(4 Stars)
Published: 12th February 2015 (UK)
Thank you to Orion on Netgalley for providing me with a copy for review purposes!
Official 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?
Review:
I have to admit, the hype surrounding this book on social media is what initially attracted me to it, because on the surface, Red Queen may come across as having the typical YA dystopian tropes – girl who comes from poverty discovers that she is different and possesses unheard of power, there is rebellion and multiple handsome boys. Up until around halfway through the novel, this is what I expected. Until everything was turned upside down with an ending more shocking than any I've read recently.
If I'm honest, the second half of the novel saved Red Queen. The first half, I felt, was not different enough in storyline to truly be set apart from other books that I've read. Having said that, it was not at all bad, by any stretch of the imagination. The writing was strong and fast-paced, even if I felt like more emphasis should have made been on the characterisation of Mare. For the most part, I liked her, but when I look back on reading Red Queen, she doesn't strike me as a particularly memorable protagonist – although I do appreciate that it is a planned trilogy, and there is plenty of time for character development. What I did love about Mare was her ability to make hard choices and follow through to the end, trusting that the choices she made were made for the greater good.
The plot was strong, the focus of the book never disappearing, and while the romantic aspect did take centre stage for a while, it was relevant to the plot and especially to some major scenes at the end. I did enjoy the romantic aspects, even if Mare did yo-yo a little in which of her interests she preferred, but that is not to say that the romance overshadowed the whole plot, because to me it definitely didn't. I had hoped that Mare might make a female friend, but unfortunately the only other key female character at the palace was despised by Mare, and vice versa, so I have my fingers crossed for more female friendships in the next books!
In the interest of keeping this spoiler free, I'll wrap this up by saying that Red Queen is not what you might expect. It initially follows dystopian tropes, but the ending had me staring at the words whispering "No ... NO?!" and turning to my sister to tell her I couldn't read on because everything was going to go drastically wrong and I couldn't bear to read through it. I actually really loved the ending, I thought it was so original and emotional, it was the closest I came to connecting with Mare and really rooting for her.
Overall, I expect Red Queen to be a very popular release this year in YA and the ending might just make it a game changer! With an ending like that, there is endless potential for the second in the trilogy and I can't wait to read it. I do recommend this book, and advise people to stick with it, not to write it off as typical dystopia, and give the characters a chance because the payoff is so worth it. Again, THAT ENDING! Red Queen is a great debut novel and hopefully is the beginning of much success for Victoria Aveyard.
Also, I think a little Lucas appreciation is in order because he was one of my top favourite characters:
"That's why they gave her to me. Because I'm dangerous."
But Lucas shakes his head. "Lady Titanos, they gave her to you because your posture is terrible and you eat like a dog."
I really look forward to the next two books in the trilogy and can't wait for people to get their hands on Red Queen!
