Publisher: Harper Teen
Publish Date: February 10, 2015
Series: Red Queen Trilogy, Book 1
ISBN-13: 978-0062310637
Genre: Fiction – Young Adult, Fantasy
Synopsis: Graceling meets The Selection in debut novelist Victoria Aveyard’s sweeping tale of seventeen-year-old Mare, a common girl whose once-latent magical power draws her into the dangerous intrigue of the king’s palace. Will her power save her or condemn her?
Mare Barrow’s world is divided by blood–those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.
To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard–a growing Red rebellion–even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal.
Nothing lures me in to reading something more than a gorgeous cover and a enigmatic title. The combination can be powerful. When I crossed paths with Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, I was lured. The cover is gruesome in a haute couture way.
Red Queen is about a clear and distinct separation between the social system. There are notable features that distinguish between the Red blood commoners and the Silver blood elites. Along with social and financial differences, there is also another not so simple, yet really awesome distinction: superhuman abilities. The Silver-blooded elites have powers that really set them apart from the others. And among the politics between the people, there is one girl who will change everything about their world. And that change? Legendary.
Mare Barrow is a Red blood commoner from the Stilts. She, like other Reds, are at the mercy of the Silvers. They rule, and she cannot do anything but follow. But Mare isn’t just a normal Red. And when she finds herself in a position to change her future, she will do what she must to win.
This world is nothing like I’ve read before. The culture is established. There are royals with power on top of power, social elites who rule with more than just their physical attributes, and a common girl who will lead her people to freedom.
Mare is a good heroine. She is a Red, and like many from a lower social status, is limited by everything that comes along with being a Red. She is also a thief, from a large family. And like many others around her, she must go to war. Her identity may be chosen for her, but she is far beyond a normal Red. She has enough tenacity to survive the malice actions of her world.
Red Queen is filled with adventure, loyalty, and heart. In this unique world, Aveyard blurs the lines of the rich and poor. She provides hope to those who have lost it, and strength for those willing. Aveyard writes a heroine who knows the foundation of her own greatness, and shows that there is something to be learned from every experience imaginable.
I enjoyed this story. Mostly for the heroine, but also for the culture and world that Aveyard has written. It’s fascinating and mesmerizing. Epic is another good word for this world. It has so much potential for awesome, and I cannot wait to read more from Aveyard.
