Review- Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Summary-

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. 

Release date: February 10th, 2015

Published by: Harper Teen

Page numbers: 383

Review-

There has just been SO much hype surrounding Red Queen. I think I've read an equal number of good and bad reviews for this. Curiosity definitely got the better of me when I picked up Red Queen. I'll say that I fall somewhere in the middle in my opinion of the book. While I didn't completely hate the book, I didn't love it either. I kind of just tolerated the protagonist and that is the main reason I found the book to be just okay.

Alright, so the basic concept in Red Queen is that the world is divided into Reds and Silvers depending on the colour of blood the person carries. The Silvers hold all the power as they have extra ordinary abilities to go with the Silver blood. Mare Barrow our heroine is an exception. She is a Red but she has an ability which she is only beginning to discover. Unfortunately this lands her in trouble and soon she is tangled in a web of lies and deceit.

So like I said before, I did not like Mare. I tried to find something in her personality with which I could relate even a little bit. But that was not to be. Mare was really self centered for my liking. Even though there was a bigger thought of saving the Reds and creating equality she always found a way in her thoughts to turn it all around as if the entire world revolved around her.

I usually enjoy a good political plot but the one in Red Queen was weak. Mare also finds herself in the middle of a love triangle which I can see becoming a square in the next book. I liked the crown prince Cal, one of the love interests. He was genuine and wanted what was good for everyone. Maven on the other hand was his half brother who had intentions of his own. But it was kinda easy to guess what would happen at the end of it.

What I did like in Red Queen was Mare's family. There were solid people and I can't wait to read more about Mare's brothers. There is also a childhood best friend Kilorn who is seriously giving me the "Gale" vibes. All the other players in the revolution were very forgettable for me. I don't know if its the genre, maybe I've read enough dystopia to last me a lifetime but I found the storyline to be quite similar to some other books I've read. I didn't get anything exceptionally unique out of this book. I'm still not sure if or when I'll pick up Glass Sword, the sequel to Red Queen. Overall, Red Queen was just an okay read for me.

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by Hachette India in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.