Readers beware: this book will leave you with an equally satisfying and infuriating need for more. I made one big mistake last February: I pre-ordered Red Queen.
Now, many of you may be thinking ‘if this is a book spotlight, why was it a mistake to pre-order it?’ and the answer is simply that now I have to wait until 2016 for the second book to be released. Not to worry though, if this book spotlight interests you, a prequel is on it’s way for the 1st September.
So why read Red Queen? Well, if you’re a fan of Graceling, X-Men or The Hunger Games and fancy something a big lighter than Game of Thrones, it’s probably the book for you.
It’s a debut YA medieval fantasy novel written by 22 year old prodigy, Victoria Aveyard, with a promise to be released on screens somewhere in the near future.
The novel is set from the point of view of Mare Barrow, a commoner living in the Stilts, a girl with red blood in a sea of elite silvers that have god-like powers. Yet, somehow, she finds herself working in the Silver Palace and quickly discovers that—although she may have red blood—she herself possesses a deadly power.
Now if you’re thinking: this sounds a bit too much like Red Rising, don’t fret. Beyond that little snippet there aren’t many similarities and Red Queen conjures a world of it’s own. Of course, there’s no denying that the books has faults—as every book does—some of the material is similar to other fantasy novels, for example. But, despite this, the book still shines through with a minimum 4 star rating on nearly every review site.
However, if you’re in the market for flirtatious fiction, I’d be a bit cautious of Red Queen. Sure, there’s an element of romance, and—of course—love interests, but the real focus is all on Mare and the sparked division between Silver and Red.
So, has this book spotlight sparked an interest? Are you ready to enter Mare’s world—or are you as divided as Red and Silver?
