Book of the issue

Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen is the first of the four-book young adult fantasy series that follows the life of a normal girl in a conflicted world.

Mare Barrow, the main character of the book, lives in a society split between normal people with red blood and elite people with silver blood as well as supernatural abilities.

Those with red blood are treated horribly, barely surviving in awful run-down cities and being threatened with the silvers’ powers.

Those with silver blood lead lives with varying levels of luxury, many of which include nobility in the standing monarchy.

Mare Barrow’s story begins with an attempt to avoid conscription and her active hobby of thievery, but this hobby leads to her crossing paths with a member of the silver monarchy, which makes for an exhilarating life of sacrifice and surprise for the simple girl with red blood.

Readers follow Mare’s exploration of what she is truly capable of, beyond her inherited circumstances, and what significance her existence has in such a chaotic society.

In reference to the way the silvers live superiorly to the reds, Mare said, “The gods rule us still. They have come down from the stars. And they are no longer kind.”

As a teen in today’s world, one may feel that others have some form of control over their lives and that they only have an allotted amount of freedom.

This book is the prime tool for any teen looking for a temporary escape to a universe of adventure and rebellion, and, as Miss Barrow said, “Revolution only needs a spark.”