Red Queen

Red Queen

By Victoria Aveyard

26 ratings 24 reviews 38 followers
Book 1 of 3 in the  Red Queen Series
Interest LevelReading LevelReading A-ZATOSWord Count
Grades 9 - 12Grades 3 - 6n/a5.2111948
The #1 New York Times Bestseller

Graceling meets The Selection in debut novelist Victoria Aveyard's sweeping tale of seventeen-year-old Mare, a common girl whose once-latent magical power draws her into the dangerous intrigue of the king's palace. Will her power save her or condemn her?

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.
Publisher: HarperTeen
ISBN-13: 9780062310637
ISBN-10: 0062310631
Published on 2/10/2015
Binding: Hardcover
Number of pages: 388

Book Reviews (24)

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I really want to read this book because my friend Catherine proposed this book to me and it sounds really interesting from the small summary she gave me so I really want to read it!

Great Story, with a very original plot. Contains elements of a dystopian novel with a murderous aspect. Great read for anyone who enjoyed Darkest Minds, the Maze Runner, and Cinder.

"Rise, as red as the dawn" --The Scarlet Guard THIS IS LITERALLY THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ. Well, The Young Elites is tied with this book. Well anyways, this book is amazing and everyone NEEDS to read this book. Mare Barrows is a poor girl living in a poor community. She lives with her torn-apart family. She has 3 brothers that are on the war front, a dad missing a lung and a leg, a normal but tired mother, and a younger sister who is very talented at sewing. Mare has no special abilities that could make money for her family, so she resorts to stealing. Her younger sister Gemma, who is apprenticed to a shopkeeper in the rich district, asks Mare to accompany her on a trip there. While they are there, they are caught up in an revolt. During the revolt, Gemma's sewing hand is crushed, thus ending her apprenticeship and the money. Mare became really ashamed. Soon, her best friend Kilorn, who was apprenticed to a fisher, gives her more bad news. His master had died, leaving him with no choice to go to the war front unless they got a lot of money in one evening. Mare goes to a trader, who then introduces her to the leader of the Red Guard, a secret society who is determined to overthrow the Silver crown. Silver people have special magic that Red people don't, which is how they control them. A twist of fate leads Mare right to the palace when she meets the king's son under the disguise of a commoner. At the castle, she lets out an ability out that she never knew she had. In order to hide that impossibility, the king betroths her to one of his own sons, Maven. At first, they weren't friends, but after a while, they start becoming friends and maybe even start liking each other. Mare, along with Maven, decide to join the Scarlet Guard and become spies. I don't want to say the biggest plot twist ever, it will change your whole point of view on the character, but I still love that character. My summary isn't the best, but it basically explains what led Mare to show royalty her hidden power to control lightning. What I love about this book is the love triangle. This isn't a normal love triangle either. She is betrothed to Maven, but she likes both Maven and Cal (Maven's older half-brother the crown prince). Cal is engaged to another person, who just so happens to control metal, which is very very dangerous and powerful. At the end of the book, Mare is betrayed by one of the brothers and ends up hating him. This book is fantasy, but if it was in the real world, I think this would take place in old Rome. In the beginning of the book, Mare and Kilorn are at an arena watching people fight, just like people in Rome did. This book is amazing. It keeps you in suspense, it adds dashes of mystery, and sprinkles of romance. Victoria Aveyard sure knows how to write a good book. I reccommend this book to anyone who is old enough to take bloodshed. EVERYONE READ IT! :) Thank you

YES! The Young Elites and Red Queen is awesome. 50,000 likes

This is SUCH a detailed review! I love how you used "literary"" terms like, "love triangle" and "hide that impossibility" and "a twist of fate"... Your summaries are amazing! And this sounds perfect for me.. I'll have to check it out of the library sometime in the summer :)

miciiciciciici miciiciciciici

Looks like a good book will definitly be buying it soon!