I don’t have many friends who are avid readers like me. But when they recommend something for me to read, I do my best to give it a shot. Especially if they let me borrow their copy of the book, thereby saving me the trouble of waiting for it at the library. Which is exactly the case with this novel!
In a world divided by the blood – silver vs red – Mare is on the losing side. The Silver bloods are the elite, the aristocrats, and they have magical powers that keep them at the top. At the age of 18, all Reds are sent into the army to fight in a war that seems to have no end. Desperate to keep her family afloat until she gets conscripted, Mare makes a living out of pickpocketing. But when tragedy hits close to home, she makes a rash decision that takes her straight into the palace itself. And when her life is put in danger at court, she – along with everyone else in the room – is surprised to discover that she has powers of her own. To hide this discovery, the King forces her to play the part of a long-lost Silver princess. To keep her family safe, she must relinquish her past and pretend to be a Silver. But Red blood will always come through, a fact that Mare is going to realize soon enough.
This book is your typical teen adventure novel. It reminded me of a cross between Hunger Games and Blood Red Road. It was well written and had a decent plot, albeit an obvious one. All of the characters were flawed in their own way, making them seem more realistic. It was a quick read for me because there wasn’t a whole lot beneath the surface (not always a bad thing). All in all, a decent read and something I would recommend for a pre-teen or young teen.
Happy reading ~