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thebrainlair's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 I never warmed up to Saba but the rest of the characters were interesting. Lots of questions waiting to be answered in the sequel.
djredhawk's review against another edition
4.0
Post apocalyptic? Yes. But not your traditional sort. This novel takes place at least a couple of generations after the end of the world. To that end, it's almost a fantasy novel - a gritty, no-nonsense, violent fantasy novel with a tough young woman leading the way. Saba's twin brother, Lugh, is kidnapped, and she must find and save him. The tale is told in the unique slang of Saba's world, giving the book all that much more anchoring in reality for me. I loved it.
labunnywtf's review against another edition
4.0
I really, really want to recommend this book.
I mean, the plot is truly fascinating. Strong heroine risking life and limb all in the pursuit of rescuing her beloved twin brother. Despising her little sister, who is so annoying. But through the story, she grows on you, and earns the respect of her sister. In most books, the sister continues to stay annoying, and you continue to want her dead. So that was a nice change.
Even the love story didn't make me want to murder a kitten. It was quite well done. I genuinely enjoyed the story of Saba.
But great googly moogly, I don't know if I can recommend this fracking book because of the writing style. The misspellings, the lack of quotation marks. Everything runs together, and if you're anything like me, your eyes will cross about 100 times a page.
It grows on you, eventually. Annoyingly. But getting to where it grows on you is absolutely mind numbing.
So. I do recommend this, but with a huge caveat.
I mean, the plot is truly fascinating. Strong heroine risking life and limb all in the pursuit of rescuing her beloved twin brother. Despising her little sister, who is so annoying. But through the story, she grows on you, and earns the respect of her sister. In most books, the sister continues to stay annoying, and you continue to want her dead. So that was a nice change.
Even the love story didn't make me want to murder a kitten. It was quite well done. I genuinely enjoyed the story of Saba.
But great googly moogly, I don't know if I can recommend this fracking book because of the writing style. The misspellings, the lack of quotation marks. Everything runs together, and if you're anything like me, your eyes will cross about 100 times a page.
It grows on you, eventually. Annoyingly. But getting to where it grows on you is absolutely mind numbing.
So. I do recommend this, but with a huge caveat.
ttmusic's review against another edition
4.0
Before you go to pick up this book, be advised that it is not written in a traditional manner. It is very much written like someone who is illiterate might speak. There are no quotation marks, so dialogue can be very hard to follow.
Saba’s beloved twin brother is taken away by mysterious men right before her eyes, and she sets out to get him back through many twists and turns. Saba was a very realistic heroine to me, because she was flawed. She had issues with her sister and she knew it, and over the course of the book we saw her work to fix them. She was also incredibly stubborn, being attracted to Jack but so devoted to rescuing Lugh that she wouldn’t allow herself time for him.
That being said, I found the heartstone idea to be very interesting, but the application of it fell short. It just seemed a little thinly-constructed that the very first time she sees Jack that the heartstone would get so hot. She doesn’t even know the first thing about him, (besides his name, and that he’s kind of arrogant) how could he already be her heart’s desire?
Blood Red Road was a fantastic start to a series, though it has set the bar very high I hope that future books in the series can measure up to the standard set by the first book.
Saba’s beloved twin brother is taken away by mysterious men right before her eyes, and she sets out to get him back through many twists and turns. Saba was a very realistic heroine to me, because she was flawed. She had issues with her sister and she knew it, and over the course of the book we saw her work to fix them. She was also incredibly stubborn, being attracted to Jack but so devoted to rescuing Lugh that she wouldn’t allow herself time for him.
That being said, I found the heartstone idea to be very interesting, but the application of it fell short. It just seemed a little thinly-constructed that the very first time she sees Jack that the heartstone would get so hot. She doesn’t even know the first thing about him, (besides his name, and that he’s kind of arrogant) how could he already be her heart’s desire?
Blood Red Road was a fantastic start to a series, though it has set the bar very high I hope that future books in the series can measure up to the standard set by the first book.
geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
A good solid entry in the dystopian future genre for YA readers. The book is set in a future world that has been ravaged and ruined by the previous inhabitants (known as Wreckers). The cause (disease? environmental? nuclear war?) is not revealed in this book, but it is not necessary to know.
Saba and her twin brother Lugh live with their father and younger sister in a remote location, rarely, if ever, seeing other people. The twins wonder what lies beyond their small environment, and before long, events force the issue. Lugh is kidnapped and Saba is left to somehow try to rescue him from his kidnappers.
The story is told in an interesting dialect which takes a few pages to get used to, but starts to flow before too long. A cast of unusual characters rounds out this novel, and Saba is a likeable and capable heroine.
This is the first book in a proposed trilogy and film rights have already been secured, but this book works fine as a stand alone novel. Recommended for fans of The Hunger Games and The Knife Of Never Letting Go.
Saba and her twin brother Lugh live with their father and younger sister in a remote location, rarely, if ever, seeing other people. The twins wonder what lies beyond their small environment, and before long, events force the issue. Lugh is kidnapped and Saba is left to somehow try to rescue him from his kidnappers.
The story is told in an interesting dialect which takes a few pages to get used to, but starts to flow before too long. A cast of unusual characters rounds out this novel, and Saba is a likeable and capable heroine.
This is the first book in a proposed trilogy and film rights have already been secured, but this book works fine as a stand alone novel. Recommended for fans of The Hunger Games and The Knife Of Never Letting Go.
bradleyj's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-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? It's complicated
4.25
A very well written plot with great world building! I enjoyed reading Saba come out of her shell a little with the help of her friends. The book cover has a hunger game comparison, I didn’t get that at all but I do see a Mad Max sort of vibe.
lsparrow's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book especially the world that is created. I enjoyed the main character and her journey to herself. I did find the romance line of the story slightly cliché. I look forward to reading the other books in this series
4saradouglas's review against another edition
2.0
I just didn't really like this book. I heard it was awesome and really looked forward to reading it, but I had a really hard time getting and staying interested. The characters were pretty flat and predictable as was the story. The girl is forced to be a cage fighter, but how did a quiet life alone with her family on a dried up lake prepare her for that? How could she possibly win every single fight? You'd also think that all of this fighting would make for some interesting/exciting scenes... but no. The fights are never really shown in detail, you just know she wins. I also really hate books where there's a boy who really likes the main character and she really likes him too, but she forces herself to be really mean to him and run him off for no reason. I never get that. The complete lack of quotation marks makes the story a little hard to follow at times when it's unclear if something was said or just thought. The bad guys were way too easy to kill (accidental desert boat wreck?) and what was with that bad guy who always helped Saba? I guess they'll talk about him in future books (which I do not plan to pick up). One last thing. They run into some ridiculous giant worms who try to eat them on their way to an area that creates a certain herb that everyone is addicted to. Sounds a lot like the Dune series, right?
seshoptaw's review against another edition
4.5
I would give this book 4 1/2 stars. It kept me on the edge of my seat and the author takes her characters and the readers on the adventure of a lifetime. The main character, Saba is a major kick-butt character. She's strong, determined and not afraid to fight for those she loves or what she believes in. This makes her incredibly appealing to me since I love seeing women in roles where they're not sitting around playing the damsel in distress.
The writing style of this book, although understandable since Saba and the others live in a world where civilization has all but disappeared, is a little difficult to get used to. The author doesn't use quotation marks when the characters are speaking and sentences are grammatically incorrect. Therefore, it may be a little bit hard to get used to and, if you're like me, you'll sometimes find yourself correcting all of the misspelled words as well as their grammar.
Nevertheless, I'm excited to read the next 2 books in this trilogy. :)
The writing style of this book, although understandable since Saba and the others live in a world where civilization has all but disappeared, is a little difficult to get used to. The author doesn't use quotation marks when the characters are speaking and sentences are grammatically incorrect. Therefore, it may be a little bit hard to get used to and, if you're like me, you'll sometimes find yourself correcting all of the misspelled words as well as their grammar.
Nevertheless, I'm excited to read the next 2 books in this trilogy. :)
melonep08's review against another edition
4.0
Actual rating 4.5 stars
Having read this for the second time I still really liked it I just feel my standards have increased. I love the unique way it's written though it definitely wouldn't work for everyone. I love Saba as well though sometimes she can be too stubborn.
Having read this for the second time I still really liked it I just feel my standards have increased. I love the unique way it's written though it definitely wouldn't work for everyone. I love Saba as well though sometimes she can be too stubborn.