“Red Queen is a young adult fantasy novel written by American writer Victoria Aveyard. It was her first series and her first novel. It was published in February 2015. Its sequels are Glass Sword, King’s Cage and War Storm”
“A sizzling, imaginative thriller, where romance and revolution collide, where power and justice duel. It’s exhilarating. Compelling. Action-packed. Unputdownable.” (USA Today)
“Aveyard weaves a compelling new world of action-packed surprises… inventive, character-driven.” (Kirkus Reviews)
“A volatile world with a dynamic heroine.” (Booklist)
“Breakneck pace and engaging characters.” (School Library Journal)
“ [Aveyard] sets her audience up for a gaspworthy twist that reconfigures nearly every character’s role and leaves Mare with no one to trust but herself… This blend of fantasy and dystopia will be an unexpected and worthy addition to many genre fans’ reading list.” (Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books)
“Fascinating world building… Readers will be intrigued by a world that reflects today’s troubling issues concerning ethnic inequality, unfair distribution of wealth, pollution, warfare, political corruption, and the frightening power of the media.” (Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
In a world where opposites don’t attract in the slightest, Mare Barrow is in the middle of it.
This story starts off as your average poor girl just trying to make ends meet and save her family and only friend from absolute poverty, all while trying to save herself from conscription, compulsory enlistment for state service, typically into the armed forces.
Mare has seen her brothers before her, leave to fight a war that is not their own, her own, but soon she will be apart of it if she doesn’t find a way out.
And above all, she must sit through mandatory displays of power by Silvers; the rich, wealthy, and all powerful beings of silver blood. Mare finds herself hating the Silver kind, but also comparing them to that of Gods.
Mare’s life is in an unending spiral, especially when she gets her sister into a situation that leaves her with broken fingers, and Mare a guilty heart. Soon after, Mare meets a man who changes her life, later finding out he is heir to the throne of Norta. He gifts her a job within the palace, which is fine and dandy until her life is put on the line.
Mare’s life flashes before her eyes as she plummets into a pit of electricity at the Queenstrial event, to choose the next queen. But instead of dying, something incredible happens.
Mare beats death and as a cover up, the King and Queen of Norta throw Mare into a life that is not her own: the forgotten princess Mareen Titanos.
She is then betrothed to the second son of the king: Maven Calore, the prince, and that is all he will ever be.
Along with her new life, Mareena is put in the routine of becoming a “proper lady” which is unlike herself.
Mare and Mareena are two different personas, but she feels as if they are often morphing, forgetting herself.
Mare must prove herself to the Queen, who torments her at every turn, the Red Dawn; people of her own kind who fight for a cause and against the crown, and the crown and the royalty behind it.
There is a twisted turn at every point of this story and it will for sure keep you on edge.
