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.
Review
I put this on my TBR a long time ago. I’m really trying to clear that list and read what I want rather than mostly books I’m part of promotion tours for. It was finally Red Queen’s time.
To be honest, I’d totally forgotten what this book was even about. And then someone told me it was YA and I almost put it back down again (it’s not my favorite genre). Persevering was worth it, though, and I actually ended up really enjoying this book. It was reminiscent of the Divergent and Hunger Games series, but because I read Red Queen, so much longer afterwards, it didn’t feel repetitive or copycat.
What I enjoyed most about Red Queen, as with those other series, was the prominence of a strong female lead. I feel that Mare is a great role model. Loyal, brave and smart, yet with imperfections too. While I love a good Disney Princess, I do feel their perfection is not ideal for young girls to strive towards. It took me a few chapters to get my head around Mare but eventually I developed an attachment to her, one that masks me want to complete this series.
The overall plot of the story was great as well. Unpredictable and with a number of twists I didn’t see coming. An unexpectedly great read!
Joyful Antidotes 