Book Review: Red Queen (Red Queen #1), Victoria Aveyard

Title: Red Queen
Series: Red Queen #1
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Published: 10/02/2015, Orion
Pages: 383
Source: Netgalley
Format: Ebook
Rating: 3.5/5

This is a world divided by blood - red or silver. 

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.
Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance - Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart...

Red Queen is yet another book that I wish I had read sooner (I'm jumping on so many bandwagons at the moment). However, at least, this one has only been out a year. It was slow to begin with, but the pace just grew and grew until I was completely hooked.

I admit, Red Queen is pretty similar to many other popular YA books at the moment. It would definitely suit fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent, in my opinion. But at the same time, there was a pretty unique spin on the dystopian genre. Instead of the society being divided by the role each citizen plays (i.e. jobs) or their personality, the population is divided by the one thing that it pretty much impossible to change. Their blood! In Red Queen, society is split by those with silver blood and those with red blood. That in itself is pretty cool and intriguing, ever mind the fact that silvers have awesome abilities. I want to know how this split came about!

Red Queen is told from the first-person perspective of Mare. A Red who discovers she has abilities like a Silver. She's different and is therefore considered a threat to the Silvers. I rather like Mare. She's a bit of a rebel who just wants the best for her family and longs for their acceptance. But, she also has a vulnerable side and is scared of what could happen. She is on her guard all the time and doesn't trust anyone (with good reason).

I also actually liked the confusion and conflict brought on by her feelings for Cal, Maven and Kilorn. She tries to deny it, but I think she does has some feelings towards all three. But, the only one she can truly trust is Kilorn. However, he is the safe option as he, like her, is a Red. I actually liked all three, though. And I'm not actually sure who I would ship Mare with (because of course, I love a wee bit of romance).

As Mare doesn't know who to trust, Red Queen is pretty damn unpredictable. You never know what is going to happen next, or who to trust. And of course, there is an awful betrayal that I just didn't expect (or I was in denial, either one) and it breaks Mare's heart.

Red Queen is a slow burner to start with, but the pace gradually picks up speed until it's impossible to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed Red Queen and would definitely recommend it to fans of YA fantasy and dystopia. I just need to know what happens next! I can't wait to read Glass Sword now!

Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Victoria Aveyard / Goodreads / Twitter

Follow me via Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Bloglovin and Pinterest.

Feel free to leave a comment.