Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard: Book review

I really enjoyed reading this book and I cannot wait for the second in the series, Glass Swords, to be published. I read this gem back in September and devoured it.

Here is the description from Goodreads:

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.

Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance — Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart..

What I loved:

• The world building was executed really well, I found I was able to imagine a lot of what was described without getting confused which can happen sometimes.
• Mare Barrow, I actually enjoyed reading from her perspective, at times she annoyed me & came across selfish, but hey don’t we all from time to time!
• I was surprised to learn that the Silvers have abilities, it wasn’t something I was expecting. It reminded me of X-men, and I am all for a bit of that.
• The royals… I loved them, they were all so interesting and I can’t wait to learn more. I really liked Cal & Maven, the family dynamics were brilliant I love a good family drama.
• There is a twist… a ‘what the …’ kinda twist! But I will say no more.

What I wasn’t too keen on:

• I have a feeling that a love triangle is being set up for Glass Swords, I really hope I am proved wrong as I am not a fan of the old triangular love dramas. I mean regular folk sometimes struggle to find one person so how the heck all these people fighting for their lives manage one, let alone two love interests I don’t know!
• A couple elements of the story were very predictable (bar the twist!) but regardless I found the story enthralling.

Rating:

****- 4/5 stars. Loved it!

Let me know what you thought of Red Queen and it would be interesting to know where you would like the plot to go next!