Young Adult Book Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Title: Red Queen
Series: Red Queen Trilogy #1
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Age Group: YOUNG ADULT
Genre Type: Fantasy /Dystopian
Publication Date: February 10th 2015
Source: Publisher
Publisher: HarperTeen
SUMMARY:
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?
Power is a dangerous game.
The Red Queen. I loved it! It worked for me in the best of ways and met my hopes and expectations for a thrilling new YA, and gave me a new author and series to gather closely to my watch list! Superhuman powers, political intrigue, rebellion, and a touch of romance all blended into a fantastic start of a new series.
A blend of genres that I loved, creating a page-turner.
There's some key ingredients that worked well for me in this story. The mixed blend of some of my favorite genres made this into a page-turning, edge-of-you-seat read. On the brink of revolution, we have the stark sense of a dystopian society divided by blood between the Silvers and the Reds. Then, there's a fantasy/ sci fi vibe with the Silvers who hold the power with superhuman abilities, think along the lines of X-Men. Abilities like mind control and the ability to manipulate the elements. There's arena style fights called the Feats of First Friday, a gladiator style competition between Silvers - brutal and filled with superhuman powers, used to scare Reds into further submission. All of these elements help create the start of a world that I wanted to know much more about.
A heroine that fires your imagination.
Mare is an engaging and intelligent heroine. She is easy to relate to, sometimes making imperfect choices, yet her strength and determination makes her so easy to like. A Red who through a twist of fate finds herself at the palace of the Silvers with a unimaginable power she should not have. Danger lurks around every corner. She is surrounded by those who wish to use her abilities, others who fear her. Mare not only learns how to quickly adapt to the deadly political intrigue that threatens her, but she quickly learns that in order to every truly be free of the Silvers, she must embrace and master the strange gifts given to her.
Twists, turns and deceptions ... Oh My!
The story is filled with some heart-stopping twists, betrayals, and deadly intrigue. Deadly enemies and unsuspecting allies to be found in a den of vipers that keeps the story from being just another melange of YA themes. Mare brought me high and low as she tries to maneuver the political intrigue. Villains that truly had me cringing. Family ties and friendships tested. A gamut of emotions are gone through that I rode out along with Mare like a wave crashing and receding!
The romance was well played out.
The romance, never in the forefront as danger in its varying forms was paramount, was well done. The Red Queen has the smallest whispers of romance that had me longing for a certain prince. I thought the inclusion, though small, was completely clever and how it played out in the end had my heart-stopping. Choices are not given, and circumstances all play a pivotal role.
Well done. I loved it from beginning to end.
An exceedingly well done debut that made a fan of me. No doubt, I'm eagerly waiting on the sequel. The Red Queen gave me plenty of action, wound-up tension, and superpowers to turn the pages, and a compelling new heroine to follow.
My Rating: 4.5 stars. I loved it!
PLEASE NOTE: A courtesy review copy of this book was provided by HarperTeen in exchange for my fair review. Thank you HarperTeen for the review opportunity!
