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te_pa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I did not expect this at all. All I new when I first picked up this book was: sci-fi from Mars and that everyone I know gave it five stars. I must say, if I knew a little bit more going into this, my rating might have been higher.
This book is for the teens who grew up reading The Hunger Games and Divergent because the second part of the book is very reminiscent of these stories.I really didn't expect to read about castle sieges, kids murdering each other for sport and houses fighting over who's better. I did enjoy it, but it was not what I expected from a sci-fi book happening on Mars.
The book was very unputdownable. Strong scenes go into even stronger more brutal ones with ease and you cannot stop reading.
This book is for the teens who grew up reading The Hunger Games and Divergent because the second part of the book is very reminiscent of these stories.
The book was very unputdownable. Strong scenes go into even stronger more brutal ones with ease and you cannot stop reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Slavery, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, and Blood
Minor: Rape, Excrement, Vomit, and Sexual harassment
emmaemmaemmaemma's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
It has been a long time since a book left me feeling this conflicted about whether or not I enjoyed it. Based on my principles of what makes a good book, I did not. This book feels like the author’s wet dream of what masculinity could be. I wasn’t even 15% of my way into the book when Darrow’s wife was killed and became a martyr. We were just beginning to know her and how much passion and fire she had when her life was tossed away in the story to fuel Darrow’s anger . Story Sin #1: Female character created and killed solely to catalyze male anger
Then, we meet harmony who is described as having milky skin and even more beautiful than Eo. Gotta love white beauty as the standard and the pattern of strong female characters serving only to suit the male gaze. Yuck.
I then experienced the next 70% of the book in a fevered haze much like the characters in the book. The real world war simulation they go through is long and I think I tuned in and out of it but got all the major plot points AND found myself wanting to come back to the book which surprised me. 92% of the the way through the book it hit me that this entire middle section read like Minecraft fan fiction and that’s probably why I found the world entertaining. Students in the woods hunter gathering, proctors giving above everyone and occasionally dispensing OP items like they were in creative mode. It’s Minecraft.
Then I finished the book and I immediately decided to rent the next one which is to say that I had all of these seemingly negative things to say and yet I’m going to begin Golden Son book 2 next because I would very much like to know what’s next. I don’t think I will ever recommend this book series to a friend like I do The Poppy War series, but I think it’s likely that I will finish the whole thing.
Bonus points to me for reading a fantasy series without any smut or romantic A plot.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Violence, Medical trauma, Murder, and War
mj_86's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and War
Moderate: Rape and Torture
Minor: Cannibalism
aj9moon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, and War
hcox's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This is a book to invest time in. The story is slow and detailed yet it stretches over several years. I rate it 3.75 because the pacing was inconsistent; some chapters were long winded and others skipped years in a moment. Even so, the writing is excellent and the world building is unique compared to other dystopia. There are moments where the reader can connect with the challenges the protagonist is going through, rooting for his mission and there are moments you question his morals in a shattered world. It's a reflective book on clasism and the irony of climbing to the top to bring it down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
aliyah_d's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Journal entry from when I was at 50% of the book :
So far, Red Rising is quite the formulaic and a Manichean book that struggles the most when it must flesh out its characters (especially women) and give more dimension to its world. A well developed, more nuanced political and societal structure, which is at the core of this book's plot, would have helped elevate it away from the initial YA fiction concepts in which it is seeded. The first two acts of the book in particular are just a succession of tropes, executed decently if not uninspired, which I suspect has the benefit of allowing the younger readers or those not into fantasy or sci-fi to not get lost and even predict what would happen on a chapter-to-chapter basis.
Speaking of the very genre of the book itself, I do feel, in spite of the omnipresence of scientifically backed up elements and concepts that it is more" sci-fi for fantasy readers" rather than actual sci-fi ; I believe some of the scientific explanations were straight up incorrect or not fully thought through (and I'm not a science gal, really, but some claims about Mars gravity established early on in the books made me raised an eyebrow).
Finally, I have many problems with the main character, Darrow. Darrow is not that compelling to me as he is clearly a wish fulfilment type of character for heterosexual men in their thirties. Which I do not have a problem with but if you look up the definition of "Gary Sue" online, you will find a pretty illustration of Darrow. He is the perfect boy, or rather, the perfect boy who speaks, thinks and acts like a late thirty-year-old man. Darrow smells the best, looks the best, dances the best and he is the strongest and the smartest teen you will ever meet.
Never mind that he is thrown into an unknown environment filled to the brim with societal customs and expectations that he only knows the surface of and had to learn in a few months. I never felt any sense of danger or worry for him because his challenges were completely artificial and were a mere inconvenience to him. Easy come, easy solve. I also do think the first-person narrative really didn't help at all.
It seems like I have nothing but criticism for this first entry of the trilogy, but I'm enjoying it so far ! It's easy to read and enjoyable. It is not a slog or a bore, everything is moving at the right pace and although I adore purple prose, the simple writing here is effective and curiously engaging (albeit a tad cheesy and dry sometimes). Similarly, I tend to skim through conflict, battles and fights in books, but all of them were written very clearly, all raw and exciting.
Overall, this is a nice book which scratches the surface of a bigger, better, more tri-dimensional story, so I'm curious to see how the author manages to evolve in his writing from here.
Speaking of the very genre of the book itself, I do feel, in spite of the omnipresence of scientifically backed up elements and concepts that it is more" sci-fi for fantasy readers" rather than actual sci-fi ; I believe some of the scientific explanations were straight up incorrect or not fully thought through (and I'm not a science gal, really, but some claims about Mars gravity established early on in the books made me raised an eyebrow).
Finally, I have many problems with the main character, Darrow. Darrow is not that compelling to me as he is clearly a wish fulfilment type of character for heterosexual men in their thirties. Which I do not have a problem with but if you look up the definition of "Gary Sue" online, you will find a pretty illustration of Darrow. He is the perfect boy, or rather, the perfect boy who speaks, thinks and acts like a late thirty-year-old man. Darrow smells the best, looks the best, dances the best and he is the strongest and the smartest teen you will ever meet.
Never mind that he is thrown into an unknown environment filled to the brim with societal customs and expectations that he only knows the surface of and had to learn in a few months. I never felt any sense of danger or worry for him because his challenges were completely artificial and were a mere inconvenience to him. Easy come, easy solve. I also do think the first-person narrative really didn't help at all.
It seems like I have nothing but criticism for this first entry of the trilogy, but I'm enjoying it so far ! It's easy to read and enjoyable. It is not a slog or a bore, everything is moving at the right pace and although I adore purple prose, the simple writing here is effective and curiously engaging (albeit a tad cheesy and dry sometimes). Similarly, I tend to skim through conflict, battles and fights in books, but all of them were written very clearly, all raw and exciting.
Overall, this is a nice book which scratches the surface of a bigger, better, more tri-dimensional story, so I'm curious to see how the author manages to evolve in his writing from here.
My final thoughts after reaching the end :
I took a month break from this novel because I could smell it would soon devolve into everything I fear it could become. And it did not disappoint.
Darrow being such a formidable, "no problem is a true problem" prodigy exhausted me. I could not care less about this whole clash of the clans act because you have these two or three characters that keep taking down does big factions that are way smarter, more mature, more organized, well fed and better communicators/brothers in arms than them, on top of being whole armies.
That whole plan to bring down Titus was good on paper, until the actual execution of it that made me doubt the whole house of Minerva shared more than one brain cell. The following ones were written better but that initial first demonstration of Darrow's intelligence (and EVERY other houses sheer stupidity) made me worry about the author's ability to write compelling strategical battles and an interesting massive uprising that didn’t relied on the enemy somehow not being clueless whiny idiots ?
Adding to that, the pacing dulled any feeling I might have been able to develop towards this novel and what's happening in it: it's a fast succession of dramatic moments, so those that are supposed to be major and gut-wrenching fall flat since the author doesn't allow them to stretch beyond two pages. It doesn't feel like I'm part of the action. It feels like someone is trying to resume me an action movie big scene by big scene, skipping anything that might add dimension and substance to the characters so I do not get bored... forgetting to make me care in the process. The fighting and battles sequences are becoming hit or miss since half the time they involve characters barely described or personified.
I have no insensitive to care about this character disappearing or this character dying because the in-between fun/relaxing/dialogue moments were clearly written as fillers and last three lines. Darrow's male friends and acquaintances are barely more than tropes or gimmicks while Darrow's female friends and acquaintances are no more than mere names. Occasionally, a commentary on the state of their beauty will be made. That or they will be turned into some sorts of victims to give Darrow and the boys some good self-righteous motivation (or to make the big bad the baddest), a motivation that promptly turns to pity when the big old rapist turns out to have some sad backstory. Then it's all "Iam so sorry I have to kill you my brother, I get you now".
Anyways. I already bought the whole trilogy and was told that the following two are a huge step up in terms of overall quality in all aspects I have been critical off so I'm glad I’ve reached the end of this one. If the next disappoint, I'll just find a balding heterosexual dude with strong power-fantasy and dump him the whole trilogy.
Darrow being such a formidable, "no problem is a true problem" prodigy exhausted me. I could not care less about this whole clash of the clans act because you have these two or three characters that keep taking down does big factions that are way smarter, more mature, more organized, well fed and better communicators/brothers in arms than them, on top of being whole armies.
That whole plan to bring down Titus was good on paper, until the actual execution of it that made me doubt the whole house of Minerva shared more than one brain cell. The following ones were written better but that initial first demonstration of Darrow's intelligence (and EVERY other houses sheer stupidity) made me worry about the author's ability to write compelling strategical battles and an interesting massive uprising that didn’t relied on the enemy somehow not being clueless whiny idiots ?
Adding to that, the pacing dulled any feeling I might have been able to develop towards this novel and what's happening in it: it's a fast succession of dramatic moments, so those that are supposed to be major and gut-wrenching fall flat since the author doesn't allow them to stretch beyond two pages. It doesn't feel like I'm part of the action. It feels like someone is trying to resume me an action movie big scene by big scene, skipping anything that might add dimension and substance to the characters so I do not get bored... forgetting to make me care in the process. The fighting and battles sequences are becoming hit or miss since half the time they involve characters barely described or personified.
I have no insensitive to care about this character disappearing or this character dying because the in-between fun/relaxing/dialogue moments were clearly written as fillers and last three lines. Darrow's male friends and acquaintances are barely more than tropes or gimmicks while Darrow's female friends and acquaintances are no more than mere names. Occasionally, a commentary on the state of their beauty will be made. That or they will be turned into some sorts of victims to give Darrow and the boys some good self-righteous motivation (or to make the big bad the baddest), a motivation that promptly turns to pity when the big old rapist turns out to have some sad backstory. Then it's all "Iam so sorry I have to kill you my brother, I get you now".
Anyways. I already bought the whole trilogy and was told that the following two are a huge step up in terms of overall quality in all aspects I have been critical off so I'm glad I’ve reached the end of this one. If the next disappoint, I'll just find a balding heterosexual dude with strong power-fantasy and dump him the whole trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gore, Torture, and Murder
lucija0's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Rape
kaseybereading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, War, and Classism
bookishholly's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I have so many conflicting feels about this book.
Potential spoilers and TW for r*pe mention
Overall I enjoyed Red Rising, I liked the setting and the overall story. I don't think it's saying something new or really adding anything of value other than entertainment to the world and sometimes that's ok.
There were multiple times where I felt uncomfortable with the clear misogyny that I don't even know if the author is aware he has written. I admit that it was written 10 years ago but I thought even then that the insult of doing something "like a girl" was outdated. Also to me it feels like there is an undertone of casual homophobia.
Essentially all of the main cast are insufferable and the fact that one character's attempted r*pe of another is so quickly moved on from is hard to swallow, especially since beginning book 2 and realising that they are still around.
At this point, I intend to keep reading but that may change.
Potential spoilers and TW for r*pe mention
There were multiple times where I felt uncomfortable with the clear misogyny that I don't even know if the author is aware he has written. I admit that it was written 10 years ago but I thought even then that the insult of doing something "like a girl" was outdated. Also to me it feels like there is an undertone of casual homophobia.
Essentially all of the main cast are insufferable and the fact that one character's attempted r*pe of another is so quickly moved on from is hard to swallow, especially since beginning book 2 and realising that they are still around.
At this point, I intend to keep reading but that may change.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Grief, and Cannibalism
Minor: Excrement
dreadspawn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Dysphoria
Minor: Cannibalism