Book Review:
Red Queen (Red Queen #1) by Victoria Aveyard
Published by Orion
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Synopsis:
A thrilling fantasy series for fans of Divergent and The Hunger Games.
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.

Review:
Recommended for teens and young adults, this type of novel is pure escapism for when I fancy an easy read, and Red Queen ticked many of my boxes.
Dystopia in nature, Mare's story is thrilling and exciting but with a good amount of time devoted to family and romance to keep things on an even keel.
As an older reader, any slight frustration with Mare's thought processes and decisions were easily solved by keeping the target audience in mind. The pace was good, the pages turned easily, and the story held my interest; what's not to like?!
I've not done thus far, but I would happily read the rest of the Red Queen series.
*I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley, and this is my unbiased review.

#BookReview #RedQueen #VictoriaAveyard #OrionBooks #NetGalley #YAReads #Bookstagram

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I was so into this book that I literally had to drag myself back to this one. I don't always feel 100% connected to a story, but with Mare & co, I was. Mare is so refreshing. She's vitally human, says what she thinks, acts on how she feels, & considers the consequences later. I can identify with her.

I know some readers have hated this book (& the overall series) but for now, I'm ignoring those reviews because I want this world to exist in my head, untarnished by what others view as problems.

And a note for the publisher, @orionbooks - I'm sorry I've taken an epically long time to review.

This book is obviously a YA classic and I still feel so lucky I received an arc of this book. I instantly fell in love with the strong worldbuilding, the tragic love story and the unique setting. I still can’t believe Victoria Aveyard was a debut author at that time, can’t recommend this book to YA fantasy lovers enough!

You know that feeling you get sometimes when you've finished a book, almost like you're in a coma? You just can't pick anything else up. You can't do anything else. Think about anything else. You just want to lie there and weep or think about the wonder you have just read. Well, Red Queen is that sort of read folks. You definitely need to buckle your seat belts because once you start reading this book you are in for one hell of a bumpy ride, let me tell you!

From the very beginning Red Queen is bloody, feisty and heart-racingly addictive. It'll have you gasping at every twist and turn and racing through it at break-kneck speed! It is literally non stop. Every page, and I mean every page, will have you desperate to read on. I just could not get enough!

The world of Red Queen is so utterly unique and high-octane that you cannot help but fall in love and wonder what life would be like if you lived in it. There are the Reds. Lowlife. Dirty. Disposable - only there for the pleasure and enjoyment of the Silvers. And of course the are the Silvers. The elite. The powerful. The desirable. There's no love lost between both bloods, the Reds suppressed by the Silvers for centuries, treat as slaves and nothing more. I found this so interesting as it was another way of looking at race and the way people are towards one another, just because they are different. The world itself, the palace in particular is so beautifully described and conceived. I almost wanted to be a Silver for a day, just to get to see it for myself!

We meet Mare. She's going to be conscripted, she knows it. She doesn't have a job or a trade like her sister, and she knows that like her brothers before her she will have to go and fight in a war that the reds shouldn't even be involved in, but then she meets a mysterious man who she tries to pick-pocket before he realises what she is doing and catches her in the act. The next thing she knows she's being whisked away to serve the Silver royal family, the people she despises most in the world. But things do not go smoothly and soon it turns out that Mare is a special type of Red. A unique Red. She exhibits Silver powers which she should not and soon she finds herself wrapped up in more danger than she knows how to handle and to hide herself from her enemies she must masquerade as a Silver. The Queen loathes Mare but tolerates her as she is taken in to become a consort to the prince, Mavern, but it isn't Mavern she is interested in. It's his older brother, Cal, their heir to the throne and the very same person she tried to pickpocket in the first place.

Danger is aplenty as Mare tries to fit into a world with which she doesn't want to be a part of. She must play the game carefully, but she cannot help but make enemies in the process, it just happens. But not only is she making enemies, she's making powerful allies to, and with a rebel group, the Scarlet Guard, growing in power and profile Mare is putting more than just her life on the line as she helps them get an establishment inside of the palace.

The book builds to an electrifying crescendo with a twist that will leave you reeling and absolutely gagging for book two, which we now know is titled Glass Sword and has an absolutely stunning cover, just like Red Queen! The book is beautifully written and the prose just draws you in so completely that the book has this major cinematic feel, no wonder there are whispers of it being made into a movie and not that far away! I honestly cannot get over just how much this book captured me and took me over completely. I just could not get enough of Mare, and Maven and Cal, and of Reds and Silvers. It was just so wonderful and something I think everyone needs to experience.

There were some interesting ideas in this book, but the majority of the characters, heroine included, weren't ones I felt passionate about (possible exception in Julian). I wasn't quite sure why both princes were meant to fall in love with Mare - there have been many similar books where the supposed heroine had a bit more gumption.
There were some good twists, and it was reasonably well written, although the first half of the book was fairly slow due to prolonged world-building. I did quite enjoy it, though!

This is the first book I have read in the trilogy and I really enjoyed it so will be looking to read the others in the series. The characters were believable and the story exciting. A great read.

I have had this on my kindle for so long and I finally was in the mood for something different than my usual romance read so I cracked it open and I really enjoyed it! It was a nice easy read with interesting characters and storyline. I really liked Mare and Cal, and at some points even Maven. I liked the twists and turns throughout and I’m definitely interested to see where the story goes as the series continues.

I misunderstood what this book was about and not really my cup of tea so I didn't finish it.

Exciting and intriguing, this was a book that inspired me to continue reading the trilogy to see what was next.