Aveyard, Victoria. Red Queen. New York: Harper Teen, 2015. Print.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

In a world where having red blood means you are nothing but the lowest kind of human and
where having silver blood means you are a part of the God-like humans who have unique,
individual powers, life is grueling when you are born with red blood. Mare Barrow has chosen a
life of crime to survive and knows she will soon be conscripted to fight in the war that no red
returns from, just like her older brothers. Her life changes when she gets a job at the palace
and accidentally discovers she has a power too. In order to hide this impossibility, the king
betroths her to one of his sons. What happens next is a story of rebellion, lies, love, loyalty,
friendship and deceit. In a place where it is red against silver, and where loyalties can change,
which side you choose will seal your fate.

This teen book touched on many themes: friendship, class, brothers, siblings, family and war.
With this broad diversity of themes, Red Queen should appeal to many readers. For me,
however, while this book seemed to have everything, I found the story to be lacking in other
ways. It lacked depth in the embodiment of the characters and was weak in the fullness of the
storyline. I finished the book feeling disappointed, as it did not meet my expectations. There
was much more violence than I thought was necessary, and with its graphic descriptions, made
Red Queen less enjoyable. It reads more like an adult book than a teen book. I would
recommend this book with reservations to high school students in grades ten – twelve with a
caveat that it would depend on the type of reader they were and what they wanted out of the
book.

Recommended with reservations: 2 out of 4 stars

Reviewer: Shawna Manchakowsky

Shawna Manchakowsky recently completed her MLIS at the University of Alberta. When she is
not working at Rutherford Library as a Public Service Assistant, she can be found with her
husband parenting her two young girls; avoiding any kind of cooking; and reading for her two
book clubs. In between book club titles, she tries to read as much teen fiction as she can get
away with.