Reviews with content warning for Gore - Red Rising

i wasn’t entirely sure what i was expecting when i first started this book, but wow. this interesting concept of people being divided in a social hierarchy by colors (red, pink, brown, gold, and so on) and seeing the beginning of a revolution from there was an incredible story to follow. i especially loved darrow’s character as someone who went through fifteen new experiences all in one setting and yet remained a headstrong, loyal person. the action was super intense as well and kept me at the edge of my seat the entire time (some scenes were a little TOO intense…check content warnings!) one thing i will say that i wasn’t a big fan of was the writing style. maybe i’m just the type of people who like more detail and showiness, but the writing itself felt bland with so much of narration and explanation of scenes going on rather than really putting me in the moment. this might be a personal take for me so if anyone else enjoys this type of writing style, this book is for you!! 4/5 stars

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kazli's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

i need darrow and virginia in a way that's concerning to feminism.
people weren't lying when they said this is like game of thrones in space.

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blackbird300's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I’m mad that I enjoyed this so much. My biggest issue with the entire book lies with the fact that nearly every femme-presenting character introduced in the story is assaulted at some point. Yes, many of them are well developed characters, but it does not erase the fact that they were assaulted/nearly assaulted. That fact alone feels out of place in the entire plot.
This first book belongs solidly within the YA genre. The plot moves at break neck pace, losing the reader first at the beginning, but once accustomed, it becomes easy. Certain plot points are wrapped up quickly upon being introduced, but all strings are tied at the very end.
I’ve been wrestling with myself as to whether or not I should purchase the sequel…and my answer is a solid yes.

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sandwiiche's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

lowkey so disappointed by this book, but that's on me because i really thought i would love it.
sadly, i didn't. the main character was insufferable for the first half of the book (sometimes he still annoyed me in the second half but he got better) and there were things that happened at the beginning that just annoyed the heck out of me. my fave characters were, surprise, not the main dude, and they stole the show for me. at times, the cast felt really large and so some characters were not developed as well as i hoped? plus, it just made things confusing and difficult to remember.
i also don't really like pierce brown's writing. it's quite static, the sentences are relatively short, and he uses certain vocabulary that gives me the ick lol

however, i am still giving this book 3 stars because there were some fun twists that i enjoyed in the second half the book, and the action was pretty decent! sigh, i'm conflicted as to whether i want to finish the series..... maybe if i'm in the mood for it one day

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aelytacchan's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I can't say I understand why Red Rising is a fan favorite. It wasn't bad, but its tempo is so gruelling that I almost DNFd it - saved only by the fact I already had all the audiobooks from a past sale.

I didn't love it, I didn't hate it, but I found a lot of it foul. I think that might be on purpose, but a lot of the violence seemed unnecessary and out of bounds even for the world's laws and customs.

Women were constantly used as symbols, to further plot points, or as convenient caretakers. Despite there being women peppered into the story, they were mostly inconsequential or, when they were of consequence, they just naturally decided they would rather follow Darrow.

I'll take some time to reflect on whether I want to invest more time into the following books, seeing as they're somewhat on the longer side, but as of now, I don't particularly feel like jumping into the next part of the story.

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