wyvernfriend
Written on Dec 21, 2015
Complicated politics but somehow it fell a little flat, felt a little sameish. I still enjoyed the read.
Graceling meets The Selection in debut novelist Victoria Aveyard's sweeping tale of seventeen-year-old Mare, a common girl whose once-latent magical power draws her into the dangerous intrigue of the king's palace. Will her power save her or condemn her?
Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood--those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.
To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play 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 everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard--a growing Red rebellion--even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal.
- ISBN10 0062310631
- ISBN13 9780062310637
- Publish Date 10 February 2015 (first published 1 February 2015)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
- Imprint Collins
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 400
- Language English
Reviews
Complicated politics but somehow it fell a little flat, felt a little sameish. I still enjoyed the read.
Chelsea
Written on Dec 16, 2015
There isn’t really emotion to describe what I felt when I finished this book. I really didn’t care much about the characters or plot to feel anything except a little disappointed. There was too much hype surrounding this book and it made it fall flat.
What I Loved:
I can’t really say there was anything I loved in this book. There were some things I liked, such as some of the characters, but most things felt very average for me.
What I Didn’t Like:
I think the hype ruined this book for me. Everyone is talking about it, it won GoodReads awards so I was expecting something amazing and it just wasn’t. It was a mixture of all the other dystopia books we’ve ever seen and that was disappointing to me. The characters were all average and nothing special and the plot was predictable. It was still an ok book to read, it’s just not as amazing as everyone is claiming it to be. Maybe if you’ve never read a fantasy or dystopia book before it’s great, but when you’ve read tons of books this one just doesn’t compare to so many others.
Who I’d Recommend To:
I’d recommend this book to book lovers who don’t read much fantasy or dystopia. This one would stand out much more if you’ve never read the exact same thing 3 times before. This would also be a good book to push you into those genres because it’s a fairly easy read. It’s not too heavy on the dystopia or the fantasy.
Quick Review:
While this was a nicely written book, it didn’t live up to the hype in my eyes. Nothing about this book makes me want to read more. I wasn’t in love with characters, the plot didn’t suck me in, and the world was nothing we haven’t seen before. I’m sure tons of other people will love this book but for me it was too similar to the rest of the books in this genre. Maybe book two will surprise me if I ever decide to pick it up.
Mackenzie
Written on Nov 28, 2015
HI
Before this book was even released the buzz surrounding it was HUGE.
I couldn't resist.
This book was everywhere with nothing but praise about it. And why shouldn't there be? The promise of x-men (!!!) like powers and rebellion all the while being a fish in a shark's den. Sounds all kinds of epic, RIGHT?!?
Except it wasn't.
I tried SO hard. Honestly, the first time I read it, I actually DNF'd. I got a little more than halfway in (pg. 217) and just. couldn't. do it.
But, but, BUT! Everyone kept on ranting and raving and I just had a burning desire to read this thing even if it killed me ADMIRE MY WILLPOWER!. And, I'm kind of glad I did because the last 50 pages definitely redeemed this book in my opinion.
But let's start from the beginning - Here's what I didn't like (CUE LIST!):
*I read this a while ago and I don't remember everything I'm not good at taking notes but I'll try my best!
- THE NAME MARE: I'm sorry. I just can't deal with it. Every time I read her name I would RAGE because all I could think of was a female horse. And it was weird. It felt like My Little Pony: X-men addition (that'd be pretty epic though....someone needs to get on this!)
- Mare: Besides the name, I just didn't really care for her. She wasn't horrible or anything per se, I just didn't like her either. Honestly, I didn't really take as many notes on her personality as I should have
for shamebut she was just kind of prickly and mean and...doesn't always make good decisions. Oh, and she's kind of a downer. Which I get with her situation and all but dang girl....have a little hope. OH! And she was so mean to her friend Kilorn. She could protect him but whenever he tries to protect her she feels "betrayed" and I get that she feels like her sacrifice was all for naught or whatever but COME ON! He was just trying to show you he caaarrees (and I don't ship that ship).HOWEVER, she is VERY dedicated and pragmatic. So I liked that!
See, I can be nice.
- What in the world are you?! (hahaha...): I've come to realize I don't like in-between world that much, or, at least in this case I didn't. Either be a medieval-like fantasy or make it modern/futuristic. I've read books before where I've enjoyed this type of setting, but UGHHHH it just grated on my nerves in this book. And I get it: the whole feudal system/separation between classes. But no. Just no.
- Too glossed over: This book is definitely lacking depth in both scene description and emotions. Ex: one time she and a prince (also forgot his name) are dancing and like a sentence later they're done and in a different room. *looks around confused* what? Did I miss something? And I feel like there could have been SO. MUCH. DEPTH. So many issues/themes that could've been brought up and dealt with and really delved into. But I feel like it was very glossed over.
- Been there, done that: Cliches. Cliches EVERYWHERE. Okay, sort of. I DEFINITELY got vibes from other YA books. And I get it: there are a ton out there so you're bound to find similar themes/plots. This book seems to be influenced by it's predecessors a little too much.
- Love interests? No thanks: I think this says enough about my feelings about the boys in this book. Maven was sweet, but other than that I don't remember anything. I appreciated Cal's kindness and loyalty (very admired), but I feel like a definite lack of depth there. Neither one seemed...substantial. Until the end. THEN they came into their own a bit. But it took long enough.
- HUGE PLOT HOLE: The following is a plot hole that I'm not sure if spoiler or not so I'll hide it - ye be warned (it's just about hiding/how they hid her true blood) : HOW DO THEY NOT KNOW SHE'S SILVER?! It's sort of explained, but not well. 1. She's in the blood base - none of those conniving people thought to look her up? EVERYONE WAS SUSPICIOUS! 2. The whole point is that she didn't know she was silver and people believed that. You can't tell me that she didn't BLEED one time in her life and realize "OH, huh, my blood isn't red but SILVER!". She climbed trees and got all dirty and YOU KNOW SHE GOT CUT UP AT ONE POINT! Also....her period - DUH!
Okay, so I know that's a lot of bad (hence why I DNF'd), but it got better. Sort of. The problem is, I can't say much without spoilers, so it's very general.
- It just got better: I feel like the book came more into its own as it went on. More depth, more action, and just more. Crap just goes down and I was all GUNG HO AND YEAHHHHH!
- Welp...didn't see that one coming. Something happened that I didn't expect and LOVED IT!
- The ending. A lot of other people said the ending was what really made the book good and I can attest to that. It's the main reason I picked the book up again. It helped make more sense of things and was just entertaining. I can't actually say anything about it (no spoilers here!), but it definitely changed my mind about the book and actually make me somewhat excited for book 2.
Okay, that was LONG AND RAMBLING and not really helpful regarding why I liked it. I regret nothing.
Basically this: I didn't love it. I didn't really love the characters (they weren't horrible, just nothing exceptional either), it was overdone (cliche), lacked depth, and just eh. But the end...I can't really say anything because *spoilers*, but it definitely changed my mind. Still nothing exceptional, but definitely better.
What do y'all think? Did you love this book with a fiery passion like everyone else? Or were you the odd-ball out hiding in the shadowy bunker afraid to share your true feelings since everyone else loved it so? No more hiding! Let me know in the comments below!
This review was originally posted on Oh, For the Love of Books!
Jordon
Written on Oct 26, 2015
I will be picking up the next book, but I think I need to lower my expectations for the next one.
whisperingchapters
Written on Jul 22, 2015
Sam@WLABB
Written on Jul 14, 2015
KitsuneBae
Written on Jun 24, 2015
The Red Queen’s setup is based on people’s blood color; the red-blooded being the sort of slaves, commoners, and basically the inferior ones while the silver-blooded are not only privileged nobles but also gifted with extraordinary powers. The heroine, Mare Barrow, is a Red who is more inclined to pick pockets than to serve the military as a means to support her family. However, things turned upside down when it was discovered that Mare is also capable of unleashing a deadly power of her own, an attribute that’s unbelievable for a Red. Said discovery set the plot rolling. But funnily enough, it was one of the things that made me scratch my head towards the end of the story. Much as I want to elaborate, I couldn’t because that means I’m going to spoil a lot of things for you. Just know that the story felt pointless when the big reveal happened.
Character wise, Red Queen does not deserve any form of praising. We’ve got our plucky heroine, Mare, who—as the series progressed—greatly disappointed me because she has a knack for making decisions that usually led to terrifying consequences. And yes, we can just forget about the two princes and the bestfriend who all fell inlove with her. Seriously, people
The romance, of course, is the usual thing in the YAlandia. You have a special snowflake girl and crazily fawning over her are not only two but three hot guys. The book ended with the girl still confused about her feelings for the three. But I guess, it doesn’t matter that much since she got to kiss all of them and then, loath them the next…? I don’t know, I’m as confused as the heroine.
Gripes aside, Red Queen is not without its redeeming qualities since some of the plot twists did render me surprised and thus, enough to warrant a read-the-next-book-in-the-series decision.
Overall, had Red Queen been executed differently then it would have made an awesome read.
jeannamichel
Written on Jun 18, 2015
Red and silver: two colors that mean so much more in Mare’s world. Those with red blood are forced to live in poverty, working nonstop, most without electricity, and most forced into the military at young ages. Those with silver blood are royalty, all with money, and all with some sort of magic power—some stronger than others. These two people are divided. However when Mare, quite literally, falls into the sights of the royals and shows the powers she possesses, the divided line becomes blurred.
In the first few pages, I was cringing at the predictable-ness of the work. Really? Reds are forced to watch a televised event, where Silvers come in an arena to fight. That sounds very close to The Hunger Games. And the ones with silver blood have super powers? Like Vampire Academy, perhaps. Wait, come on. At the palace, there is a competition—a fight to win the prince’s hand in marriage. Did anyone say The Selection? I would come back to Red Queen and inwardly whine, knowing it was probably going to be like all the rest. How could I ever have been more wrong?
The characters were so realistic.
And thank you, Aveyard, so much! Mare did not choose a single guy in the whole book. One, I think Red Queen should pride itself on being one dystopian that is not drowning in romance. Sure, there is some romance, dancing, and kissing (oh, my!) but Mare said so herself that there is no choice [when it came to choosing a male character]. Thank you. Girls can get through love triangles or whatever that was in the book and come out without a guy. It is actually the most realistic outcome I have read in a long time.
But, also, as the reader I chose a male character that I preferred from the beginning. I even wrote a status update about him on Goodreads because I liked him from that first scene. Cal is the most gorgeous creature in the whole book. And like all Aveyard’s characters, he is complex, very real, and totally awesome. His decisions throughout the novel threw me a bit, having me waver about my choice in liking him but isn’t that what people do in real life too? Everyone is unpredictable, including the characters of Red Queen. It reminds me of Aveyard’s constant mantra of “Anyone can betray anyone.”
You know when you are reading and you get swept up in the story—you start to wish and even believe, if only for a few seconds, that the book is actually real. If Red Queen was real, Victoria Aveyard would be a Silver and her magical power would be writing. I know a lot of reviews say things like I was on the edge of my seat, her writing kept me up at night, and this book will surely blow you away. All of that is definitely true. However to explain Aveyard’s writing concisely, I thought I would use some examples because her writing is genius. She was able to make readers laugh in one sentence and, yet, suck in a breath in the next. What Aveyard certainly has is a gift:
“We used to beat each other up as children, but now that we’re older—and he’s a foot taller than me—I try to avoid scuffles. He has his uses, I suppose. Reaching high shelves, for example” (3).
“Like my dad, Kilorn’s father was sent off to war, but whereas mine returned missing a leg and a lung, Mr. Warren came back in a shoe box” (4).
It is difficult to write reviews for books I absolutely loved because what is there to say other than: LOVED it, go read it now, please. Red Queen is one of those books. LOVED it. You need this book in your hands and should have been reading it five minutes ago.
elysium
Written on Jun 8, 2015
One night Mare meets a stranger who arranges a job for her in the court. There she discovers she has powers while it’s unheard for a Red to have one and Silvers hatch a plan so the world won’t discover the news.
There was huge hype for this some time ago so I was little nervous to start this and I have to say that I have mixed feelings about this. I liked the idea of Silvers and Reds but I just didn’t connect with the characters enough. There wasn’t any chemistry between Mare and Cal, or Mare and Maven. I kinda liked Cal alone but with Mare there was no sparks flying.
I liked the end but otherwise it was little slow and especially in the middle it dragged too much.
And our heroine Mare… The first problem I have is with her name. First thing that comes to mind is a (female) horse. Second thing is brood mare. Can you see a theme here? Every time I read her name I wondered if we would start talking about horses. So distracting…
She’s just so naïve it’s a wonder how she has survived this long. She tells us how good she is reading people and that she’s no one’s fool. Umm yeah… I don’t know how many times I wanted to shake some sense into her.
But as I said I liked the end, which saved the book for me and earned the third star. So it wasn’t all bad.
tweetybugshouse
Written on Apr 24, 2015