Red Queen by @VictoriaAveyard {Review & Giveaway}

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
(Red Queen Trilogy, #1)
Release Date: February 10, 2015
Publisher: Harper Teen; 400 pages
Rating:

Graceling meets The Selection in debut novelist Victoria Aveyard's sweeping tale of seventeen-year-old Mare, a common girl whose once-latent magical power draws her into the dangerous intrigue of the king's palace. Will her power save her or condemn her?

Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood--those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.

To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard--a growing Red rebellion--even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal.

You don't even understand how excited I was for this book. High fantasy, I'm there; amazing description, I needed this in my life; amazing cover, yes please! Which I enjoyed this book a lot, it didn't live up to my expectations. I shouldn't have my expectations so high for books because most of the time, I'm let down. I did enjoy this book, a lot, especially the second half but I was expecting near perfection, especially since so many of my friends were raving about it. What I'm bummed about the most, you ask? The fact that it didn't really feel a lot like a fantasy book should. It felt more, I don't know, paranormal to me or dystopian, really.

The characters were definitely the best part of this book and as you know, that's the most important thing for me, as a reader. If I get attached to characters and find them to be relateable, there's a damn good chance I'll love the book. She did a perfect job with the characters and even shattering your dreams of a certain character or two by the end of the book. I honestly can say I am crushed by something that happens in this book and I don't even know how I'm to recover.

The love triangle we see in this book is between two half brothers and two princes. One is destined to rule while the other is overlooked. I liked both of these guys and at times, I hated both of these guys. However, there's another boy in this mix that I liked from the beginning and I have no doubt will get screwed over because he is the best friend so therefore, his nail has already sealed his coffin.

So, Silver bloods have powers. They're like the X-Men of this world while the Red bloods are just normal and boring and really, pointless. Their lives don't matter and they are often sent to war to die for a pointless war the Silver bloods started a century ago. That's depressing, right? I am fascinating with Silver blood - do you know how awesome that would be to see? Must be beautiful. And honestly, that's what I thought any time Silver's were mentioned. I wanted to see their blood.

There wasn't much romance and when there was, it took awhile to get there. I'm not a fan of insta-love but there were so many times that something could've been but it just wasn't. While I wish there was a few more stolen kisses before it actually happened I do like and appreciate the slow build up of both relationships.

The first half dragged. And not because, like a lot of fantasy books, you're introducing the reader to the world you've created but because it was just . . . lacking of anything. Nothing exciting happened in the beginning of the book. I might be unfair and saying half the book because I do believe it was more like a third but if I hadn't already started liking the characters and the idea of this world/story, I might not have continued reading. I am glad I did because I ended up enjoying this book. The love I wanted to be there, wasn't but I am holding out hope for the second book. This may be the biggest mistake but I'm still holding on to high expectations. Please don't let me know. Again.

Thank you so much to HarperCollins for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

One US winner will win an ARC of Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. This giveaway is open for one week and will end on February 3 at 11:59 PM EST. I may or may not include this book in a box of mystery books. I've recently cleaned off my shelf and I'm looking to get rid of some books. So not only could you win the ARC of Red Queen but you could win around 10 other books (all YA). Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor!

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