now! Red Queen had me hooked for the days I was reading it. Despite the fact that some of the elements in this story are ones I’ve seen written several times over in other popular YA series, it still managed to feel new and exciting. The world and the wars within it were compelling, and I was utterly sucked in. I’m definitely eager to see the battle continue in the next book.

Royal Rating:


 
 

2 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed this one. I'm excited for book two in a couple of weeks! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I completely agree with your thoughts! I enjoyed it, but I found that it seemed to borrow a few ideas from other popular YA books. Not that I minded, but I couldn't help but notice it. I absolutely can't wait to get to know more about Shade!
    Great review!
    Erika @ Books, Stars, and the Pages in Between

    ReplyDelete

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