Red Queen

Title: Red Queen (Red Queen #1)

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Number of Pages: 383

Publisher: Harper Teen

Date Read: 6.22.15

Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <

“Rise, red as the dawn.” – Scarlet Guard

Mare Barrow’s world is divided by blood – those with red and those with silver. Mare and her family are lowly Reds, destined to serve the Silver elite whose supernatural abilities make them nearly gods. Mare steals what she can to help her family survive, but when her best friend is conscripted into the army, she gambles everything to win his freedom. A twist of fate leads her to the royal palace itself, where, in front of the king and all his nobles, she discovers a power of her own – an ability she didn’t know she had. Except … her blood is Red.

      To hide this impossibility, the king forces her into 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 her new position to aid the Scarlet Guard – the leaders of a Red rebellion. Her actions put into motion a deadly and violent dance, pitting prince against prince – and Mare against her own heart.

“We destroy. It’s the constant of our kind. No matter the color of blood, man will always fall.” – Julian

      I picked up this book because I saw a little “advertisement” for it on Goodreads. It was before it was even published and the tagline: “Power is a dangerous game” caught my attention. Not to mention the simple, but gorgeous cover. I mean, a silver crown dripping with blood; add that with the catch line and that was all I need to pique my interest.

"Anyone can betray anyone.” – Julian

      I will say, the first half of the book dragged. I didn’t really like it, but I understood why it did. The author was building a new world and wanted to make sure her audience understood the government, culture, etc., so that when things did start rolling, there weren’t any blank spots. However, a little heart-pounding/suspense would have been appreciated to keep the interest alive. I will admit I almost put it down after 200 pages without so much as a tiny blip in my heart rate. The only reason I kept trucking along was because I was in the swimming pool and didn’t have access to another book. But good thing I did keep with it, because right after that turn pointing, my heart almost collapsed with all the betrayals and just craziness that was happening. There was barely time to breathe!

      The first half of the book’s pacing is the only reason I detracted ½ a point in my rating (4.5/5). I really did thoroughly enjoy the rest of the book. The world Aveyard created was remarkable; her characters were complex and (in some cases) diabolical. I loved them; even the “bad guys”. The were the ones who could really rile you up and you loved them for that.

“The truth is what I make. I could set this world on fire and call it rain.”  

– Maven