Red Queen by V. Aveyard
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20361/G23W3PAbstract
Aveyard, Victoria. Red Queen. New York: Harper Teen, 2015. Print.
In a world where having red blood means you are nothing but the lowest kind of human and where having silver blood means you are a part of the God-like humans who have unique, individual powers, life is grueling when you are born with red blood. Mare Barrow has chosen a life of crime to survive and knows she will soon be conscripted to fight in the war that no red returns from, just like her older brothers. Her life changes when she gets a job at the palace and accidentally discovers she has a power too. In order to hide this impossibility, the king betroths her to one of his sons. What happens next is a story of rebellion, lies, love, loyalty, friendship and deceit. In a place where it is red against silver and where loyalties can change, the side you choose will seal your fate.
This teen book touched on many themes: friendship, class, siblings, unrequited love, family and war. With this broad diversity of themes, Red Queen should appeal to many readers. For me, however, it was not a book I would highly recommend. For example, I found Mare to be one-dimensional in her character development. She did not grow or change as much as I expected her to, especially when she came from such humble beginnings and travels to the grand palace. There was a lot more violence than I thought was necessary as well, and the graphic descriptions made Red Queen less enjoyable. It read more like an adult book than a teen book. I would recommend this book with reservations to high school students in grades ten to twelve.
Recommended with reservations: 2 out of 4 stars
Reviewer: Shawna Manchakowsky
Shawna Manchakowsky recently completed her MLIS at the University of Alberta. When she is not working at Rutherford Library as a Public Service Assistant, she can be found with her husband parenting their two young girls; avoiding any kind of cooking; and reading for her two book clubs. In between book club titles, she tries to read as much teen fiction as she can get away with.
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