Full Book Review of Red Queen Book 1 without Spoilers
Red Queen is the first book in this fantasy series with an enticing story line, a strong main character, and a huge plot twist at the end of the book. Here’s a short synopsis of the book:
“Red Queen, by #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Aveyard, is a sweeping tale of power, intrigue, and betrayal, perfect for fans of George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series.
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.“
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Full Book Review of Red Queen Without Spoilers
While this book is not the most original when it comes fantasy tropes and dystopian novels, the writing style and the action right from the beginning of the book really pull you in. I realize that the overarching theme is common in the fantasy world, but this is still a fun read that I would recommend to anyone who likes fantasy with a unique magic/ability system.
My favorite part was the major plot twist at the end of the book that leaves you on a cliffhanger to read the next book. While there was some predictability to the book, I did not anticipate the ending.
My biggest complaint with Red Queen was that I wanted more world building. We hear a little bit about the politics behind the war, the other kingdoms, and a few of the High Houses at play, but I still wanted more. I hope we get a lot more as the series continues.
Having grown up on The Hunger Games, Divergent and dystopian novels in general, Red Queen was almost a nostalgic read while being different enough to keep you reading. If you enough this kind of read with a political power struggle, a strong female main character, and the fate of a new world in the balance, you’ll enjoy reading this entire series.
Characters
The main characters of this book were enjoyable to read about with enough differences and opinions to keep things interesting. While I found Mare a little annoying at first, I came around to her by the end and the character development she went through in the book. But I do hope she goes through even more as the series progresses.
I also love a book that has one or more characters you love to hate, and this book sure does. By the end, there’s even more than you first thought, too.
Plot
While the plot was somewhat common amongst fantasy with the power struggle between two groups and one person born with special abilities to try and fight for a balance of power, the author still did enough to make the plot enticing. Honestly, I don’t mind this common theme that’s seen in so many fantasy book. There’s also enough action and plot twists in the story to keep you reading, with the love triangle romance as a smaller but important aspect, which I appreciate.
Writing
The face-paced writing style in the book is pretty straightforward, but it does make it easy to read. It pulls you in at the beginning, and also makes you unprepared for the ending. As your reading, the writing makes you feel invested in the characters and in the love story going on.
Full Book Review With Spoilers
You’ve been warned that from here on out there will be spoilers.
I’m late to the party because I just started reading the Red Queen series. Currently, there’s not much hype about them (there was much more when it came out over six years ago), so I came in with almost no expectations. And maybe that’s why I really enjoyed the book!
There were common tropes used in the book like the love triangle between Mare, Cal, and Maven, but I like that at the end Mare said she would pick neither of them. And while it shared commonalities with other fantasy series, the plot twist at the end made up for that. The entire book I was hoping something crazy would happen, so I liked the ending.
Pros of the Book
The biggest pro of this book is the way the plot and writing lead you one direction, but the plot twist at the end is an entirely different direction. Even though there’s small details you ignore, you still don’t want to believe the ending at first. Mare should have listened to Julian way back in the middle of the book.
Another pro is the supporting characters in the book. I wish we did learn a little more about each of them, but maybe we will as the series continues. And the bad guy (Queen Elara) turned out not to even be the biggest bad guy!
One last pro for me is that there’s more books to read. I like to really dive in to series, and usually can’t get enough of the world building. So I’m excited it’s a four book series with extra books on top of that.
Cons of the Book
The biggest complaint from most people is that this book is too cliche. But I think it’s an acceptable amount of cliche that makes you want to keep reading, even though some parts are predictable.
My biggest complaint is that I wanted it to be a little deeper. More world building, more character development, more in-depth, but maybe the author is saving that for the coming books once you’re already hooked.
Is There Questionable Content in Red Queen?
I see a lot of people online asking about the content of the book. So, I’m here to answer the questions for you.
No there’s no spice in the book. There’s some kissing, but that’s it.
There is a lot of violence mentioned in the book, but nothing graphic.
Conclusion
Here’s a book, and an entire series for all the fantasy readers out there that enjoy the classic girl with unknown superhuman abilities has to save her society from the corrupt government in power. The writing style is easy to read, straightforward, and pulls you in. And the action starts almost right away, so it doesn’t feel slow.
You can find the book here.
I have a full summary of the book here if you need a refresher on any of the main points.
Rating: 4 out of 5
I gave this book a four out of five because I really enjoyed reading it and am looking forward to reading the second one. Is it the most original? No, probably not, but I still couldn’t stop reading it!
Here’s how I rate all my books: My Rating System
Who Would Enjoy Reading Red Queen?
If you enjoyed any of the other dystopian, fantasy novels like Hunger Games or Divergent, you’ll like this one, too. I’m a sucker for these fantasy tropes, so I really enjoyed the book. You would also like it if you like fantasy with political subplots or fantasy with a strong-willed female main character.
It is geared toward young adult/ older teenagers rather than full on adult fantasy. And while there is a romance going on in Red Queen, it’s not like the romantasy books on social media (there’s no spice and only a few romantic scenes) if that’s what you’re looking for.
What to Read After Red Queen
I’ve mentioned a few other books throughout the review that would be good choices to read next if you haven’t already, but here’s a few more that are lesser known.
Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard
If you liked this book, then continue on with the series! I have now finished this second book, and it does answer a lot of the standing questions with even more world building and characters. You can read about it here.
The Selection by Kiera Cass
With a similar power struggle and female main character, this book has a lot of the same positives about it as Red Queen. If you liked one, you’ll like the other.
Powerless by Lauren Roberts
This is a newer book that I just read, but man was I sucked in. Similar to Red Queen, the action starts almost immediately to pull you in. And there’s a very questionable love interest that’s my favorite, so give it a try!
