Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - Red Queen

I was looking forward to this book, as it seemed like it had a lot of potential for an interesting story. Unfortunately I didn’t feel like it kept that potential as the story went on.

Overall I found it slow and a bit tedious with minimal action happening. Something about the pacing just didn’t grab me. Which was disappointing as I found the concept interesting and thought it could be executed well.

The characters too just felt very flat and one note. I can’t tell you much about any of the characters. I didn’t really find them or their relationships overly compelling. There were a few moments here and there I did think a character or dynamic would really shine, but overall it rarely felt earned.

The writing style also wasn’t all that impressive to me. There were a few instances where something was described in a weird way, but outside of that it read like your typical YA fantasy.

I definitely think the book had some potential, especially the concept. In the end I think it just fell a bit flat.

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sarahelyse's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The pace and excitement of this book grabbed my attention and kept it the whole time! This book got me out of a long reading slump. Reading it a second time, there were a few things that I picked up on that didn't quite make sense, but not enough to pull me out of the experience.

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camiandkitread's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Fun read! Th blending of fantasy elements and a dystopian future came across a little jerky in some areas, but it was a refreshing change of pace from you standard high fantasy story.

I definitely see why Red Queen has maintained hype over the years. The main characters are interesting—though our FMC is definitely a little more whiney than I typically prefer—and the twists were great!

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hdoomk's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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pandareader24's review

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Omg. This book. This is not my kind of genre I normally read, but omg I feel like this book has changed me! The last few chapters had me in shock and covering my mouth!

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bludgeoned_by_hail's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

I think I'm probably way out of the age range for this, but almost every aspect of the book feels hollow and underdeveloped, not to mention how generic and clichéd it is. It does acquire a sort of so-bad-it's-good charm after a while, I guess. Probably best for people who have never read any dystopia or YA before.

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julienicole1106's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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lucindacho's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This feels like Hunger Games but without the Games mixed with the Selections surrounding princes as love interests mixed with the X-men for the superpowers. It mostly reminds me of the Hunger Games, because how is Mare's situation is oddly close to Katniss's. I found the main love interests without sparkling personalities, but I liked Maven and sometimes Cal, too. Liked the descriptions of superpowers and the abilities the Silvers had.

Though I wanted some more interaction, perhaps Evangeline becoming one of the good guys, and befriending Mare, it didn't happen. A plot twist can be expected easily, and I've thought of that briefly when Maven said that he'll join the Scarlet Guards, but still, enjoyable. And I liked the bloodbase thing, where they stored all the blood and how Maven helped Mare out of her situation that would've put her to death. Wanted a scientific fiction backup for all those Silver and Reds divide, and what was the detailed backstory before it. Also, wanted Kilorn to be Mare's love interest, but it seems he is in the friend-zone (they didn't do any romantic stuff, like kissing or whatever) but maybe that'll appear in the next book where Kilorn is in Gale's position in the Hunger Games. Also, I wanted the more Hunger Games stuff like the details of lush and vivid and luxurious things the rich people did, but not enough for what I've been expecting.

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