Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Reviewed by: Barb Rude, Reference Assistant
Genre: YA Fantasy
Suggested Age: Teens and Adults
What is the book about?: Silver-blooded people control magic and thus the world, crushing the red-blooded under their heels. As a Red, Mare will be conscripted to the War and either come back broken or in a box. In the meantime, she steals to leave her family with rations to get by.
When she manifests the ability to call lightning at the most inopportune time ever, the royal family scrambles to come up with a story to explain how a Red could have Silver powers. Thus, she ‘becomes’ Silver and is plunged into noble intrigue. One wrong move and she could die. Anyone can betray her.
My review: Readers who enjoy fantasy intrigue will like Red Queen. Initially, Mare reminded me of Katniss from The Hunger Games but as the story develops, their paths diverge. Mare is compassionate and naïve, though she is always struggling to learn savvy. There’s a definite dystopian vibe with the class wars, but also magic and enough world-building to promise room to grow into a series.
Rating: 4/5
About FDL Reads
Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library. Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available. If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently. We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!