Red Queen

Victoria Aveyard

Rating

4 stars

Date Read

15/1/16 - 18/1/16

Age Group

14+

General Thoughts

Look at that gorgeous cover! I give you the winner of Goodreads Choice Awards of 2015 for debut author of the year! And since I promised myself to look a bit more into bestsellers in 2016, I thought Ms Aveyard's book was a lovely place to start. And with so many glowing reviews no less...

Mare Barrow’s world is divided by blood—those with common, Red blood and those with Silver blood who are gifted with superhuman abilities like super strength, fire bending, control over metal or water, the ability to read thoughts or manipulate will. Mare is nothing, she's a commoner, a poor Red.... With Silver abilities.

"This is about me, about somehow slipping a Red girl into a crown without anyone noticing"
-Mare

 I cannot say I was disappointed, even though I did get into this with exceptionally high expectations. Thing is, it wasn't anything I hadn't seen before. In fact, it was a great mix of everything I did read in 2015, as well as a few other books.

It reminded me of the Covenant series, what with all the discriminations between two very different races, with the strong, special ones - in this case the mutated Silverbloods - enslaving and abusing the lesser race, the Reds. And with the witty, smart-mouthed heroine caught in the middle.

"And in case you were wondering, the girl you nearly fried is a cousin."
I almost choke, not knowing how to respond. "I'm sorry" It sounds like a question.
"Be sorry you missed her" He replies without a hint of jest. "Evangeline is a bitch"
"Family trait?"

Evangeline

It reminded me of the unjust world from An Ember in the Ashes, where rebels thirsted for a change, wanted to be out of under the leader's thumb (there it was an Emperor, here it is the Silver race and its King) young girl, neither too brave nor too selfless, is thrust into a world she doesn't understand but fights for freedom and tries  to find herself. 

It reminded me of Kestrel's palace drama and scheming, from my personal favourite, the Winner's Crime, with a fierce, brave heroine trying to sidestep the games of the royal court and survive this glamourous, dangerous world long enough to help and  hopefully free those she cares about.

"They've pulled me inside out, swapping Mare for Mareena, a thief for a crown, cotton for silk, Red for Silver."

It reminded me of Cruel Beauty, where the protagonist ends up betrothed to a prince, a dangerous stranger, and has to decide if she is to trust him, even though even though he is her enemy (or, in this case, at least the son of her enemy), even though they stand on opposing sides of the war brewing, even though she is falling for him...

"You're a lot like Maven" he says after a long moment.
"You mean engaged to a stranger? We do have that in common."


And it reminded me of Kiera Cass's Selection, what with the Queenstrial for the prince to choose a bride.

That's not to say Victoria has ever read any of these books, much less that she knowingly copied anything. It's just that, well, if this is what young readers like these days then I'm already reading books along the same lines so The Red Queen didn't really surprise me.

Well, not much anyway...

Because around the end things get very, very interesting.

Well played.

Romance, Characters

So is this a romance? It seems to have all the important ingredients, namely two gorgeous princes vying for a commongirl's  attention. But after the reveal of Mare's very unRedlike power, in the midst of dangerous times, at the biggining of a revolution, there's hardly any time for romance, let along a love triangle...

You know how book romances bloom very quickly when they are forbidden? A Red and a Silver mixing, that's unheard of... But then Victoria goes betrothing the "Red girl with Silver powers", the "little lightning girl", to the younger prince, Maven. The king and queen go claiming she is long lost royalty now returned to her rightful place in order to hide the anomaly in plain sight, all the while having every intention to make her disapear if she breathes a wrong word, walks in the false direction, starts a revolution...

So, yeah, of course being betrothed to a prince takes all the fun out of the forbidden romance, even if said prince is all kind and thoughtful. Of course the girl has to go kissing his powerful brother, Cal, the heir to the Silver throne.

But as I said, this is hardly a romance. There is no insta-love, no cliched attraction. This is a real, dangerous world. And Mare has bigger problems than what silk dress to wear or which pale prince to fall in love with.

She is the face of the Red revolution and the weapon against it in the same breath.

And in a place where anyone can betray anyone, it is a bad, bad idea to trust your heart...

"And that's why you're in danger, from everyone. Even Maven. Even me. Anyone can betray anyone."

-Julian

Mare

Mare has a bit of headstrong America Singer in her as well as a bit of witty Alex Andros. Maybe a bit more of scheming Kestrel would have been appreciated, made her a bit stronger, readier for what's to come... 

And because all these names are ancient Greek to those who haven't read the books referenced, let me try again:

Fierce, mettlesome, ill mannered, unrefined. A commongirl. Mare Barrow is born a Red, living in the shadow of her young, talented sister. All three of her older brothers have been conscripted and it's going to be her turn very soon. She has been hardened by a hard life, a fighter forged from the countless times she's fought for survival.  And yet, she is still a young girl, she gets jealous, and bitter, she feels powerless and weak in this world where her people have no say in what happens next.

Before her eighteenth birthday fate smiles down at her and she ends up working in the palace as a servant, escaping the horrors of war...

And then her Powers are discovered and she ends up even more powerless and restrained than before, as she is wrapped up in silks and paraded in front of Silver High Houses as Lady Titanos, daughter of the deceased war hero General Titanos, Silver born and thrust into the Red world because of a tragedy.

She is betrothed to a prince and told to be a Silver, be cold and beautiful, untouchable, to smile and curtsy and be ladylike, to act her part and train and obey, if she values her life.

This world, this whole situation is bigger than her. And she gets in over her head, conspiring bravely but recklessly with the rebels, hopeful that maybe risking it all for justice and freedom will change tomorrow.

Cal

Tiberious the seventh of House Calore and House Jacos, heir to the throne of Norta, Flame of the North. Son of Corianne, the previous queen and the reigning king, his Silver Power is fire. He is the perfect prince, the gentle friend, the fearless warrior. The merciless soldier. The forbidden brother. Born to rule.

"Whatever I might feel or think, Cal is not the brother I am promised to. More importantly, he's on the wrong side. He's my enemy. Cal is forbidden"

Compassionate, he takes pity on her, saves her from uncertain fate, only t unknowingly put her life in even more danger. Learning about the kingdom's weakneses, his people's suffering. But still thinking the cost isn't worth the change. Not wanting to risk being the king that destroys his country.

"He is a soldier at heart and soldiers like to win."

Maven

The other prince, the forgotten one. The shadow to Cal's flame. Living his whole life in the shadow of his perfect, stronger, shining brother. Mavey is the son of Elara, the cruel, powerful queen but under no circumnstances should you take her unforgiving, calculated nature when dealing with Mare to mean that she doesn't love her only son, that she won't protect him at all costs.

Maven is everything a prince should be, kind and considerate and fine in manners. Meant to rule. And he may not be as loud and strong and fearless as his older brother but so what? He is not, no matter what Julian says, his mother's son.

"I thought princes were born with the ability to dance and make idle conversation" Cal chuckles. "Not me. If I had it my way I'd be in the garage or the barracks, building and training. Not like Maven. He's twice the prince I'll ever be."
I think of Maven, of his kind words, perfect manners, impeccable knowledge of the court- all the things he pretends to be to hide his true heart.
"But he'll only ever be a prince" I mutter "And you'll be king."

Julian

When Mare is transformed into royalty, he is the one they tasked with educating her. A curious tutor, an intelligent scholar, a righteous fighter, a broken man, a coward brother, a loyal friend. The best advice comes from him as he, with his wise words and astute observations, tries to teach Mare how to survive in this dangerous world.

No one trusts him, and it's not just beacause he happens to be the deseased Corianne's brother, a constant reminder of a dead queen. It's also because of his rare Silver power
. Julian is a Singer.

"Make no mistake my girl" Julian finally breathes. "You are playing the game as someone's pawn"

All In All

This dystopian is gripping from beginning to end, fast paced and enjoyable. It thrusts you into a world where blood, either Red or Silver, defies your place in society and, even if the general idea of a divided world is might not be original, as Kirkus says:

“Aveyard weaves a compelling new world, and Mare and the two men in her life evolve intriguingly as class tension rises. Revolution supersedes romance, setting the stage for action-packed surprises. An inventive, character-driven twist breathes new life in tired fantasy trends.”

Victoria Aveyard is a debut author to watch out for!

PS. High On emotion by Chris De Burgh

PSS Take this quiz to find out what your Silver power is!
PSSS I'm a burner! "No, your power is not delivering incredible comebacks, although we're sure you're gifted with that power too. Burners in the world of RED QUEEN by Victoria Aveyard can control heat and summon fire. Careful, you know what they say about playing with fire. . ."

XOXO

Aggie Pearson