*** (3.5 stars)This book was good! It was full of sci-fi, action and even a little bit of romance (though, honestly, not much). The beginning section of the book is a bit over-whelming and it takes a while to get your head around all the new vocabulary and make sense of the world but...once you have, it gets hecka interesting!
I would say that Red Rising is an elaborate blend of Legend (Marie Lu), An Ember in the Ashes (Sabaa Tahir) and The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins). And it's all of this... but also set on Mars.
I don't often read sci-fi books but this one really impressed me. I love the battle strategy and war plot lines and we meet a lot of great characters in this book.
I wouldn't say there's a cliffhanger but I am definitely going to be reading the next book at some point.
SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
It took me a long and painful time to read this book but I can safely say that it wasn't the books fault. Yes, there were times that I just couldn't be bothered to read a repeated version of the same battle but, for the most part, this book kept me thoroughly gripped and it was due to my own busyness that I didn't read this as quickly as I'd wanted to.
In my head, I split this book into sections simply because so much friggin happens! It may just be because I read this book over a long time but, it felt like an entire trilogy. Especially in the beginning, Pierce Brown brushes over so many events in a flick of a paragraph. Eo and Darrow's deaths were super quick and Darrow's transformation into a Gold was completely over in a few chapters. Thinking back to the beginning of the book...it feels so long ago because we've come so far!
If I'm going to be honest, a lot of the names and families have gone straight over my head and, at times, it was difficult to keep track of who was who, what House they belonged to and whether they were slaves, allies, enemies... It all just got a bit scrambled in my brain.
Though, having said that, it wasn't too much of an issue since the main characters were easy enough to keep up with.
Darrow was a superb main character in my opinion. He made mistakes but he was loyal, fierce and he kept Eo at the fore-front his mind all the time (even when I wanted him to forget her, if only for a moment).
Right from the get-go, I'd assumed that Antonia would be Darrow's love interest. I figured that he would have one in the duration of the books and, as soon as it was noted that Antonia blushed when Darrow saw her half-naked, I was convinced she was a Red. Later on though, I really think she just hates Darrow. But I still can't get that blush out of my head! It had to mean something!
But I love Mustang (or Virginia- whatever you want to call her). Athena is my favourite Greek God (Minerva in Roman God terms) and I instantly took a liking to her. When she helped Darrow and he helped her, it was kinda obvious where their relationship would head and I like it! I ship it! The pacing was nice- not too fast, not too slow.
I also liked Cassius at first! He was funny, sassy- he made a good impression! The bond between him and Darrow was really nice but it was just obvious that as soon as Cassius found out about Julian- it wouldn't end pretty.
Sevro and Roque were also two of my favourite characters. They were loyal- true brothers to Darrow and they were both quirky in an endearing kind of way. I grew to like them extremely quickly.
One thing I liked most about this book was how clever it was. Some of the attacks and battles were so epic and intense! They were so strategically brilliant that I couldn't read the words fast enough and, when they won, I felt so victorious. I resisted the urge to pump my fist in the air in glory multiple times.
I gasped out loud when I found out that Mustang was the Jackal's sister! I felt so freaking betrayed and- sorry, Mustang- truly believed that she'd been planning this from the beginning.
Another thing I love about Pierce Brown's writing is that there's no unnecessary drama. When Fitchner plants the seed that Mustang may not be completely loyal, there's no drama where Darrow starts to distance himself from her and she gets confused. He simply comes out with it- "I'm wondering when you're going to betray me."- and she doesn't get super insulted and shout at him. She gives a logical answer and doesn't get stupidly offended. The whole issue- that could've been blown up into a massive drama- was over within a page. I loved that quick and blunt resolve.
Overall, I really loved this book and will definitely be looking out for the next one.
Thank you for reading! Feel free to comment your thoughts! Stay amazing!
Chloe
I also liked Cassius at first! He was funny, sassy- he made a good impression! The bond between him and Darrow was really nice but it was just obvious that as soon as Cassius found out about Julian- it wouldn't end pretty.
Sevro and Roque were also two of my favourite characters. They were loyal- true brothers to Darrow and they were both quirky in an endearing kind of way. I grew to like them extremely quickly.
One thing I liked most about this book was how clever it was. Some of the attacks and battles were so epic and intense! They were so strategically brilliant that I couldn't read the words fast enough and, when they won, I felt so victorious. I resisted the urge to pump my fist in the air in glory multiple times.
I gasped out loud when I found out that Mustang was the Jackal's sister! I felt so freaking betrayed and- sorry, Mustang- truly believed that she'd been planning this from the beginning.
Another thing I love about Pierce Brown's writing is that there's no unnecessary drama. When Fitchner plants the seed that Mustang may not be completely loyal, there's no drama where Darrow starts to distance himself from her and she gets confused. He simply comes out with it- "I'm wondering when you're going to betray me."- and she doesn't get super insulted and shout at him. She gives a logical answer and doesn't get stupidly offended. The whole issue- that could've been blown up into a massive drama- was over within a page. I loved that quick and blunt resolve.
Overall, I really loved this book and will definitely be looking out for the next one.
Thank you for reading! Feel free to comment your thoughts! Stay amazing!
Chloe
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