by Victoria Aveyard
YA Dystopian Fantasy
Link to Goodreads
This is a world divided by blood - red or silver.
The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.
That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.
Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.
But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance - Red against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart...
My Review
A perfect example of a book that I was super excited about that just fell flat. Ok, not really flat, because I did enjoy it - just not as much as I had anticipated. I expected an epic fantasy, but ended up reading a book that couldn't seem to decide if it is dystopian (with cars & airplanes) or epic fantasy (with the world building, magic, & royalty). Eh, ok... dystopian fantasy.
The world building is pretty cool. There are different kingdoms - two are at war - and each of them is ruled by Silvers: those with silver blood and magical (god-like) abilities. Reds (red blooded, non-magical) are forced to work and fight for the Silvers.
Somehow, Mare discovers that she is both. She bleeds red, but has silver abilities. This places her in a dangerous position, especially when she suddenly shows these abilities in front of the entire royal court. Forced to hid her red blood, Mare must become a Silver to live - at least until the King & Queen can figure out how to safely kill her without arousing suspicion.
I really liked Mare until she started yo-yoing between Cal and Maven. She would hate Cal one minute, and be seeking him out in the next --- all the while, engaged to Maven and forming feelings for him. I hate love triangles, and while this was not completely a love triangle (actually, square if you add in Kilorn), it was close enough to one to bother me.
The ending was expected. EVERYONE LIES. It just made me frustrated to see just how stupid and naive Mare still was after over a month of living with Silvers.
Decent read, but not one I would ever read again. I can see where many people would really enjoy it. 3 out of 5 Stars.
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