"Red Queen" by Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen is the first book in a young adult fantasy series. This book is extremely popular and can be found pretty much anywhere. However, I have seen some mixed reviews. Some readers really loved it and could not wait for the second book whereas others felt that the book resembled too much other popular YA books such as The Hunger Games and The Mortal Instruments. Honestly, Red Queen did not remind me of any books I've read (including the ones I just mentioned), so I really enjoyed it.

A few words about the plot. The society in this book is divided by blood. Silver bloods are the ones with power and wealth. They also have magic/supernatural abilities: some of them command the wind, others - water, yet others are great healers, etc. Red bloods are poor with no magic abilities, and they basically serve the silvers and lead very miserable lives. Our main heroine Mare is a red blood by birth who quite unexpectedly exhibits some supernatural abilities that only silver bloods should be able to have.

The book is fast-paced and very well written. I did get a bit frustrated about half-way through because the entire fate of the state seemed to be put into the hands of two teenagers. However, if you get to that point, do not be fooled. The book is written from Mare's perspective, and you get her point of view with all the innocence and inexperience of a seventeen-year-old who had never dealt with politics or court intrigue. So in that sense, the perspective is very realistically written. I saw this once I finished the book and had time to reflect on it. I loved how the book ended and how all the plot lines were tied off. The ending also has a perfect set up for the sequel. I will definitely be continuing with this series. I liked this book much more than The Queen of Tearling, which I reviewed in the beginning of the month (see my complete review here).