Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Published by Harper Collins on February 10th 2015
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy & Magic, Love & Romance, Royalty
Pages: 400
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780062310651
Goodreads

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.

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Review by Rosette of Red Queen

I have always looked forward to the day when my daughter and I would one day share our thoughts on a book that we both have read.  She’s thirteen now (or rather, soon to be) and her love for reading has increased tremendously.  We continue to argue about who discovered Red Queen first. She states that it was on the To Read List from her school, however I seem to remember that it was I that picked the book up at Books a Million and expressed a huge interest in the book. Either way, we both agree that Red Queen is one beautifully written book. My daughter is 13 and I am 47, we both have an interest in the same movies and TV shows, so it’s no wonder that we have the same love of genre in our books.

Both of us whizzed through Red Queen. You will absolutely have a difficult time putting it down. The story line of a poor young girl turned revolutionary princess with the aid of her compatriots was completely absorbing. I love a book where I can feel that I am part of the story; where I can feel the character’s sorrow, their confusion, and betrayal. A novel that pulls you into a story like that is definitely one you will want on your shelf.

The Red Queen has no shortage on surprises. You think you know the story and all of a sudden, it’s a slap in the face, jaw dropping, what-the-heck-just happened kind of moment, hits you. And it hits you hard! I’m still feeling the sting of betrayal that happened towards the end of the book, much like Mare.

But the epilogue more than compensates for the shocking surprises. I was overjoyed to say the least.

If you look at the author’s bio it states that her many influences include JRR Tolkien, George RR Martin, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Peter Jackson. You can see these influences very heavily in her work.

This book is appropriate for ages preteens and above. The romance is present but I don’t feel it is the main focus, and the intimacy factor is very light as well, which is limited to kissing and embracing. It is very sweet. But there is so much more than just romance to this book. This book demonstrates how a revolution is born through the unfairness of life, through the deep seated hatred among the classes of Silver bloods vs. Red bloods, and how the spark of insurgency is created out of the basic need to do anything to protect one’s family and friends. Finally, it shows us that history can be changed unequivocally by someone who is so young and considered to be an insignificant. Who would have ever thought the world would be changed by a Red blooded thief?

This is one of the most engaging Teen/Young Adult novels I’ve read in a while, and my daughter and I are both anxiously anticipating the next book. Don’t miss this one! One click it now!

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