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 – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.
Publisher: HarperTeen
Date Published: February 10, 2015
Pages: 400
Genres: Young Adult, fantasy, romance
Date Published: February 10, 2015
Pages: 400
Genres: Young Adult, fantasy, romance
I tried really hard to finish up this book, but it was just a complete fail. It wasn’t a bad book, but it wasn’t a good one either. Even though I was curious about what would happen, I wasn’t willing to put in the time to read it to find out. Oh, apparently this is very similar to Pierce Brown’s Red Rising, but I can’t say since I have not read it yet.
There are two classes in this world, the Red commoners and the elite Silvers. The Reds are second-class citizens that are stuck between a rock and a hard place. You are either drafted in a century old war or, if you can find an apprenticeship, you can learn a trade. The Silvers have everything, beauty, powers, and riches.
Seventeen year old Mare Barrow was a Red and the only thing she was good at was pick pocketing. With her eighteenth birthday coming up, there was only one place she was ending up. Whether it was due to luck or misfortune, she was able to get a job in the Silver Palace after meeting Cal. Things go awry when her powers break free after a near death experience. Now, she’s stuck in a role she would have never foreseen.
Sounds pretty good when I recap it eh? It was a mediocre read that turned out to be so incredibly slow paced. It takes me a good day or maybe two (if I'm slow) to finish a book. I tried to read Red Queen for a full WEEK! That’s a lot for me. I have never tried so hard to finish a book, well maybe the 5th wave, but even then, I didn’t put that much time into it. I got through 55% and it was very hard to go any further.
So I read half of it and this is what I found:
1. No interesting character:
-Cal was so aloof that I wasn’t sure of his place in the book
-Maven honestly seemed like the whiny, spoiled brat that will always be second to Cal
-Mare seemed very ordinary, other than her powers of course, had no redeeming qualities, but at least she wasn’t annoying
-No depth in any of the characters
2. Not enough on the War:
-How could I be half way through the book with not enough backstory on the war or rebels?
3. Slow pacing:
-Not enough was happening to keep me interested
4. Romance:
-I think it was leaning towards focusing mainly on romance
-There was kind of what seemed to be a square
-Three other boys that seemed like they were fond of Mare
-Not enough development in only half of the book for me to say for sure
5. No action:
-With cool powers, a war, AND the beginnings of dissent among the Reds, I thought there would be more action. Sadly the focus was more on Mare’s journey in becoming a Silver doll.
I really wanted to like this one. I was actually waiting for the second book to come out before beginning this one because I had high expectations and I thought I would be frustrated with the wait for the second. I couldn’t take the wait and plunged right in to instead hit shallow waters. Painful I know. I am now more reluctant to read Red Rising after reading this one.
