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.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, is one of those books that I didn’t know what to think about. At least, in the beginning.
It has all the beginnings of an interesting fantasy story. There is a world divided into two factions: one with power and another with eternal serfdom. These factions are determined by a person’s blood. Not blood type, but the actual color of the blood. That’s right, their blood is a different color.
Silvers are the guys with the powers. They can manipulate an element according to their bloodline and do a whole bunch of stuff. Naturally, they see themselves as superior to the Reds.
Reds basically are just us. No special abilities.
Anyways, what I found both interesting and confusing is that I didn’t know what fantasy sub-genre this book is a part of. There is technology, so I originally thought dystopian. But then, there isn’t an explanation as to how there is a group of people with silver blood or how they have powers.
I’m not sure if this will ever be explained, but I feel that there’s some big answer that comes with this question that has to do with radiation or a great war that they are still fighting in the book.
The main character, Mare, is an interesting character. She’s caring, but not to a fault. She’s a pickpocket and is quick on her feet. This natural talent is both what gets her into trouble and what saves her life. She is quick to think, but isn’t book smart. And even though she does things to protect the ones she loves, she does feel guilty about her actions.
She isn’t a perfect character by any stretch of the imagination. She is a character with many flaws and I liked that about her.
All in all, it was a good book and I do plan on reading the second in the series.
Casia's Corner 