Red Queen

Red Queen

Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen is one of the better books of this decade. Just when you think the plot is predictable and you know what will happen next, the author throws in a huge twist that has you nearly falling out of your car and slamming on the brakes. The author has a way of going from one to one million that I haven’t ever seen in young adult literature. The only author that I can compare is Rick Riordan, and he’s a legend in my eyes.

This book is about a world divided, much like ours, but not by color of skin, nationality or religion, but by color of blood. There are Silvers, the god-like creatures with special abilities, an abundance of wealth, and, you guessed it - silver blood. And then there are Reds, lowly servants, who live in ramshackle huts, and whose only dream is to last till the next day.

Mare Barrow is a Red, but when she gets a job at the palace, her abilities show - on live TV. Now the whole country knows that Silvers aren’t the only ones capable of creating wonders with their hands and minds. The crown simply cannot have this. The Reds are already rebelling, and knowing that some of them have powers would only strengthen the uprising. So they disguise Mare as a lost Silver princess.

This book pleasantly surprised me. It is Victoria Aveyard's first novel, and it is quite a success. There are many plot twists, great character development, and an amazing plot.

I give this book ten stars, a permanent spot in my memory, and round of applause for Victoria Aveyard.

The Forgetting

The Forgetting
Sharon Cameron

We dream of sending men to Mars. We want to attempt life on another planet. We spend thousands, millions, billions on space exploration. What if it all finally paid off? What if those dreams came true?
In The Forgetting, this is exactly what happens. 150 of Earth's smartest, most talented, most successful, most adaptable people sent on a mission to create the perfect society. Some of them, however, had another mission that they kept secret. When this was found out fighting broke out. However, almost as fast as the fighting started, it stopped. That's because everybody (except for one little girl) forgot everything about themselves, their families and the world they lived, in.
Many years later, another girl with the talent of remembering is born. Will she bring more heartbreak, or will she fix their crooked society, once and for all?
When I first picked up this book, I was very excited. It seemed completely original, there weren't any noticeable cliches, and the characters seemed real... raw. At first, reading it went rather slow for me. But as the book started pulling me in, I realized that my first impression was correct. The characters are great, real, they have faults and insecurities.
There were no "Mary Jane characters"  - ones that are perfect inside and out. I found no cliches in the plot, and everything was original, new and very interesting. I loved the idea, I loved the ending I loved the characters. This one of few modern books that are interesting, original, and at the same time, not predictable. This book made me laugh, cry, gasp, cheer, bite my nails and nearly fall off my chair.

This book earns nine stars, a place on my "favorites" shelf, and high praise for the author.