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A review by caranneis
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
2.0
I read this as part of a book club selection. No plot synopsis, you can read that above or from several other reviews.
I thought the book was well written enough & would certainly appeal to its target audience---(young adult). While I'm far from that age group, I have enjoyed many YA books over the years...a good story is a good story, regardless the age it was written for. I gave it a 2 star rating. It was ok; but not sure if I liked it well enough to continue on. There are four books in this series.
Mare, the heroine, is naïve & lacks common sense. The author sets her up as being 'street wise' & an expert on how to 'size' people up. Sadly, when she enters the Silver world, she displays none of this. I surmised what was going to happen, long before it took place. She says at the end, she's learned the lessons her teacher Julian was trying to teach her. Sadly she doesn't. This is how she thinks: She trusts someone, thinks they're good. They do/say one thing...then doesn't trust them. This person is now bad. Said 'bad' person does something, boom! they are now good again & we can trust them. Doesn't stop & think & even compare to her actions towards others that people are more complex than that. Perhaps this lack of common sense & naivety is the author's way of letting us see how she will change throughout the books.
The premise of the plot seems 'tired'. In some form or fashion we've seen all this before. Two types of people, one set controls the wealth, luxury & power--(The Silvers), while the other set are the worker bees & have nothing--(The Reds). A royal family....two princes, the eldest destined to be the heir, the other is the spare; and the animosity & feelings that come with said positions. Etc, etc.
If you've never read "The Hunger Games", "Divergent", "Unwind", "Game of Thrones" etc, this may appeal to you. I just don't think I liked the characters well enough to see where they go or what happens to them. Like I said before, seems to be a rehash of so many overused plot devices in this genre lately.
I thought the book was well written enough & would certainly appeal to its target audience---(young adult). While I'm far from that age group, I have enjoyed many YA books over the years...a good story is a good story, regardless the age it was written for. I gave it a 2 star rating. It was ok; but not sure if I liked it well enough to continue on. There are four books in this series.
Mare, the heroine, is naïve & lacks common sense. The author sets her up as being 'street wise' & an expert on how to 'size' people up. Sadly, when she enters the Silver world, she displays none of this. I surmised what was going to happen, long before it took place. She says at the end, she's learned the lessons her teacher Julian was trying to teach her. Sadly she doesn't. This is how she thinks: She trusts someone, thinks they're good. They do/say one thing...then doesn't trust them. This person is now bad. Said 'bad' person does something, boom! they are now good again & we can trust them. Doesn't stop & think & even compare to her actions towards others that people are more complex than that. Perhaps this lack of common sense & naivety is the author's way of letting us see how she will change throughout the books.
The premise of the plot seems 'tired'. In some form or fashion we've seen all this before. Two types of people, one set controls the wealth, luxury & power--(The Silvers), while the other set are the worker bees & have nothing--(The Reds). A royal family....two princes, the eldest destined to be the heir, the other is the spare; and the animosity & feelings that come with said positions. Etc, etc.
If you've never read "The Hunger Games", "Divergent", "Unwind", "Game of Thrones" etc, this may appeal to you. I just don't think I liked the characters well enough to see where they go or what happens to them. Like I said before, seems to be a rehash of so many overused plot devices in this genre lately.