
Series: Red Rising Trilogy #1
Published by Del Ray, Random House on January 28, 2014
Genres: Dystopian, Science-fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 400
Format: eBook
Source: Library
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The Earth is dying. Darrow is a Red, a miner in the interior of Mars. His mission is to extract enough precious elements to one day tame the surface of the planet and allow humans to live on it. The Reds are humanity's last hope.\r\n\r\nOr so it appears, until the day Darrow discovers it's all a lie. That Mars has been habitable - and inhabited - for generations, by a class of people calling themselves the Golds. A class of people who look down on Darrow and his fellows as slave labour, to be exploited and worked to death without a second thought.\r\n\r\nUntil the day that Darrow, with the help of a mysterious group of rebels, disguises himself as a Gold and infiltrates their command school, intent on taking down his oppressors from the inside. But the command school is a battlefield - and Darrow isn't the only student with an agenda.
EPIC. My first book completed in 2015 may just be the best one I end up reading all year! I really, really loved this book. I heard a lot of comparisons to Hunger Games, and while I could see some similarities, I would say it’s more like Hunger Games on steroids. On Mars. And more angry and violent. Are you interested yet? You should be! I was initially a little hesitant about the Mars aspect, but it pulled me in almost immediately. Society is arranged by colors, with Reds on the bottom and Golds on top. The world-building was phenomenal, with several setting changes throughout the book. I felt like we got a really thorough picture of the entire planet, from the mines of Lykos where the oppressed Reds worked tirelessly, to the lavish city of the Golds. The forests and castles of the battlefield are where most of the action takes place, and where we meet a slew of interesting characters. I could vividly imagine each place, and I really liked a lot of the characters. They weren’t predictable or clichéd, and a couple of them even surprised me. I liked Darrow from the moment I met him. Even though he’s a Red, an underdog, he is still a badass. He’s smart, he’s loyal, and he literally becomes the thing he hates most to try and save his people. Of course I knew that once he got into the Institute, he was going to meet some Golds who weren’t all bad, and he was going to have some tough choices to make. That didn’t make his journey any less exciting for me. This book is completely filled with action, but it also has heart. It was interesting, it was different, and I cannot wait to read more. Red Rising by Pierce Brown is a book that I could easily see myself re-reading, which is how I measure a book’s greatness. It set the bar high for 2015, and I couldn’t have picked a better book to start the year. I predict that this series is going to be huge (a movie is already in production), and it deserves every ounce of praise that it has received.
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While not my usual type of read, your review (and several others I’ve read) has convinced me to give this one a go!
Donna @ OnDBookshelf’s latest thoughts >> Review: Still Life With Bread Crumbs
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it if you do decide to give it a try.
Okay, I’m giving this one another chance. It’s clear that everyone seems to love this one so. 😛
Bieke @ Istyria book blog’s latest thoughts >> Bookish Babble: How do you read?
I can see how it might be a little tough to get started, with all the names and the lingo. But once you get into it, you won’t want to put it down! 🙂
I agree that this is indeed EPIC! This story is so intricate, full of politics, strategy, world building, and incredible characters. Darrow is just SO amazing. A great book to start 2015 with 🙂 Btw, I’m almost done with Golden Son and it’s even better, if you can fathom the concept!
Liza @ Reading with ABC’s latest thoughts >> Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn’t Get To
I’m about halfway through Golden Son – it’s SO good! I was really excited that it was coming out right after I finished Red Rising!
I just got the audio book of this one from the library, I cannot wait to start! I have heard great things so I hope the audio does the book justice 🙂
Ashley @The Quiet Concert’s latest thoughts >> Top Ten 2014 Releases We Meant To Read But Didn’t Get To
Oooh! I’m curious to hear how the audiobook is, I hope you enjoy it!
[…] trilogy, and I was extremely excited that it was being released a few days after I finished the first book (which was amazing!). It picks up two years after Red Rising, and we are immediately swept back […]