Author: Victoria Aveyard
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Fantasy, Romance
Target Audience: Young Adults, Adults
Reading Experience: 7/10
Story: 8/10
Writing: 7/10
My Verdict: 7.5/10
I have to say it: I am not a big fan of Young Adults novels, and being a dystopian novel is even more of a deal breaker. I feel like I've outgrown that genre (I'm 23), and that the genre has nothing new or fresh to offer anymore. I feel like YA/dystopian novels will never have something new to offer. To me, it's like an inflexible genre, that doesn't allow much originality other than the story, which become "slightly" different from other novels. The writing is sometimes the same, the themes and even the love triangles. Only the story changes, but its development is almost the same. But I think I may have to reconsider my views on YA now that I read Red Queen. I think there might be good YA novels out there.
When I picked up Red Queen, I didn't expect anything other than love triangles, frustrated teens, an impossible "mission" or "goal" and maybe tragedy or two. I got all that, but the book actually surprised me. I think Ms. Aveyard is up to something here, and I am actually looking forward to read the next installment, the Glass Sword and the prequel Cruel Crown.
The story is as follows: the world is divided into two. The Reds, whose blood is... well, red. The Reds are commoners they are not special, and they are not powerful. And almost all of them live in poverty, under the Silvers' boot. They live to work and try to survive in the conditions they are currently in. And then there are the Silvers (can you guess the color of their blood?), which rule them from palaces and glass cities. Not only that, but Silvers have, what they call, "abilities", which makes them both dangerous and god-like. It's been like that for a lot of years, centuries, I believe. Silvers rule, Reds work for them and fight their wars. Mare Barrow, the protagonist, is a Red, living in poverty a small Red village with her family. She steals to help her family out, and lives her days hating the Silvers. In an attempt to save her friend and family, she finds herself dragged into the world of riches and luxury: the Silvers' palace.
In a life-changing turn of events, Mare discovers (along with a big part of the Silvers' population) that she possesses power of her own, despite her blood being red. This discovery could potentially ruin the "balance" this world has, the division between the Reds and the Silvers. To justify her existence and the fact that she has "abilities", the Silvers decide to make her a long-lost princess and decide to hide her in plain sight, to keep the balance and keep order.
But it's all lies, it's all a façade, and Mare finds herself in lethal danger, in the crosshairs of people that would gladly behead her if she steps out of line. Now she has to live with the Silvers, as a Silver, for the rest of her life. What comes next will surprise both Mare and the readers. Trust me.
Reading Experience: 7/10
It was a surprisingly good book. The reason I say it was surprisingly good is because I'm not a fan of YA novels, as I said. I am kinda prejudiced about YA novels. After Hunger Games or Divergent (does Twilight apply, here?) and many other YA I've read, I don't think many books out there will surprise me with anything fresh. I don't expect anything new, either, so if it lets me down, I wouldn't be surprised. Red Queen had me with mixed feelings, because I love fantasy (mostly the idea of dragons and magics and the sort), but seeing that it was YA, I hesitated. I mean, I've learned that the label YA is kinda of a Red flag (see what I did there? Yes, pun intended. HaHa). But I did like this book, a lot. And to be honest, it had one of the best, most heartbreaking plot twists I've ever read in a YA novel. Not even Hunger Games, not even Divergent (which was really, really good) had a plot twist like Red Queen (although, in Divergent's defense, I still haven't read Allegiant).
I particularly liked Aveyard's take on fantasy. Even though I would've liked a little bit more of the "abilities", Aveyard did keep me satisfied with my fantasy and fiction needs. Her world-building was fascinating. Even though it was not Tolkien or G.R. R. Martin level, I was pleased with what she offered. The romance in the book was not necessarily cloying; it had its sweetness in places where it wasn't a Twilight moment, so it came out nice and somewhat organic and natural. I'm not a fan of romance or lovey-dovey things, just so you know.
It took me a while to finish it, but it wasn't because of the quality of the story. It was laziness. When I actually got to read the book, I would read 5-8 chapters in one sitting, and I would stop because... well, because it would be 5 a.m. and the sun was about to rise. I like to read at night, very at night. I know, I'm weird.
The experience was good, even for a YA novel. Now, let me clarify, i'm not saying all YA novels are bad. The ones I've read, Hunger Games, Divergent, Twilight and many other series, were actually entertaining (well, Twilight was not particularly a favorite of mine when I first read it. But I do love vampires, so i gave it a try). What bothers me is more story-related. It's very hard to find a good, unique story. And for someone that is not particularly fond of loves stories or stories that hinges exclusively on love, I find myself automatically skipping the YA section and going directly to the gory, nightmarish section of horror and even fantasy. I am yet to find a good story out there that doesn't involve a love triangle, square or hexagon.
So if you have any suggestions on any YA novels that involves minimal romance or clichés, let me know!
Story: 8/10
The story was very interesting and very well made. It has mystery, fantasy, romance and thriller in all the right places. I haven't read much fantasy YA novels (unless Maze Runner, Twilight, Vampire Diaries and the books I mentioned above count), so I can't really say if the story is actually unique or if it's not. All I know is that I liked it. I liked following Mare in this voyage. Her view of things quickly become your own, as well as her feelings towards the people around her. The people she likes, you like; those she hates, you hate. That's not easy to pull off, and Aveyard did it beautifully.
I found the story to be linear and easy to follow. The world Aveyard shows you is somewhat complex, but it's very easy to understand. By the time you read the half of the books, you already know how that world works and you've learned at least half of the incredibly weird-yet-fascinating names of the Silvers.
I liked how she added enough of everything. Just enough of dystopia, of romance, of fantasy and a little bit of a thriller. I mean, you are following a girl that is living behind enemy lines, with the people she hates and the people you know could kill her if they wanted to. That sort of creates tension, even for the readers, and I particularly liked that about a book. I love impending doom!
And then, there's the dreaded plot twist. I have never been so surprised by the turn of events of YA novels, but Aveyard managed to not only surprise me, but she kept surprising me page after page. It was like she spun the story in a different direction, and before you had a chance to recover from that shock, she turns the story again in a different direction. Then it gets worse and worse... then another turn of events. This pretty much sums it all up:
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| "That did not just happen! Aveyard! How dare you!" |
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| "Wait! There's hope! Oh... no." |
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| "Wait... what's going on? Oh...no! Aveyard! Please, staahhp!" |
 |
| "What?!" |
Writing: 7/10
It was easy to read, and easy to follow. I'm starting to think that there is some sort of template or something for all YA novels. I felt like the writing was somewhat familiar. That being said, the story actually made up for it. I found myself rolling my eyes sometimes when Mare made her own unique remarks about things, but it still didn't ruin the book for me. In fact, I also caught myself grinning like an idiot at times. Overall, even with the simple, YA-style writing, I really enjoyed it.
My only complaint, though: I would've liked to be in someone else's head too. I enjoyed Mare's point of view of things, and her story was very, very interesting. But as someone who likes fantasy, I wish I had the chance to explore that world more. I know it would've slowed down the story, but I was intrigued with the wars that took place, and the other villages, and it would've been interesting to be inside a Silver's head (hint, hint, Ms. Aveyard). Other than that, I have no mayor complaints about the writing. While other books have a very slow, tedious narrative, Aveyard used Mare's voice to be direct and to-the-point.
My verdict: 7.5/10
I actually liked the ending a little bit more than the rest of the book, to be honest. Not that the book was bad - it was actually really good and interesting. But I'm a guy of action, disaster and tragedy. I like it when things go to hell; that way, I can see what the characters are made of. The ending was simply...
I think the story has potential, a LOT of potential. I'm very curious to see how Victoria Aveyard develops this story. The fantasy in this book is very interesting, the events and consequences this book set into motion should have VERY interesting outcomes for further books, and I think I might want to stick with Mare for a while.
Do I recommend it? Yes. It's a YA novel, so there isn't anything inappropriate in the book. The story is well made and very intriguing, I'm not saying this is the best YA novel out there, but it's a VERY good one. If you or you child is starting out on YA, this would be a good start. It could become a YA classic, along with Hunger Games and Divergent.
Now if you excuse, I'm going to buy Cruel Crown and Glass Sword. Bye!
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