Reading Popular YA Series #1 | Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard 🌿

🌿 Hi, guys! I hope you’re having a beautiful day, full of good readings.❤️ Today and finally, I bring you a super exciting post for me … as you already know because I’ve commented on several posts this year, one of my challenges for 2020 is finally reading some of the most popular series, trilogies & duologies that many people have already read and loved. Many of them have been in my TBR for years, so I think this challenge will allow me to finally read them and hopefully find some new favorite, but above all, I’m really excited to create this experience where not only YOU will be the one who chooses the series that I’ll be reading, but I’ll also be making this type of post where I’ll share with you ALL my thoughts about each book with small reviews & a final conclusion! and we can all discuss this in the comments, I’m very excited to know what you think. 🥰 
I take the moment to invite you to follow me on Twitter if you still don’t, since it will be there where I’ll be creating polls for you to vote for my next YA series to read.
I hope this is something that you find interesting and entertaining, I think it’s a fun way to read old popular books that I feel everyone has read but me, so this is the year where I get up to date. So I hope it’s something you enjoy, that you like to read & especially that you leave me your thoughts because you know that my goal is always to be able to interact with each one of you and that we can exchange opinions. 😍
I love you, thanks for the eternal support you give me with each post, I’m forever grateful! 💞 … Now without further ado, let’s start with my first series read: Red Queen by Victori Aveyard! 🌿

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This time is ALL about…

This is a world divided by blood – red or silver. 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.

| Goodreads |

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This is a world divided by blood-red or silver. 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. 

| Book Depository |

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“The truth is what I make it. I could set this world on fire and call it rain.”

I enjoyed this book a lot, even more than I expected which is very good! I didn’t expect to commit so much to the plot, but I really found it fascinating. It’s a captivating story and although it has many cliches aspects, it’s still very addictive and easy to read. In addition, the cliches aspects weren’t an impediment to enjoy the book, on the contrary, it gave me a lot of nostalgia reading this kind of dystopian world where there’s a races’ war, a girl who is “the chosen one”, superpowers and the group of rebels who rise against power. I think it was great, extremely entertaining and has quite good characters, although I confess that I stay for the plot in general rather than for the characters themselves.

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We have the high hierarchy of people who are the Silvers, named after their silver blood, obviously, and they all have a place of power due to their incredible powers. Then we have the lowest social class, which are those of red blood and they must fight very hard to survive, they’re exploited and sent to war from a young age.

Our main character is Mare and she’s a thief who tries to improve her family’s lifestyle, then one day she ends up in the palace and due to an unexpected accident, reveals that she has powers despite having red blood and from there the story develops as such. I really like Mare, she’s a determined character, with a lot of willpower and always says what she thinks, which I admire, and I think she grows a lot in this book. I like how she’s thrown into the heart of a super corrupt society, where the Silvers live and have to learn to live with them. Then she meets Maven and Cal who are the Silver princes. These characters initially didn’t call my attention much, but I think they both have a very large role in the plot and I end up liking myself more Cal, especially when a kind of romantic tension begins to develop, I confess that it’s very addictive to read, I was all for them both. And then we have Kilorn who is Mare’s childhood best friend, and I’m sad to say this, but he’s the typical character that you know will grow up to just being there and who doesn’t have a chance to get the prominence he wants, you know? lol, I still like him, though, I think he’s a very noble boy and I respect that, but I don’t like the predictable position he takes towards the ending. And last but not least, I want to give a little mention to Julian, my favorite character of the book, you know that the characters who are wise teachers are my weakness and that’s Julian for Mare during the book and I really loved it! He’s so clever and is a main point for the plot to develop and for a very important twist towards the ending. I think that without Julian we wouldn’t have such an interesting twist that opens hundreds of possibilities for the following books. I love him and his personal story.

There’s something like a love triangle going on, I don’t really bother and I still expected this since the book is a bit old, and at that time these types of romances were in popular. I liked the romantic aspects despite some cringe moments, I think it’s generally entertaining and keeps you wanting to know what will happen. I also appreciate very much that this isn’t a main aspect in the plot, but rather survival and society as such.

The plot as such: the idea and the construction of it, is brilliant and it was my favorite aspect of the book, I think the author is very smart when creating because although you can deduce what will come, you can’t really be 100% sure of anything, there are several plot twists very well placed at the indicated times, there’s a lot of drama, betrayals, and power wars, which really make of this a great experience. I couldn’t stop reading, because honestly, I was eager to know what would happen, that kept me on the edge of my seat and although I was able to predict some things, I ended up impacting anyway since I feel I was really committed to the plot development, which is great, nothing is better than being affected by what you’re reading, right? that means that it’s being incredible, and it was.

The ending achieved something that not many books achieve in me and is making me shudder, in fact, I felt physically everything that happened, which tells you a lot about the impact the story has on me. I really loved the ending, I think it’s shocking and breathtaking. A great work of the author, with this first book, she achieved a solid start, addictive, with action and much political intrigue.

4/5

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If there’s one thing Mare Barrow knows, it’s that she’s different.

Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul. 

| Book Depository |

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“If I am a sword, I am a sword made of glass, and I feel myself beginning to shatter.”

This book, in particular, I think it suffers a lot from the second book syndrome, you know?, I enjoyed especially the last chapters that I think are the ones that really led me to the essence of the original story and I remembered why I liked it so much in the first place. Despite this, I found it quite slow and full of unnecessary descriptions. I also feel that there’s a huge change in perspective regarding Mare. What caught me so much from the first book was that great ability of the author to go straight to the point and give us scenes that take your breath away continuously, well, sadly this book has too much filling moments and the good scenes weren’t enough to make it stand out as a whole.

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This book focus on the recruitment stage, where the characters are putting together their own army for the great war against the enemy. I enjoyed this aspect, the book focuses more on searching, therefore we travel constantly from one place to another and we meet many new characters. And although I like the incorporation of new characters to the plot, I’m not a big fan of travel or when the characters move a lot from one place to another, especially in a dystopian world it can become something heavy and boring … I think that In a moment I got tired of so many descriptions, and the plot got a little heavy.

As for the characters, I had a big problem following Mare this time, I don’t know what happened from one book to another, but she became insufferable and just couldn’t believe the terrible things she began to think about her own people, she became very unfriendly with others. I understand when a character goes through a lot and then changes and becomes stronger and because of this she gets a little colder and more distant, I get that, but Mare is literally a horrible person with all the people around her in this book and that disappointed me a lot because I was on her team. I understand, on the other hand, everything she has to deal with and the weight of being “the lightning girl”, she has a huge responsibility, but OMG, I get tired of hearing her complain about everything. I enjoyed a little more of Cal, I think his character evolves quite well and becomes even more mature, I like him very much, as I also enjoy Shade and Farley, I actually really love Shade!. I’m even very grateful that Kilorn has had a bigger development of his personality in this one. I’ve heard a couple of people call Maven the new Darkling and I’m in SHOCK for that comparison lol, like…NOP, it’s not like that for me … AT ALL, I think Maven has potential as a character, but I feel his role feels kind of force for me and I know it’s an unpopular opinion but it’s not my favorite. And finally, I didn’t like Cameron very much. I found it very similar to Mare, her power is one of the most interesting, though.

The powers are still super cool in this book, I love the variety of new powers that we know and I think there are millions of possibilities for each one, that’s really exciting.

The ending and the last chapters were quite good for me, I think it’s there when after going through a long section of the book feeling quite tired of it, I began to feel hooked again and fully interested in the plot. I think that with those last chapters the book recovers its true soul and it made me, without a doubt, want to continue reading to know what would happen. I think the author is very good writing endings, she always leaves me surprised waiting for more and OMG, this ending is too epic, I LOVED IT.

I also want to mention The Scarlet Guard that in this book I was able to enjoy much more of this organization and its construction, besides we have several revelations about it that make this group of rebels much more than it seems, and I loved it that, I think has earned a lot of identity on the plot.

In short, I feel it’s a bridge book, you know? It’s not memorable and I think 444 pages are too much for so little content, a lot of travel from here to there, meaningless action and many unnecessary internal monologues, as well as heavy descriptions. Luckily, in the end, it goes back to be incredible, and leave me wanting to know more, about the story and the direction it will take.

 

3/5

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In this breathless third installment to Victoria Aveyard’s bestselling Red Queen series, allegiances are tested on every side. And when the Lightning Girl’s spark is gone, who will light the way for the rebellion?

Mare Barrow is a prisoner, powerless without her lightning, tormented by her lethal mistakes. She lives at the mercy of a boy she once loved, a boy made of lies and betrayal. Now a king, Maven Calore continues weaving his dead mother’s web in an attempt to maintain control over his country—and his prisoner.

As Mare bears the weight of Silent Stone in the palace, her once-ragtag band of newbloods and Reds continue organizing, training, and expanding. They prepare for war, no longer able to linger in the shadows. And Cal, the exiled prince with his own claim on Mare’s heart, will stop at nothing to bring her back.

When blood turns on blood, and ability on ability, there may be no one left to put out the fire—leaving Norta as Mare knows it to burn all the way down.

| Book Depository |

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“To stand in front of a person who is your whole world and be told you are not enough. You are not the choice. You are a shadow to the person who is your sun.”

I think this is the most brutal book of all and despite enjoying certain aspects, again I found it quite heavy to read and I’m in doubt about the decision to add more POVs to the plot. I like the book to be more brutal and put Mare to the test in a darker setting, I think that has made her rethink a lot about her way of seeing life and thinking. The first time I don’t enjoy an ending in this series, I think it has a solid beginning, but from the middle, it becomes weaker and weaker … sadly, I cannot say that it’s better than the previous book.

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Even so, I enjoyed having Mare far away from the other characters for the most part of the book, I think giving Mare more space as a character to reflect on, was a good idea, I know that the situation is quite cruel and really despite my relationship with Mare, I don’t want her to continue suffering and feeling miserable, but I feel that the position in which she finds herself in this book is necessary to unleash her full potential, not only on her powers but also on herself as person and leader. I liked her more in this book than in the previous one, I feel that she has become a little like her old self, the one I love so much and that she has begun to focus on what’s important.

I’m not sure about the multiple POV, I like that Evangeline has its own POV because it was surprisingly one of my favorite things in this book, it’s a much more complex character than I thought and has added a refreshing face to the plot, In addition to a more diverse view of the Silver society and powerful families. I was really looking forward to her being free as she wants to be. I’m really interested in this character really, especially after meeting her heart’s desires. Cameron POVs on the other hand, I didn’t like so much, I know that it was necessary to have that point of view from within the rebellion, while all other situations were happening, but for some reason, I can’t connect with this character, although I like the importance it has her brother to her, that’s all, her personality seems difficult for me to follow.

Again, I feel it’s such a long book! I don’t understand this obsession with making each book in this series longer and longer than the previous one, I would understand that there would be a greater development of the plot, but this specific book focuses a lot on the characters, and in politics, it’s not usually a problem for me, but I don’t know, it was quite boring most of the time and as you know, I’m not Maven‘s fan, so he really doesn’t matter to me at all, I’m glad that he’s such an interesting villain for most of you, but for me, it’s just like “meh”, I don’t feel close to any of his stories or feelings, I really don’t understand it, it is super over-dramatic for my liking. Cal, on the other hand, I like it a lot, I don’t know why, but I think it’s a character, although undecided at times, that has a great understanding of duty and is a great believer of his methods, he’s powerful and I’m still surprised by the ending of this character. .. I’m not sure how to feel, but I suppose that in this way the ending is much more interesting.

Every time Mare reunites with her family, my heart breaks a little, I love family dynamics, but at the same time, it’s so sad because all the time they have to separate and be reunited and it’s exhausting. I think that after everything Mare has lived in this book, I’m sure that we’ll have a different woman for the grand finale, I hope she is the woman I love cause makes me nervous she change again for the dark side …I’ll not be able to deal with the insufferable Mare again, so I hope that her evolution is for something more powerful and elevated.

This is a constant war for power and classes and, of course, between blood types and then sometimes they really spend more time preparing to fight, than in fact fighting for their ideals, you know? It’s a bit annoying sometimes, I just want them to go to war once and for all … I’m looking forward to it!
Another book with many plot twists but unnecessarily long, that gives us more perspectives but doesn’t contribute much more to the plot itself, so let’s see what’s going to happen in the final book! *fingers crossed*

 

3/5

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Victory comes at a price.

Mare Barrow learned this all too well when Cal’s betrayal nearly destroyed her. Now determined to protect her heart—and secure freedom for Reds and newbloods like her—Mare resolves to overthrow the kingdom of Norta once and for all… starting with the crown on Maven’s head.

But no battle is won alone, and before the Reds may rise as one, Mare must side with the boy who broke her heart in order to defeat the boy who almost broke her. Cal’s powerful Silver allies, alongside Mare and the Scarlet Guard, prove a formidable force. But Maven is driven by an obsession so deep, he will stop at nothing to have Mare as his own again, even if it means demolishing everything—and everyone—in his path.

War is coming, and all Mare has fought for hangs in the balance. Will victory be enough to topple the Silver kingdoms? Or will the little lightning girl be forever silenced?

In the epic conclusion to Victoria Aveyard’s stunning series, Mare must embrace her fate and summon all her power… for all will be tested, but not all will survive.

| Book Depository |

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“Love can be exploited, I guess, used to manipulate. It’s leverage. But I would never call loving someone else a weakness. I think living without love at all, any kind of love, is weakness. And the worst kind of darkness.”

I’m still shocked by this book, Do I enjoyed it? Yes, but not as much as the first one and I think that to be the epic conclusion I was looking for, it fell short. I loved the battle scenes, which doesn’t usually happen, so I give it one more point just for that and because I really felt committed to those scenes. On the other hand, I was looking for more of a book that, besides being so long, promised a lot, and honestly, I’m kind of tired of saying the same thing but … WHY SO MANY PAGES? It wasn’t necessary, we could have made this a great ending with maybe 300 pages and that would have been enough. So, the conclusion felt somewhat flat and forced in my opinion, I really expected to die of tension and emotions, but it was quite predictable and I even feel that the author wanted to do something surprising and different with that ending but it didn’t work for me and left me unsatisfied.

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It’s so rare for me to think that this is a story of 4 books! the story really begins in one place and ends in a completely different one, so I’m aware that there’s a great process of changes and developments, and several plot twists, which I appreciate. But at the same time, it couldn’t maintain the impact that the first book had on other books and that was disappointing … Even so, I enjoyed this book much more than the second and third one and that’s a good thing. I confess that I was somewhat nostalgic because it’s over and a little bit of my heart always stays with the characters when I read a long series, so obviously I’ll miss them, for this reason, I enjoyed a little more of each scene of them together and the dialogues, knowing that was the last times I was going to see them interacting makes it more special.

I usually enjoy just one POV during my books, but this one has multiple again, this time we continue with the POVs of Evangeline and Mare, but we also have Cal’s, Maven’s and Iris’, so it was a lot of information, I think that’s why the books are getting longer, honestly. I enjoyed …Evangeline‘s POV a lot because she evolved more than any other character and that makes me proud of her (sapphic queen), I also like Mare‘s, because obviously I’m already used to her voice and I’m super grateful and happy because she has become the Mare that I love in the first book, I think that despite the mistakes she has made and her indecision in some aspects, she has found herself in this book and decided to put herself first for the first time, which I really respect. Then we have Iris, which I think is a great addition to the plot, a super mature character that has an interesting POV to follow and a new and refreshing look on each of the characters, very interesting, I liked her. I know everyone loves Maven with every part of your heart … but not me, so even though I enjoyed seeing what goes through his head, I don’t find this character as someone as deep or complex as the author wants to make us see, so I honestly don’t care. Finally, we have Cal and no matter what people say or what he decides to do, I adore Cal, I think he has always been clear about what he wants to do with his life, you know? I think that unlike others, he has always been reserved about it, and I know that he has made mistakes, but basically, he has done so because he thought that was the best, did I feel betrayed by him? maybe a little at some point! But I forgive my baby and I think he deserves better.

I really think that the author has decided to take a much more existential path with the characters for the ending, instead of finally focus only in the plot itself, which would be war as the main point, it’s more focused on internal monologues of the characters and in finding out what each of them will do as individuals. I expected a greater impact on society, I admit that I’m seeing a change, obviously, but I don’t know … maybe it didn’t have that impact to get me excited. It has focused a lot on the romances, which become too repetitive, and although I enjoy the scenes because I won’t deny it, they’re addictive and the dialogues are pretty good, I think it’s time for them to decide. We literally have 4 books seeing Mare having doubts about Cal and then about Maven and even a little about Kilorn at some point, I think it’s time to know what each one wants and just go for it… you know what I say? I feel it’s a mistake to dedicate the last book to such a romantic plot, with so many other important points, especially the great revolution and the interests of every place in this world. A series with such a rich plot content should give the protagonism that deserves to the important things, instead of whom the main character ends up with or not, it’s absurd!

I don’t want you to have the wrong impression and think that I hate this book because it wasn’t like that, I really enjoyed seeing the characters looking for their individual destinies and knowing a little more about each one, I liked, at the end, having a complete picture of each relationship, beyond the romance, and the growth of each of them is very remarkable … on the other hand, being a book so focused on the characters, I feel that there’s something that it’s missing so that the plot itself ends up being satisfactory, you know? I LOVE character-driven books, but with this saga, I was always more interested in the plot, so that’s my position.

I also want to highlight the writing style that this time I feel has improved a lot and stands out from other books, I think the author has clearly improved a lot and feels much more fluid and easy to follow. I still think it has too many pages, but I didn’t feel it heavy as such, which is good.

To conclude, I don’t think that this has been a worthy ending to everything that we have lived together with the characters, yet I was proud to see the characters in the place where they have finished and I understand, although I don’t share, the idea & the reason of the author with respect at the ending. I still expected something that would take my breath away like other endings of previous books and that wasn’t what I got. On the other hand, I highlight the action scenes, the paced isn’t bad and the development of the characters as such is also an aspect to highlight.

3.5/5

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Finally and as if to give a complete picture of my thoughts, I think this is an ultra addictive series that catches you with its unique plot idea and its twists, on the other hand, it’s quite a cliche and can become somewhat slow and heavy in descriptions. I also want you to keep in mind that although it starts with a total fantasy approach, it ends up being a complete dystopian plot. The characters aren’t exactly memorable but it’s a story that increasingly focuses more and more on them, so I think it’s something else to keep in mind. A very interesting world to explore with a political intrigue that you enjoy especially in the first books, although it’s losing a little towards the ending to focus more on romance and characters and their growths and destinies as such. The dialogues are quite good, although they’re not the best I’ve read, they keep you entertained and make the reading paced much better. Finally, the writing style is superfluid most of the time and although it’s not poetic it exactly, keeps you on the edge of your seat and you’ll surely want to know what will happen. This is an author that I would definitely like to read in the future.
It’s not the best saga that I’ve read, you’ll have noticed it, but I still recommend it if you want to read something that reminds you of that little nostalgia for the old series, since it has ALL the elements.
I think it’s a super entertaining saga that has the surprise factor of the very well-executed plot twists & great endings.

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Credits for the source of the original image HERE

I hope you liked this idea & tell me if you would like me to continue doing something like this on the blog, I would love to know what you think!

🌿 Have you read this, if not, do you plan to read it? What do you think of the idea of ​​books? Do you know the author? Let me know everything in the comments you know what I love to know what you think 🌿

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