A solid but unremarkable series opener. Hopefully Red Queen has laid sturdy foundations for future installments to be even better. 
 I understand why so many readers rave about this book. The main character, Mare, is a well-developed, principled, brave young woman. The story moves along at a good pace. The magical elements of Aveyard's world are integrated skillfully with more familiar technological and mundane features from our world. Overall this is an enjoyable read and I will read the next book - Glass Sword - when it comes out next year. 
 While the book is well-written, I felt it suffered from several issues which often befall series openers. One of these is an awful lot of jargon as we are introduced to the world. Another is the almost inevitable "back-weighting" of plot. The first three quarter of the book are basically set-up so when we hit the final quarter EVERYTHING can happen with a generous sprinkling of mayhem. I understand many big things have to occur near the end of the book to form a springboard for the next installment, but this left the narrative as a whole feeling a little unbalanced. 
 However, my biggest issue was with the "twist". 
 Read the rest of my review (with some slight spoilers) on my blog: https://clairehuston.wordpress.com/20...