Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen (Red Queen, #1)

by Victoria Aveyard

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.

Reviewed by Kait ✨ on

3 of 5 stars

Share
After seeing so much hype for [b:War Storm|27188596|War Storm (Red Queen, #4)|Victoria Aveyard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1510773212s/27188596.jpg|47224720] in the last few weeks, I was curious if my opinion of Red Queen would be changed after initially reading it in 2015. Unfortunately... not really. It feels extremely reminiscent of [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1447303603s/2767052.jpg|2792775] and [b:The Selection|10507293|The Selection (The Selection, #1)|Kiera Cass|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1322103400s/10507293.jpg|15413183], to the point where it almost feels like a copycat. There were also parts where the writing felt clunky and awkward — it definitely gives off “debut novel” vibes.

All that being said, it was an enjoyable read. Aveyard is funny and I’m curious how Mare’s character will have changed after the betrayals in the first book. I’ve heard/read a few spoilers I am very interested in seeing pan out, so I’ll be picking up [b:Glass Sword|23174274|Glass Sword (Red Queen, #2)|Victoria Aveyard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436460934s/23174274.jpg|42720997] and hoping the plot evolves away from The Hunger Games and The Selection vibes.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 31 May, 2018: Finished reading
  • 31 May, 2018: Reviewed
  • Started reading
  • Finished reading
  • 31 May, 2018: Reviewed