When I first saw this book and read the synopsis, I knew I had to read it. RED QUEEN is certainly not without faults, but I found it to be relatively entertaining and was especially pleased by the twist towards the end. The last fifteen percent or so changed my opinion of the book, as I was not too fond of it until then. 
 "I see a world on the edge of a blade. Without balance, it will fall." 
 World Building: Okay..? The overall concept of the story is interesting and kept me reading, a lot of thought obviously went into it. There is world-building, but it's not incredibly fleshed out. If you want to know anything and everything about how their world works, this one might bother you. If you are more of the "Go with the flow" type, it's not bad. 
 Romance: Not So Good. Love triangle...square? I'm still not entirely sure. This only bothered me in the aspect that Mare was so wishy-washy with the boys. I felt like she was constantly saying "I just don't know" in regards to her feelings about them at one moment and then the next she is kissing them. Oh, and don't forget the randomly sprinkled in moments where she despises them. What the heck, Mare? 
 Obviously. 
 Heroine: Poor. Not only does she make bad decisions when it comes to love, she also makes terrible choices when it comes to almost every other aspect of her life. She never thinks things through, and while I understand her situation it would have been nice to see her mature and think about her choices towards the end of the book. I guess my point is: character development, stat! 
 Of course, there are positives because I did end up liking the book. The writing is nice, which makes for some pretty great quotes. Secondary characters are well developed, they all have their own personalities and motives, some of which may come as a surprise when it all goes down in the last fifty or so pages. Plus the story itself was entertaining, which kept me reading. 
 Overall, RED QUEEN provides a backbone for the next books in the series. Is it a strong support? Maybe not, but I do think this series has potential and I hope to see some improvement in the sequel. 
 Find me on: Readers in Wonderland | Twitter | Instagram