Kicking off what would quickly become a New York Times bestselling series, Red Queen is a read that cannot be missed.

In her debut novel, Victoria Aveyard displays her incredible ability to develop intricate characters with layers that never fail to catch readers off guard. In a two faced world where blood decides a person’s fate, readers and characters alike must tread carefully, lest they be caught in the complex web that drives the story forward.

The book is told from the eyes of the main character, Mare Barrow. Right off the bat, Mare’s views on the society she lives in are crystal clear. She despises everything about it. Mare’s society is structure on the color of a person’s blood. Silver blooded people are the elite, with godlike abilities and ever bigger egos.

Red bloods are seen as dirt, forced into servitude, those without a use to society are conscripted. They live in an endless cycle of misery. As a seventeen year old with no useful skills beyond pickpocketing, Mare knows she is destined for conscription.

In a twist of fate, Mare is plucked from her lowly Red life and thrust into the very world she despises. Unable to pickpocket her way through life, and utterly alone, Mare struggles to survive living with the very people she grew up hating. Playing the part of someone else entirely, Mare must navigate the den of snakes that is the Silver elites. Mare must choose who to trust in a world where anyone can betray anyone.

The glitz and glam of the Silver world gives even the glamorous world of The Selection, Kiera Cass, a run for its money. Aveyards skilled world building comes together nicely as Mare is pulled deeper into the royals world and farther away from the life she once knew. Readers can see the stark contrast between the home Mare grew up in, and the world of the Silvers. It is almost as if the Red live in black and white, while the Silvers live in color.

The complexity of Mare and the other characters is a quality that as a reader I really admire. From Mare trying to not fall out of the loop, to characters spinning webs that one wouldn’t them to weave, this book has it all. The characters keep the readers on their toes, never too comfortable, and always wary. One of the best things about this book is its ability to shock the reader. Beware of plot twists.

Not only is this book a New York Times Bestseller, but Victoria Aveyard won Best Debut Author in the 2015 Goodreads Choice Awards for it. Overall, Red Queen is a fantastic read that deserves four crowns out of five.