Book review – Red Queen (Spoiler Free)

“I’m an accident. I’m a lie. And my life depends on maintaining the illusion.”

• Title: Red Queen
• Author: Victoria Aveyard
• Genre: YA Fantasy
• Pages: 383 pages
• Publication date: February 10, 2015

I kept seeing this book everywhere years ago, but I never got around to reading it. I’ve had it sitting on my to-read shelf for about a year too. (It’s a huge shelf.) But I finally picked it up, and I’m glad I did.

Red Queen‘s world is split between Reds and Silvers. Silvers—the elite—have blood that also gives them a superpower. Reds are powerless and left in poverty, always to be below the Silvers. But when Mare—a Red—controls electricity, she’s forced to hide in plain sight as a long-lost Silver princess. Otherwise, the Silvers would want her dead for being a Red who’s as powerful as them. Learning the Silver world as she goes, she has to decide who to trust. Though, anyone can betray anyone.

I loved the world building and the pace of this book. It seemed like Mare had a twist at the end of every chapter. Always pulled every which way to try to mix up who may or may not betray her and who she may or may not betray herself. She’s determined, analyzing an unfamiliar world, which is her strength and weakness.

The world itself is familiar but vivid. I liked getting to see more of it from the poverty stilts to the castles. 

The characters themselves aren’t diverse, but they are memorable. Cal and Maven had a good sibling chemistry between them. But the real stars were Julian and Kilorn, who were possibly the only characters without a trope.

Speaking of tropes, that’s one of my critiques. The story itself is interesting, but it is a mix of many common YA tropes. So, if you’re tired of the—random stranger turns out to be a prince, living in others’ shadows, etc.—this book may not be for you.

The only other thing that stuck out to me is how I could see the plot twist from about a mile away. I set the book down, thought of all possible character motivations, and figured it out faster than Mare. Though she is young, so when I was her age, I might not have figured it out. I have gotten on a trend where I figure out plot twists before they happen.

Overall, I enjoyed the read, and I am interested to see how everything plays out in the next books.

Score: 8.8
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.03/5