Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Summary: 

Two classes . . . entirely separated . . . entirely different. Reds bleed red and are insignificant, forced to fight a century-long war once they turn 18. Silvers are of the higher class, bleed silver, and have supernatural powers. Two friends, Mare and Kilorn, find themselves facing war as their 18th birthdays approach. Kilorn should be safe. He'll turn 18 first and has a job working as a fisherman's apprentice. Mare has little hope, though. She isn't good at anything but stealing. But when Kilorn's master dies, Mare knows she has to do something to save them both from their fate. The answer comes from an old man named Will, who runs a junk shop in town. Will is not alone when Mare pays the visit. He's with Farley, a member of the Scarlet Guard, a secret society that rebels against the war, the silver king, and the treatment of reds. Protection will cost her and Kilorn more money than they could dream of getting in just two days, not to mention they will pledge their allegiance to the Scarlet Guard, which they know almost nothing about. By a chance encounter with Cal, a prince in disguise, the money is in hand. 

Plans change, however, when Mare is summoned then forced to the palace, where the silver king and queen rule from a distance. Mare is offered a job, meaning she won't have to face war now. How did it happen? She isn't good at anything but stealing! As she's waiting tables at the Queenstrial, a competition in which the prince chooses his bride from among the various houses, Mare reveals a power of her own, one she's not supposed to have . . . one she didn't even know she had. She then faces the king and queen who wish to study her, find out the source of her power, and force her into an engagement with the younger prince. Now she must act a part she doesn't know how to play, the part of a silver. 

Find out if Mare pulls it off when you check out Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard!

Personal Reflections:

I would place this novel in the same category as the Divergent series. I enjoyed Red Queen because it was a pretty quick read and had a story line that wasn't hard to follow but still left an air of suspense. My favorite character was Cal, mostly because he turned out to be the opposite of the other Silvers in the story. I did a few book talks on RQ with my middle schoolers, and many of them have since checked it out or requested it. It's great for middle to high school. Probably a little too strange for elementary. (I don't think they'd get it.) This was the first book I'd read by Victoria Aveyard, and she proved to be a very skilled writer. Anyone who enjoys the sci-fi, fantasy, or dystopia genre would enjoy Red Queen.