JennyJen

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

*No spoilers.

It's been a while since I've been blown away by a Dystopian novel the way Red Rising has blown me away. Sure, there are some good ones out there, but the crappy ones far outnumber them. I didn't think there was anything left to add to this genre, but Pierce Brown has proven me wrong.


I want to start off with a description of what this book is. The synopsis, while very engaging, doesn't hint at what you can really expect out of this book. I think that's detrimental, because if you go in expecting one thing and get another, you’ll run the risk of being turned off from a really good story. This almost happened to me.


I don't see that the book has been officially classified as YA Dystopian (I could be wrong. I’m often wrong.), but due to the characters' ages, that's pretty much what this is. That being said, this is not your typical YA. You'll find no contrivance, no angst, no love triangle, and none of the typical YA tropes we've all come to know and hate. The majority of these teens, specifically the MC, are hardened beyond their years.


For the last 2/3 of this book, the MC, Darrow, enrolls in an “academy” to kickoff the infiltration of his oppressors. This academy isn’t a collection of buildings. It’s a very different setting that I’ll let you discover on your own.


I hate to make comparisons, but I must. There are parallels between Red Rising and the Hunger Games. The academy students are the elite of the elite and their training consists of being divided into groups that must compete, survive and eventually conquer one another. They’re overseen by “Proctors” who are advisors to their respective group. Before you moan and groan about these mild similarities to HG, let me assure you that the similarities end there and RR is no game. I will also remind you that this takes place on Mars. Mars, people. So, shut your piehole. In my humble opinion, RR kicks HG’s ass 10 times over and that’s coming from a diehard HG fan.


Darrow may be only 16 at the beginning of this book, but don’t let his age fool you. In his harsh world, he’s about middle-aged. He’s already married and there’s very little “boy” left in him. His life is one of struggle and he works really hard just to get by. He made such an impression on me. I daresay he’s one of my most favorite MC’s ever. He’s the perfect combination of badassery and morality. His morality is his biggest handicap and to me that's not a bad thing. He will fuck you up, but it pains him to have to do it. His badassery made me literally cackle with glee. I love a character that will cross the line when they have to. He made mistakes, but he made them for all the right reasons.


The sincerity of his love for his late wife, Eo, and the way he yearned for her… was too much. Is too much. I can’t even write this without tearing up.

His emotions were so poignantly written. The grief from his loss was so severe, its impact made all the more jarring with impromptu reminders about the real reason he was going through the whole charade. He never forgot her or the mission. I really appreciated those reminders, despite the pain they caused me, because this book focused on only a small part of his journey. It was easy to forget that this was just the beginning. It doesn’t end there in the “academy”.  Eo was not present for the majority of the book, but her presence was potent throughout. I yearned for her right along with Darrow. She was both his catalyst and the fuel he needed to persevere in very dire circumstances. Their love really moved me and I’m not easily moved.


I was an emotional wreck reading this, but not just for Darrow and Eo. There were lots of extremely memorable side characters and you will absolutely run the gamut of emotions with the lot - from contempt to love and back. Brown expertly manipulates your feelings and things you think you feel suddenly become things you’re not sure you feel anymore. There was just so much going on and never could you really guess where things were actually heading. Expect the unexpected.


While I and quite a few people loved this book, it will not be for everyone. Some of you are delicate flowers and you’ll not like the brutality of this story. Go read a fairytale or something. For the rest of you, even the ones who may be sick of Dystopians, pick this one up and give it a shot. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Don’t let the YA or Dystopian labels deter you. 2 years pass in this book. I can only imagine how much growth Darrow will experience in the next book. (I’m giddy for it. WANT NOW.)

This is a review of an uncorrected ARC. Any quotes used may be different or not included in the published book. ARC provided for review via Netgalley.