Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

I'm so in love with this cover!

Title: Red Queen

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Page count: 383 pages

Publishing date: Feb 2015

Publisher: Orion

My rating: 5/5 stars!

Blurb:

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?

Wow. That's really all I can say. I'm still stunned with this book. I expected it to be good with all of the raving five star reviews bombarding Goodreads and Amazon, but I was not prepared for how wonderful and incredible this was. I'm not ashamed to say that when I read the last sentence of Red Queen, I squealed, clutched the book to my chest, and jumped up and down. This exceeded my expectations and beyond. 

This book has something magical about it. Maybe it's the awesome world building or the well developed characters or maybe it's just the writing but when you put it all together into one book, magic happens. 

Mare Barrow is a Red. In a world ruled by Silvers, humans with supernatural powers, being a Red means constantly living in fear, in filth, and in poverty. Mare's life is on the edge. She has no real skills which means that she could be shipped off to war at any moment. But a chance encounter with a stranger sends her world spinning. In a sudden change of events, this stranger has gotten her a job working in the Silver Palace. It'll keep her from being enlisted into war so any job will do. But in an act of pure self-defense, Mare exhibits raw power that only a Silver should exhibit. In an instant, Mare's life once again changes. 

Forced to pretend that she is a long-lost Silver royal by the king and queen, Mare is now the Red-turned-Silver, Mareena. Betrothed to the queen's son in an act to keep Mare obedient, things are about to go from bad to worse. 

Mare has been taught that Silvers cannot be trusted. Now she is surrounded by them. Maven, her betrothed, seems kind despite being the son of the cruel and calculative queen. Cal, the oldest prince and heir to the throne, who wants nothing more than to make his father proud. Evangeline, Cal's future bride, a heartless young woman with unbelievable powers desperate to tear Mare down. 

As Mare becomes deeper involved in Silver life, it is clear to her that things need to change. Could Red redemption come from the Scarlet Guard, a group of unnamed Reds bent on taking down Silver society? As their threat grows, Mare must decide if she's willing to risk her life to help the Scarlet Guard. And when an unlikely friendship forms between Mare and the two Silver brothers, can Mare question that idea that all Silvers cannot be trusted?

One thing is certain... betrayal can happen at any time in the Silver Palace. And love always comes with a price. 

Characters:

I absolutely adore Mare. She's spunky, sassy, and can handle her own. She's strong despite the circumstances and is fighting to keep herself alive at all times. She might not make the best decisions all of the time but she always bounces back. She's smart. Like-able. Maybe she is a little naive but I think that's going to change in the second book. She has her fair share of betrayals and learns that everyone is not always how they seem. She might be a Red in the head but she's a Silver at heart. Cool. Calculative. And while she has the strong emotions of a Red that detachment that is so new to her will keep her alive in the palace. 

The king and queen are the typical tyrannical leaders that only care about power and themselves. They want all the control. Nothing seems to satisfy their hunger for more. More power. More strength. More more more. I hated them so much because they were so heartless. Yet, at the same time, I loved them because they are such good characters. Maybe they are cruel and evil but they are very interesting to read about! 

Cal was the more serious brother. He was stressed at all times because of his duty to the throne and to all Silvers. He struggled a lot in this book between doing what was right for the crown and doing what was right for everyone else. He was torn in half.. one side of him wanting change and the other fighting it. I desperately love that about him. Throughout the book he teeters on the edge of evil and goodness. And throughout this, he struggles to accept his feelings and emotions. Grown up to be ruthless and stoic, Mare brings a whole new set of emotions to him. 

Maven. Oh, Maven. He's the younger brother. More carefree but at the same time he has a sense of turmoil about him as well. He's desperate to please the king but never seems to get any credit for anything that he does. The king looks over him as if Maven is a ghost. All he wants is to be noticed and he struggles with that in the book. As Mare's betrothed, the reader will get to see a lot of Maven. The good sides and the bad. He's not a perfect person by any means but he'll definitely surprise you. I promise. 

World building:

What I loved most about Red Queen was how unique it was. Combined with awesome world building and we've got a story, folks. Aveyard does a wonderful job of keeping the reader in the know about what is going on. The setting in this story is so important and that means the execution needs to take priority. Aveyard succeeded in creating a world that is not only interesting and unique but also understandable to the reader. 

I really love the idea of Reds and Silvers. It kind of reminds me of the poor and the rich. The rich will take all that they want and leave scraps for the poor. The structured society in Red Queen is no different. Combine the Silvers with supernatural powers and the Reds are practically ants waiting to be stomped on. The intensity of what the Reds go through each and every day made me want to scream for retribution! 

Romance:

Yes, we've got the classic YA love triangle. Before you swear and promptly close out of this window, please know that this love triangle is not excruciatingly terrible like some. It's realistic and I can accept this love triangle because it was so well crafted and put together. 

Mare's love interests are, of course, Cal and Maven. The two brothers are complete opposites when it comes to their morals, feelings, and thoughts on Silver life. So it's obviously hard for Mare to trust either one of them considering she was brought up to know that Silvers will only bring destruction. The internal battle Mare wages as she begins to question this is very enjoyable to read about as it is so intense. 

Cal is the brooding and sarcastic brother which immediately makes me root for him. He's the bad boy, torn between his feelings for Mare and his feelings for the crown. It's safe to say that this will bring their relationship to the brink of destruction. 

Maven is also someone I couldn't help but love. Mare and Maven spend a lot of time together and the reader will fall in love with his soft nature (you will LOL at this when you finish the book) and fierce determination to see things change. He becomes a great friend and confidant to Mare in this book as she finally begins to open up. 

I equally loved Mare with both Cal and Maven but after the ending there is only one brother that has a clear shot with Mare. 

The ending:

Speaking of endings... it was PERFECT. Magnificent. It had everything I could ever want: betrayal, action, heart-crushing despair, and hope. NOTE: you might wan to make sure you have an extended period of free time as once you reach the last fifty pages or so you WILL NOT want to put this book down. Trust me. 

Overall thoughts:

Read this. READ THIS. readthisreadthisreadthis. But, really, read this. You won't be disappointed. 

                                                    Until next time,