Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Red Queen. Where do I even begin to start with this one? Let me start by saying that I wish I had read it sooner because this book was phenomenal! I literally devoured this book. Every spare second I had went to reading it, even if it was only a page here or a page there. And boy do I have so many thoughts and questions for this one. So without further delay, here is my review:
The Plot:
This storyline was so original and unique. I have never read anything quite like it and it's been a while since a book has so completely absorbed all of my attention. While this is a dystopian story it had a whole different feel to it and wasn't cliched like so many others in this genre. The story moved at a very fast pace and was very intriguing. The silver blood idea was very interesting and the super powers they had were pretty cool (I would totally want to be a greeny).
A few minor aspects were slightly predictable (like You Know Who being evil) but, didn't detract from the awesomeness of the story. There were also many things that set this book apart from the typical young adult fantasy, like at the end when a certain character was killed. It was a very graphic scene, which a lot of young adult books that I've read tend to stray away from, and had an almost Game of Thrones feel.
The whole story had a very well executed mix of technology and medieval aspects. Here you have this sort of caste system where one group can't ever really move up in status and is living in total squalor, while the other group for the most part is living in blissful ignorance and riding around in SUVs and private jets using all this technology.
Usually I get annoyed with a story if things get too overly descriptive and detailed but, Aveyard's descriptions are so fantastic and feel like she's bringing the story to life. Every page I read I had such a clear picture that it felt like I was watching a movie in my head. Side note: I may have geeked out just a little when Gisa took Mare to Summerton with her and I realized that she was seeing a giraffe. My love for giraffes is ridiculous.
The Characters:
Mare stole my heart from the first page with her sarcasm. She's a tough as nails heroine who will do anything to protect and help out the people she cares for. Towards the middle of the story she started to get feeling very timid and weak to me and like she was morphing into the Silvers' mindset. However, she made a good comeback from that, especially toward the end of the story.
Kilorn had a very boy next door vibe. He is the Mare's long time best friend. At the beginning he was very carefree but, then showed he was also brave by joining up with the Scarlet Guard. He wants better for his people and is willing to do what he can to help. We didn't get a ton of time with him but, it's very clear that he and Mare care for each other deeply. She's constantly worrying about him and his safety.
Cal was every inch Prince Charming. Tall, dark, and handsome with super powers. When we first meet him I knew he was going to end up being the prince, and sure enough he was. Unlike a lot of Silvers, Cal doesn't hate Reds and even mentions multiple times that he wishes things could be different. He doesn't want to hurt anyone if he doesn't have to. Even when he's fighting for his own life he says "I don't want to kill you". The fact that he had to kill, and who he had to kill, against his will was truly heartbreaking and I'm curious to see how his character develops because of this in the next couple books. From the first moment they meet Cal cares for Mare, from getting her a good job at summer palace after only meeting her the day before to fighting to keep her alive at the end, even though you could say she betrayed him. It will be interesting to see how their relationship has changed and grows in the next book.
**SPOILERS DON'T READ THIS PART IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK YET!!**
Maven. Ugh, Maven. Right from the beginning I thought he was sketchy and slimey. What second born prince isn't going to be jealous of a brother who is going to be king and is Dad's favorite? It's a recipe for disaster and sure enough we find out he's evil. This was not surprising in the least. He is Elara's son after all. When he joined the Scarlet Guard it seemed way too good to be true. I expected him to be evil but, the way he was described once we discovered this made him sound like a psychopath. He made my skin crawl the whole book.
I'm going back to my comparison of this story to Game of Thrones. Queen Elara is Cersei Lannister. You could put all of her appearances and dialogue into a Game of Thrones book and I would believe it was Cersei. The entire story she's extremely cold and calculating. She's so cruel and that paired with her powers is absolutely terrifying. While Maven strikes me as a psychopath, Elara fits neatly into the sociopath category. Hopefully she gets what's coming to her.
*****END OF SPOILERS*****
Julian was great. I loved that he was so kind to Mare despite her being a Red. He simply didn't care about that which is how it should be. I felt like he was the one person that Mare could trust completely and by the end of the story it seemed like he's still one of the few people she can trust. I really want to see more of him.
Evangeline was a straight bitch. She disliked Mare for no clear reason. She didn't even know she was a Red until the end. But, for all her faults and nastiness, I don't honestly think she's as evil as some of the other characters we've met.
Farley and the Scarlet Guard are bad asses but, I feel like there may be some extremists that could take things too far.
The Verdict:
It's safe to say the I'm addicted to this series. Red Queen is easily one of my top 5 favorite books. It was extremely well written and I loved every word of it. When I finished I was left with so many thoughts, theories, and questions. What causes the mutation that gives Reds super powers? What kind of powers do the others have? Can Maven read minds like his mother? There were a few times I wondered about this and it isn't too far of a stretch. Is Julian alive? What happens next?
I was worried about there being a love triangle, we almost had a love.... square? However, One person has been nixed from that. I despise love triangles because I usually end up liking the guy that doesn't get picked but, in this case I like both the characters so it should be interesting to see how that all plays out.
I can't wait to dive into Glass Sword and see where that story takes us. I really hope that they focus on finding the others and continuing with their cause. If it's anything like Red Queen, it's going to be a masterpiece.
Thanks for reading!
~The Little Book Queen
