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ace_cate's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
3.75
Take a shot everytime Darrow mentions his hands.
Don’t think i’ve ever read a book that made me sit up in shock and anticipation so much. A dark, dystopian, incredibly well written adventure that immediately gets you hooked into the universe Brown has created.
Almost every character is presented as complicated and fleshed out(occasionally when unnecessary, the book did try to make me feel bad for a r*pist for half a page) and you constantly switch from loving Darrow to becoming incredibly frustrated at him. The world building for this series has began fantastically, so much so that I actually became a bit annoyed when we left this world to enter the ‘game’ for the remaining 3/4 of the book. The action scenes might be some of the best i’ve ever read.
Overall this first entry has got me incredibly excited for the rest of this series where we’ll become more immersed in this ‘society’ of humanities far-future solar system and the adventures of Darrow.
Don’t think i’ve ever read a book that made me sit up in shock and anticipation so much. A dark, dystopian, incredibly well written adventure that immediately gets you hooked into the universe Brown has created.
Almost every character is presented as complicated and fleshed out
Overall this first entry has got me incredibly excited for the rest of this series where we’ll become more immersed in this ‘society’ of humanities far-future solar system and the adventures of Darrow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Gore and Rape
Minor: Homophobia and Cannibalism
margarcia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Rape, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, and War
megpoarch's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Best book I have read in 2024 hands down.
If you're interested in dystopian, trials and tribulations, twist and turning plot give this a read.
Spoiler below:
Darrow leaves his life as a Red to fight the system, to then be thrown into a hunger games style survival of the fittest schooling that turns out to be rigged??? IM GAGED!!! The highest of Society preaches of hierarchy and rules but no one is actually playing by those rules. How is he actually going to break the chains?
If you're interested in dystopian, trials and tribulations, twist and turning plot give this a read.
Spoiler below:
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Racism, Slavery, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Rape
odcosta's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-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
5.0
Damn. This was excellent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Violence, Murder, War, and Classism
matildaesandell's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thoroughly enjoyed this book, once I had an idea of what was going on! Definitely confusing with so many characters and houses and colours, but once you sort of have your head around it the rest of the story is very entertaining. Clearly lots of thought was put into this book with all the easter eggs, and plot twist after plot twist at the end. There were so many little parts that had me running to talk about them with my partner. I struggled a bit with deciding on a star rating because I know I enjoyed this book, but just found it so hard to understand at times. With time and discussion I have landed on 4 stars because I think it is clever, I enjoyed my reading experience and I will be continuing with this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Rape
evelynmb_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
sardonicdeath's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Pinecone cousins
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, and Classism
Moderate: Death
Minor: Alcoholism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
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
persychan's review against another edition
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
2,5 perchè si sentono tutti i loro anni e perchè il setting è tutto tranne che scifi, anche se finge di esserlo.
Il libro nel suo insieme è godibile, ben scritto e ha delle scene di azione incalzante, ma ha due grandi scogli.
La misoginia e omofobia casuale, che mentre in parte è giustificata dal "la società è terribile", è frequentemente anche figlia di "l'autore non sa scrivere i personaggi femminili ed esistono solo per essere belle, essere soggette a violenza sessuale o morire".
Eo è il più grande esempio di fridging dalla creazione del trope stesso (e c'è una seconda donna morta minore nel background di Darrow, nel caso non fosse abbastanza la moglie morta), ma anche le "badass" sono principalmente definite dal loro essere belle, piuttosto che qualunque altra cosa. E lo stesso LI che dovrebbe essere una tosta e fichissima, finisce per dover essere salvata 2 volte mentre è impossibilitata a fare nulla (compreso di rischio di stupro).
Ah sì, la quantità di violenza sessuale, grazie a dio non descritta, è assolutamente gratuita. Ma la tortura "normale", no eh? Poi ovviamente vittime solo donne.
Ah, la bellezza del ricco worldbuilding del futuro.
Superato questo, il secondo scoglio è che il setting ha pochissimo senso nel contesto scifi se ti fermi a pensarci cinque minuti e avrebbe funzionato meglio o da fantasy o da più vicino nel tempo cyberpunk/distopia. Soprattutto le tempistiche risultano bizzarre perchè sono almeno 500 che la loro società funziona così, nonostante siano sull'orlo di una guerra civile politica di faide ad ogni ricambio generazionele perchè è un sistema, volutamente, costruito per dare vita a suddette faide di sangue tra le famiglie al potere.
Come non si siano ancora cannonneggiate quando al potere c'è gente con PTSD grosso come delle case, addestrati alla violenza e con rancori e vendette in ogni famiglia, il tutto mentre l'intero sistema di caste sembra reggersi sul nulla se non vaga violenza (perchè ha sempre funzionato per tenere in piedi un reggime per secoli oh yeah), è un mistero divino.
Leggero il resto? Se lo trovo usato e se ho modo di leggerlo, come questo, facendo commenti sarcastici con gli amici.
Il libro nel suo insieme è godibile, ben scritto e ha delle scene di azione incalzante, ma ha due grandi scogli.
La misoginia e omofobia casuale, che mentre in parte è giustificata dal "la società è terribile", è frequentemente anche figlia di "l'autore non sa scrivere i personaggi femminili ed esistono solo per essere belle, essere soggette a violenza sessuale o morire".
Eo è il più grande esempio di fridging dalla creazione del trope stesso (e c'è una seconda donna morta minore nel background di Darrow, nel caso non fosse abbastanza la moglie morta), ma anche le "badass" sono principalmente definite dal loro essere belle, piuttosto che qualunque altra cosa. E lo stesso LI che dovrebbe essere una tosta e fichissima, finisce per dover essere salvata 2 volte mentre è impossibilitata a fare nulla (compreso di rischio di stupro).
Ah sì, la quantità di violenza sessuale, grazie a dio non descritta, è assolutamente gratuita. Ma la tortura "normale", no eh? Poi ovviamente vittime solo donne.
Ah, la bellezza del ricco worldbuilding del futuro.
Superato questo, il secondo scoglio è che il setting ha pochissimo senso nel contesto scifi se ti fermi a pensarci cinque minuti e avrebbe funzionato meglio o da fantasy o da più vicino nel tempo cyberpunk/distopia. Soprattutto le tempistiche risultano bizzarre perchè sono almeno 500 che la loro società funziona così, nonostante siano sull'orlo di una guerra civile politica di faide ad ogni ricambio generazionele perchè è un sistema, volutamente, costruito per dare vita a suddette faide di sangue tra le famiglie al potere.
Come non si siano ancora cannonneggiate quando al potere c'è gente con PTSD grosso come delle case, addestrati alla violenza e con rancori e vendette in ogni famiglia, il tutto mentre l'intero sistema di caste sembra reggersi sul nulla se non vaga violenza (perchè ha sempre funzionato per tenere in piedi un reggime per secoli oh yeah), è un mistero divino.
Leggero il resto? Se lo trovo usato e se ho modo di leggerlo, come questo, facendo commenti sarcastici con gli amici.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Classism
Minor: Homophobia, Cannibalism, and War
shelfreflectionofficial's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“I am no Gold. I am a Red… Forged in the bowels of this hard world. Sharpened by hate. Strengthened by love.”
“I am the spark that will set the worlds afire. I am the hammer that cracks the chains.”
I’m a little late to the Red Rising Party as this book came out in 2014, but I’m happy to be here and since all the books are out I’m also happy I don’t have to wait for the next one!
This is your classic dystopian fantasy/sci-fi series about classism and the rebellion against the ruling elite. It’s similar to Hunger Games, Maze Runner, and Lord of the Flies but a more intense, adult version. Yes, there are a bunch of youths fighting one another in an arena of sorts where the rules constantly change, the outcome appears rigged, and their humanity is on the brink of being lost forever. But they are in space and the writing is more graphic and ruthless.
Just like Katniss wasn’t like any other fighter in her arena, so too is this series’ hero— Darrow who has his own special skills and back story. Also like Katniss, he comes from the lowest ‘class’ and is fighting against the elite, ruling class. He will also become the face of the rebellion (at least that’s what this series seems to be telling me). His motivations for winning are also what sets him apart from the others he is fighting.
Somehow the Society has not figured out that if you kill someone’s wife you are the catalyst for creating your own demise because that man will rise up like a superhuman warrior and rip your throats out. Or something close to it. [See Gladiator, Braveheart, Memento, Sweeney Todd, Law-Abiding Citizen, or Rocky IV if Apollo Creed was wife...] Seems like this should be bad-guy-101: killing wives spawns rebel warriors.
I mean I was just 40 pages in and my heart was already ripped out so that was fun. But it did immediately invest me in the success of Darrow. The stakes felt very high throughout the whole book.
This series is six books long so I’m curious how many diversions we will have before Darrow gets his revenge, but I love a good story of justice served so I’m here for it. However, one main theme in this book is Darrow figuring out the difference between revenge and justice. He is not a perfect hero and I’m not sure what we will have to go through to reach that justice and if it will be worth it in the end. That is the draw of the story for me now.
“They want my memory short. But all my people sing of are memories… I must not become like them. I’ll remember that every sin, every death, every sacrifice, is for freedom.”
This book did take a while to get into because you’re dropped right into the middle of this foreign world, a terraformed Mars, and this colony of Reds has their own vernacular. It takes a minute to figure out what’s what, who’s who, and why it matters.
I definitely felt immersed in the world. It probably helped that I was able to read large chunks of the book at a time. I think especially when you first start this book you should have the ability to read a big chunk first or it might lose you.
Although, overall, I felt the world-building was good, I think there are still parts of the world I’m struggling to picture. I don’t know what a terraformed Mars looks like because the planet is red. But in this book there are mountains , snow, forests and water and so I’m struggling to understand the science behind how this happens— are they in a big bubble of some kind? Or is that aspect just something I need to accept as ‘the way it is.’ Because although they are in space, Earth is not obsolete. It’s not as if Earth was destroyed hundreds of years ago so I’m still wrapping my mind around the setting.
Basic Premise
Darrow is sixteen and part of the Red Colony. Everyone on Mars is divided into social classes identified by color: Oranges are technicians, Obsidians are soldiers, Coppers are bureaucrats, Yellows are doctors, Reds are diggers, etc. And of course the highest of all are the prestigious, genetically modified to be superior Golds.
The Reds are so low on the totem pole that they don’t even realize that they have been enslaved. They think their work mining helium-3 is essential to the planet becoming habitable for everyone eventually.
In this colony marriage happens young. Darrow has a wife. Life is hard, but he is content to dig and come home to the love of his life. It is enough and the work feels important.
“Without me, she would not eat. Without her, I would not live.”
The hierarchy is unfair and oppressive, but rebellion comes at too high of a cost.
“We are a people of dance and song and family. It is the one resistance we can manage against the Society that rules us… Yet to remind us of our place, they make one song and one dance punishable by death. My father made that dance his last.”
Like his father, Darrow’s wife has a dream of rebellion and freedom. In one of her last acts she shows Darrow a glimpse of the world above— the planet has already been habitable for many years and has been built on the backs of the Reds who will never see the spoils of their labor. They are supposed to stay enslaved in the lies and oppressed into submission.
She sees what Darrow could become.
“Emptiness is living chained by fear, fear of loss, of death. Break the chains of fear and you break the chains that bind us to the Golds, to the Society. Mars could be ours.”
At her punishment for going outside the boundaries, she sings the forbidden song and both Darrow and her pay the ultimate cost.
In a bitter twist, Darrow does not find himself in the vale with his wife. Death has not claimed him. Instead a band of rebels with connections arranges for his ‘rebirth’ into the society above. They plan to infiltrate the Gold from within in order to bring them down. Darrow, Red to the bone, becomes a Gold, tutored in their ways and mannerisms. Gold in the face, but Red in the heart.
“I’m a sheep wearing wolves’ clothing in a pack of wolves.”
The first step for him is entrance into the academy that will send him on the needed trajectory for leadership over armies or squadrons. Part of the entrance process involves an elaborate capture the flag ‘game’ between the twelve ‘houses’ of the Society. While it’s not specifically a fight to the death like Hunger Games, death, torture, mutilation, and rape become acceptable practices as the Gold warriors compete to win the accolades and the best job prospects post-game.
“You’ll realize you are a good man who will have to do bad things.”
“That’s what they are teaching us, not only the pain in gaining power, but the desperation that comes when you are not a Gold.”
Love and War
It is always interesting to read these kind of books that challenge the idea of violence as entertainment or that expose people’s true violent capability.
Why do we enjoy these books?
“What we must study is humanity. In order to rule, ours must be the study of political, psychological, and behavioral science— how desperate human beings react to one another, how packs form, how armies function, how things fall apart and why. You could learn this nowhere else but here.”
Perhaps we tell ourselves that this is extreme and this would never happen to us. Perhaps we think we are learning. It’s something worth pondering. But whatever we think as we’re reading, I think it would be hard to deny that what we must come to grips with is our own capacity for evil. Pushed to their limits or put in a crucible of the right ingredients, people will do unspeakable things.
People aren’t inherently good. We have something inside us that wants to always choose the selfish option. Self-preservation. Anyone but me. We’re pretty good at justifying our actions so we don’t have to confront our own sinfulness.
There is no doubt that we need a Savior. And thank God we don’t have to rebirth our own version of one we cross our fingers will be enough to bring us freedom. There is a man perfect and holy enough to live the life we never could and die the death we deserved, not because he was pushed to the limits, but because he willingly offered Himself out of love for his enemies. Us.
That person is Jesus. And his sacrifice is a done deal. No finger-crossing required.
These kinds of books remind me that I am thankful for that sacrifice. I am thankful that he has the cure for my own sin. He has the freedom that releases me from being enslaved to my own selfishness and I don’t have to sew myself into a horse carcass to get it.
These thoughts bring me to this quote from the book:
“Love and war are two different battlefields.”
Is it true?
Recommendation
I would definitely recommend this book and series as long as you can handle the violence. It’s not for everyone and that’s totally okay. There are plenty of other books to read.
I also would not recommend this for teenagers. It is definitely a different level than Hunger Games and even though the characters are teenagers, I wouldn’t say it’s appropriate for young readers.
I am looking forward to continuing this series and watching the trajectory of justice take its course.
[Content Advisory: The world-building includes a new vernacular for swearing. I suppose that makes it easier to read because they aren’t traditional swear words but there is still some crassness in the dialogue and obviously a lot of gore and violence.]
“I am the spark that will set the worlds afire. I am the hammer that cracks the chains.”
I’m a little late to the Red Rising Party as this book came out in 2014, but I’m happy to be here and since all the books are out I’m also happy I don’t have to wait for the next one!
This is your classic dystopian fantasy/sci-fi series about classism and the rebellion against the ruling elite. It’s similar to Hunger Games, Maze Runner, and Lord of the Flies but a more intense, adult version. Yes, there are a bunch of youths fighting one another in an arena of sorts where the rules constantly change, the outcome appears rigged, and their humanity is on the brink of being lost forever. But they are in space and the writing is more graphic and ruthless.
Just like Katniss wasn’t like any other fighter in her arena, so too is this series’ hero— Darrow who has his own special skills and back story. Also like Katniss, he comes from the lowest ‘class’ and is fighting against the elite, ruling class. He will also become the face of the rebellion (at least that’s what this series seems to be telling me). His motivations for winning are also what sets him apart from the others he is fighting.
Somehow the Society has not figured out that if you kill someone’s wife you are the catalyst for creating your own demise because that man will rise up like a superhuman warrior and rip your throats out. Or something close to it. [See Gladiator, Braveheart, Memento, Sweeney Todd, Law-Abiding Citizen, or Rocky IV if Apollo Creed was wife...] Seems like this should be bad-guy-101: killing wives spawns rebel warriors.
I mean I was just 40 pages in and my heart was already ripped out so that was fun. But it did immediately invest me in the success of Darrow. The stakes felt very high throughout the whole book.
This series is six books long so I’m curious how many diversions we will have before Darrow gets his revenge, but I love a good story of justice served so I’m here for it. However, one main theme in this book is Darrow figuring out the difference between revenge and justice. He is not a perfect hero and I’m not sure what we will have to go through to reach that justice and if it will be worth it in the end. That is the draw of the story for me now.
“They want my memory short. But all my people sing of are memories… I must not become like them. I’ll remember that every sin, every death, every sacrifice, is for freedom.”
This book did take a while to get into because you’re dropped right into the middle of this foreign world, a terraformed Mars, and this colony of Reds has their own vernacular. It takes a minute to figure out what’s what, who’s who, and why it matters.
I definitely felt immersed in the world. It probably helped that I was able to read large chunks of the book at a time. I think especially when you first start this book you should have the ability to read a big chunk first or it might lose you.
Although, overall, I felt the world-building was good, I think there are still parts of the world I’m struggling to picture. I don’t know what a terraformed Mars looks like because the planet is red. But in this book there are mountains , snow, forests and water and so I’m struggling to understand the science behind how this happens— are they in a big bubble of some kind? Or is that aspect just something I need to accept as ‘the way it is.’ Because although they are in space, Earth is not obsolete. It’s not as if Earth was destroyed hundreds of years ago so I’m still wrapping my mind around the setting.
Basic Premise
Darrow is sixteen and part of the Red Colony. Everyone on Mars is divided into social classes identified by color: Oranges are technicians, Obsidians are soldiers, Coppers are bureaucrats, Yellows are doctors, Reds are diggers, etc. And of course the highest of all are the prestigious, genetically modified to be superior Golds.
The Reds are so low on the totem pole that they don’t even realize that they have been enslaved. They think their work mining helium-3 is essential to the planet becoming habitable for everyone eventually.
In this colony marriage happens young. Darrow has a wife. Life is hard, but he is content to dig and come home to the love of his life. It is enough and the work feels important.
“Without me, she would not eat. Without her, I would not live.”
The hierarchy is unfair and oppressive, but rebellion comes at too high of a cost.
“We are a people of dance and song and family. It is the one resistance we can manage against the Society that rules us… Yet to remind us of our place, they make one song and one dance punishable by death. My father made that dance his last.”
Like his father, Darrow’s wife has a dream of rebellion and freedom. In one of her last acts she shows Darrow a glimpse of the world above— the planet has already been habitable for many years and has been built on the backs of the Reds who will never see the spoils of their labor. They are supposed to stay enslaved in the lies and oppressed into submission.
She sees what Darrow could become.
“Emptiness is living chained by fear, fear of loss, of death. Break the chains of fear and you break the chains that bind us to the Golds, to the Society. Mars could be ours.”
At her punishment for going outside the boundaries, she sings the forbidden song and both Darrow and her pay the ultimate cost.
In a bitter twist, Darrow does not find himself in the vale with his wife. Death has not claimed him. Instead a band of rebels with connections arranges for his ‘rebirth’ into the society above. They plan to infiltrate the Gold from within in order to bring them down. Darrow, Red to the bone, becomes a Gold, tutored in their ways and mannerisms. Gold in the face, but Red in the heart.
“I’m a sheep wearing wolves’ clothing in a pack of wolves.”
The first step for him is entrance into the academy that will send him on the needed trajectory for leadership over armies or squadrons. Part of the entrance process involves an elaborate capture the flag ‘game’ between the twelve ‘houses’ of the Society. While it’s not specifically a fight to the death like Hunger Games, death, torture, mutilation, and rape become acceptable practices as the Gold warriors compete to win the accolades and the best job prospects post-game.
“You’ll realize you are a good man who will have to do bad things.”
“That’s what they are teaching us, not only the pain in gaining power, but the desperation that comes when you are not a Gold.”
Love and War
It is always interesting to read these kind of books that challenge the idea of violence as entertainment or that expose people’s true violent capability.
Why do we enjoy these books?
“What we must study is humanity. In order to rule, ours must be the study of political, psychological, and behavioral science— how desperate human beings react to one another, how packs form, how armies function, how things fall apart and why. You could learn this nowhere else but here.”
Perhaps we tell ourselves that this is extreme and this would never happen to us. Perhaps we think we are learning. It’s something worth pondering. But whatever we think as we’re reading, I think it would be hard to deny that what we must come to grips with is our own capacity for evil. Pushed to their limits or put in a crucible of the right ingredients, people will do unspeakable things.
People aren’t inherently good. We have something inside us that wants to always choose the selfish option. Self-preservation. Anyone but me. We’re pretty good at justifying our actions so we don’t have to confront our own sinfulness.
There is no doubt that we need a Savior. And thank God we don’t have to rebirth our own version of one we cross our fingers will be enough to bring us freedom. There is a man perfect and holy enough to live the life we never could and die the death we deserved, not because he was pushed to the limits, but because he willingly offered Himself out of love for his enemies. Us.
That person is Jesus. And his sacrifice is a done deal. No finger-crossing required.
These kinds of books remind me that I am thankful for that sacrifice. I am thankful that he has the cure for my own sin. He has the freedom that releases me from being enslaved to my own selfishness and I don’t have to sew myself into a horse carcass to get it.
These thoughts bring me to this quote from the book:
“Love and war are two different battlefields.”
Is it true?
Recommendation
I would definitely recommend this book and series as long as you can handle the violence. It’s not for everyone and that’s totally okay. There are plenty of other books to read.
I also would not recommend this for teenagers. It is definitely a different level than Hunger Games and even though the characters are teenagers, I wouldn’t say it’s appropriate for young readers.
I am looking forward to continuing this series and watching the trajectory of justice take its course.
[Content Advisory: The world-building includes a new vernacular for swearing. I suppose that makes it easier to read because they aren’t traditional swear words but there is still some crassness in the dialogue and obviously a lot of gore and violence.]
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Minor: Rape