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Red Queen
Juvenile Fiction
HarperTeen
February 10, 2015
Hardcover, paperback, Kindle, Audible
400
Graceling meets The Selection in debut novelist Victoria Aveyard's sweeping tale of seventeen-year-old Mare, a common girl whose once-latent magical power draws her into the dangerous intrigue of the king's palace. Will her power save her or condemn her? Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood—those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own. To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard—a growing Red rebellion—even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal.
Intriguingly Unique…
Red Queen was a book my teen daughter insisted I read. It was released in February of 2015 and already has two novellas and the second installment available. Even though it is promoted as a cross between Graceling and The Selection it is really a unique Young Adult series. Victoria paints a vivid dystopian world through her writing style and story telling. It was easy to visualize the world that the main character, Mare, experienced. I also really liked how quickly I connected with Mare and lived the story through her. She was smart, spunky, and compassionate all in the right amounts.
You know it’s a good book when…
It didn’t take long to get hooked on Red Queen and I found myself negotiating reasons I could read one more chapter. I finally just gave up, stayed up half the night and read the whole book.
Red Queen is an easy book to recommend for younger teens but adults who like YA stories will enjoy it as well. I hope to have reviews up soon for the two novellas, Cruel Crown and Queen Song, as well as the second installment in the series, Glass Sword.
For more information on Victoria Aveyard or her works check out www.victoriaaveyard.com.
Tanya’s love for books has been a lifelong passion that she likes sharing with others. Reading is also the thing that relaxes her after a day of juggling the many responsibilities that come with being being wife to an amazing man, mother to four great kids spread around the world, business manager, and farm hand on their place in southwest Missouri; home to Akaushi cattle and a menagerie of pygmy goats, horses, chickens, dogs and cats.
