Review: Red Queen

Title: Red Queen
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Links: Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository
Synopsis:
This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.

The poverty-stricken Reds are commoners, living in the shadow of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from the Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Then Mare finds herself working at the Silver palace, in the midst 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 Silver control.

Review:

Red Queen was filled to the brim with action, intrigue, suspense, romance, strong characters and unearthly awesome powers; it was fantastic and gripping. With all of these, it’s no wonder why this book has become so wildly popular since it was released in February.

Though I did struggle a little bit to get into this, once I did (after about a chapter or so) I found it to be engaging and I became invested in the characters. Mare Barrow, the main character, is an insanely strong and independent young woman. She discovers that she – a Red blood – has powers, like the superior Silvers, powers that she shouldn’t have, that make no sense. Powers that are extremely dangerous, and should be kept secret at whatever cost.

The world was imaginatively built up and Aveyard’s writing style was amazing: everything was described beautifully and there was just the right amount of tension and suspense to keep you invested and wanting more. I did feel that the plot lacked originality in some places, but this was soon overpowered by the next twist or turn that Aveyard spun on it, and it didn’t taint the story one bit for me. I’ve read countless books that have some of the same ideas within them, yet have their own spins on it.

There is a love triangle in this book, but it wasn’t overpowering and didn’t distract from Mare’s story and everything that was going on- and there was a lot going on. Every chapter had a new turn or event that compelled you to continue reading.

This is also the first time that I have no idea who I think the main character will end up with. Or even who I want her to end up with. I love everyone! And speaking of characters, the development of Mare’s character throughout is great- you can clearly see how she has developed and adapted with her newfound powers to become a stronger person and someone who will stand up for herself against anyone.

Rating:

There is a lot of well deserved hype surrounding this book, and it is undoubtedly one of the most talked about debuts of the year: ★★★★☆