ARC Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard @harperteen

Blurb: 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? 

Title: Red Queen Red Queen #1)
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publisher: HarperTeen
Expected Publication Date: 2/10/2015

Brooke's Review:

I want to thank Harper Teen for providing me with an early copy of this book to read and give an honest review. Receiving this book for free has in no way altered my opinion or review.

I had very high expectations for this book. First of all, the blurb drew me right in. It's dystopian but it has that slight fantasy/sci-fi feel? BOO YA! Then all my friends were reading it and loving it. And finally, that COVER! Wow! So simple yet still has so much power to it! So you can imagine I was really excited to read this book!

Mare is a red. She has no privilege, like the silvers. She's expect to work or to serve in the war. There is no in between. She's seen her brothers do it, and now it's encroaching on her turn.  I liked Mare's character well enough. She was very focused on family and keeping them sage and happy. I can connect with this. I will say that she had a bit too much angst in the romance department for me. I like that Mare has a special power that others. It made her interesting and different. What I didn't like was that she knew nothing of it until she got a job in the palace. You mean to tell me in all her 17 years she's never had a time when her powers might have shown? I found that hard to believe. Of course, there's more to her power and how it blurs the line between red and silver, but I won't get into that so as not to be spoilery.

Let's talk a bit about the male characters who gave Mare a run for her romance money. I didn't connect with any of them. None of them made me feel like they really were right for Mare. Two prince vying for her attention plus her best friend at home. A love QUADRANGLE if you will.I didn't feel her connection with any of them. And to be honest, I think the romance could have been left out all together. It dragged the story line down for me. And it didn't help that even though we do see the one person Mare focuses on in the story, she still is drawn to the others. So it's not concrete enough for me. Like it's left open enough just in case things happen, she can turn to another.

Then there's her teacher/tutor/mentor Julian. I really liked him, a lot. I wanted more of him. I really hope we end up with more than what we got in this one. He definitely filled that fatherly role for Mare when she wasn't at home.

This plot is very story driven. This quite a bit of world building and background that the author chooses to reveal. But it's not quite enough for me. I don't see how the world works completely, or how it really came to be. All of it important to understanding what is actually going on between the reds and silvers. I will say there are a few plot points that are original, but I also felt a lot of plot points that I've read in so many other books. The originality was right there, but then it wasn't. I had mixed feelings about this. I know that sometimes certain elements are just going to fit, but I was really wanting to see this take turns I hadn't seen anywhere else. The plot does focus on politics and lies and has a bit of mystery and intrigue wound in. It kept my interest for sure. And there is that rebellion factor and the group who is going to fight the powers that be to try and win. I like it and I'm intrigued to see how they set about doing it.

Unfortunately, this book had a bit of a predictability factor for me. I figured out early on who was not to be trusted and I was right. I also figured out the big twist at the end, or at least had an inkling about it. I wanted to be more surprised by things. I needed a bit more originality for that wow factor to happen for me.

The writing was very good. It flowed well and there was never a time when I felt like information was being dumped. I was never bored.

Overall I liked the book enough to say I will move on to the next one so I can see what happens, but it wasn't anything that I haven't really read before. I don't think this will appeal to fantasy fans, but will more than likely be something fans of dystopia enjoy.


I'm a screenwriter/YA author who likes books and lists. This site is the nexus of my universe.

My book RED QUEEN will be published Winter 2015 from HarperTeen at HarperCollins. I'm repped by the incomparable Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media, Inc. 

The genres I'm into include YA, Fantasy, Historical, Adventure, Apocalyptic - if people are dying, I'm buying.