[Review] Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

ABOUT

Title: Red Queen

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Series: Red Queen #1

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: February 10th 2015

Get it Here: Indigo Amazon B&N BookDepository

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Source: ARC obtained from giveaway

Synopsis:
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?

I received an ARC through a giveaway. This fact in no shape or form affects my review. Except for the existence of the review itself. I received no compensation for this review in any way.This is my honest opinion of the work.

I think with fantasy, especially those like Red Queen, where there is a society that is oppressive and horrible and unhappy, the book is about the spark of the revolution. The change that is about to happen and how it comes about.

The way this book is written gives me a sense of dread and foreboding, waiting for something bad to happen. Specifically, for people to find out that Mare is not a silver and that she is really a red. The entire book felt like I was just waiting for this bad thing to happen.

The world is built very well and though it's simple in the concept of silver blood and red blood, it has a well built societal structure. You can tell with the way that the reds are organized and how the silvers live their way of life. We also get some mentions of the world outside of the main country and the different kingdoms that also have red blood and silver blood. The powers are interesting as well. We get to see the special powers best in the aristocratic silver houses, where each house has a hereditary power passed down paternally. I'm still a little unsure if it's the same for the silvers outside the royal houses though, as most of the contact with the silvers is through the royal houses.

We really get to see Mare develop and change from the red thief to the pretend silver princess. We get to see her thoughts and demeanor evolve and adapt to her situation. We can see her try and compartmentalize her feelings into manageable chunks so that she can cope with the decisions that she makes and will have to make.

I don't know which of the brothers I like best yet. Cal, the crown prince, is the soldier. He is better at fighting and using his body. He is kind in a way that is most convenient for him in order to keep the legacy of his father and himself. He sees all that goes into oppressing the reds and though he wants to help them, he doesn't want to be the king that destroys his kingdom over a revolution.

Maven is the younger prince, Mare's betrothed. He is the politician. He is more sly and a thinker rather than a fighter. He is worse than his older brother in fighting but he understands the subtleties that go into being a leader and facing the politics of the other nobles. His actions, to me, were unexpected, but not unwelcome. However, because he is the more sly and smarter of the two brothers and the son of his mother, Queen Elara, I can't help but distrust him.

The big *gasp* moment did happen eventually at about 90% into the book. It didn't shock me as much as to be expected, I suppose, as I was just waiting for something to happen.

Red Queen is a really great fantasy world with out too much complexity. The writing was really great and I really enjoyed the repetition of some lines to emphasize ideas.

Happy Reading!