Book Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Wondering whether Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard is worth reading? Nearly a decade after its release, this YA fantasy novel has become a modern YA classic, but does it still live up to the hype? Here’s my spoiler-free Red Queen review, who I think will enjoy it, and whether it’s worth picking up today.

Red Queen Summary

This is a world divided by blood – red or silver. The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change. That is until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace.

Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power. Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince.

Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime. But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.

Red Queen Review

Although Red Queen was first published in 2015, it continues to be recommended across BookTok and Bookstagram and remains one of the defining YA fantasy series of the last decade.

I absolutely hate hyped books and am often afraid to read them in case they fail to live up to expectations. At the same time, I get that niggling feeling telling me I have to check it out in case I miss out on something great. In the case of Red Queen, I regret to say that I missed out on something great.

Victoria Aveyard has created a world in which people are divided by their blood. Reds are seen as commoners and the Silvers rule. The latter are also born with superpowers, thus equality is nonexistent and most believe that it will remain that way forever.

The story centres around Mare, a Red girl who is given the chance to work as a servant in the Silver Palace. But what at first seems like a great opportunity turns into something of a nightMare (sorry, couldn’t resist).

It turns out that Mare is no ordinary Red. She has powers too, powers that the Silvers are very afraid of and confused about. Mare’s powers threaten to upset the balance of power in the Kingdom as a mutation in her blood has given her the same, if not more powerful, superpowers than the Silvers. Panicked, the Silvers turn her into a long-lost Silver princess, hiding her true heritage, but keeping her where they can see her.

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Mare soon discovers the Scarlet Guard, a militant resistance group, and secretly joins them in their fight against the Silvers. Without knowing who she can really trust, Mare navigates the dangerous world of the Silvers, desperate to stay alive, but also desperate to bring down the Silver regime.

Red Queen has all the elements of a fantastic story, but what is most impressive about Aveyard’s storytelling is her ability to sustain the reader’s interest and the action throughout the entirety of her novel. You are drawn into the story of Reds and Silvers from the very beginning and plot twists and surprises await you in every chapter.

There are no flat characters in this story and I found myself with strong feelings (whether love or hate) about each and every character, big or small. Although Mare is undoubtedly the protagonist there are countless other very important characters who are all distinct and very well fleshed out. Every character in this story has a role to play and there are no moments when I thought that the author had included superfluous information for the sake of it.

There are elements of romance in this book but it is nowhere near as prominent as I thought it would be. I really liked this as it meant that characters were motivated by their own beliefs and passions, rather than just love. That is not to say that Aveyard doesn’t clearly set up a romance that will no doubt be of greater significance in the future.

There are many threads in Red Queen that remain unresolved at the end of this book but not in a way that you feel that you have been cheated out of a proper ending. Instead, it leaves you hungry for more of this story.

From the get-go this book had me gripped and I was convinced that it was soon to become one of my favourite YA series; however, one hundred pages from the end, disaster struck. Aveyard seemed to be taking the story in a direction that many other YA series have done before.

I was disappointed that she had decided to use a worn-out storyline that I’d read countless times before. I was immediately saddened that so close to the end of this wonderful book, it had let me down, but fast forward another thirty pages and I was even more surprised.

Aveyard ends this book with plot twist after plot twist and despite the fact that not all of these were entirely unforeseeable, they were excellently timed and excellently executed. My faith in both Victoria Aveyard and Red Queen was restored, and I tore my way to the end of this book.

Even years after publication, I can still understand why Red Queen remains one of the most recommended YA fantasy novels. Red Queen presents a completely new world to readers and combines interesting characters, a fast-paced plot and great storytelling.

Whilst there are some elements of Red Queen that reminded me of bits from various other young adult fantasy book series, I would still say that this story is unique and has never been told before.

Red Queen does not just set the scene for the rest of this series but it’s also jam-packed with its own action. For people that are afraid to pick this up because of the hype surrounding it, do not fear, because Red Queen will most certainly not disappoint.

Check out my Glass Sword review here.

Red Queen is available on:
Amazon

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If you liked this Red Queen review, check out these young adult fantasy book reviews:
Rebel of the Sands Review
Throne of Glass Review
Crown of Midnight Review
The Cruel Prince Review
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