The red queen
The Red Queen (English original title: Red Queen ) is a fantasy novel for young adults, written by the American writer Victoria Aveyard . It was her first series and her first novel. The book was published in the English original in February 2015; the German translation by Birgit Schmitz was also published by Carlsen Verlag in 2015 . The sequels are Glass Sword , Golden Cage and Raging Storm . The red queen won the Goodreads Choice Award 2015 in the category “Debut Goodreads Author” and was also nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award 2015 in the category “Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction”.
action
Mare Barrow is a Red who lives with her parents and a younger sister, Gisa. Her three older brothers, Bree, Tramy, and Shade serve on the front lines of a war between the northern kingdom of the Lakes and the home of the Barrow, the Kingdom of Norta. Norta is currently under the control of King Tiberius Calore VI. ruled, one of the many "silver people" whose silver blood and supernatural powers enable them to rule over the more numerous but powerless red blooded population. Mare is jealous of Gisa because her sewing skills earned her a job with the Silver, and Reds who have a job are not recruited into the war. When Mare learns that Kilorn Warren, her best friend, is being drafted, she plans an escape and meets with a colleague who refers her to Farley, a captain of the Scarlet Guard, insurgents from red who believe in equality between her people and the Want to make silver. Farley demands a sum in exchange for Kilorn's escape.
A plan to steal silver with Gisa goes horribly wrong when a massacre takes place after the Scarlet Guard bombed the kingdom. Gisa's hand is broken in the chaos, forcing her to quit her job and no longer be able to support her family. During her attempt to steal in a tavern, Mare meets Cal, a handsome boy who listens to her problems. He is sorry for her and he is giving her the money she needs. The next day, Mare is taken to the king's residence and given a job as a servant. She finds out that Cal is the son of Tiberias Calore VI. is, Prince Tiberias Calore VII., who grants her work in the palace to protect her from being drafted. During the queen's freestyle, where the silver needle fights for Cal's hand, Mare shows electrokinetic powers against Cal's future bride Evangeline Samos. She is captured, but because the king is afraid of an uprising that a red woman with supernatural powers will be discovered, Mare is to become the bride of Tiberias' second son, the shy Maven. She is given the name Mareena Titanos, and a story is invented for her disguise: She is the daughter of a silver general who died on the battlefield and was adopted by the Reds in the war zone. Mare feels torn when she realizes she is in love with Cal, her fiancé's brother and future King of the Silver. But she soon develops feelings for Maven.
Suddenly Mare has to live as a noblewoman in the ranks of the king, slowly acquaints herself with Maven and Cal and also befriends Julian Jacos, Cal's uncle and a librarian who teaches her how to control her powers. Mare is allowed to say goodbye to her family and learns of the return of Bree and Tramy, but not of Shade, who was beheaded by silver officers for reported desertion. Furious that her favorite brother has been killed, Mare joins the Scarlet Guard. When she meets with Farley to discuss plans, Mare is enraged to learn that Kilorn has joined and surprised to see Maven has also joined. This new revelation brings Mare and Maven closer together and they come together. The plan includes the interruption of a royal ball and the killing of several important silver ones. However, an unexpected and mysterious bomb explodes, killing many innocent people and also leading to the capture of Kilorn, Farley and other members of the Scarlet Guard. Although the rebels can be freed thanks to Julian's help, Mare is troubled to learn that Farley was not responsible for the bomb that went off in the palace.
Due to the attack by the Scarlet Guard, the Reds are punished by the Silver by lowering the draft age from 18 to 15 years. Mare herself is instructed to proclaim the new law. Julian admits that his research concludes that Mares blood has a genetic mutation that makes it red, but enables silver-like powers that are stronger than either; besides, she's not the only one with the mutation. Shade also had the mutation that caused him to be executed; the only reason Mare was spared was because her powers manifested while she was being seen by many silver spectators, preventing a cover-up. Julian also mentions that he has to go into hiding, so he leaves Mare a list of names of people like her. Another meeting with Farley in a free zone from which the Silvers stay away leads Mare, at the suggestion of Maven, to infiltrate the king's residence in the capital Archeon. There, the rebels set off an invasion through the underground passages. Mare tries to convince Cal that the Scarlet Guard can take the castle urg, and admits that she helped them. Offended by her betrayal, Cal refuses and arrests both Mare and Maven and leads them to the castle. However, once in the presence of Queen Elara and King Tiberius, Queen Elara reveals that she and Maven have been manipulating Mare all along to bestow the title of King on Maven and assassinate Cal. Elara then uses her mind control power to force Cal to kill his father, branding him and Mare as traitors and making Maven king.
Mare and Cal are sentenced to death, but saved from execution by the Scarlet Guard. Mare and Cal battle their former sparring partners, including Evangeline, and manage to kill a couple of Silver before they retire. The two then escape on the subway before Maven gets to them. Inside, Mare meets Farley, Kilorn and, to her shock, Shade, who faked his death and is also part of the Scarlet Guard. Mare vows to take revenge on Maven and uses the list Julian gave her to find others like her.
characters
main characters
- Mare Barrow, protagonist
- Cal aka Tiberias Calore, Crown Prince of Norta
- Maven Calore, Prince of Norta
- Farley, Captain of the Scarlet Guard
- Kilorn Warren, Mares best friend
- Daniel Barrow, father of Mare
- Ruth Barrow, mother of Mare
- Gisa Barrow, sister of Mare
- Shade Barrow, brother of Mare
- Queen Elara, Queen of Norta, mother of Maven
- King Tiberias, King of Norta, father of Cal and Maven
- Evangeline Samos, fiancée of Cal
Minor characters
- Queen Coriane, late Queen of Norta, mother of Cal
- Ann Walsh, attendant at the Royal Court
- Tramy Barrow, brother of Mare
- Bree Barrow, brother of Mare
- Will Whistle, black market vendor in Stilts
- Julian Jacos, teacher of Mare, brother of Queen Coriane
- Sara Skonos, healer, best friend of Queen Coriane
- Lady Blonos, healer, gives tuition to Mare in etiquette
- Lucas, Evangeline's cousin, is assigned to watch over Mare
reception
The Red Queen received good reviews in general. The Guardian gave the novel four stars. USA Today's Vilma Gonzalez described the novel positively, saying, “Aveyard's compelling debut is creative, compelling, terrifying and suspenseful. She breathes new life into her own unique Game of Thrones story, enlivened with exciting, character-driven twists that I crave for more of it. This brilliant story of betrayal and bloodstained crowns is not to be missed. "
However, Cassidy Anderson of the Grand Forks Herald said, “Ultimately, the hype about this book was overrated. Still, it's fun to read, as long as you're not looking for something with a lot of depth or meaning. ”The Christian Science Monitor described the book as a dystopian novel.
Kirkus Reviews said, "An inventive, character-driven twist breathes new life into tired fantasy trends."
Publishers Weekly said, “There's a distinctive sense of deja vu in this first volume in the Red Queen trilogy, which shares multiple storylines and similarities with The Hunger Games series ... Fortunately, Aveyard's ending leaves the story in the Float to deviate from this structure. "
Common Sense Media wrote: "With the courageous protagonist, the action-packed plot and the romantic possibilities, Red Queen is a successful start to the series for fantasy and dystopia lovers."
filming
Gennifer Hutchison , a writer and producer on Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad , was commissioned by Universal Pictures in 2015 to adapt the novel as a feature film. The director of Pitch Perfect 2 , Elizabeth Banks was to conduct talks with the studio to complete the project and produce.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ What should I read next? . In: The Guardian .
- ↑ Red Queen is familiar fantasy fare . In: USA Today .
- ↑ 6 Awesome YA Books Coming In February . In: The Huffington Post .
- ↑ 'Red Queen': Exclusive Sequel Cover Reveal and Movie News .
- ↑ Red Queen ( Red Queen , # 1) . Retrieved December 18, 2015.
- ↑ Elizabeth Banks in Talks to Direct YA Fantasy 'Red Queen' .
- ↑ Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard - review . In: The Guardian , September 2, 2015.
- ↑ 'Red Queen' by Victoria Aveyard . In: USA Today , February 9, 2015.
- ↑ BOOK REVIEW: Victoria Aveyard's 'Red Queen' an underwhelming read . Grand Forks Herald. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
- ↑ Molly Driscoll: 'Red Queen' sells well - but is it different enough from other YA dystopian fare? . In: Christian Science Monitor , February 27, 2015.
- ↑ Red Queen . Kirkus Media LLC. November 11, 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
- ↑ Red Queen . PWxyz LLC. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
- ↑ Red Queen . Common Sense Media Inc .. Archived from the original on July 6, 2016. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
- ↑ Mike Fleming Jr: 'Pitch Perfect 2' Helmer Elizabeth Banks Circles 'Red Queen' To Direct (en-US) . In: Deadline , June 11, 2015.
