Red Queen: A Sweeping Fantasy Adventure of Power, Rebellion, and Deadly Betrayal

For a limited time only, this 10th anniversary paperback edition of Red Queen is finished with stunning floral edges, dripping in blood. Make sure to collect all five limited edition paperbacks in the series—also available in a box set—to create a seamless, striking design across all volumes.

The first book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Red Queen series.

Red Queen, by #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Aveyard, is a sweeping tale of power, intrigue, and betrayal, perfect for fans of Lauren Robert's Powerless and George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series.

Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood—those with common, Red blood serve the Silver-blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.

To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard—a growing Red rebellion—even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction.

One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal.

Discover more wonders in the world of Red Queen with Broken Throne: A Red Queen Collection, a companion novel with stories from fan favorites and new voices, featuring never-before-seen maps, flags, bonus scenes, journal entries, and much more exclusive content!

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Published Jun 7, 2016

416 pages

Average rating: 7.46

656 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *Red Queen* delivers a gripping YA fantasy with a kingdom setting, intense power struggles, and a compelling rebellion theme. Many praise ...

Cresta McGowan
Dec 25, 2025
6/10 stars
The Red Queen thrusts the reader into dual class society separated by blood. The royal "Silvers" bleed silver, and the second class "Reds" bleed red. It implies the use of Greek Mythological powers on the "Silvers" to set them apart as a special breed - they are magic.

For me the novel reminded me of The Selection, and a little bit of Shadow and Bone , but with magic and more violence. Mare, a "Red" discovers through sheer will that she has the powers of a "Silver." This sets off a chain of events that shock even the evil queen, because this isn't supposed to be. Her power has the power to save her or condemn her - the question is, what will it be?

In an unsettling turn of events that forces her into the world of "Silvers," Mare has to learn her new place. But an burning desire to see equality (isn't that always the way?) puts her on the path of revolution. An incognito group known only as The Scarlet Guard is planning to launch a rebellion and with Mare on the inside of the castle walls, she's just the girl they need to make things right. But her betrothed Prince creates an obstacle for her she never saw coming.

She has to play this game, and not only her life is at stake.

This novel is a typical dystopian YA book, but I liked it. The characters were enjoyable and I'm looking forward to the sequel due out February 9, 2016. I've marked my calendar.
fromlizaslibrary
Jul 04, 2025
8/10 stars
I’m honestly not sure how I haven’t read this series sooner. I was obsessed with dystopian series when I was younger but apparently I overlooked this one and I am so glad I’m getting into it now. My intention was to read this on my Kindle but I started it as audio on a long drive and got hooked. The premise is not all that unusual but I love the plot nonetheless. I truly enjoyed the characters, specifically Mare. She’s the typical poor girl turned powerful and I loved it. I also can’t wait to see her strength grow throughout the series. There wasn’t a ton of action or surprises for me but I still found myself on the edge of my seat waiting to know what happened next. Plus since this is only book one, I’ve got a lot of story left to keep me intrigued!
mom2burgess
May 22, 2026
8/10 stars
I'll admit, I was worried for this book in the beginning. but it gets better. it feels like a mash up of Divergent and Throne Of Glass, but it still is good in its own right
Amelia Amy
May 22, 2026
6/10 stars
I kinda like it.
The story about ordinary girl met a handsome and strong prince who supposed to be her enemy.
A girl that has unknown power that makes her very special.
The story takes on Mare's perspective in this book.
Where she meet Cal and become his Kingdom's servant and ended up being his brother's fiancee.
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The way Victoria Aveyard tells every details in Mare's perspective is kinda good. And i enjoy it.
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Well this kinda like an usual YA fantasy concept in story where the girl fall in love with the superior man... (oh did i call Cal superior?) Well yes... i kinda like him.
I fact i also like Queen Elara a bit. She's the most realistic one in this book.
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Mare??
I don't quite like her. She's kinda annoying and selfish in this book. All she thinks about is herself and she hates almost everyone in this book. Except Maven ofc.
She should learn to control her emotions for God sake.
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And the ending??
Whoa...
Yes... I'm amaze with the ending. And i kinda didn't see it coming.
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Overall this is kinda interesting series to follow. If you like Fantasy YA books with Kingdom vibes and love triangle(?) romance. This is not bad.
LadyAmandaW
May 07, 2026
6/10 stars
This book was alright and I am thinking if I gave it more of a chance I may have enjoyed it more so. I had just finished reading "An Ember in the Ashes" and "The Young Elites" and all of them are just sounding so similar. Some aspects of "An Ember in the Ashes" and some aspects of "The Young Elites" are in this book. I understand that authors want to write something that they know is going to sell but, I am just getting tired of seeing the same things in books.

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