Seventeen-year-old Mare Barrow lives in a world where one’s place in life is decided by the color of one’s blood. She was born a Red and has to make a living by pickpocketing* and trying to dodge* “the conscription*” and being sent off to fight an ongoing war. Barrow accepts the fact that she’ll always serve the Silver, a genetically* gifted group of people with supernatural abilities.

    A chance meeting with the prince causes Barrow to suddenly find herself at the royal palace as a servant, where she discovers in front of everyone that she also has a unique* gift. She is Red and Silver, and could be just the spark the Reds need to rise up against the oppressive* Silvers. The king and queen quickly cover up Barrow’s anomaly* by presenting her to the rest of the Silvers as a long-lost princess and marry her to their second-born son.

    Now Barrow is torn between playing the part of a Silver, and helping out the Scarlet Guard rebellion. The story has touches of the usual dystopian* suspects. However, it’s formulaic* elements are far outweighed by the breakneck pace and attractive characters. There’s a bit of teen romance, but luckily the characters are self-aware enough to realize its frivolity* among the story’s more important plot points.

    Author Victoria Aveyard recently graduated from University of South California, where she majored in screenwriting. She has sold several television pilots and feature-length screenplays. This is her first novel.(SD-Agencies)