I remember this book being hyped up years ago on the book socials such as Booktube and thanks to Netgalley I was able to read it and I’m glad I finally got around to it. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I did enjoy the story.

We follow Darrow, a Red, who becomes a Gold and tried to get into a high brow school to become the best of the best. I did have to look up the colour system because I wasn’t quite sure how it worked. It’s not overly clear in the book where each colour sat on the hierarchy.

Straight away there’s a lot of death and violence. This continued throughout the book and in some places it was a little difficult to read. I like a bit of drama in a book but I wasn’t aware as to how much bloodshed there would be as we progressed through the story.

Darrow is a great main character if not slightly arrogant in places but I didn’t feel like any of the characters felt out of place. You become attached to them so when someone dies it does hurt. But in a good way.

I would be really interested in continuing the saga to see where Darrow’s story goes, especially with the twists of the first one.

4/5 stars.

I can't believe how long it took me to pick up and read this book. The start was a bit slow but once through that it was jam-packed and non-stop. A little gory at times and reminded me of hunger games, I'm interested to see where this series goes.

I've given this book two really solid tries, but it's ultimately not for me! I wish I loved this as much as everyone else -- would definitely recommend to anyone looking for YA science fiction books!

Description and world is brilliant and vivid, though I can’t help but to feel like I have missed something. This starts, to me, feeling like it is almost half way through a conversation. I had to reread the first few chapters to understand that I hadn’t missed anything.

I don’t feel like this is character driven, more of world driven. I felt a comparison with Braveheart, the story of Sir William Wallace, just with a sci-fi setting mixed with the ancient greek mythology..

I’m not sure if I’m going to finish off the series but I enjoyed the description and the characters from book one.

What an excellent start to a series! The character development and plot were both absolutely fascinating. The pacing was a little slow, but I think that was all very necessary, and I definitely think that with the world building here, we'll see faster pacing in future books.

A good start to the series. Not what I was expecting at all but still enjoyable. Will read the rest of the series.

I ended up not finishing this novel when the main character's wife is killed off in order to further his own plot and in a cheap move to give emotional resonance to the story. By this point, we should be past fridging female characters.

I was torn between 3.5 and 4 stars for a while, but left it at 4 because it packs a lot of emotions. Darrow wasn't my favorite at all, but the secondary characters were great and a thrill to read.
The world building, especifically the cast system, is interesting.

If you're looking for action (on the gory side), great secondary characters (allthough the women narrative could use some improvement), a roman empire/patriarchy ruling kind of thing, this book is for you.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

sorry to say this book wasnt for me...just one of those things that some you like and some you dont ..this was one of them

sorry..

This is an ideal dystopian/scifi crossover. When I say that you can't keep still while reading this, I mean it in the literal sense as just when you think everything will turn to rainbows and unicorns, another plot twist or tragedy occurs. This book is also very dark, which I was not expecting. Imagine the Hunger Games but amplified.

I had a hard time loving the characters instantly, which really brings home the argument that characters do not have to be likeable but merely relatable to the point that even if they make horrible decisions , we understand where they were coming from.

Thrilling read, would highly recommend for fans of Game of Thrones. Imagine Westros but on Mars.

I enjoyed the beginning of this book, I thought the world building was good, and it sucked me in... but it just didn't last. I found it really starting to drag by about halfway through. Darrow was basically a Mary Sue, someone great at everything, and I get that the book was trying to pull at a wider social commentary, but it fell flat. I got Flowers for Algernon vibes, without any of the emotional message, and I just got very apathetic about this, and I won't be reading the rest of the series. I was kind of expecting it to suck me in like The Martian did, but this is a very different kind of space adventure (well, it's fantasy, so I get that, but still). Just not for me.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great read. In this we follow Darrow,a Red,as he realises he's been told a lie his whole life,and infiltrates the Golds. 

The setting of this world was fascinating and it is a distant future. I'm not exactly sure which year but humans are living on Mars. This has a kind of caste system where the colour you are dictates how you are perceived in society and what roles and jobs you can have.Golds are the highest while Reds are the lowest. I haven't read a lot of sci-fi but I really enjoy it. We learn a lot about the world that they live in but gradually. It wasn't hard to digest and not a lot was given at once. At least that's what it felt like.  The world they live in is very interesting. 

In terms of the plot,I didn't expect it to go the way it did. I expected a school setting and it wasn't exactly that. I didn't expect to cry so early on and I did. It's very brutal. It reminded me a lot of The Hunger Games and  I really liked that.The start of the book was kind of slow to build up for the main story. Once we got to the main story, it was very fast. It had a lot of action and there was never a dull moment. I was eager to see where the story was going.

I liked Darrow as the main character,but at times I felt he changed too much. One of my favourite characters was Sevro, he's very different. He's a lone wolf and fends for himself but is very loyal too. I liked other characters too but don't want to go into detail on who because it's best to find out yourself. I really liked another character and was sad in the direction they went.  In terms of romance, this book didn't have much. I'm glad because we could focus on the main story and not get caught up in the romance of it all

.Overall, I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next one!I recommend this book to people who enjoy sci-fi, action and want little romance in the books.
4/5

Red Rising is an epic science fiction dystopia. I wish I hadn't waited so long to read it. The way the society is split into colours fascinating, especially that people are unable to change the colour (legally). Hopefully  we get to found out more about the different colours in the next books. The way in which the Gold caste battle to prove who is the best is compelling. It's the most brutal type of competition. It make an interesting read as you do not what is going to happen next. Darrow is the main character, we watch as he changes from a red boy in the pits to the Gold proving that he is the best. I am very much on team Darrow, I was rooting for him and was proud of his achievement. I do worry that he will be consumed with revenge that he will become the thing he hates. Red Rising is gripping, action filled with great surprises. If you like reading books like Flashfall, Red Queen, Hunger Games I would advised picking up Red Rising. My rating for Red Rising is 5 out of 5.

Will no longer be reading or reviewing this book due to lack of interest in the title, and the fact that the title has been archived.

Red Rising is an absolutely intense read of a book. Set at least 5 centuries into the future when humans are colonizing other planets, the story is about a Society built to resemble Roman empires – a system of hierarchy built on physical prowess. The protagonist, Darrow, is a Red, the lowest of the pyramid of power, and doesn’t know that the Golds (the apex) have been keeping them as slaves rather than as pioneers to inhabit new planets. When his wife martyrs herself (they married really young) he sees no reason to live other than to bring the Society down. So, he disguises himself and infiltrates them so as to topple the empire from within. But first he has to pass the Institute so that he can integrate himself into the highest positions of the society. But the Institute itself is a battleground for the Golds, to teach them what is means to hold, wield and contain power and Darrow is an eager pupil.

The world-building for the series is well-constructed, with attention given to how the system would work. It doesn’t rely simply on the Golds thinking themselves above the others – they know they can be toppled, they just learn how to keep hold on that power. The younger ones of the Golds, though, have been brought up in luxury and the older ones hold them to a system of power on merit – hence the Institute. Darrow, at first, sees how as a Red he was not to their level; he is intimidated by their superiority. The systemic hierarchy works because they are genetically bred that way. Darrow learning how to make his new status as a Gold work in his favor, how to balance between taking revenge and planning for his path – that was well-written. I look forward to seeing how his duality as a Gold in body but Red in heart would affect his psyche.

This all was good, but what I felt the author didn’t pay attention to was the dynamics of gender equality; I find it a bit unbelievable that in a society where even the women are warriors like the men and are prime physical specimens, the society is still quite patriarchal. Like, I would expect more gender equality in the future! Also, I found that the women characters in the novel are mostly superfluous, except for Eo (who gets herself killed pretty early so that he can get motivated) and Mustang (who yields power to him, despite being a better leader? Also, her father doesn’t see her as equal to her brother?) but then they are also kind of pushed aside for our protagonist. I really like Mustang and would love to see her have a more important position, story-wise, in future books.

** I received this novel free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

** MINOR SPOILERS IN REVIEW**

In a recent review I mentioned that sometimes books come to you at the wrong time, Gnomon, a book which has some of the most beautifully crafted sentences I have ever read and vocabulary to DIE FOR took me a punishing six months to read. At another point in life I would have loved it, sadly at this time of life I didn't.

And the next book I read, Pierce Brown's 'Red Rising' came to me at exactly the right time. I've been a bit jaded with reading and it was only that I received it for free that I committed to read it and review. Wow! I am so glad I did! Although it clocks in at almost 400 pages I read this in two days. This book reminded me of my joy of reading in general, and of reading something where 'you have to know what happens next'. No high brow convoluted plot to make one think, just a fast paced story that made me want to read 'one more chapter'.

And the funny thing is...there is loads in this book that I normally DO NOT LIKE. There are loads of reasons why I shouldn't like this book but I do - it pushes the right buttons at the right time for me.

The setting grabbed me mostly because I'm in an Eclipse Phase roleplaying game at the moment so the themes of mining on Mars got to me straight away. The Reds (underground miners) are quite a clearly defined 'race' of humans living under the ground, drilling and living on subsistence rations. Brown is quite effective at detailing this society, effectively a slave society and their cruel overlords. We have a 'plucky young hero coming from nothing who is exceptionally talented' digging deep down below and I did a massive YAWN. How often do we read in fantasy novels in particular of the stable boy becoming King. This was here and it is so predictable! It felt like I was reading 'every fantasy novel ever'.

Said hero and 'perfect, yet downtrodden by the system' sneak off for some 'cuddle time' and lo and behold our hero discovers there is sky above Mars for the first time.

Fast forward a bunch of meanness from the overseers and our hero Darrow decides to rise up and fight back and FREE THE REDS!!!! Yep, you've heard it all before. (Did I tell you there was a lot about the book that normally bugged me). But bloodydamn it I kept reading and devouring every page.

Darrow then gets to above ground and discovers that there are more than Reds and Greys (the overseers of the mining colony). He discovers that humans have been living on the planet for ages and that the Reds are slaves, not for the forthcoming of colonisation of Man but to empty the bins and stuff. He learns that there are a thousand cities each with a hundred mining colonies, each with a number of tribes under the ground. He learns of the high and low-Reds, the Pinks (the sex slaves), the Silvers, Greens (media types or was it science), Blues, Purples (one doing research the other accountancy), Browns (domestic staff - reminiscent of black houseservants and the Marthas in The Handmaid's Tale,Obsidians (the super soldiers) and the Golds....

The Golds are revered as gods by the Reds, distant super humans of exquisite beauty and perfection. They rule stuff and are generally not nice.

What I like about this setting is that it's basically a bunch of colours and a really rigid hierarchical system that screams unfairness and segregation. It plays on very real feelings of unfairness and people 'knowing their place'. It pushes buttons on racism, beauty and body image. It's all simple as the book is aimed at a Young Adult audience but it's effective rather than clunky. I never felt like I was getting bashed on the head by the book saying RACISM IS WRONG. It's obvious and is there for all to see.

Do Darrow the Red hooks up (rather easily) with a bunch of Reds Under The Bed (see what I did there...) and goes to smash up the Golds....

He does this by undergoing significant body modification and to me, this was one of the more interesting sections of the book as he undergoes radical transformation into one of the super Golds. His skin and hair is changed, his body taller, stronger, leaner, faster. He becomes Gold. I really liked this section as said earlier, I've been into Eclipse Phase and Transhumanism and body morphing is something I am all over at the moment (right book, right time!!)

And then sadly, the book changes....basically Darrow the Gold goes to the equivalent of officer school to become one of the best and get a top place in the hierarchy of Golds so he can blow stuff up later.

The rest of the book becomes a The Hunger Games or Battle Royale knockoff. A bunch of elite kids get to play capture the flag in a natural landscape (that feels more Earth than Mars) to see who is the best. I was a bit disappointed with this as I felt the early sections building up to the 'rich kids fight it out' portion of the book were the better. Each of the kids are drafted to a House and each House has a castle to defend and slaves to capture. It's presented as a game of leadership and as you may expect it doesn't work out that way.

I requested the book because I've been on a bit of a grimdark trip recently and the publisher promotion for this described it as 'Game of Thrones in Space'. That hooked me in as something I want to read. Well, sadly it isn't particularly GoT although I can see why it has been tagged as such. Yes, there are wealthy Houses forming alliances and betraying each other and all that jazz. Yes there are some particularly gruesome scenes like cutting oneself out of a dead horse to surprise an enemy was awesome. That said, it didn't feel particularly Machiavellian, all the protagonists have the same goal and when in the 'game' despite being bloodthirsty it didn't feel particularly bleak or cruel.

I feel like I am being unfair on the book, because for all the things which normally bug me I did read it quickly and was looking for time to go back to it. I wanted to see how Darrow would get on. I did root for him. The world was convincing and I cared about the characters throughout.

I'm not a fan of YA at all but this gets a solid Four Stars for entertaining me thoroughly for the last few days.

A fantastic read. Thoroughly enjoyed this and it is not something I would usually pick up. Will look for more from this author in future.

I’ve heard great things about Red Rising Saga and this book didn’t betray me at all.
I started to read this book not knowing much things about the story. It’s caught me surprise every page I turned and I was deeply immersed to it. It’s bloodydamn awesome!

The story takes place in Mars and its society is unique that people are divided by colours. The main character, Darrow is a Red and he is the youngest Helldiver. Red people lives like moles and digs Hellium so that their future generation can live on the surface. One day, he discovered the truth of Mars and because of it, his wife and Darrow were killed...
However, Darrow rises as a Gold, the highest rank and also the colour that killed him. He rises for his wife,Eo and Red to change the society.

There are lots of violence scenes and I was so shocked when one of my favorite character died. Darrow and others have to be ruthless. Especially Darrow has to be like a beast for his purpose. Although the writing is very vicious, the plot is bloody good.

Darren is an attractive and tactical character. I love him so much. He makes mistakes but he learns from them. He turns to a better and stronger leader and I like the way he thinks. It was so exciting to read his strategy. What’s more, his fellowships with others are really enjoyable.

This book became one of my favorite YA read. I don’t know why I haven’t read it till now. I’ll read this book again and again later and also its sequels.
I’m super exciting to read the next one. I want to know how Darrow is going to be and how he acts for his purpose.

I marked this book as 4.8 stars out of 5.0.

Really struggled with the first part of this story which was and really dragged.
It did improve the further in I read, hence 3 stars.

Loved every single second of reading it, it has a gripping plot and I can't wait to see where it goes; I'm about to buy the other two on amazon now.