Scan barcode
A review by robotnik
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I was honestly pleasantly surprised with Red Queen. I know this is a love it or hate it sort of series, and I was seriously expecting to fall into the hate it category. Turns out, I don't really fall into either but I still enjoyed it. It took me a little bit to get into it, but I ended up having a good time reading it.
There's a lot about Red Queen that felt stereotypical to its genre, but there was also a lot that didn't. The book moves at a fast pace and I never really found it boring. There were a few twists that happened where I tossed the possibility around in my head but ended up dismissing it so when they did happen, I was still kind of shocked. I both suspected the climax but was still surprised when it happened because I didn't think the book had the balls to do it.
I liked Mare. This feels like a rarity because she doesn't really stand out in the shuffle of female young adult protagonists, and yet I still liked her. She wasn't always the smartest of people and sometimes made dumb decisions, but she could have been way worse and didn't annoy me the way several other of her ilk did. The supporting cast was pretty good as well. No one really stands out to be as that poorly written of a character. Everyone seemed to fit.
The most jarring thing I think was this was definitely one of those worlds where they really want you to know how shitty the main character's people have it, so it gets a little over the top that, sometimes, you can't really take it as seriously as you should. It's nothing that's too distracting, but the unrealistic class divide just stands out so much, especially with most of the Silvers just being ridiculously asshole-ish.
I don't know if I'm just getting old and bitter, but I can sense the possibility of this series going down the crapper. For now, though, I will keep myself hopeful and look forward to the rest of it.
There's a lot about Red Queen that felt stereotypical to its genre, but there was also a lot that didn't. The book moves at a fast pace and I never really found it boring. There were a few twists that happened where I tossed the possibility around in my head but ended up dismissing it so when they did happen, I was still kind of shocked. I both suspected the climax but was still surprised when it happened because I didn't think the book had the balls to do it.
I liked Mare. This feels like a rarity because she doesn't really stand out in the shuffle of female young adult protagonists, and yet I still liked her. She wasn't always the smartest of people and sometimes made dumb decisions, but she could have been way worse and didn't annoy me the way several other of her ilk did. The supporting cast was pretty good as well. No one really stands out to be as that poorly written of a character. Everyone seemed to fit.
The most jarring thing I think was this was definitely one of those worlds where they really want you to know how shitty the main character's people have it, so it gets a little over the top that, sometimes, you can't really take it as seriously as you should. It's nothing that's too distracting, but the unrealistic class divide just stands out so much, especially with most of the Silvers just being ridiculously asshole-ish.
I don't know if I'm just getting old and bitter, but I can sense the possibility of this series going down the crapper. For now, though, I will keep myself hopeful and look forward to the rest of it.