Red Queen is the first book in the Red Queen trilogy by bestselling author Victoria Aveyard. The society in the book is divided into two groups; the Red and the Silvers. The main character’s name is Mare Barrow, and she is a Red, meaning that she bleeds red. Reds make up the workforce and laborers in the nation, and the Silvers (with silver blood and supernatural powers), make up the royalty and government. With the upcoming threat of being sent to war at 18,  Mare escapes from the village to find a job. In doing this, she meets a stranger named Cal, who gets her a job as a servant in the Imperial Palace. It is soon revealed to Mare and the rest of the world that she, too, has powers, even though she is a Red. In order to hide it, the royal family forces her to become a long-lost Silver lady named Marina Titanos, who was raised by Reds, and announce her betrothed to Prince Maven. 

The story in this book is absolutely captivating and amazing. It is full of plot twists, secret romances, and conniving schemes. One thing that I really like about the book is the main character. Mare has an extremely spunky, resilient, and is always willing to find a solution to any issue. It could be the threat of fighting in the war, or the continuing tensions between the Reds and Silvers, Mare will work to solve it. In response to the growing insecurity, Mare decides to join a rebel group called the Scarlet Guard, which is preparing to overthrow the government and place Reds in charge. This shows that she is willing to fight for her country and her family, and change many lives for the better. I also enjoyed reading about the complexity of the Silver powers. Some Silvers could control water, fire, or wind, while others had extreme strength or could bend metal at their will. 

Over the course of the book, Mare turns from a weaker, hungry girl from the village to a strong, confident lady. In a way, I think Mare grew into the personality of the person she was forced to be, Marina Titanos. Being forced to become Marina allowed her to become more confident and reach her full potential not only as a Red, but also as an individual. In addition, the queen, Elara, who was originally portrayed as a villain that can read anyone’s minds, but later it becomes clear that she is just trying to protect her children and be a good mother. What’s Hot Blog also says, “Red Queen presents a completely new world to readers and combines interesting characters, a fast-paced plot, and great storytelling.” Aveyard’s storytelling is also wonderful, and the story has many twists and turns, and she continued to keep me interested well into the book. 

Generally, Red Queen is rated very highly, and received a 4.7/5 stars on Good Reads, as well as receiving the title of New York Times Bestseller in its first week of release. The whole series put together has sold over 30,000 copies and has been recommended to me by many people. If you like young adult fantasy novels, I would definitely recommend reading Red Queen.