I am the Reaper and death is my shadow.
Red Rising
by Pierce Brown
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
About: In a world where men rule as gods, order is everything. Darrow works the mines. His place is the lowest of the low, and his life means nothing. But when the gods try to mess with his world, he sets his sights upwards ready to prove that gods bleed, gods die, and a new order will rise.
The Good
This is one of those books where you go on A. Journey. Darrow's life begins in the mines, and then flies out to all kinds of heights. It's really incredible to me how much story Pierce Brown packed in this opening novel. There's so much change and strategy, twists and turns. I loved watching Darrow come into his own, but there was also a lot of growth in the characters around him. No-one was safe and no-one was just one thing, there were layers and surprises in everyone.
The Bad
Although I ended up loving the world and being so impressed with its complexity, I found the world-building difficult to dive into for the first part of the novel. There's a lot of explanation and repetition so I didn't find myself hooked from the word go. I liked the beginning, there were emotional parts and it definitely had shock factor very early on, but it wasn't really until the game began that I settled into the world.
The Somewhat Iffy
I think Darrow shows a lot of heart and not a lot of ruthlessness, and yet characters will often accuse him of wanting to win no matter what. This seemed like a bit of a weak way to show that he needs to learn how to be a leader. To me, his decisions didn't seem callous or selfish: he made allies and took care of his friends.
Overall
This is a fast-paced, emotional and absolutely gripping beginning to a series. Once you settle into the world, you won't want to leave. A story told on an epic scale.
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