Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Reviewed by Eva B.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard follows 17 year old Mare Barrow as her world is turned upside down. She lives in a world divided by the color of your blood. She lives in a town known as The Stilts, surrounded by her fellow Reds. She supports her family as a pickpocket, but when stealing from the powerful Silvers, getting caught isn’t so bad. Mare ends up with a job in the palace, working for the Silvers. During a competition she learns she is different, from both the Reds and Silvers. To explain her differences, the royal family betroths her to the younger prince. She is forced to take on the role of a lost Silver princess and hide her true identity from everyone. A rebellion begins to grow and Mare finds herself between the two worlds. As a Red with powers that could make her a Silver, she learns of the tension that exists between the two worlds and tries to find out where she fits in. She doesn’t know whether to support the rebellion and go against the Silvers that have given her a new home. She could also support the Reds, but go against some of her Silver friends. As the conflict grows, Mare learns an important lesson – anyone can betray anyone.
Red Queen is a fantasy and dystopian book. The country, Norta, is heavily set up based on blood. The Slivers have abilities, superpowers even, that allow them to keep the lowly Reds in place. The Silvers hold the roles of nobles, and even royalty. The Reds live mostly in poverty, and at 18 are thrown to the “conscription”, or mandatory military service. Of course, this can be avoided if you are an apprentice by 18. The main character survives and gains power in this world, not with her impossible abilities, but with a determined and courageous attitude. Mare herself is led by what she believes and what she thinks is right, not letting others change or weaken her opinion. She is a very strong main character that really does her own thing. Throughout the book she realizes how much power she has in her abilities, voice, and status. She becomes self reliant and confident in herself. She learns to put more trust in her allies, and they trust her.
Red Queen is part of a dystopian series. Similar books include The Selection, The Hunger Games, and Divergent. Both Red Queen and The Selection are set in the ruins of the American East Coast, and the new government is led by royalty. Both books also have citizens separated by wealth and power. It is similar to The Hunger Games, too. Both worlds are greatly divided by your status, and where you live. In The Hunger Games, The Capital, and those who live there, could be compared to the Silvers in Red Queen. Both books have a female character who ends up so close to the head of the government that they can spark a rebellion. Red Queen is like Divergent because in Divergent, Tris doesn’t fit into just one faction and the government can’t quite make sense of her. This almost exact thing happens to Mare because she bleeds red but has silver powers. They both are a “glitch in the system” and are unknown or “impossible”.
I think those who like dystopian style books with a rebellion would like this book. I give this book an 8.5 out of 10.