No Spoilers!
Oh, we are so back.
Guys. I just finished the first book in the Red Rising series, and of course the first time I’m hearing about this series is in 2026. Like?? I can’t believe I haven’t come across it before. Not a whisper, not a murmur, not even a sigh?! Yet I’m also grateful, because it’s been years since I’ve found a book with such a specific… vibe. I wouldn’t even say ‘theme’, but a vibe. Where there’s friendship, but it’s not shoved down your throat. Characters that aren’t perfect, but aren’t unlikeable. Subtle romance that’s not too overt. A concept that you can tell wasn’t rushed, but instead was created with the intention of building a whole new world for the readers to jump into.
To summarise, this book is a sci-fi, dystopian narrative, following a young boy, Darrow, who is a Red. Society is divided into colours, and Reds are, for lack of a better description, the absolute dog-down bottom-of-the-barrel scum-on-your-shoe grunts. 😭😭😭 Those aren’t even the correct phrases 😂😂 But, yes. The Reds are tasked with toiling underground on Mars for a mineral to make it more inhabitable for Earth’s population, as Earth is a dying planet and humans urgently need to relocate (Avatar lovers unite!) Or so we think…
You would assume that for this gruelling, and oftentimes fatal, occupation the Reds would be rewarded. Maybe a hefty paycheck. Maybe even some recognition. You would be correct, however psychological TORMENT isn’t anybody’s favourite gift. For not meeting the quotas set for them, food privileges are lost. If they step out of line, family members are forced to kill each other by pulling their feet in a hanging. It’s rough. And when our protagonist Darrow loses all that he loves, we see a new version of him begin to rise.
I have never read a book where the middle of it is so completely different to the beginning. I’m not even joking. The direction I thought this story would go, it reversed back, turned left, U-turned right, then bungee-jumped. And Darrow… my boy went throughhhhh it. We start off toiling underground with the Reds, a sort of District 12 Hunger Games scenario. Soon we’re going through a Captain America scrawny-to-brawny (I am so proud of that one) transformation. Next, I kid you not, we were in a Netflix’s The Society setting: no adults, children trying to survive, and hierarchies being created. The rules are what you make them. Then, I was watching Game of Thrones with Darrow fulfilling what Robb Stark should have. It was amazing. I felt like I watched a movie marathon reading this book.
Although I loved this plot, I will admit the start of this novel was a mouthful. There was so much new information to absorb, and all thrown at you at once – a typical trait in sci-fi/fantasy/dystopian stories to fill in the reader or the fictional world, however it can be a lot. HoloCam, gravBoots, the Peerless Scarred, the Imperators, Praetor. You have to use some brainpower to digest it all, so if you want an easy, simple read, this book may have to stay on your bookshelf. Nevertheless, once you get into it, it’s hard to put down, so for my investors, I’d put my money on this and reap the rewards.
I’ve heard that this book isn’t as good as the rest of the series. If so, count. Me. In. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and my rating of 8.5/10 says so too. If anything I’ve written has intrigued you even slightly, I’d say check it out.
If you liked this review, let me know by leaving a comment below! Tell me what you thought of Red Rising or if it’s on your TBR list. Anything else you’d like me to talk about in my reviews, drop it down! I’m thinking of writing some spoiler-included reviews too, for those that have read the books, or you lot that actually like spoilers 😂. Leave a comment and enjoy reading!
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