Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

14+

Amazing series that I love and is on my reread list! Red Queen is a dystopian fantasy with a sprinkling of romance. A 14+ as a warning because the are parts that are quite dark. The Red Queen is Mare Barrow, a red girl from the Stilts that is going to be force conscripted into the army if she doesn’t get a job and quick. She gets a job as a servant in the palace and during the Queentrial, falls onto the lightning shield. She survives the electricity which should have killed her on impact as she is a Red. The Silver Elite, who are supposed to be the only people with powers, pretend she is a long lost generals daughter to cover up what they think is an anomaly. She is engaged to the youngest prince, Maven and is introduced to a court of betrayal, politics and an country on the brink of revolution. Mare is a strong character with clear aims. Survival for herself and the protection of her family and Kilorn, her friend and a boy that she might have married, had this not all happened. the secondary characters are well developed, and all have their agendas and aims, as is only right in a political fantasy like that. The world of Norta is vivid and well thought out and i would love to see more series set in this universe. The romance is well done, a little wince worthy in places because of the love triangle aspect, but Mare holds true to her usual characteristics around her love interests, which is nice to read.

Characters – 5 stars – just gorgeous, they all live rentfree in my head.

World – 5 stars – perfect dystopian/fantasy world, I LOVE it.

Romance – 4.5 stars – Sweet Romance – it is worth mentioning there is a slight love triangle between Mare, Cal and Maven which is done incredibly well but it still is morally messy in the first book as Mare is engaged to Maven.

Plot – Can I give it a 1000? The plot is out of this world, it is complex, intriguing and we see every part of society through the eyes of Mare, a girl from the slums.

Things to be aware of: it is very violent as it is set during a civil war and a wider war as well as a revolution. There is extreme racial separation and discrimination between the Reds and the Silvers, which is one of the reasons it is a 14+.