What it’s about? “The
poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers,
elite warriors with god-like powers.
To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.
Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the center of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.
But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?”
To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.
Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the center of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.
But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?”
(from: Goodreads)
Initial thoughts: I finally read Red Queen, the NYT
bestseller, the book everyone has been raving about for the past year. I wanted
to love this book, I really, really did. I’m not someone who lets the hype a
book has affect my reading experience. Red Queen sounded so amazing, I was so
excited, but unfortunately, the execution of the story just fell flat for me. I
had to really push myself to finish, which makes me sad. I probably would’ve
DNF it if I didn’t want to write this review. I know that so many people loved
this book, I tried, I really did! But this book just wasn’t for me…
The plot: The premise of Red Queen had promise, but I just
felt like that was never fulfilled. Nothing about the plot, for me, was very exciting
or unique. Nothing seemed new or fresh. The story felt like The Hunger games
with a fantasy twist, only it wasn’t nearly as good as The Hunger Games. Some
plot elements just seemed impractical and predictable. Nothing in the climax
even surprised me (I saw it coming), which was so disappointing. (Also, was it
just me or did it seem like the Silvers had an unlimited arsenal of abilities
they could have??? Seriously it was like every single Silver had a different
type of ability and I couldn’t even keep track of what they could do. I don’t
know, it was just weird to me…and it really seemed like some Silvers were given
a certain ability because the author needed to use that ability to move the
plot along…)
The writing: The writing in Red Queen wasn’t bad, it just
seemed average. It did seem like there were some things that were repeated over
and over again, which became a little annoying. Also, I just never really felt
connected to the characters. I felt distanced from them and I was never fully
drawn into the story.
Overall: I hate to write such a negative review. This was
just how I felt, but obviously this book has been enjoyed by so many people. I
do think that Red Queen was entertaining, the concept was interesting, I just
don’t think it was as good as it could have been. In my opinion there are
other, better books out there that I would’ve rather spent my time on. If you
are interested in reading something like The Hunger Games with a fantasy edge,
then give Red Queen a try. But ultimately, it was nothing new, mediocre, and
didn’t live up to its potential.
Rating: 2 ½ out of 5 stars
