Hello there!
I don't think I've ever written a book review before, nor have I ever really adequately described by complete obsession for books. I am totally and utterly addicted, always have and always will be.
For the entirety of my life I have always read and had a shelf full of books, but after university I couldn't always bring myself to concentrate enough. Reading on a computer screen all day at uni/work and then writing the blog often I find I've had enough, but I have read through series such as Harry Potter (countless times now!), The Hunger Games and Game of Thrones amongst others.
I used to get through a book every few days but now I'm lucky to get through a book in 6 months! I've been meaning to change this for a while but it was only recently when I had my car accident that I really took the time to buy a new book and get stuck in (having whiplash was the only time I was forced to sit down and relax!)
The book I chose was 'Red Queen' by Victoria Aveyard, so I'm going to share my thoughts on it and the other books in the same series (without giving spoilers!). I've not read too many book reviews as I tend to go on recommendations from others, so I hope this post covers what you would normally read!
SYNOPSIS
Mare Barrow lives with her family (mother, father, sister and three brothers) in an area of the Kingdom of Norta. The people in this world are split into two types - Red or Silver. The Reds are the poorer people, who have red blood in their veins. The Silvers bleed Silver blood and have supernatural talents related to their family name and therefore their people rule the kingdom.
Mare, her family and her best friend Kilorn are all Reds, and the Reds must work to supply the Kingdom with goods as well as fight the war between the Kingdom of Norta and the Kingdom of the Lakelands.
There is an age of conscription for the war, and Mare's brothers have all been sent to the war to fight, Mare is due to be sent there in a few years because she has not managed to find a job, but Kilorn has and they will be separated. It's at this point she meets a boy called Cal, and last minute he manages to get her a job helping serve at an event put on by the King.
The story really begins here and during her first day of work something happens to Mare in front of the entire Kingdom, nothing is ever quite the same again. Her future completely shifts, with her living a lie amongst people who she can't be certain she can trust and who have a range of deadly powers to hurt her or her family at any time.
There are many twists and turns and more than one romantic interest to keep us guessing what is going to happen. There are general everyday struggles as a Red as well as personal battles to endure within life amongst the nobles. Especially when the appearance of a rebel group called the Scarlet Guard begins to cause trouble, who are they, what do they want, can they be trusted?
Will anything ever be the same again?
THOUGHTS
I absolutely loved all of the books, as soon as I got into it I was hooked and I read them all. There are three books in total (Red Queen, Glass Sword, King's Cage) and a few novellas which I purchased from the Amazon store on my kindle. I love hearing about all the different families and magical powers, the royal family and how Mare's life completely changes.
When first diving in I thought it was extremely similar to the Hunger Games, there's more than a bit of a nod to the same story line of strong female character with male sidekick and then the different sections of the Kingdom, the war, the supernatural elements etc. This worried me and if I wasn't trying to complete a book at the time then I might have stopped reading.
But after the first few chapters it began to take on a story of its own and there are also lots of differences and it's worth sticking with. I cannot wait for the final book to come out next year (do I really have to wait that long to find out what happens?!) and find out what happens to all the main characters. Will they get justice? Revenge? Love? Happiness? I cannot wait to find out!!
When first diving in I thought it was extremely similar to the Hunger Games, there's more than a bit of a nod to the same story line of strong female character with male sidekick and then the different sections of the Kingdom, the war, the supernatural elements etc. This worried me and if I wasn't trying to complete a book at the time then I might have stopped reading.
But after the first few chapters it began to take on a story of its own and there are also lots of differences and it's worth sticking with. I cannot wait for the final book to come out next year (do I really have to wait that long to find out what happens?!) and find out what happens to all the main characters. Will they get justice? Revenge? Love? Happiness? I cannot wait to find out!!
If you've read the book then my review is probably missing massive elements of the story line, but I absolutely hate reading things that give anything away so I've left out huge chunks. To me that's the whole point of being caught up in the magic of a book! But if it's too vague let me know and next time I'll add a bit more.....
Have you read the Red Queen series?? Which book was your favourite? Are you looking forward to the final book?
As a special request, please send me suggestions of new books to read and accounts to follow! I'd love to see more and get back into losing myself in a good book, so you can comment below, email us or tweet us with any suggestions! I've also started sharing my current reads on instagram (@Thecsigirls) and pinning all the beautiful shelfies on Pinterest! (thecsigirls)
L xxx
