Rise, red as Dawn.
It feels good to finally be catching up on reviews. (Okay, I have some reviews for other books I read a month ago to write... but I still think I'm catching up!) I just finished this book a half and hour ago and am still in awe. A lot of people are saying this book is overhyped. I can't disagree with them. As I've mentioned in earlier reviews, too much hype surrounding a book can ruin it. When you hear so much about a book, it's hard to not go into it expecting a lot. Some hype around a book is good, but overdone hype can be a book's ruin. Before I even ordered this book, I'd heard from a lot of people that they were not impressed with it. So, when I started reading it, you could say I was a bit nervous. I was expecting a lot and a disappointment at the same time.
The beginning of The Red Queen is rather slow. Only around two thirds away in did I actually feel invested in the story. Even after I finished the book, I don't feel a particularly strong attachment to any of the characters. I can't really say I have a favorite character, I feel kind of mediocre about it all. Everyone who actually likes this book seems to be in love with Cal. I'm not overly fond of him but I don't dislike him either. I don't know, I guess everything with Cal felt a bit fast tracked plus I felt like we didn't get to know him too well.
Anyone can betray anyone.
And boy isn't that true. The most fascinating part about this book were the betrayals. How everyone was the enemy and you could trust no one. The entire story I was suspicious of everyone, Mare was a lot more trusting than I would've been.
In fairytales, the poor girl smiles when she becomes a princess. Right now, I don't know if I'll ever smile again.
Mare was certainly an interesting protagonist. I did find myself annoyed be her and her actions quite a bit but I don't dislike her. Like Cal, I don't feel anything particularly strong for her. She's a strong protagonist, in her own way. She can't defend herself as well as Celeana (Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas) or June (Legend by Marie Lu) but she has her own type of defense. What do I mean by that? Mare isn't a fighter, she's not trained to fight or be a soldier but she has her own fire in her. She's sassy and can be a spit fire at times. My biggest issue with her is that she could get rather receptive in her thoughts and feelings.
I told you to hide your heart once. You should have listened.
Maven. He's the second prince. I found him to be rather sweet and felt bad for him. Always in his brother, Cal's, shadow. He's kind of the perfect prince.
What I need and what I want are two very different things.
Let's talk about Kilorn. Kilorn is Mare's childhood friend. He's cute and rather rebellious. Reminds me of Gale Hawthorn (The Hunger Games) a lot. But I liked Gale and I like Kilorn. I hope to see more of him in the next book and I think we will. I just feel bad for him because I know she won't pick him.
“Silvers don't mind pain, but we are proud. Pride, dignity, honor; those are things no ability can replace.”
Cal. As I said before, I feel indifferent about him. I want to like him, but we didn't see too much of him in this book. He seems like a good guy but I feel like his and Mare's feelings for each other almost sprung out of no where. I hate when that happens. Cal is a soldier, a fighter and the crowned prince. He's everything a king could want in a son. Devoted. Loyal. Smart.
A lot of people say this story is unoriginal and there are a lot of books like it that are a lot more impressive. I can't protest and say this story is original. There are pieces of it that aren't, but Victoria Aveyard gives them an interesting spin. Sure, this isn't the most impressive book I've read in this genre and category, but it was worth the time it took to read and I ended up enjoying it. That's why I'm having trouble rating it. I can't say it's a favorite but I was impressed by the plot twists and the level of deepness in the characters. In the end, it's the betrayals and the plot twists that win this book 7.5/10 stars. If not for those, this book would get a 7 if not 6 stars. There was an air of predictability in the story, but you'll find yourself denying things and second guessing yourself. That was my favorite part about reading this book. The second guessing and denying. And that's really why this book got a higher rating. Not a lot of books make me second guess myself.
Synopsis:
The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.
To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.
Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.
But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?
SPOILERS BELOW FOR RED QUEEN
In all honesty I saw that plot twist coming. Sure, I didn't want it to happen, but I kinda predicted it. Maven was sweet and a perfect prince. A little too perfect. Plus, the constant saying TRUST NO ONE made me trust no one. And something about Maven made me feel very suspicious.
I also predicted that Shade wasn't dead. There was just something really sketchy about his death. How his body was cremated and how he ran. And then I second guessed myself but when we found out he was alive I almost screamed I KNEW IT!
Yeah, sorry for the short spoilers section I just wanted to put those two things out there.
It feels good to finally be catching up on reviews. (Okay, I have some reviews for other books I read a month ago to write... but I still think I'm catching up!) I just finished this book a half and hour ago and am still in awe. A lot of people are saying this book is overhyped. I can't disagree with them. As I've mentioned in earlier reviews, too much hype surrounding a book can ruin it. When you hear so much about a book, it's hard to not go into it expecting a lot. Some hype around a book is good, but overdone hype can be a book's ruin. Before I even ordered this book, I'd heard from a lot of people that they were not impressed with it. So, when I started reading it, you could say I was a bit nervous. I was expecting a lot and a disappointment at the same time.
The beginning of The Red Queen is rather slow. Only around two thirds away in did I actually feel invested in the story. Even after I finished the book, I don't feel a particularly strong attachment to any of the characters. I can't really say I have a favorite character, I feel kind of mediocre about it all. Everyone who actually likes this book seems to be in love with Cal. I'm not overly fond of him but I don't dislike him either. I don't know, I guess everything with Cal felt a bit fast tracked plus I felt like we didn't get to know him too well.
Anyone can betray anyone.
And boy isn't that true. The most fascinating part about this book were the betrayals. How everyone was the enemy and you could trust no one. The entire story I was suspicious of everyone, Mare was a lot more trusting than I would've been.
In fairytales, the poor girl smiles when she becomes a princess. Right now, I don't know if I'll ever smile again.
Mare was certainly an interesting protagonist. I did find myself annoyed be her and her actions quite a bit but I don't dislike her. Like Cal, I don't feel anything particularly strong for her. She's a strong protagonist, in her own way. She can't defend herself as well as Celeana (Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas) or June (Legend by Marie Lu) but she has her own type of defense. What do I mean by that? Mare isn't a fighter, she's not trained to fight or be a soldier but she has her own fire in her. She's sassy and can be a spit fire at times. My biggest issue with her is that she could get rather receptive in her thoughts and feelings.
I told you to hide your heart once. You should have listened.
Maven. He's the second prince. I found him to be rather sweet and felt bad for him. Always in his brother, Cal's, shadow. He's kind of the perfect prince.
What I need and what I want are two very different things.
Let's talk about Kilorn. Kilorn is Mare's childhood friend. He's cute and rather rebellious. Reminds me of Gale Hawthorn (The Hunger Games) a lot. But I liked Gale and I like Kilorn. I hope to see more of him in the next book and I think we will. I just feel bad for him because I know she won't pick him.
“Silvers don't mind pain, but we are proud. Pride, dignity, honor; those are things no ability can replace.”
Cal. As I said before, I feel indifferent about him. I want to like him, but we didn't see too much of him in this book. He seems like a good guy but I feel like his and Mare's feelings for each other almost sprung out of no where. I hate when that happens. Cal is a soldier, a fighter and the crowned prince. He's everything a king could want in a son. Devoted. Loyal. Smart.
A lot of people say this story is unoriginal and there are a lot of books like it that are a lot more impressive. I can't protest and say this story is original. There are pieces of it that aren't, but Victoria Aveyard gives them an interesting spin. Sure, this isn't the most impressive book I've read in this genre and category, but it was worth the time it took to read and I ended up enjoying it. That's why I'm having trouble rating it. I can't say it's a favorite but I was impressed by the plot twists and the level of deepness in the characters. In the end, it's the betrayals and the plot twists that win this book 7.5/10 stars. If not for those, this book would get a 7 if not 6 stars. There was an air of predictability in the story, but you'll find yourself denying things and second guessing yourself. That was my favorite part about reading this book. The second guessing and denying. And that's really why this book got a higher rating. Not a lot of books make me second guess myself.
Synopsis:
The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.
To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.
Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.
But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?
SPOILERS BELOW FOR RED QUEEN
In all honesty I saw that plot twist coming. Sure, I didn't want it to happen, but I kinda predicted it. Maven was sweet and a perfect prince. A little too perfect. Plus, the constant saying TRUST NO ONE made me trust no one. And something about Maven made me feel very suspicious.
I also predicted that Shade wasn't dead. There was just something really sketchy about his death. How his body was cremated and how he ran. And then I second guessed myself but when we found out he was alive I almost screamed I KNEW IT!
Yeah, sorry for the short spoilers section I just wanted to put those two things out there.
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