*BLOG TOUR* - Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Today I am part of the blog tour for the AMAZING novel Red Queen by the equally amazing Victoria Aveyard. 

First up I have a quick Q and A with Victoria and also a review of the novel to follow!

1.      Describe RED QUEEN in three words.

bloody, electric, betrayal

2.      If someone were to make an ice cream flavor for your book, what might be included

Cherries, strawberries, liquid mercury. Pretty and lethal.

3.      Can you share a secret about your book?

My favorite character is Maven.

4.      If you could travel anywhere, in any time period, when and where would you want to travel?

This is easily the most difficult question. I’d love to see Ancient Egypt under Ramesses II, or Imperial Rome, or Tudor England, or the War of the Roses or- or- or-. Oh man, also the Third Crusade. I’d love to just follow Eleanor of Aquitaine through her whole life. Hopefully I’m immune to disease.

5.      What three things do you need while revising?

A sugared up coffee, bad posture, and an upbeat playlist.

6.      If possible, please share the first line of RED QUEEN.

The first chapter is all on MTV.com, but here’s the first line: “I hate First Friday.”

A huge thank you to Victoria for taking the time to answer those questions for me.

Victoria Aveyard is a screenwriter/YA author who likes books and lists. This site is the nexus of my universe.

Her book RED QUEEN will be published Winter 2015 from HarperTeen at HarperCollins.

She’s repped by the incomparable Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary and Media, Inc.

The genres she’s into include YA, Fantasy, Historical, Adventure, Apocalyptic - if people are dying, she’s buying.

You can follower her on Twitter, and visit her website.

Be sure to check out my review below, and enter the giveaway! One winner will win finished copies of RED QUEEN by Victoria Aveyard, THE LAST TIME WE SAY GOODBYE by Cynthia Hand and MY HEART AND OTHER BLACK HOLES by Jasmine Warga. Contest is USA ONLY and must be age 13+ to enter. Just fill out the rafflecopter below.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Release Date - February 10, 2015
Publisher Website - Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader/Frenzy
Pages - 383 pages
My Rating - 5/5
Book Links - Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads | Kobo

**received in exchange for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?

Betrayal is the heartbeat of Victoria Aveyard's debut novel. Anyone can betray anyone at anytime and that creates a delicious tension that never lets the reader get comfortable. A twisted, powerful story whose characters are never trustworthy, and a setting where giving away your heart could cost you.

Victoria Aveyard's writing is tailor made for this genre. The action sequences in particular are breathtaking and gripping. She crafts the world and it's characters effortlessly during the duration of the novel. She uses humour and banter to compliment the more serious, action packed moments. She even takes some delicious digs at conventional tropes found in YA novels (particularly dystopian). It is vivid and compelling with the setting and characters leaping from the page. The narrative is movie like, and this would be an incredible experience if adapted for the silver screen. Getting lost in this world is all too easy, and leaving it behind is no easy task. An immediate re-read will likely be the end result for many upon turning the final page.

Mare Barrow is dropped, almost literally, into rebellion. Like many YA characters before her, she never asked for her fate, or the danger that comes with it. Mare's life quickly becomes a chess game where each move could result in dire, and swift consequences. Her navigation of this world, and the success and missteps she has along the way, are where her character grows. Victoria allows this character to breathe and live. Her actions have consequences and those change and define her. She doesn't brush over them like they do not have a lasting impact. As a result, Mare is someone I could talk about for hours. The girl we first meet is not the same one we leave at the end of the novel. She's one who becomes more confident as she grows even more entangled in a dangerous and deadly game. The girl who may just light the spark. Perhaps my favourite aspect is that Mare is not all of a sudden a leader. She's in a advantageous position and this is taken advantage of by many people. She herself is a chess piece moved around instead of being the one moving everything into place. We slowly see her begin to design her own fate, and her embracing her power is electric. She is going to be a force to reckon with and I cannot wait to see what she is capable of.

There is no good nor evil in this novel, especially when it comes to characters. Everyone is just varying shades of grey as it pertains to their morality. In a world like this, with such division and tension, it is easy to do the wrong thing for what might seem like the right reasons. It is easy to believe that what you are doing is just and right even if it's not. There are, of course, characters that you will hate and characters that you will love. The line dividing them may just not be as solid as it appears at first glance.

The romance in this novel is rather complex. It is a love triangle (even perhaps a love square) that is unique. None of the options seem destined for happiness. They all seem filled with distrust, betrayal and heartbreak. It is pretty much the opposite of most YA novels at this stage. Instead of typical insta-love this novel offers up little slivers of potential wrapped in a dark shell. We see what could be if allowed to flourish but are reminded that this is a dangerous world. We glimpse what might be if not for impending devastation and choices that these characters make. This particular aspect of the novel will garner huge reactions either way. I found myself shipping a certain couple with my entire being. Their connection, chemistry and allure left me spellbound. I am going to make a prediction that I will be in the minority for this ship, however. Victoria Aveyard might just be offering up some advice in disguise when someone tells our heroine to 'hide that heart of hers'. She is ruthless in all things, and this includes her romances; potential and otherwise.

A stunning debut that more than delivers on it's incredible premise. A brilliantly paced storyline, vivid descriptions, and captivating characters all create an unputdownable read that will be the next big obsession in YA books. The only thing you'll bemoan at the end of the novel is the wait for the next installment of this series because part of this novel's allure is the delicious torture of what comes next. Revenge, war, and destruction are in the forecast and I, personally, cannot wait.

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