Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. Revolution supersedes romance, setting the stage for action-packed surprises.Īn inventive, character-driven twist breathes new life into tired fantasy trends. However, Aveyard weaves a compelling new world, and Mare and the two men in her life evolve intriguingly as class tension rises.

Mare is revealed as a great catalyst for change among classes and is groomed from rags to riches, and of course, seemingly kind characters turn out to be foes. Once inside the palace walls, it isn’t long before Mare learns that powers unknown to red-blooded humans lie within her, powers that could lead a revolution. She stumbles into a mysterious stranger after her plan goes awry and is pulled out of her village and into the world of Silver royalty. When Mare’s best friend, Kilorn, loses his job and is doomed to conscription, she is determined to change his fate. The Silvers literally bleed silver, and they can manipulate metal, plants and animals, among many other talents.

She contributes to her poor family’s income the only way she can, stealing from the Silvers, who possess myriad powers and force her and her fellow Reds into servitude. Amid a war and rising civil unrest, a young thief discovers the shocking power within her that sparks a revolution.Īt 17, Mare knows that without an apprenticeship or job, her next birthday will bring a conscription to join the war.

Red queen by victoria aveyard