You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, War
Moderate: Slavery, Torture
Minor: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual content
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-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
This was a learning experience for me to not give second chances to a series whose first book I did not enjoy. I wanted to DNF this so badly but sadly, I have not overcome my completion perfectionism at this time. I’m happy for everyone who loved this book and I don’t want to rain on everyone’s parade, these are just my opinions I wrote for my own sieve-like memory.
The world-building continues to be very unrealistic to me. With the way the series started, I thought the world would grow massively in scope with complex political and societal intrigue, but it stayed very simplistic. There’s plenty of side-switching and betrayals, but really there’s only a few key players within three distinct groups who achieve their ends through violence. In my opinion, when civilization becomes more technologically-advanced there is less physical aggression. Not less violence or oppression, but technology does the dirty work for them, and violence manifests in more subtle ways. Not here - this is a society of people in which every single person without fail is obsessed with physical strength and posturing as a signal of power. It felt like watching a group of teen boys argue and threaten to meet each other outside, not world-leaders.
Along the same vein, the characters do not feel well-developed or believable at all. Every single character speaks the same way with the same childish bravado and schoolyard insults. Every single character is triggered by a lack of respect or insult to their dominance. From the lowest on the hierarchy to the literal tip, there is nothing that distinguishes one character’s voice from another. People also become loyal to the death for seemingly no reason, because without depth of both characters and seeing a relationship develop on page, why would someone die for another?
There is very little substance beneath the empty dialogue and fast-paced yet still somehow boring plot. Darrow is ultimately fighting for the freedom of the people oppressed within the society’s hierarchy, but that is where the “point” of it all starts and ends. Nobody plans or much less thinks about what it means to free 18 billion people, how that would happen, the societal changes that would occur, or anything realistic beyond rich overlords = bad, let’s take it all over and do it better. It lacks the sociological grounding in real life that better dystopians like The Hunger Games have.
The writing style was also not my cup of tea. The choppy sentence fragments got old very fast, not to mention (again) the constant childish insults. Needless to say, I will not be continuing on with this series.
The world-building continues to be very unrealistic to me. With the way the series started, I thought the world would grow massively in scope with complex political and societal intrigue, but it stayed very simplistic. There’s plenty of side-switching and betrayals, but really there’s only a few key players within three distinct groups who achieve their ends through violence. In my opinion, when civilization becomes more technologically-advanced there is less physical aggression. Not less violence or oppression, but technology does the dirty work for them, and violence manifests in more subtle ways. Not here - this is a society of people in which every single person without fail is obsessed with physical strength and posturing as a signal of power. It felt like watching a group of teen boys argue and threaten to meet each other outside, not world-leaders.
Along the same vein, the characters do not feel well-developed or believable at all. Every single character speaks the same way with the same childish bravado and schoolyard insults. Every single character is triggered by a lack of respect or insult to their dominance. From the lowest on the hierarchy to the literal tip, there is nothing that distinguishes one character’s voice from another. People also become loyal to the death for seemingly no reason, because without depth of both characters and seeing a relationship develop on page, why would someone die for another?
There is very little substance beneath the empty dialogue and fast-paced yet still somehow boring plot. Darrow is ultimately fighting for the freedom of the people oppressed within the society’s hierarchy, but that is where the “point” of it all starts and ends. Nobody plans or much less thinks about what it means to free 18 billion people, how that would happen, the societal changes that would occur, or anything realistic beyond rich overlords = bad, let’s take it all over and do it better. It lacks the sociological grounding in real life that better dystopians like The Hunger Games have.
The writing style was also not my cup of tea. The choppy sentence fragments got old very fast, not to mention (again) the constant childish insults. Needless to say, I will not be continuing on with this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Grief
Minor: Rape, Sexual content, Torture, Pregnancy
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn’t think it could get better than the first one until the second half. I feel like I know what has to happen and what’s left is how the hell they’re supposed to get there.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood, Grief
Minor: Rape, Torture, Vomit
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Rape, Cannibalism
adventurous
dark
reflective
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:
Complicated
The second installment in the Red Rising series moves much more slowly than the first. While the storyline was intriguing and the plot did move forward, the pacing was stop-and-go, with bursts of dramatic action and conflict punctuating long periods of Darrow's inner monologue and explorations of the nuanced politics of the realm. Overall, although the writing was good and the characters grew a little more complex, I think this book was longer than it needed to be, and it didn't leave me feeling like the plot had shifted majorly from where the first book ended. The last chapter was exciting and held some plot twists that made me curious, but I think I'll take a break from the series before jumping into the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder
Minor: Rape
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, War
Moderate: Slavery, Torture, Blood
Minor: Rape, Sexual content, Cannibalism
I felt like the first was a slog. As many have said he doesn't show much just kind of tells. Feels more like he wants to just throw around roman philosophers and history, with lots of violence and a very high amount of sexual violence that really just really soured the mood. I get there may be some in dystopias and things. But it felt like it was a lot. And having to read about two 16 year olds being so lustfully at the start felt odd to me too. I get in their society it was a thing but again, focusing on it so much felt like a choice that made me uncomfortable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Classism
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Cannibalism
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Classism
Moderate: Genocide, Grief, Murder
Minor: Rape