Written by Savannah Cooks, Staff Writer
Red Queen is a pleasant mixture of Harry Potter, Divergent, and The Hunger Games.
When you read Red Queen, by Victoria Aveyard, you are automatically hooked. You stay up all night reading, getting more intrigued with every page you turn.
The story takes place in an advanced 320 AD and follows a young girl named Mare Barrow.
Mare and her family live in the slums, occupied by individuals with red blood. They are called “Reds,” and they have nothing really special about them. Most of the reds are poor and are working for the Silvers.
The Silvers have silver blood and have supernatural abilities. They are seen as gods, but they have a system of hierarchy in their societies.
The story follows a normal Red girl named Mare Barrow who steals for a living. She finds out that her best friend, Kilron, has recently lost his job as an apprentice for a fisherman and is eligible for conscription. She goes out of her way to find how to get him out of not going to war. She learns about a sketchy woman named Farley, who is able to help her out, but she requires a high amount of money. Mare sets up a plan to get the money which results in her sister, Gisa (who is a seamstress), getting her hand smashed by a Silver guard.
When Mare believes all else has failed, she is blessed by the gods or what they call Silvers.
The story takes a lot of twists and turns, making your jaw drop at the unexpected climax.
Aveyard makes you fall in love with all the characters. Mare’s wittiness, Cal’s intelligence, Maven’s vulnerability, Evangeline’s hardness, and Farely’s passion.
The world that was created is breathtaking, from making powers for all the silvers but also making individual powers for each new blood to creating multiple kingdoms with their own uniqueness.
Aveyard gives you visionary descriptions of the character and places, but not only does it help you see her vision, but you can also make it to your own uniqueness.
The book might be long for some, at 383 pages, but it feels like a breeze to read.
I’ve read this book countless times and to this day, I still smile and get chills. The characters have a personal connection to me. There is never a dull moment in the book that makes me want to set it down. I actually have to stop myself from reading it all.
Red Queen is the reason I fell in love with reading, and I recommend it to everyone.