Red Queen is a book that resembles X-Men meets Hunger Games. A dystopian fantasy world that draws readers into an adventure of Reds and Silvers on the verge of war. At first glance we have a gorgeous cover with a bloody crown. It would definitely make a great movie poster for the upcoming movie! This cover draws the reader’s eye but what lies inside is an action pact adventure that won’t let the reader put down the book. There was a lot of hype around this book and for good reason too, it’s just that good! It smashed all my expectations and gave me a wonderful read that makes me yearn for the second book. I bow to the talented Victoria because it’s going to be pure torture waiting for book 2.
Our main character Mare Barrow lives in the Stilts, a dilapidated muddy village of Reds that serves the Silvers. In this world people are divided by blood. The Silvers live their lives with luxury because of the powers they wield and the color of their silver blood. Due to the fact that they have red blood with no powers, they serve the Silvers. Mare’s brothers fight in a war that never ends. The kingdom of Norta is at war with Lakeland. To make things better she steals to give her family food and electricity. But her time to fight in the war is drawing near as her conscription date arrives. Mare has come to terms with it, that is until her friend Kilorn is being sent to war. She tries to save him anyway she can but soon she finds herself in the palace as a servant until one fateful night it all changes. Mare discovers she has a gift too, a power like the Silvers. Problem is that she isn’t a Silver. The King and Queen attempt to hide Mare and give her a new identity as a long lost Silver Princess.
Yep, she is now a princess and engaged to the second Prince, Maven. She has to train and learn the ways of the silvers and harness her powers. To make matters worse, or a lot better if you think about it, two princes, Maven and Cal, via for her affection. She has enemies who hate her, one in particular is Evangeline, a silver who can manipulate metal…can we say Magneto’s kin?! A rebellion is rising among the Reds and they want Mare to join. They call themselves the Scarlett Guard, revolutionaries who want to change the whole nobility process. Mare has to deceive the world that she is Silver while deceiving the Silver’s for the Scarlett Guard. What’s a girl to do?
Let’s first talk about the abilities. I love the powers. I’m an X-men fan and the ability to control things is fantastic. In Victoria’s world you have the Silver’s who have X-men esque powers. Each one has their own ability. There are the strongarms, tellky, whispers, magnetron, and nymphs just to name a few with one badass lightning girl.
Mare is a wonderful character. She’s headstrong, heartfelt and cares for everyone. Everything she does is in good intention. She wants to protect her people, the Reds, but also finds there are some Silvers she wants to protect too, some that she has grown close to. Mare is so outspoken that I just love that characteristic about her. I couldn’t wait to see what snide remarks she had next for the Silvers. She starts to see both worlds and the repercussions that occur in them because she lives in both worlds. There’s many times she falls down with failure but Mare is so strong she gets back up fighting!
The secondary characters were just as interesting, especially the two princes. There is Maven, Mare’s fiancé, and there’s Cal, the Crown Prince. There really wasn’t much of a love triangle between them. Which I’m glad because I loath love triangles. In reality they don’t exist. Cal wants to protect his people but sneaks out to see how the Reds live. This is where he meets Mare, who pickpockets him. For the would be king, Cal keeps his distance and observes. He keeps to himself but show’s his concern for Mare and his brother in the ways he helps them. He’s brave and strong. Maven is a kind prince who’s easy going and lives in the shadow of Cal. He takes it in stride and helps Mare anyway he can. There are other characters such as Kilron, the king and queen and Evangeline that bring this world to life. You can’t miss them because they spark some anger or concern within you when it comes to their association with Mare.
The world building is fantastic! Victoria’s writing flows with the action and every scene is breathtakingly vivid. Her descriptions puts the reader right into the story. There’s action, suspense, and slight romance that makes an edge of your seat read that you can’t put down. Victoria helps the reader delve into her world with the right amount of information, no info dumping here people. The twist and turns are epic, some you see coming and others just hit you in the gut with surprise. POW! One thing I do hope is the next book is the backstory regarding The Ruins and The Wash. There is some backstories I hope Victoria explores because it’s so interesting in the first book!
Should you read it? Yes! A phenomenal debut from from Victoria! X-men meets Hunger games with action intense scenes that make you turn each page swiftly. You won’t want to put this book down so come see what you’re missing!
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Popular Highlights in this book
The gods rule us still. They have come down from the stars. And they are no longer kind.Highlighted by 3,945 Kindle readers- This world is Silver, but it is also gray. There is no black-and-white.Highlighted by 3,525 Kindle readers
- In the stories, the old fairy tales, a hero comes. But all my heroes are gone or dead. No one is coming for me.Highlighted by 2,855 Kindle readers
From the Publisher
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| Glass Sword | King's Cage | War Storm | Broken Throne | |
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| Price | $7.89 | $10.78 | $10.19 | $15.71 |
| Dive into more electrifying fantasy books by Victoria Aveyard! | In Book 2 of the Red Queen series, Mare sets out to recruit others to join the rebellion while at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat. | In Book 3 of the Red Queen series, rebellion is rising and allegiances will be tested on every side. | In the explosive finale to the Red Queen series all will be tested, but not all will survive. | Return once again to the deadly and dazzling world of Red Queen with this beautifully designed, must-have collection of novellas, bonus scenes, artwork, and much more! |
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| Red Queen 4-Book Paperback Box Set | Realm Breaker | Blade Breaker | Realm Breaker 2-Book Hardcover Box Set | Fate Breaker | |
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| Price | $34.99 | $9.53 | $11.65 | $21.99 | $17.59 |
| This beautifully packaged paperback box set includes all four novels in Victoria Aveyard’s #1 New York Times bestselling Red Queen series. | In this action-packed start to a new fantasy series, a band of unlikely allies are on a mission to stop their world from being torn apart by a vicious opponent intent on burning the realm to ash. | The battle to control the realm rages on as mortal and otherworldly armies clash in Book 2 of the Realm Breaker series. | In the first two books of the Realm Breaker series, a divided realm must rally, an unstoppable enemy must be defeated, and the fate of the world rests on a blade’s edge. | In a final clash between kingdoms and gods, all must rise to fight—or be destroyed, in the epic conclusion to the unforgettable Realm Breaker series. |
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a Torn Red Queen #bookreview ###/5
Red Queen is a Young Adult Dystopian Fantasy, told from the point of view of Mare, a young girl trying to survive everyday life; providing for-; and protecting her family against the Silvers – god-like humans with powers and abilities. Silvers (silver-blooded humans) rule Reds (red-blooded humans) in a Hunger Games meets Game of Thrones kingdom. Life is hard, and it’s about to get so much harder.I give Red Queen a very respectable ### out of 5 octothorps (I don’t give half octothorps; I rather decide if I like it less or more and adjust my rating accordingly). My review contains spoilers, as this book is very difficult to review without giving away some character profiles and a plot overview.What didn’t I like:1. Dystopian novels like Hunger Games, Game of Thrones and YA fantasy sagas like Twilight and Harry Potter have dramatic and suspenseful moments. Events that keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering: “what is going to happen next? How are they going to get out of this?” Unfortunately, in Red Queen, I was not sitting on the edge of my seat. Aveyard’s writing style is very bland when building up the suspense to key events and life-or-death moments - there was no drumming in my head. All events unfold in the same slow-paced, run-of-the-mill, everyday-life narration.I found myself turning back a page and rereading sections thinking: “did I scan-read, did I miss something????? No, I didn’t, it’s just the writing style”2. Throughout the story, I was very aware of Kilorn, Cal and Maven’s feelings towards Mare. Their feelings are not described in obvious words but in a well-written undertone. I could not say the same for Mare’s feelings towards Kilorn, Cal nor Maven. Aveyard did an unsatisfying job of describing or hinting at Mare’s feelings. In the end, big proclamations are made, and again, with no real build-up.3. I prefer 3rd person narration and I would have loved to hear the events from one of the other characters’ point of view. Specifically, Cal and Kilorn; it would’ve added so much depth to this book.4. I made 4 predictions as the story unfolded. All 4 came to pass. I am not proud of the fact that I predicted so accurately, I am disappointed in such a predictable ending.What I liked:1. The first chapter had my attention with First Friday, as it provided a very good introduction to the fantasy part of the book and gives you a crash course in the Silvers' abilities and powers.2. Mare is likable and relatable – she is a young girl with hopes, dreams, self-doubt, annoyances, and disappointments. She cares deeply for her family and her people and wishes she could provide a better life for them. I have to admit; later on, I had to change my perception of Mare, as I had a picture in my mind of a scruffy little thief and found it hard to imagine her as a princess – it had nothing to do with her looks, but again, something to with the Aveyard’s writing style. Mare's decisions though, are selfless and based on her want to do better for her people.3. Each character has their own place in this hierarchy within a hierarchy world and they know what their duties and roles are (maybe slightly stereotypical, but not enough to take away from the interlinking relationships). There is a healthy mix of romance, intimacy, protectiveness and family loyalty. This kept me wanting to read more as I felt connected to them personally. I could feel what they feel, I could think, what they think. This part the Aveyard nailed!In conclusion:Even though the writing is not brilliant, I am hoping Aveyard grew in her writing throughout the remainder of the series. I found the story enjoyable enough to continue with the series until such time that it goes on the #dnf pile (hence the 3x ###/5).Favorite quotes:"It makes me afraid for the boy who taught me how to dance." - such a tender moment and beautiful description."A hierarchy within the hierarchy."More books by #victoriaaveyardGlass Sword (Red Queen, #2)King's Cage (Red Queen, #3)War Storm (Red Queen, #4)Queen Song (Red Queen, #0.1)Cruel Crown (Red Queen, #0.1-0.2)Steel Scars (Red Queen, #0.2)
Top reviews from other countries
Andrea Pérez Ramírez
Excelente narrativa, para lectores primerizos
Reviewed in Mexico on March 21, 2021
Savanha Radix-Steeman
What a amazing story!!
Reviewed in the Netherlands on December 23, 2021
