ARC, 386 pagesRelease Date: February 10, 2015Published by: HarperTeenRed Queen Trilogy, #1Source: BorrowedFor fans of: Dystopia, Fantasy, Magic, Sparkly Covers, YA
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.
*MY THOUGHTS*
Honestly, I was a little intimidated while reading this one. I had seen so many people rating it four or five stars and I always get scared when I see something like that. I don't want to be that one person that doesn't like it. So, when I started it, I went into it not expecting anything.
"Our backs are bent by work and unanswered hope and the inevitable disappointment with our lot in life."
In a world where there are powers and difference in blood colors, Mare Barrow seems to be the only one who is different. Which means she needs to hide it, and hide it well. She ends up having to hide it in plain sight, as a Silver princess. But then there are whispers of an uprising. Mare needs to figure out where she stands now, with the Silvers who have "taken her in", or the Reds who accepted her from the beginning.
"Their blood is a threat, a warning, a promise. We are not the same and never will be."
What I got was a few surprises. Both good and bad. The bad news first, the beginning was interesting, but really slow. It seemed like although there was the potential for things to happen, there wasn't really anything going on. But then, the first half of the book, things started seeming mighty familiar. It started reading like any other dystopian. And when I say that, I mean: Oh here's some elements like The Selection, and then oh, here's some elements like The Hunger Games. it just seemed like your "friendly neighborhood dystopian." Which was kind of disappointing. I even put it down for a little bit to read something else, to just get away from it for a while.
But then, I finally got past that part, and OH. MY. GOSH. The second half of this book was amazing. The fights scenes were bad ass, the twists and turns were EVERYWHERE, and the troupes of a regular dystopian began to disappear. When it started to become it's own story, it definitely got 100% better!"The gods rule us still. They have come down from the stars. And they are no longer kind."
"Everything has a price girl."
One thing that stayed consistent throughout the entire series was Aveyard's writing. It was so poetic, it had me wanting to write down or bookmark everything! I wish I had been able to read this one my own finished copy so I could tab up the entire book! Looks like I'll be going for a re-read! With this being Aveyard's debut, I can't wait to see how her writing develops as she gets more into the series!
"If you know someone's fear, you know them."
In short, this book was a little slow and regular in the beginning, but as the book went on, things began to separate it from other dystopians I've read. The ending alone changed my view of the entire book! I can't wait to see what Aveyard does in the next installment of this series!
Overall, I give this
