Red Queen - Book Review

Red Queen - Book Review

Victoria Aveyard

YA Fantasy

(Red Queen Book #1)

UK Publisher: Orion

Synopsis:

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

To Mare Barrow, a seventeen 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 the Silvers control.

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

Review:

This book has been on my TBR pile for such a long time, and I can’t believe I didn't pick it up sooner! This was a great YA Fantasy, verging a little on dystopian. I will definitely be reading the next book!

Mare is one of the Red-bloods, just a poor girl from a hardworking family, living under the rule of the Silvers, who use their God like powers to control the lesser Reds. But when an accident befalls upon Mare, instead of killing her, she learns she too has great power. The power to control and create lightening.

Fearing what this could mean, the King and Queen invite Mare into their household. Spreading a rumour that Mare is actually a long lost silver from an old family name, only Mare and the two Princes know the truth. The genetics of the Reds are changing… and for the first time in generations, they may just have the ability to fight back against the tyranny of the silvers…

This book has several plot lines that twist and turn, keeping you on your toes as you turn the pages. Full of action, romance, deception and betrayal, it is a hard book to put down! Set in a world where power reigns supreme and only the strong will survive, there is a great cast of characters and nothing ever happened as I imagined. A great premise with brilliant descriptions and writing.

Mare is a strong heroine. Unwilling to except her life as a Red, she does everything she can to defy the Silvers rule, even going against her families wishes to just accept the hand fate has dealt her. Smart and quick-witted, she is a fighter through and through.

The Princes on the other hand are harder to read. As reader, I found I tended to like once Prince more than the other (generally Cal) although sometimes my opinions on them would swap. And while I would say through most of the book there was a love triangle, the ending of the book will shut down that theory pretty quickly. 

And what an ending it was! With lots of action, conflict and a total cliff hanger, the book offers up a few revelations that will make you beg for the next book. A great read! 4 stars!