Red Queen

Aveyard’s magical imagination is second to none. I’d never encountered books with so much magic wielded in so many unique ways. I consider these books lessons on how to write magic well. Although the Red Queen books feature a strong kickass heroine in Mare Barrow, they are different from the others that I’ve recommended in that they are set in an imaginary world. They also don’t have the same level of humour. But those differences don’t matter one bit. Aveyard’s characters evoke empathy, indignation, and hatred in equal measure. The pace is solid, and the stakes are high for the… show more.

While Red Queen is only told from Mare’s perspective, the rest of the books in the series expand to include other character POVs. I found that to be a unique take by introducing us to the main character and letting her tell the story for the first book before introducing more points of view in the following books. Victoria does a phenomenal job of knowing which character in her expansive cast of characters to select for each chapter. The series is a perfect balance of unpredictable plot and romance. Pretty much any fun trope you can think of, you’ll find… show more.

Victoria Aveyard debuted into the world with this dystopian fantasy, where the world is separated by two bloods: the special silver-blooded and the red-blooded. But when a red-blooded is publicly revealed to have a special ability that previously only belonged to the silver-blooded, they try to cover up the anomaly by claiming she is a long-lost silver blood, and she becomes engaged to their prince.

It's the perfect blend between sci-fi and fantasy for those who enjoy books like Hunger Games or Matched, with strong heroines, arranged engagements, plot twists, and betrayal, set at a medium pace. It is… show more.