Red Queen (Red Queen #1)
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. (Summary and cover courtesy of goodreads.com)
Review:
This book was a whirlwind ride that definitely was a fun read, but did feel a bit like “Hunger Games” meets “The Selection” meets any other young adult series that seems to be popular these days. What’s interesting is Mare manages to finagle herself out of a lot of the situations that would have created a more interesting storyline (purposely vague to avoid spoilers) in this first book although there does seem to be a promise of more of that to come. The book is based on the suspense of “What’s going to happen” and the love story, which more and more complex as we progress.
The ending will have me picking up the next book in the series, but I’m worried that there won’t be enough to maintain my interest through the whole thing. For a quick read, I enjoyed the book and, if there’s a lot of character development through the next books, I see strong potential for a fascinating series.
Warning: Contains repeated violence.
Rating: 4 stars!
Who should read it? Young adult fans who don’t mind repeated themes with other series.
Want to read the whole series?
Queen Song (Red Queen #0.1)
Steel Scars (Red Queen #0.2)
Glass Sword (Red Queen #2)
King’s Cage (Red Queen #3)
War Storm (Red Queen #4)
Broken Throne (Red Queen #4.5)