A dystopian reality mixed with X-men. What more could you want?

Without completely 'fan-girling' and giving away spoilers this book is amazing! It is completely engrossing, full of mystery, intrigue and will keep you wanting more with the many unexpected twists.

This highly anticipated debut is perfect for anyone who likes Kiera Cass and Marissa Meyer. I can't wait for the next book!

This must be one of the most hyped up books for early 2015. An over-hyped dystopian book is something I cannot stand, but instead of being disappointed I found myself captivated by this book from the beginning.

The concept of the book was intriguing. Status is determined by blood. Reds are commoners living in poverty-stricken communities, enslaved by a Silver elite in possession of magical abilities. Mare Barrow is a Red. She lives in the Stilts with her parents, stealing what she can from her community to survive. When a chance encounter brings her before the Silver court, she discovers that she possesses an ability of her own. With the help of a rebellion group, Mare discovers that she could be the hope for a better future and fight back against the Silvers.

While the premise was fascinating, although issues arose as I read further into the story. While there was never a dull moment thanks to the action, I found the story very predictable. For me it followed the same road as too many other YA dystopian/fantasy novels that I’ve read, and I wasn’t overly shocked by anything that was revealed.

I also lacked connection to the characters. Mainly with Cal and Maven, who I assume you were supposed to feel something towards as they were a part of the super confusing love triangle that appeared out of nowhere. I didn’t understand the romance in this book at all. It was so irrelevant from the overall plot. Every time a relationship developed, it was considered irrelevant in the next chapter and Mare went on as though it never happened. Friendships would have sufficed in this book. But then again, I suppose you can’t sell Young Adult literature without romance nowadays..

What I did thoroughly enjoy in this book however was the world building. There were still points where I would have loved more development, but as a first book in a series I thought Aveyard did an amazing job of introducing us to this super complex society. What I would have loved however was a map of the world! That would have been a great added addition.

I also have to comment on the superpowers in this book. For me they were definitely the funnest and most interesting component of the entire novel! They had all X-Men types of abilities, but instead of being mutants like in the comics they were the elite. Some of the abilities included: manipulating the elements, reading and controlling someone’s mind and healing. I was wholeheartedly excited to continue reading every time the abilities were mentioned!

Overall, I found this a really enjoyable read and a well-done debut. I am fascinated to know where the story goes. And I really hope we see more of the world in the second instalment.

Personally I didn't particularly enjoy this book as much as a lot of other readers did, but I do understand the appeal. It has an interesting premise and elements from a lot of well-received Young Adult series. It's like fantasy meets dystopian with romance. I think that readers who enjoyed these books - I listed the main ones above - should enjoy Red Queen!

Well, RED QUEEN was a bit of a roller coaster read. I liked it, then I hated it, then I liked it again. There were so many things I liked about the story and the world, and then the things that made me want to throw my Kindle across the room.

his first part of RED QUEEN was the part I quite enjoyed. The first chapter brings the action, after a bit of Mare’s (neigh) family history, and introduces us to the harsh world. The world was written to be dark and shocking, and it was really horrifying at times. The coolest part of the world was the Silvers. Not because they were nice people, most of them are despicable human beings. But their powers. There’s what is essentially elemental bending like you’d see in Avatar, people who can compel others with their voice, control minds, heal, and so much more. Powers makes it easy for the Silvers to oppress the Reds, which helps the dystopian setting of the novel. What dystopian would be complete without a harsh government to rebel against?

Another thing that impressed me sometimes was the writing. Every now and then I’d come across an awesome passage. The words just resonated, were badass, made your blood boil and heart sing. There were also times when cliched lines were delivered unfortunately, but the great moments in writing outweighed the annoying for the most part.

What first started to piss me off was some of the convenience that came along with Mare’s plans. She managed to achieve things which really should not have been so easy. Then there’s the Mare’s indecision when it comes to Cal and her ridiculous, nonsensical reactions to things he says.

Then there’s the part that made me lose my respect for Mare. She joined a terrorist group to help overthrow the government. They plan events where people are going to die and there will be collateral damage. Yet after the event she refuses to learn the names of everyone who died because she doesn’t want it weighing her down. This pissed me of so much. You don’t rebel without death, and if you can’t face the consequences of such actions you shouldn’t have joined a terrorist group, honey.

RED QUEEN started off great, with the harsh world and the powers of the Silvers. Unfortunately there were parts in the middle that let me down. Mare got on my nerves with her indecisiveness and stupidity, there was annoying romance, and many things seemed to happen way too conveniently. It almost made me put the book down but the big plot twist near the end was enough to redeem RED QUEEN.

Basically, if you read this book:

1. Your trust in everything and everyone will be shattered
Holy moly, authors and their bloody plot twists.
I don't even know how to feel right now.
Other than that I should never trust anyone in this series again ever.

2. You will wish that you had some kind of awesome superpower
The characters in this book are divided into two groups: the Reds and the Silvers, divided by the colour of their blood and their abilities. Silvers have special abilities like manipulating water, reading minds, controlling metal...
And dang if I don't want me a power.

3. You will kind of see how this book is a mix of all these existing books and ideas
It's kind of like The Hunger Games. It's kind of like The Selection. It's kind of like X-Men. It's kind of like Red Rising.
And honestly, you don't care.
You don't care that the idea is not necessarily completely original, because it's so freaking well written.
You're invested in the plot, you're invested in the characters, you're invested in the romance: what more do you need?

4. You will have a ridiculously pretty book gracing your shelves
LOOK AT THAT COVER.
SAH BEAUTIFUL.

So yes, do buy.
And do enjoy.
/Nara out.

I read the sneak peak release of the first seven chapters and I can't wait until the book is released. It had me hooked from the get-go and was non-stop from the beginning. Something exciting was always happening that kept me riveted.