[review] RED RISING BY PIERCE BROWN

Book: Red Rising
Series: (Red Rising Trilogy #1)
Author: Pierce Brown
Rating:

Darrow is a Helldiver, one of a thousand men and women who live in the vast caves beneath the surface of Mars. Generations of Helldivers have spent their lives toiling to mine the precious elements that will allow the planet to be terraformed. Just knowing that one day people will be able to walk the surface of the planet is enough to justify their sacrifice. The Earth is dying, and Darrow and his people are the only hope humanity has left.
Until the day Darrow learns that it is all a lie. Mars is habitable - and indeed has been inhabited for generations by a class of people calling themselves the Golds. The Golds regard Darrow and his fellows as slave labour, to be exploited and worked to death without a second thought.
With the help of a mysterious group of rebels, Darrow 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...

• I was super excited when I read the blurb for RED RISING, I was captivated immediately. This book had me hooked from the very beginning:

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

• The story takes place on Mars, inside a futuristic colony. The society of this world is really interesting and complex. It's divided up into different social classes. Your place in society is decided by your color. Darrow is Red, the lowest of the low. I like the caste system and all the political stuff behind it.

• Speaking of  Darrow, I LOVED him. He and his people live beneath the surface, mining for the elements necessary to terraform Mars. Then, Darrow discovers that the Martian surface is already colonized and the upper classes are using the Reds as slaves. Thus begins his thirst for revenge. He makes decisions, he makes mistakes, and he learns from his mistakes. His motivations changed, his beliefs changed, and even his view of the world changed.  Darrow's evolution as a character is wonderfully done and is not at all rushed. 

"I live for the dream that my children will be born free. That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them."

"I live for you," I say sadly.

She kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more."

• This is a dystopian adventure not a dystopia carried by romance. There is very little romance in this book, and the romance that does exist is reasonable and never overshadows the actual plot.

"We grew together, and now are grown. In her eyes, I see my heart. In her breath, I hear my soul. She is my land. She is my kin. My love."

• This is not a YA book. It doesn't have a Young Adult feel to it. I would recommend this to older teens as there is a lot of violence, sexual themes and adult situations and language. The topic of rape comes up several times in the story, and I’m happy to say that it’s handled with care. Rape scenes are brief and non-graphic. Darrow’s strategy for punishing rape in his own rank and file is rather genius.

• Lots of people are comparing this to Hunger Games. But I can't, to do so would be insulting to Red Rising. It's so much more than that. This book has more story than most Hollywood blockbuster films. It shouldn't be compared to anything.

• SO MUCH ACTION. Braveheart, Gladiator, Spartacus - put them all in a blender and blast them off to Mars. What you'll get is Red Rising. What an intense thrill ride! This is the way I like my young adult books written – mature, believable, memorable, jarring, emotional, and absolutely unique. Red Rising is so fast paced, so violent, so in your face that it's impossible to put down. It's  Gladiator on steroids and it's a guaranteed night without sleep.

• I love Pierce Brown’s writing. He has created one very wild, very disturbing foray into the future. He knows how to develop strong characters. What can I say?  I just really love reading books written by men, from a man's POV. :)

• Overall, Red Rising is a new favorite of mine, and the start to what I’m sure will be an amazing trilogy!  Mr Brown you are a genius and a madman. I hereby pledge to buy and read ANYTHING written by Pierce Brown for the rest of his career.