Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Series: Red Queen Trilogy #1
Publication Date: February 10, 2015
Publisher: Orion
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Dystopia 
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Synopsis: Graceling meets The Selection in debut novelist Victoria Aveyard's sweeping tale of seventeen-year-old Mare, a common girl whose once-latent magical power draws her into the dangerous intrigue of the king's palace. Will her power save her or condemn her?

Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood--those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.

To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard--a growing Red rebellion--even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal. 

My Rating: 5/5 stars

My Review: "Red in the head, Silver in the heart." 

Mare's world is divided by blood. Silvers are royalty that yield special powers from elements to reading minds, while Reds are the poor workers, destined for a life of slaving away to earn scraps or fighting in a deadly war. When Mare tries to pickpocket a stranger, he ends up landing her a job at the royal court, only to find out that the guy Mare pick-pocketed was Prince Cal, the heir to the throne. But when Mare is faced with danger she unleashes a power that she didn't know she had, in front of the Silvers.

Red Queen is an action packed, emotional roller coaster. In my eyes, this book is better than the Hunger Games and Divergent combined. It has action, family, romance, war, and betrayal. There wasn't a single minute I was bored while reading, and the characters are all so unique and different that you can't help to fall in love with them.

Mare is definitely one of the most amazing characters I have seen in a long time. I fell in love with her right away, she is selfless and cares about the well being of her family and friends, she would sacrifice herself in order to keep those she loves safe. She's a strong character, even though she's new to her powers and is a Red, she isn't a coward and knows when to fight and keep going. But what I loved most about her is that she's not perfect, she makes mistakes, some small and some really big that can cost her life, and she doesn't win every battle she fights but thats what makes her so human and so relatable. The author did an amazing job with this character, I couldn't find any flaws with her.

The plot of this story is very compelling. Like I said, its full of action, backstabbing, and romance. While this book mostly focuses on the political side of Mare's world, theres still some romance in the book to make it even better. The love triangle (at least I think its one) is well thought out and entertaining. I found myself rooting for one guy, and then at the end of the book I found myself surprised at the betrayal and ended up rooting for the other guy that I didn't like in the beginning.

Overall, in my eyes this book was absolutely perfect. I highly recommend this to all Dystopia and Fantasy fans. I am so excited for the second book to come out, just so that I can find out what happens to Mare next. 

Happy Reading
- Aneta