Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
[Aveyard] sets her audience up for a gaspworthy twist that reconfigures nearly every character’s role and leaves Mare with no one to trust but herself... This blend of fantasy and dystopia will be an unexpected and worthy addition to many genre fans’ reading list.
Publishers Weekly
11/24/2014
In the dystopian future of Aveyard’s debut, those who bleed red are the impoverished underclass, meant to serve silver-bloods who boast supernatural gifts that have helped them maintain control. But a rebellion is rising, and 17-year-old Red narrator Mare Barrow is the spark to ignite the Scarlet Guard’s cause after she discovers she can summon lightning from her fingertips. Aveyard is adept at describing Mare’s psychological struggle, forced to live as a captive among the royal family after her powers manifest ceremony to choose a future queen. Mare’s journey as reluctant poster child and mutant becomes as much about fighting for what is right as about untangling the deceit of the privileged upper echelons. There’s an unmistakable feeling of deja vu to this first installment in the Red Queen trilogy, which shares several plot points and similarities with the Hunger Games series, with more arenas for barbaric televised slaughter and honed survival skills swapped out for preternatural powers. Fortunately, Aveyard’s conclusion leaves the story poised to depart from this derivative setup. Ages 13–up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
A sizzling, imaginative thriller, where romance and revolution collide, where power and justice duel. It’s exhilarating. Compelling. Action-packed. Unputdownable.” — USA Today
“Aveyard weaves a compelling new world of action-packed surprises... inventive, character-driven.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A volatile world with a dynamic heroine.” — Booklist
“Breakneck pace and engaging characters.” — School Library Journal
“ [Aveyard] sets her audience up for a gaspworthy twist that reconfigures nearly every character’s role and leaves Mare with no one to trust but herself... This blend of fantasy and dystopia will be an unexpected and worthy addition to many genre fans’ reading list.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Fascinating world building... Readers will be intrigued by a world that reflects today’s troubling issues concerning ethnic inequality, unfair distribution of wealth, pollution, warfare, political corruption, and the frightening power of the media.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
[Aveyard] sets her audience up for a gaspworthy twist that reconfigures nearly every character’s role and leaves Mare with no one to trust but herself... This blend of fantasy and dystopia will be an unexpected and worthy addition to many genre fans’ reading list.
USA Today
A sizzling, imaginative thriller, where romance and revolution collide, where power and justice duel. It’s exhilarating. Compelling. Action-packed. Unputdownable.
Booklist
A volatile world with a dynamic heroine.
Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
Fascinating world building... Readers will be intrigued by a world that reflects today’s troubling issues concerning ethnic inequality, unfair distribution of wealth, pollution, warfare, political corruption, and the frightening power of the media.
USA Today
A sizzling, imaginative thriller, where romance and revolution collide, where power and justice duel. It’s exhilarating. Compelling. Action-packed. Unputdownable.
Booklist
A volatile world with a dynamic heroine.
Stephanie Garber
Aveyard weaves a compelling new world of action-packed surprises... inventive, character-driven.
School Library Journal
01/01/2015
Gr 9 Up—Seventeen-year-old Mare Barrow lives in a world where one's lot in life is determined by the color of one's blood. She was born a Red and has to make a living by pickpocketing and trying to dodge "the conscription" and being sent off to fight an ongoing war. Mare's resigned herself to the fact that she'll always serve the Silver, a genetically gifted group of people with supernatural abilities. A chance encounter with the prince causes Mare to suddenly find herself at the royal palace as a servant, where she discovers in front of everyone that she also has a unique gift. She is Red and Silver, and could be just the spark the Reds need to rise up against the oppressive Silvers. The king and queen quickly cover up Mare's anomaly by presenting her to the rest of the Silvers as a long-lost princess and betroth her to their second-born son. Now Mare is torn between playing the part of a Silver, and helping out the Scarlet Guard rebellion. The story has touches of the usual dystopian suspects. However, it's formulaic elements are far outweighed by the breakneck pace and engaging characters. There's a bit of teen romance, but luckily the characters are self-aware enough to realize its frivolity among the story's more important plot points. A solid debut from Aveyard and a welcome addition to the plethora of speculative teen lit.—Kimberly Castle-Alberts, Hudson Library & Historical Society, OH
MARCH 2015 - AudioFile
In Aveyard’s debut, Mare Barrow refuses to accept the prospect of dying young in a war in which only her people, the lesser Reds, are conscripted. Narrator Amanda Dolan uses strong, modulated tones to convey Mare’s long-held disdain of the Silvers, who use their powers to subjugate the Reds. When Mare’s life is threatened, she’s thrust into into several deadly plots and deceptions. Dolan narrates significant secondary characters with varied inflections, leading listeners to specific conclusions—until a shocking betrayal leaves Mare confronting the unknown. Listeners will breathlessly anticipate a sequel. J.M. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2014-11-11
Amid a war and rising civil unrest, a young thief discovers the shocking power within her that sparks a revolution.At 17, Mare knows that without an apprenticeship or job, her next birthday will bring a conscription to join the war. She contributes to her poor family's income the only way she can, stealing from the Silvers, who possess myriad powers and force her and her fellow Reds into servitude. The Silvers literally bleed silver, and they can manipulate metal, plants and animals, among many other talents. When Mare's best friend, Kilorn, loses his job and is doomed to conscription, she is determined to change his fate. She stumbles into a mysterious stranger after her plan goes awry and is pulled out of her village and into the world of Silver royalty. Once inside the palace walls, it isn't long before Mare learns that powers unknown to red-blooded humans lie within her, powers that could lead a revolution. Familiar tropes abound. Mare is revealed as a great catalyst for change among classes and is groomed from rags to riches, and of course, seemingly kind characters turn out to be foes. However, Aveyard weaves a compelling new world, and Mare and the two men in her life evolve intriguingly as class tension rises. Revolution supersedes romance, setting the stage for action-packed surprises. An inventive, character-driven twist breathes new life into tired fantasy trends. (Fantasy. 13 & up)
