Red Queen – Review

I wasn’t supposed to buy this book, but this book tempted and fought me until I made a special trip to my school’s bookstore to pluck the last copy off the shelf. It turned out to be just what I needed to get me out of my reading slump that has plagued me since the beginning of the semester.

Title: Red Queen

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Genre: Fantasy, YA

Length: 388 pages

Rating: 5 stars

Mare Barrow was born with red blood. This means she is sentenced to a life of work and suffering, while those with silver blood get supernatural powers and wealth. But, when Mare ends up in front of the royal family a secret is discovered that sends everyone into overdrive.

To me this book was a combination of X-men and The Selection by Kiera Cass. Aveyard did a fantastic job creating a sense of reality into this story. I felt like I was taken back in time to discover our world only with a few extra powers. The characters that she filled the world with stand on their own. Mare is the perfect combination of not falling for the good life, but also not fully understanding what opportunity she has been given, if she is a little damsel in distress at times. Cal and Maven, the two princes, play off each other well, balancing each other as real brothers would. The only character that I didn’t feel was as strong as she could be was Evangeline, who I felt was one sided – power hungry.

But where Aveyard excels is in her plot twists. If you don’t like plot twists, then this book will not be for you. But, I love them when they are written well. I can enjoy and appreciate a plot twist even if I see it coming. But, the thing about this story was that as much as I was always on my toes, never trusting anyone for long, I was consistently surprised in the best way possible. It was a roller coaster and at the end of the book I had one of my favorite experiences: sitting there staring into the distance trying to fully comprehend everything that had happened and how it all related to the real world around me. People ran around to class, as my entire understanding of what I knew was in flux.

The only down fall of the book was the prose. At points I found her style of writing a little distracting, pulling me out of the story as I realized something sounded more modern than I expected it to. But, I was quickly drawn back into the world fighting to figure out the world while surrounded by uncertainty.

This book is the story that I needed at this moment, but I think it would be perfect for any time. It was engaging, surprising, and distracting in a great way. I blame the stress I feel now on the fact that I prioritized the book ahead of any homework that wasn’t due the next day. But sometimes you just have to take some time for yourself and indulge in a book. Red Queen is the perfect combination of Disney fairy tale and x-men. Pick it up today and fall into a world with magical powers and revolution.