Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
rating: 5/5
The cover is astonishing. Bravo. Bravo.
Genre: dystopian/utopian, fiction, YA
Publication: HarperTeen. February 10, 2015.
Available at:
•Barnes and Noble ($17.99
~hardcover)
•Amazon: ($10.70 ~hardcover)
•iBooks: ($10.99)
Synopsis from Goodreads:
"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."Less
"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."Less
To start off, I honestly do not remember why I picked up this book. I remember downloading the ebook on iBooks a year ago. I think many bookstagrammers (is that the correct terminology???) or bloggers I follow were constantly posting photos of this book, which caused me to attempt to read it. I successfully read through the entire book in a week or two. How did I manage to make it through that book in one piece? I have no clue!!
The cover confused me at the first glance. It is absolutely stunning, of course. The synopsis really caught my attention, though. I write, I come up with wicked story plots/ideas, but having two different types of blood (bloodlines?)—other than A positive, A negative, and so on—never crossed my mind. Of course, I will not have the same ideas as other authors. Anyways, this was unheard of, so it encouraged me to open it up ASAP. And I did open it up ASAP.
Mare Barrow is an interesting and unique character. I am used to the shy, geeky, or nerdy female protagonists (I am not bashing on those characters. I absolutely love them), so I enjoyed seeing a change in character. I did not mind that she was not as intelligent as other characters. I loved how fiesty she was. She made her lifestyle seem... interesting. No, I would not want to live that way, but I loved the way her life was described. I loved how she showed common behavior with siblings (bickering, that is. I have siblings older and younger than me, so I know what that is like). It brings out who Mare really is, in my opinion.
I also enjoyed how Kilorn and Mare are just friends. Usually you see teo characters begin as friends and fall in love for each other. This did not happen, but that is okay! Different is acceptable! Unless it rips your heart out.
Victoria Aveyard managed to rip my heart out, and I was all right with it.
I definitely recommend this book! It's a lovely read, and I'm excited to see what is to come in Glass Sword.
Also, the third book in the series will be released on February 7, 2017. Save the date!!
-----------SPOILERS BELOW------------
The cover confused me at the first glance. It is absolutely stunning, of course. The synopsis really caught my attention, though. I write, I come up with wicked story plots/ideas, but having two different types of blood (bloodlines?)—other than A positive, A negative, and so on—never crossed my mind. Of course, I will not have the same ideas as other authors. Anyways, this was unheard of, so it encouraged me to open it up ASAP. And I did open it up ASAP.
Mare Barrow is an interesting and unique character. I am used to the shy, geeky, or nerdy female protagonists (I am not bashing on those characters. I absolutely love them), so I enjoyed seeing a change in character. I did not mind that she was not as intelligent as other characters. I loved how fiesty she was. She made her lifestyle seem... interesting. No, I would not want to live that way, but I loved the way her life was described. I loved how she showed common behavior with siblings (bickering, that is. I have siblings older and younger than me, so I know what that is like). It brings out who Mare really is, in my opinion.
I also enjoyed how Kilorn and Mare are just friends. Usually you see teo characters begin as friends and fall in love for each other. This did not happen, but that is okay! Different is acceptable! Unless it rips your heart out.
Victoria Aveyard managed to rip my heart out, and I was all right with it.
I definitely recommend this book! It's a lovely read, and I'm excited to see what is to come in Glass Sword.
Also, the third book in the series will be released on February 7, 2017. Save the date!!
-----------SPOILERS BELOW------------
For a short moment, I believed Mare and Cal were going to fall in love, and then SUDDENLY Maven is her betrothed. No, I was not okay with it, but I would not quit reading. I had to know what was going to happen next.
Maven grew on me. He seemed shy because he was left in the shadows as his older brother shined in the spotlight. He was also mysterious and sweet and HOT. Well, I imagined him to be hot. Oh my, I was actually okay with Mare being Maven. And then, when Mare kissed Cal while they were dancing, my jaw dropped. I said, "OH SH—" and continued reading. Then, I found myself in the middle of a love triangle! I was no longer on a team. I was no longer Team Mal/Care nor was I Team Marven (?). My heart was torn! When I couldn't decide, I just said "You do you, Mare. I say yes to anyone."
All was well—confusing. Then Maven turned on Mare! He wasn't even on her side from the beginning!! My heart shattered!!!!! I LOOVVEEDD Maven. And then he turned out to be a crazy, psychotic boy. Like Mother like son. I was so mad. I love Cal, but Maven grew on me. I loved loved loved Maven. I'm still recovering.
This was probably part of Victoria's plan. Her book was well written. I enjoyed the whole thing. Even after having my heart ripped out.
Maven grew on me. He seemed shy because he was left in the shadows as his older brother shined in the spotlight. He was also mysterious and sweet and HOT. Well, I imagined him to be hot. Oh my, I was actually okay with Mare being Maven. And then, when Mare kissed Cal while they were dancing, my jaw dropped. I said, "OH SH—" and continued reading. Then, I found myself in the middle of a love triangle! I was no longer on a team. I was no longer Team Mal/Care nor was I Team Marven (?). My heart was torn! When I couldn't decide, I just said "You do you, Mare. I say yes to anyone."
All was well—confusing. Then Maven turned on Mare! He wasn't even on her side from the beginning!! My heart shattered!!!!! I LOOVVEEDD Maven. And then he turned out to be a crazy, psychotic boy. Like Mother like son. I was so mad. I love Cal, but Maven grew on me. I loved loved loved Maven. I'm still recovering.
This was probably part of Victoria's plan. Her book was well written. I enjoyed the whole thing. Even after having my heart ripped out.