Leta’s Book Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Fantasy, 13+

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

This book was actually a reread for me. I first read it in late 2019 right before we moved from one city to another. The second book, Glass Sword, is my nemesis. I DNF’d it at 50% shortly after moving. It got quite slow and I lost interest for a few years (I moved almost three years ago now).

Now I want to pick up the series again and finish it since I own all four books. I want to know whether it’s worth keeping or if I should unhaul it to someone who would be able to appreciate it. So, I started Red Queen once again.

My experience reading this the second time was almost identical to the first time, though I wasn’t really shocked by any of the events. I saw a lot more foreshadowing of the betrayal and I feel like I read more into the motives of some of the secondary characters. Our main character, Mare Barrow, isn’t all that interesting to me, since she seems to be much more flat than I remember. I’ve decided to continue with the series because of Calore, or Cal, and his very rounded personality and complex motivations.

That’s about it for this review. I know it’s on the shorter side, but I don’t have much to say about Red Queen. It’s a classic YA adventure that is a great starting place to break into the genre of YA Fantasy. Fans of Throne of Glass and An Ember in the Ashes will enjoy reading about Mare’s adventures. I’ll let you know if I finish Glass Sword and if it’s worth reading the series as a whole. Thanks for reading!