Category: Red Queen

Red Queen #4

“I am less than his crown, and he is less than my cause.”

And finally we have the ending of the Red Queen series. I think that it ended in just about the best way we could hope for, given how King’s Cage ended. There was triumph and sorrow, love and loss, growth and change. It’s not quite the explosive ending that I’ve come to expect from this series, but it was overall fulfilling and satisfying.

Mare learns to let go of her hatred, and live for something greater than herself. Evangeline shows she’s far deeper than anyone has ever given her credit for, and she learns to stand up for what she believes in. The two spark up an unexpected connection that was both terrifying and fascinating.

The book was nowhere near perfect: it started out melodramatic and melancholy and took far too long to get out of it. Maven’s character didn’t get the attention that he deserved, not like in King’s Cage, and ultimately his story arc felt cheapened from what it could have been. I did love getting parts of the story from new points-of-view: Iris, Maven, and Cal, though the later two were so infrequent as to make them almost negligible; I wish that had been explored a bit more. Overall, I was satisfied, but not wowed by War Storm. I felt like it could have been bigger, it could have been more, but it was good, and I am content.

Red Queen #3
King’s Cage was just the mind f*** I was expecting, and then some! I’d hoped that we’d be delving more into Maven’s character in this one, and Aveyard did not disappoint. What a diabolical, sick, and broken villain! What I love about Aveyard’s characters is that they are none of them good, none of them bad, always some mixture in between (except maybe Elara, I have yet to find the good in her). And the depths of pity you begin to feel for Maven, even as you still despise him, represents storytelling at its finest.

I really loved the small pieces from Evangeline’s POV, there is much more to her character than I ever would have anticipated. I feel like she may be the key to unraveling the mess that was the end of King’s Cage (though I have to say, I did see that one coming).

Overall, this book represented a huge change of pace from the other novels, much more psychological than action oriented, but I found myself drawn in just the same. I wish that we’d maybe gotten a little more from the Red Guard’s perspective in the beginning, but in the long run that might have detracted too much from Mare’s story. Eagerly anticipating the conclusion to this epic tale!

Red Queen (Short Story Compilation)
Overall, I think these stories were a great addition the the Red Queen universe. Queen Song was beautiful and sad, and a tad short for my taste, but was great for introducing Queen Coriane.

What I really loved though was Steel Scars. I loved the introduction to Farley’s character, and finding out how she met Shade. This gave me a bit of a better look at the formation of the Scarlet Guard and their command structure, which was interesting. I’m now immersed back into the world and ready to read King’s Cage.

Red Queen #2
An interesting continuation of the events in Red Queen! While the middle of the book became a bit slow and stagnant, the ending made up for it in action and development. I don’t feel like Mare grew in this book quite as much as I would have liked, though she was started to get somewhere towards the end. The author continues to make unexpected choices for her characters, revealing their flaws, and leaving me agonizing over the choices made. I look forward to the next installment, as the character’s continue to surprise me (and often infuriate me).

Red Queen #1
I truly epic fantasy novel! I absolutely loved the complexity to Aveyard’s characters. Nothing is simply right or wrong, no one simply good or evil, and balance is nearly impossible to find. I’m impressed at the seamless mixture of political intrigue and magical ability. And though a bit predictable at times, I both loved and hated the twists and turns the story puts us through. Each character is wonderfully developed, with the virtues and faults that make them real. Curious as to where the story goes from here: the world is changing, and I can’t decide if it’s for the better. Looking forward to the next installment!