For my school summer reading assignment, I chose to read Red Queen, by Victoria Aveyard. It was originally given to me by my 7th grade English teacher, after she had read it and loved it, and I have to say, when I finished the novel, I felt the same way.
"This is a world divided by blood – red or silver. The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change. That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power. Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime. But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart. " Pros: Great, interesting and engaging story line, interesting characters. Cons (Spoilers!!!): Mare and Cal's relationship could have been developed a little more, too much confusion with feelings for Kilorn - Make up your mind Mare!!! When I was originally recommended this book. I thought, "Oh, just another one of those books about some girl having to make many different decisions about which eligible bachelor to pick." I was wrong. This book is about a girl "outwardly" overcoming her differences with the Silvers and learning to fit in and be one of them, while secretly betraying them and joining the rebel group, the Scarlet Guard, whose main goal is to bring equality to both groups. Mare reminds me of Katniss from the Hunger Games. She is so brave and determined, it seems as if she could do anything. I thought Aveyard did a great job setting up the intro to her finding about her powers, and I loved the scene when Mare showed off her lightning accidentally for the first time. Also, I thought Aveyard did a nice job introducing the three main love interests, even though some could have been made more interesting and compelling for Mare to choose. One of the main love interests is Cal, the crown prince of the Silvers in Norta, who is the brother of the man Mare is betrothed to (not lovingly). He is betrothed (again, not lovingly) to Evangeline, a downright awful person, who is horribly rude to Mare. Another interest is Kilorn, a close friend of Mare's from home, and they have an interesting relationship. They both care about each other, but their feelings are never really mentioned in the novel. The other interest is Maven, the second in line to the throne. He is Cal's younger brother, who is often overlooked by the other royals and officials. Mare gets to see Maven's sensitive side which is nice, and they begin to bond, after Mare is forced to become betrothed to him. In general, the book was very well thought out, as it kept me guessing all of the way through, and the ending was mind-blowingly unpredictable, with all of the betrayals. That was very interesting, and I enjoyed that because it made it more addictive to read. I also liked all of the different abilities the Silvers had, as it added a bit of mystery to the book, because you weren't sure who had what power, and then they used said powers to figure out things. I am hoping to read the Glass Sword very soon, and I hope that it is just as good as the first.
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