The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.
To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.
Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.
But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?
Publication Date: February 10, 2015
To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.
Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.
But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?
Publication Date: February 10, 2015
This book has a lot of buzz surrounding it, so I was very
excited to read an advanced copy. And I wasn’t disappointed. The Red Queen was
a mash up of some of my favorite YA reads (The Selection, Divergent, Shatter
Me, etc) and I found myself drawn into Mare’s complex world.
I think the author built her story on a simple, but strong
foundation: the non-magical are being persecuted and exploited by the magical
beings in Mare’s world. Mare cares about her family deeply and steals in order
to help them survive the harsh conditions of the kingdom. But when Mare is
thrust into the world of the Silvers, she discovers her own magical abilities.
The world building was done well and I found the rules of
the Silvers and Reds easy to follow. I thought Mare was an admirable character,
but she had a few moments where her rash actions were really thoughtless to
those around her. I also felt like she could be very hypocritical at times and
find ways to justify her own deplorable actions while judging others harshly.
I actually liked the secondary characters much more than
Mare. I especially enjoyed reading about the two princes and their complex
relationship with each other. I really loved Cal and there is a love triangle
in the book between the brothers and Mare. Mare didn’t seem to have much of an
emotional connection with anyone, so the romance took a bit of a backseat.
There were some great twists in the book and the last
quarter of the book was a definite page-turner. The ending had me so eager to
check out the next book. Can’t wait to see where the story goes!
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!
