The description for this book drew me in, I really enjoy a good fantasy book. unfortunately I found it too easy to put down. There is potential depth to the dystopian story but I just couldnt get into it.

Thanks to Del Rey Books and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.
I guess you hold yourself hostage to fortune if you announce at the outset that you are going to write a Saga. Automatically I think - OK Book One is going to be more concerned with setting the parameters and the main characters plus I hoped for a really interesting back story. Maybe I am too old because once it go going I was OK with it until I looked back and realised that it was like being at a shooting gallery at the fair - ducks pop up and are shot down but soon very similar ducks are trundling along in the wake. I hope the author spends more time on the characters in the following books and I will read the next one. Four stars for a good effort hopefully next time it will be five stars. This one's target audience is I think the young commuter.

Hunger Games meets Ender’s Game, I’d heard. And while yes, that is very true, it doesn’t begin to capture how enthralling I found this book.

Far into the future, mankind needs to spread out into the rest of the solar system. But our neighbouring planets (and their moons) are inhospitable places. Generations of toil will be required to terraform Mars for human habitation. Generations of Darrow’s family, toiling away beneath the surface, living short, hard lives of dangerous, unrewarded work for the good of all mankind.

But there are others. Darrow’s ‘Reds’, the lowest caste, are lorded over by the other colours, all of whom bow to the superior Golds. But when a betrayal of such enormous scope threatens to crush Darrow’s world, he discovers that the Golds themselves are not the gods they make themselves out to be – and that the fight to rule their society begins with their children, sent into a combat arena to suffer horrors that make the Hunger Games look positively sane in comparison.

The phrase ‘couldn’t put this book down’ is vastly overused, but this novel actually robbed me of sleep – I had to practically drag it out of my own hands to turn the light off, hours past bedtime! I had to know who was going to betray who, how far our hero would be pushed (and push back), and just how this story was going to unravel.

It’s all so very bloody and brutal – YA, really?! – and yet couching it in terms of Greco-Roman mythology throws us back to times this would be ‘normal’ – although it’s clearly not, especially when we’re reminded again that these are teenagers (thankfully not the whiny, angsty kind!), while the adults sit observing like the gods from Olympus, pushing them around like chess pieces. Terrible – and compelling!

I loved the world that’s been built here, the myriad elements, the darkness masquerading as progress. And I loved the contrast between the characters – the have and have nots, the differing attitudes to privations that brings, and the Lord of the Flies-esque descent of some when all the rules are removed.

I’m already looking forward to a reread – I want to dissect this novel and its five parts. But while the tale that we are immersed in from part II/III is rounded off, the wider story is left on something of a cliffhanger – thank goodness the sequels are already available!

if you're a woman, you're so fucked

Unfortunately, this one just wasn't a good fit for me. I love the premise, but I didn't click with the story, so I won't be reviewing it.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Red Rising is the oldest ARC I have on my TBR. One of my 2017 goals was to read and review it, because I always felt so much pressure when I'd think about picking it up, because this is such a beloved book in the community.

In this world that takes place in our universe, mostly on Mars, everyone is subdivided into color categories based on their skill sets, income, hair color, and what last name they possess (information provided by the Red Rising Wiki page):

➽ HighColors:
• Golds - Rulers of society
• Silvers - Financiers and businessmen
• Whites - The clergy
• Coppers - Administrators, lawyers and bureaucrats
➽ MidColors:
• Blues - Astronavigators of ships
• Yellows - Doctors and scientists
• Greens - Programmers and developers
• Violets - The creative class such as artists
• Oranges - Mechanics
• Grays - Law-enforcement, security, military and other armed personnel
➽ LowColors:
• Browns - Servants
• Obsidians - "Monstrous race only bred for war"
• Pinks - Pleasure slaves
• Reds - The unskilled and menial laborers


Red Rising is also broken up in to three parts, and because a few friends have asked me to break the story down for them, I'm going to! I will not spoil any main plot lines, and I will try to be as vague as possible, but please do not continue reading any further if you wish to go into Red Rising completely blind!

“I look at him for a moment. Words are a weapon stronger than he knows. And songs are even greater. The words wake the mind. The melody wakes the heart. I come from a people of song and dance. I don’t need him to tell me the power of words.”

➽ Part I: Our main protagonist's journey starts out in the lows of the lows, because he is a Red. Darrow is the youngest HellDiver in his red colony, where he works in the mines all day, trying to make Mars livable. He for sure is the strongest and the most efficient miner, too, even though he will never receive the credit for it. But something happens that changes Darrow's life and outlook forever, forcing him to go to the surface of Mars.

“I would have lived in peace. But my enemies brought me war.”

➽ Part II: Darrow wakes up and meets with the Sons of Ares, and starts his transformation to enhance his body, so he can pass as a Gold and infiltrate their ranks by performing well enough at their military school, the Institute. Darrow was bitten by something when he was younger, so he and his heart are rare, but strong enough, to endure all of the surgeries. Maybe my favorite part of this book was learning about the Carver and his work. Oh, and Evey, because I loved her instantly and pictured Mercy from Overwatch and it made my fangirl thirsty heart so very happy. Anyways, Darrow goes to the Institute, performs very well, and is picked tenth out of one thousand students at the school and will now move on to the next part of their schooling.

“I am the Reaper and death is my shadow.”

➽ Part III: After performing a horrible and terrible act to move on to the next part of his schooling, we realize that all the different houses have pickled different people and given each group a castle. Darrow's house, House Mars, cannot decide a leader, because they are all confrontational alpha males, so they split up into four different groups. We also become aware that this is being broadcasted, and higher ups are watching to recruit the strongest players. Also, if I'm being honest, this part feels like a rape filled The Hunger Games. Like, to the point that I'm honestly surprised Suzanne Collins wasn't like, "what the fuck?"

“Funny thing, watching gods realize they’ve been mortal all along.”

Also, it needs to be said that there are trigger warnings for rape, sexual assault, and graphic violence, because I had no idea going into this book that there would be so much rape. I was so surprised. I feel like the book community really paints this as a YA SFF coming of age story, which I guess it is, but it is so much darker than I ever imaged. I don't give a shit that Darrow was sixteen when this book started, this is an ADULT book.

Overall, I did enjoy this, actually more than The Hunger Games, but you can tell his story is so heavily influenced from The Hunger Games that it just ends up feeling bad. That parallels are consistent, and it was something that I just couldn't unsee.

I also found it a little unbelievable that all these high up Golds would allow the chance of their children to be killed, especially for viewing pleasure. I understand that most have multiple kids, and this is their way to prove their worth, but I just can't imagine that they would be okay allowing their kids to be a part of this academy where there is such a high death (and rape) turnover rate. Or, at the very least, they would train every child from the time they could walk into becoming amazing warriors and never allow their children to go into the Institute so unprepared and unable to fight like so many did.

I also hated how this story used rape to make Darrow look like a savior constantly. The book is brutal enough; we don't need to have the rape ploy thrown in our faces every chapter, just so Darrow can save and/or avenge all the helpless women. Also, Darrow kills because of rape constantly, and then towards the end when he gets to play judge and dish out some punishments, he finds it in his heart to make it a bonding exercise. Like, please, it's gross, tiresome, and pathetic. This book would have been leagues better without this hot mess of rape plot devices.

Also, Darrow wasn't the most likable main character. I completely understand that he was only sixteen when starting his journey, so I try so very hard to cut him slack, but he makes the most questionable decisions, especially with everything he has riding on his performance. Also, if I was grieving over the love of my life, I probably wouldn't be looking at every freakin' girl I see, calling them "so beautiful" and admiring them every other chapter. Like, I get it, sixteen year old boys are horny, but it was so unnecessary and I think that I felt more impacted by Eo than Darrow ever did. Darrow felt more driven by his dick than by his rage or want for revenge, in my opinion.

My favorite character was, hands down, Cassius, a friend that Darrow makes at the start of him joining the Institute. I felt for his character so much, and I felt like every action he performed was so valid. His choices where so believable, and everything he did I feel like I would have done if I was in his position. He was for sure the most realistic character to me, and I couldn't help but love him and his story arc. Like, if I continue on with Golden Son, it is 100% because of Cassius.

Overall, I'm mostly just happy I finally have read this ARC copy. I did enjoy this book; I just didn't love it the way everyone else seems to. I feel like it would have had a much bigger impact on me if I hadn't already read The Hunger Games and been a part of the hype for that series. I hated the use of rape in this, and I just felt like the story did leave a lot to be desired. Like I said, this is a beloved series in the book community, so if you're at all interested I would for sure give it a shot.

Completely blown away. It's so unique and mesmerizing. Brown's writing style is just incredible. Darrow is an amazing character. I honestly don't know what else to say but wow..