Review: Red Queen

Good afternoon lovely readers! Today, I will be reviewing Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard! I was told so many wonderful things about this novel and it did not disappoint! This review is spoiler free until the line - if you have not read Red Queen, do not read past that line!

Overall, I would give this book a 4.5/5 star review. Goodreads rates this book as 4.1/5 stars.

So Mare Barrow is a Red. Meaning she has red blood. The Silvers, silver blooded people, rule this world because they are gifted with special abilities and are far more powerful than Reds. The Silvers have a war and are battling over territory, but the kingdom Mare lives in uses Reds to fight their war. When her friend Kilorn faces conscription into the deadly war, Mare does the unthinkable to save him. She does something crazy to save and protect him. At the same time, she runs into a man named Cal, who pities her predicament as she is also about to face conscription as well and gets her a job as a Royal Servant.

But when disaster strikes and Mare finds herself with a newfound ability, she is thrown into the world of the Silvers and her life changes before her eyes.

Now when I first started reading this book I thought it was going to go in a completely different direction. I was pleasantly surprised when I got to the end of the book though. I immediately started reading Glass Sword - I had to know what happened!

So here is how I got my rating:

I give reviews based on five separate categories: plot, characters, description, pace, and extras. Each point earns a total of 1 star - which is what gives my five star rating.

Plot: 1/1 stars. I loved the plot line! I thought it was completely creative and original. The overlying plot of the first book with the reoccurring subplots actually made me feel like it helped moved the book along. We only receive Mare's point of view, so the subplots Aveyard includes move the overall plot forward without much effort.

Characters: 1/1 stars. The complexity of each character is needed, wanted, and appreciated! I would much rather read a complex character than a simplistic, stereotypical character. Mare's wants through the novel constantly shift and change, which influences her actions. Her thoughts on each person she meets adds a layering these characters are unable to voice and add themselves, making it all the better. We see through her eyes each persons shell cracking - their problems arising, their fears, and their true identities.

Description: 1/1 stars. Aveyard does a good job of filling in the blanks. She gives all the information the reader needs to build the world around themselves without overwhelming us. Or being too descriptive. I find in Fantasy books, when an author is OVER-descriptive, I tend to forget what is happening in that scene. Aveyard has a good balance between what context the reader needs and testing their memory to see what they remember.

Pace: 1/1 stars. The book starts off slow introducing Mare's world, but it is the opposite of boring. Mare's world keeps you coming back for more and after her accident, keeps you there forever. Once things pick up they don't fall back. Aveyard keeps the high intensity throughout the book!

Extras: 0.5/1. While I love the world Aveyard creates, that's the only extra POP I see in the novel. The creativity of the world, the characters, their powers, and the explanation for Mare's abilities are fun, but not enough for a full 1 star.

If you liked my review, or didn't, please let me know!

Now, if you have not read Red Queen - DO NOT READ PAST THIS POINT. YOU ARE HEADED INTO A SPOILER ZONE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

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So in terms of Aveyard's plot twist at the end, I loved it. Revealing that Maven was in fact evil and working WITH his mother so that he can take the crown was GENIUS. I was honestly fooled and believed in him. Believed his love for Mare and believed his desire to help people.

When the queen made Cal kill his father - AMAZING. The plot twists Aveyard adds in there really propels the reader into Glass Sword quite well! I wish she had gone more in depth during the ALMOST execution scene. I felt like it just went by too quickly for me to fully enjoy the suspense and agony of the scene.

I also loved the escape scene for the Farley and Kilorn and how Maven "helped" fix it when she was cut during the altercation. What Mare thought was going to save her, ends up hurting her by the end of the book.

Now, I wasn't quite sure - did the world see Mare use her powers? I know they shut the cameras off after that, but did the audience see? I didn't think it was clear about that part. That makes a big difference in how the Reds and Silvers will think about Mare as she tries to stop Maven throughout Glass Sword (which I have not finished).

Overall, LOVED THE BOOK. Some things were confusing for me, but honestly I think I might have read a little too quickly and missed some pieces of information - please let me know if I did. I was really anxious to finish this book and see what happens.

Thanks for reading my review on Red Queen!

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