Quick Picks
Aveyard,
V. (2015). Red queen. Retrieved June 22, 2016, from
southtexas.libaryreserve.com.
Summary:
“Red Queen” is a novel by which follows how seventeen-year-old Mare
Barrow’s discovery that she, a peasant-born Red, has the special powers of the
elite ruling Silvers and changes the course of her country’s future. When the novel begins, Mare is a
lowly peasant pickpocket of the Red-blooded class. The Reds carry out most of
the dirty work of the world, ruled over by elite Silver-blooded humans with
special powers and ability. Mare hates the Silvers. When an incident
occurs where her sister Gisa is punished for pick-pocketing Mare cannot face
going home. Instead she ends up at a pub
where she is promised by a wealthy man he will help her. The next day she is whisked to work for the
royal family. During the Queenstrial
violent shaking of the building causes Mare to fall and during the fall she
emits a massive shield of lightning to protect herself. The Silver royals do not know what to make of
her but come up with a plan to have her marry Maven, a royal prince as a cover
up. She goes through training and begins
to fall for Cal the older prince who is set to marry Evangaline. As time
passes, Mare develops romantic feelings for Cal and for Maven, though she tries
to keep hating them. She ultimately comes to join the Scarlet Guard in order to
make things right for the Reds and to end the ongoing war. Surprisingly, Maven
joins her, telling her that it is time for change. The Queen uses her powers to force Cal
to kill his own father. Maven reveals himself as a traitor, having used Mare to
help him destroy the Scarlet Guard and become king on his own. Mare and Cal are
then sentenced to death, but manage to escape when they are aided by the
Scarlet Guard. Coming of
age is an important theme in the novel. Coming of age involves the personal,
spiritual, moral, or emotional growth and maturation of an individual often
based on real world experiences, events, or mistakes. It is Mare who
comes of age, and her journey of self-discovery and growth both influences, and
is influenced by, the overall plot.
Book Trailer:
