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Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
The MC and male characters are well established and interesting. Even side characters with little “screen time” are characterized well.
Women in this book don’t get much of a voice. There are only two of them I’d consider more than side characters. The first one is pretty much a Mary Sue though, who becomes an idealized driving force to the MC and a symbol for everyone else— so does she really count? In this whole book you only have one well written female.
The rest kind of just exist. The majority of them are pretty unpleasant, and if not, barely talk if at all. And the vast majority get sexually harassed if not outright assaulted (check trigger warnings). Descriptions of their physical attributes are very detailed. (A mild case of “she breasted boobingly syndrome”) Oh, not to mention, doing something “like a girl” is used as a mockery.
Despite me dunking on this book, Red Rising is an undoubtedly fun read with interesting world building that reminds me of The Hunger Games and Brave New World. The writing itself has a nice flow, so I finished reading within a few days.
Keep in mind, this is more of a fun and action driven read. It’s not a “deep” book. Oppressive regimes bad, nepotism bad, corruption bad, exploitation bad. It’s very on the nose with its messages. It’s unfortunate that a book that openly denounces oppression is full of misogyny and has 0 people of color (as if they couldn’t have red or golden irises smh).
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Blood, Excrement, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, Classism
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Rape
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, Classism
Moderate: Rape
Graphic: Misogyny
The premise of a lower color Red literally becoming a higher color Gold to take down the system was just so compelling. This first in the series was really only this large set of trials where their rules make no sense - that there is none - in order to become leader of all. It’s a long game. Which is what you need in order to read this book. I’m not a fan of mmc having such rage like Darrow - though some of it makes sense. Im just not a fan of unchecked rage in general; where Darrows was explained to come out of nowhere.
I don’t know if I’ll read the rest of the series. I’m intrigued, but not invested.
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Cannibalism
The reason why it doesn't get full 5 stars is because I needed some time to get used to the writing style. Especially in the beginning it felt more like it kept me on distance from Darrow. Also, I sometimes was confused why something was done or why something happened and if that would really work? Maybe it's the missing neural link in my brain?
I'll definitely continue the series! I'm excited to see what the author will do next because this book definitely set some standards and has done some things you'd see in latter books in other series. However, if you're strictly a sci-fi fan, this book might disappoint you because at least half of it doesn't really focus on sci-fi related topics or even the vibe you get from those stories.
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Misogyny, Cannibalism, Toxic friendship
Minor: Vomit
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, War, Classism
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
What I did enjoy most were some of the minor characters and that carried me through. I know this is the first novel in a long series so it's possible it gets a lot better. I may check out book 2.
Graphic: Rape, Torture, Murder, War
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny
Thankfully, the second half redeems the book. The character development improves dramatically, and even minor supporting characters gain depth, with distinct personalities and motivations that enrich the narrative. While the weak start impacts my overall rating, Red Rising is undeniably worth reading. I’m eager to continue with the series and see where Darrow’s journey leads.
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, War, Classism
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Cannibalism