paperback-princesses:

The Red Queen, by Victoria Aveyard

Mare Barrow’s world is divided by blood—those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.

To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard—a growing Red rebellion—even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal.

Rating: 5/5

I am so angry with myself.

Four months this book sat in my to-read list. Four months of me going “oh, I need a new book to read,” and skipping over this one to opt into reading something else.

I’m an idiot.

The Red Queen is one hundred percent pure amazing fantasy fiction. When I started reading it, I admit I was slightly intimidated by the wordiness of the first page. But now, I can’t even remember if it was really all that wordy, or if I was just imagining it. I loved everything about this book.

Mare Barrow is a typical Red-blooded girl, a peasant in a world where Silverbloods play god. She know’s she’s going to be sent off to war, but when she meets a stranger and is whisked off to work for the king, all that changes. Mare has a dormant power she had no idea Reds could have. In her world, only Silvers possess abilities. Now she has to use her ability to liberate her people and betray the king, who will stop at nothing to hide her power.

This book is definitely for fans of The Selection, but it’s so much more than that. There’s less fancy dress and more action.  More rebellion. Romance is put on the back burner, but you find yourself hoping certain characters develop romantic relationships. I wish I’d read this one much sooner. 

Will I read this one again? Yes, yes, absolutely, yes. And I’ll recommend it to anyone. There is nothing I didn’t like about this book, and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to wait for the sequel!