Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard – a Review

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository / BAM

Description:
The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?

Review:

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard is her debut novel and the 1^st book in her Red Queen trilogy. When I read the description of this book, I had decided to give it a shot. WOW All I can say is I am so glad I did, as I became totally immersed into this fabulous and mesmerizing story by Aveyard. Red Queen is a fantasy style dystopian, and if this is Victoria Aveyard’s debut novel, I can’t wait to see what else she has in store for us. Once I started this book, I could not put it down, as it grabs you from the get go, and the world building is fantastic.

Our heroine is Mare Barrow, and she is a Red (red blood) who are considered the lower class citizens in this cruel world. The Reds live in poverty, they are the workers, the servants, and the ones who are sent to war. They have no special ability, therefore they are expendable. Mare has no skills, she is a thief, who goes into town daily and sneakily steals things to provide money and food for the family she loves. Since she has no job, she is scheduled when she reaches her next birthday to be sent off to war, where few survive. When her friend, Kilorn loses his job, he is expected to be sent quickly to the war zone, and Mare is determined to protect him. While she travels to Silver territory to steal more things to save her friend, she meets someone who will change her life forever.

The Silvers (silver blood) are the wealthy, the leaders, the skilled warriors, living in luxury, with various super amazing powers that rule many of the houses. But there is one Royal family, a King, Queen and two princes that rule.

Mare much to her surprise, the day after her trip to Silver territory, is visited by Silver warriors and pulled away from home to work as a servant for the Royals. Of course, Reds have no choice, they must do what they are told to do, but at least she doesn’t have to go to fight in the army. An accident changes things for Mare, as she is thrown into the world of the Silvers, including the Royal family. Out of nowhere, she is now a princess and betrothed to the 2^nd prince. The Royal family, conceives a plan to make Mare a long lost princess, and to keep her close. Why? You will need to read this book to find out. Mare has no choice, either be this princess or die.

We meet the two princes that will become a big part of Mare’s life. Cal, is the future King, and he is the one who helped her get the job. Maven, is the 2^nd son, and he is the one betrothed to Mare, now known as Mareena. Mare likes both of the princes, which partially looks like a triangle, but in time you will see it is not so.

At this time there is a new Red revolution led by the Scarlet Guard. Despite her now being in the upper class, Mare hates the Royals and all the Silvers, but she has to act the part or die. Queen Elara, who is Maven’s mother, is very powerful, able to read memories of anyone, as well as do mind control to force them to do what she wants. In the midst of all of this, Mare secretly joins forces with the Scarlet Guard to help them. Their motto “We will rise, red as the dawn”. Surrounded by the enemy, and forced to continue this lie, Mare tries to learn all she can, especially being thrown into this political intrigue. What follows is an extremely exciting, non-stop action, and intense battles, not to mention facing all these powers that the Silvers have.

Mare is warned over and over, to trust no one….Anyone can betray anyone. Mare was a terrific heroine, having to face insurmountable odds every step of the way. Cal was hot, and I really liked him. Maven was surprisingly very sweet and good with Mare. But the big question, will Mare’s secret be revealed? Will she survive? Who will betray her?

The last quarter of the book is mind boggling, with a major twist, one which I kind of expected, though not to the degree that it was. There were so many life and death situations, with a range of emotions throughout. I do not want to give spoilers, and anything more would be spoilers. This was extremely exciting, as I could not put the book down, holding my breath with every page. In fact, the following morning, I had to go back and reread the last quarter again. Aveyard has created some amazing and wonderful characters, both good and evil. Red Queen is an intense, exciting and fantastic read. I cannot wait for the next book in this trilogy. Victoria Aveyard has done a fabulous job writing her first novel, and in my opinion, she has a wonderful career in front of her.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy proved by Publisher through Edelweiss