Red Queen reviewed

What’s the Red Queen novel about? Should you read it in your book club and add it to your book list? Coming up is a detailed Red Queen review.

If you enjoyed Game of Thrones, Twilight, and other YA fantasies, Red Queen should be on your reading list. It all began with the Red Queen novel, one of the most successful examples of this genre.

Let’s delve deeper into the book and titular series. 

A review of the Red Queen novel

Red Queen, published by HarperTeen, follows Mare Barrow, the 17-year-old daughter of common Red Blood parents. She has four siblings, three of whom have been sent to fight in the war between the Kingdom of Norta and Lakeland. The conflict was started by the ruling class – the Silver-blooded.

Mare understands she’ll join her brothers once she turns 18 because she doesn’t have any skills that could prove useful to the Silvers. By contrast, Gisa, her sister, is a gifted seamstress who can contribute to the family.

As she has no significant talents, Mare finds an alternative way of providing for her parents. She starts robbing the Silvers, who are fabulously wealthy. They have many extraordinary abilities, such as bleeding silver and manipulating animals, plants, and metals.

Things get tricky for Mare when Kilorn, her best friend, faces conscription after losing his job. However, she won’t let that happen.

In her efforts to stop Kilorn being sent to war, Mare happens upon a stranger. She ends up outside her village and inside the Silver royalty.

Once she makes it to the grand palace, Mare discovers she has unique powers previously unavailable to the Red-blooded. These powers could help her trigger a revolution.

Dreading the young lady’s newfound potential, the Silver-blooded hide Mare in plain view. They declare she’s a long-lost princess and announce her engagement to a prince.

Mare is indifferent to the titles bestowed upon her. In fact, she’s even more committed to overthrowing the ruling class. The now Silver princess girl starts helping the Scarlet Guard, a resistance faction that’s also dissatisfied with the regime.

This sets a series of lies and betrayals into motion. Mare leads the rebels against the Silvers, which sets the stage for memorable action and surprises.

There are many strong points of this dystopian novel. Primarily, the author does a great job of introducing the characters. Although numerous, Victoria Aveyard masterfully weaves Evangeline, Cal, and others into the story while keeping the plot tight and focused.

The plot twists are also exceptional. You’ll find yourself rooting for a character one moment only to find yourself being disappointed by their decisions. Others are untrustworthy from the start, offering a fantastic mixture of personalities

The setting and world building are another highlight. Class struggles are a popular theme, but this book depicts the dystopia trope in a compelling fashion. One group fights for survival, while the other has seemingly unlimited power and wealth. 

In this respect, the novel is similar to The Hunger Games and The Selection.

The descriptions of characters and the fascinating world are also remarkable. The author doesn’t provide too many details. Instead, she divulges just enough to get you started and allow you to fill the gaps using your imagination.

The only part you might not be happy with is the ending. That’s not the say it’s not a great ending. It’s merely a cliffhanger that leaves you wanting more. The good news is that the series is finished, so you can quickly move on to the next novel and find out what happens next.

Series overview

There are two ways to read the Red Queen novel series. The first is to check out the titles by publication date. It’s an excellent way to explore the Red Queen world without spoiling the subsequent entries.

If this is how you want to read the fantasy series, here’s the order you should follow:

• Red Queen
• Queen Song
• Steel Scars
• Glass Sword
• King’s Cage
• War Storm
• World Behind
• Iron Heart
• Fire Light
• Fare Well

All five novellas (Queen Song, Steel Scars, World Behind, Iron Heart, and Fire Light) can be found as part of the Broken Throne collection.

The other way to read the character-driven novel is to follow the chronological order of the events in the series. This method isn’t perfect, as some of the scenes and novellas occur during the primary novels. As a result, you may encounter spoilers if you take this route.

 If you still decide to read the book this way, here’s the correct order:

• Queen Song
• Steel Scars
• Red Queen
• Glass Sword
• World Behind
• King’s Cage
• War Storm
• Fare Well (Bonus Scene)
• Iron Heart
• Fire Light

About the author

Victoria Aveyard is one of the most talented young writers in the world. This screenwriter and author grew up in Western Massachusetts before studying for her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Writing for Film and Television.

Victoria graduated from the University of South Carolina with excellent grades, setting her up for success in the writing world. Her first book and most famous work is Red Queen, which became a USA Today and New York Times bestselling novel.

Another standout title from Victoria Aveyard is Realm Breaker. It consists of two books, Realm Breaker and Blade Breaker, with the next book expected to be released soon.

Victoria writes in English, but you can find her novels translated into more than 40 languages.

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Red Queen is one of the most fascinating novels released in recent years. The story is intriguing, and the characters are well-developed. You can get your hands on the title on Amazon and other traditional websites if it’s not already on your wish list.

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You can find numerous high-quality fantasy releases on Speechify Audiobooks, including the Angels and Demons, Lord of the Rings, and Chronicles of Narnia series. If you’re into other genres, be sure to check out entries like A Christmas Carol and Hid from Our Eyes.

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FAQ

Is Red Queen appropriate for 14-year-olds?

Yes. Red Queen is a children’s book that’s also appropriate for young adults.

Is there romance in Red Queen?

Even though it’s not central to the plot, there is romance in Red Queen. There are several interesting relationships, such as those of Mare and Cal and Mare and Maven.

Is Red Queen worth reading?

Yes. Red Queen is a must-read for fantasy lovers.

Who is the antagonist in Red Queen?

Queen Elara is the antagonist in the Red Queen novel.