THE RED QUEEN by Victoria Aveyard
5 Stars
Verdict: Depth of epic fantasy, speed of YA.
The silver blooded are gifted, magical, and prideful. The red blooded are nothing in comparison – well, except hard workers sent to die in a war that won’t bring them any power.
Mare is a skilled thief. It’s the only way she can help her poor, red-blooded family, even though they are uncomfortable with her ways.
This book is all about power in society – what the many can do... What the few can destroy.
Mare’s outlook starts off grim. I felt sorry for her being cast in her sister’s shadow. She clearly cared for her family and tried to do what she thought was best at the time. Unfortunately, her well meaning decisions tend to have disastrous consequences.
Each chapter curves the story in a new direction. It starts fast and doesn’t hang around - just the way I love it.
THE RED QUEEN had the potential depth of epic fantasy with the speed of young adult. I rarely say this, but the book could be longer: the details of the world could be richer, and the character could have been fleshed out more, and the story could have used more of what it set up. I almost felt like a lot of the side plots were glanced over, but at the same time, I knew the author has all the answers, just not the space to write it in. With the pace, there just wasn’t room.
Romance isn’t the centre of Mare’s unfair world - it's vital to the story, yet not overpowering. Mare made some stupid mistakes, but in the end I realised I was rooting for her. Not any of the guys – just her and what she wanted.
The only thing I didn’t like about the book was the names. Mare, Mareen, and Maven – oh my. And Grey Town... because it’s a grey town. This hardly detracts from how awesome this book is. It’s just an observation really.
When the good guys are also the bad guys, it’s really hard to pick sides. If you like the way moral-grey makes you think, then this could be the book for you.
Mare’s outlook starts off grim. I felt sorry for her being cast in her sister’s shadow. She clearly cared for her family and tried to do what she thought was best at the time. Unfortunately, her well meaning decisions tend to have disastrous consequences.
Each chapter curves the story in a new direction. It starts fast and doesn’t hang around - just the way I love it.
THE RED QUEEN had the potential depth of epic fantasy with the speed of young adult. I rarely say this, but the book could be longer: the details of the world could be richer, and the character could have been fleshed out more, and the story could have used more of what it set up. I almost felt like a lot of the side plots were glanced over, but at the same time, I knew the author has all the answers, just not the space to write it in. With the pace, there just wasn’t room.
Romance isn’t the centre of Mare’s unfair world - it's vital to the story, yet not overpowering. Mare made some stupid mistakes, but in the end I realised I was rooting for her. Not any of the guys – just her and what she wanted.
The only thing I didn’t like about the book was the names. Mare, Mareen, and Maven – oh my. And Grey Town... because it’s a grey town. This hardly detracts from how awesome this book is. It’s just an observation really.
When the good guys are also the bad guys, it’s really hard to pick sides. If you like the way moral-grey makes you think, then this could be the book for you.
Source: Bought the ebook, and loved it enough to buy the paperback!
Comments
Post a Comment