Red Queen
Victoria Aveyard, 2015
Fantasy Young adultScience fictionRomance
A Red thief with a forbidden spark is pulled into a Silver court, where a staged betrothal hides a rebellion and every smile is a weapon. A defiant Red narrator pushes through glittering court intrigue at a brisk, dramatic pace, with lyrical sparks and moments of tenderness.
Feels like defiance and tenderness. About power.
Who it’s for
You may like it if you enjoy YA fantasy court politics, defiant heroines, and romance tangled with danger. The very short chapters and frequent cliffhangers can feel engineered for momentum if you prefer scenes to breathe.
Why read it
It gives you a sharp, screen-like fantasy of power and defiance, with a narrator who learns how to wield a court's rules against it.
A page from the book
The difference between destruction and rain is who gets to name it.
The truth is what I make it. I could set this world on fire and call it rain. Victoria Aveyard.Victoria Aveyard studied screenwriting at USC; Red Queen's short chapters and cliffhanger endings often read like scenes built for a camera.
Books that feel like this
More by Victoria Aveyard
King's Cage
Victoria Aveyard, 2017
A prisoner, a king bound by his crown, and the poison of loving someone who was never real: the third Red Queen novel.
Where to get it
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Questions readers ask
- Is Red Queen for me?
- You may like it if you enjoy YA fantasy court politics, defiant heroines, and romance tangled with danger. The very short chapters and frequent cliffhangers can feel engineered for momentum if you prefer scenes to breathe.
- What is Red Queen like?
- A defiant Red narrator pushes through glittering court intrigue at a brisk, dramatic pace, with lyrical sparks and moments of tenderness. Feels like defiance and tenderness. About power.
- What should I read after Red Queen?
- If you liked Red Queen, try A Court of Mist and Fury (Sarah J. Maas), Rebel Witch (Kristen Ciccarelli) and Golden Son (Pierce Brown).
A taste of the feed
Being cast as the villain and being one are different things.
He thinks he’ll be remembered as the villain in the story. But I forgot to tell him that the villain is usually the person who locks up the maiden and throws away the key. He was the one who let me out.
A Court of Mist and Fury · Sarah J. Maas
The one force no regime has ever managed to outlaw.
The problem with love is the more you try to destroy it, the stronger it becomes. It might look like weakness on the surface. But in truth, it’s tougher than steel. Love can’t be controlled. Love can’t obey unjust laws. Love will always oppose tyrants.
Rebel Witch · Kristen Ciccarelli
The loneliness of getting exactly what you wanted.
I have lied and I have betrayed and I have triumphed. If only there was someone to congratulate me.
The Cruel Prince · Holly Black
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