Red Queen

The blood-based hierarchy, royal power plays, and love triangle make this book one of my favorites, both earlier in my teen years and now in my twenties. I love to revisit this book because of the way it balances exciting action, enticing romance, and societal commentary. It’s a fun read that hits me hard every time!

X-men-like abilities meet the grueling trials of The Hunger Games with the cutthroat politics of Game of Thrones. This wasn’t just my cup of tea but the whole steaming pot. I love each of those elements on their own, and combined, they are just as captivating as they sound.

Victoria Aveyard, the queen of plot twists, delivers an ending that will stick with you. I couldn’t get this one out of my head for a long time after that last page.

When Mare is discovered to have supernatural abilities only the oppressive ruling class should possess, she’s forced to… show more.

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.