Words on Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Dystopian w/ magic
Feb 16, 2015
3 min read

In Mare's world, there are two types of people: Those with red blood, and those with silver blood. Those with red blood are normal, average people, while those who are lucky enough to have silver blood are gifted with supernatural powers. Red bloods are treated like crap, living in poverty and subject the the Silver bloods' every whim. They are looked down upon, struggling to survive while the Silvers live in disgusting luxury.

Mare helps her family the only way she knows how - she's a theif. Her father is a crippled veteran of a endless war that her brothers are away fighting, and her sister is trying to make an honest living as a seamstress. While not all that happy about her "job", Mare needs to take care of her family, and she knows it's only a matter of time before she has to go in any case. Once she becomes a legal adult, she'll be drafted into the army, and chances are she won't come back.

Everything changes when Mare manages to get a job working at the palace. While disgusted by the Silvers around her, this is her chance to avoid the military and try to make a good living. On her first day o the job, things go horribly wrong, and Mare finds herself with powers - Silver powers that a Red like her shouldn't be able to have. The Royal family is just as confused as she is, and to keep an eye on her, they pass her off as a long-lost Silver princess and engae her to the younger of the two princes.

Mare must worm her way into life as a Silver, and it is a life she quickly finds doesn't sit well with her. Not everyone is excited to see her, and her welcome is far from warm. Some people are even a bit too curious - could Mare really be who she says she is? And, of course, she cannot bleed - if she did, people would learn the truth, obvious with her red blood. Mare uses her new position to aid the rebellion, but she doesn't quite agree with their violent methods. She's been caught up in a dangerous game, and every wrong move Mare makes only digs herself into a deeper hole.

Mare is a great, fierce heroine. She has a bit of a mouth, which sometimes gets her in trouble, but as the story continues she becomes better at keeping her mouth shut. she's very clever and will do anything to take care of the people she loves. She also has hope that things for Reds can change for the better, a trait that seems suprisingly rare in the story.

The Silvers in the story are also interesting characters. Evangeline, a Silver with the power to control metal, is one of the worst of the bunch. She's cruel and cunning, and she'll do anything to get the power she's after. She wants to marry the crown prince for the power of it, and she's convinced she's the best. (Mostly because she sort of is.) Lucas is just the opposite, a kinder Silver who acts as Mare's personal guard. His family looks down upon him for his gentleness, but it helps him be Mare's friend.

The younger prince, Maven, is kind of an interesting case. He's been living is his older brother's shadow his whole life, something that seems to have made him both sad and bitter. His brother, Cal, doesn't seem to realize this, and that isn't earning him any points with Maven.

The book was original and I couldn't put it down! The combination of the action, politics, and suspense kept me turning pages. The world building was also really good, and Mare's world is a very interesting, if dark, place. The characters were great and the ending, while satisfying, left me itching to read the next book.This was great! 5/5.