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mariel_thecrownedgoddessreads's review
4.0
3.5 I'm very confused about my feelings for this book. I should ponder a little bit longer.
Edit: Well, it only took me 6 years...
I was torn between 3.5 and 4 stars for a while, but left it at 4 because it packs a lot of emotions. Darrow wasn't my favorite at all, but the secondary characters were great and a thrill to read.
The world building, especifically the cast system, is interesting.
If you're looking for action (on the gory side), great secondary characters (although the women´s narrative could use some improvement), a roman empire/patriarchy ruling kind of thing, this book is for you.
Edit: Well, it only took me 6 years...
I was torn between 3.5 and 4 stars for a while, but left it at 4 because it packs a lot of emotions. Darrow wasn't my favorite at all, but the secondary characters were great and a thrill to read.
The world building, especifically the cast system, is interesting.
If you're looking for action (on the gory side), great secondary characters (although the women´s narrative could use some improvement), a roman empire/patriarchy ruling kind of thing, this book is for you.
bookishblades's review
4.0
I loved this book. I flew through it so fast, it was gripping and kind of addicting even. And so damn fast-paced. That was the main reason why this book was so good, it's very dramatic and there aren't many pages where nothing happens. Seriously, those characters never have a quiet moment, they always have to fight or stay alert and look/watch out for others. There is a lot of world building, we learn something new in every chapter. Basically, we learn with Darrow. He has never left his mine before he arrives in the world of the Gold. So what he learns, the reader learns. And that is a lot. So much, that it is hard to keep up with everything sometimes. But the world building is interwoven with the story so well, that there are never really long passages of it, but little snippets here and there. And that makes it so interesting. And the story was so much darker than I expected it to be. There was so much blood and brutality and death. Sometimes it was actually hard to read.
The society is loosely based on the Romans. Well, at least the Golds seem to think of themselves as new Romans or something, conquering the solar system. They also all have Roman names which I like... that's just a personal thing but I like the sound of Roman names.
Darrow is a character I'm not exactly sure what to think about. In the beginning he appears to be a bit reckless, but not having a strong mind really. To be honest, he doesn't think that much at all. But as soon as everything changes in his life, he starts making own decisions and learning, learning so fast. He learns about society and how it functions, he understand people and their motives better. But he is still reckless and sometimes a bit stupid. Nevertheless he is strong and powerful. People are drawn to him for mainly those two things.
The most loyal friend Darrow finds is Sevro. I don't really understand why exactly he is so loyal to Darrow, but he could never leave Darrow for anything. He is a bit of a strange one, always swearing and always offending people in some way. He is small and not as pretty as most of the Golds are, which is why he is underestimated by almost everyone. But he is just as dangerous as Darrow, maybe even more. Sevro is the one to wait in the shadows to spring up at you and kill you.
Another friend (and love) he finds is a Golden girl which they call Mustang, thanks to her riding skills. Darrow and Mustang are still enemies at the beginning, but after a few encounters where they have to stick together to survive, they slowly form a friendship and fall in love with each other. She is headstrong and extremely smart. And she knows how to use her weapons.
Then there's Cassius. Darrow and Cassius become friends on their first day at the Institute. They are in the same House. A House is kind of your family for your time at the institute. There are twelve, and you have to conquer other houses to win the game. They both want to become leader of their house and even though they're rivals, they stay friends, plan together. What Cassius does not know, though, is that Darrow killed his younger brother.
Darrow and his friends are kind of unstoppable. But in the South looms a danger: the Jackal, the son of the mightiest man on Mars. He conquers House after House, being unstoppable as well. They hear stories of each other, but they only meet towards the end of the book.
Those are the most important characters, I think. I left one out though. And that is Eo, Darrow's wife who dies very early on in the story. And here comes the only thing I did not like about the story, a trope I've been hating forever: A girl dies to help the male protagonist grow. I mean, I understand why she is killed of. Well, kind of, at least. I just don't want those boys to develop only because some loved woman close to them died. Nope. Just nope. I think this could somehow have worked without her dying as well...
But apart from that one point, I liked this book so much. It was bloody and brutal, yes, but also direct and honest. The characters are treated horrible and thanks to the clear writing style and the brutal honesty, it is easy for the reader to feel with the characters and to imagine how bad it must be to be there. It seemed real at some points, even though it is a story set on Mars with weird human colours. But nevertheless it felt real and raw. And I enjoyed it so much.
The society is loosely based on the Romans. Well, at least the Golds seem to think of themselves as new Romans or something, conquering the solar system. They also all have Roman names which I like... that's just a personal thing but I like the sound of Roman names.
Darrow is a character I'm not exactly sure what to think about. In the beginning he appears to be a bit reckless, but not having a strong mind really. To be honest, he doesn't think that much at all. But as soon as everything changes in his life, he starts making own decisions and learning, learning so fast. He learns about society and how it functions, he understand people and their motives better. But he is still reckless and sometimes a bit stupid. Nevertheless he is strong and powerful. People are drawn to him for mainly those two things.
The most loyal friend Darrow finds is Sevro. I don't really understand why exactly he is so loyal to Darrow, but he could never leave Darrow for anything. He is a bit of a strange one, always swearing and always offending people in some way. He is small and not as pretty as most of the Golds are, which is why he is underestimated by almost everyone. But he is just as dangerous as Darrow, maybe even more. Sevro is the one to wait in the shadows to spring up at you and kill you.
Another friend (and love) he finds is a Golden girl which they call Mustang, thanks to her riding skills. Darrow and Mustang are still enemies at the beginning, but after a few encounters where they have to stick together to survive, they slowly form a friendship and fall in love with each other. She is headstrong and extremely smart. And she knows how to use her weapons.
Then there's Cassius. Darrow and Cassius become friends on their first day at the Institute. They are in the same House. A House is kind of your family for your time at the institute. There are twelve, and you have to conquer other houses to win the game. They both want to become leader of their house and even though they're rivals, they stay friends, plan together. What Cassius does not know, though, is that Darrow killed his younger brother.
Darrow and his friends are kind of unstoppable. But in the South looms a danger: the Jackal, the son of the mightiest man on Mars. He conquers House after House, being unstoppable as well. They hear stories of each other, but they only meet towards the end of the book.
Those are the most important characters, I think. I left one out though. And that is Eo, Darrow's wife who dies very early on in the story. And here comes the only thing I did not like about the story, a trope I've been hating forever: A girl dies to help the male protagonist grow. I mean, I understand why she is killed of. Well, kind of, at least. I just don't want those boys to develop only because some loved woman close to them died. Nope. Just nope. I think this could somehow have worked without her dying as well...
But apart from that one point, I liked this book so much. It was bloody and brutal, yes, but also direct and honest. The characters are treated horrible and thanks to the clear writing style and the brutal honesty, it is easy for the reader to feel with the characters and to imagine how bad it must be to be there. It seemed real at some points, even though it is a story set on Mars with weird human colours. But nevertheless it felt real and raw. And I enjoyed it so much.
alisoninbookland's review
3.0
Not what I was expecting. The audiobook was great though. Not sure if I want to continue but if I do it will on audio!
bibliophilebookclub's review
3.0
On my TBR for ages, I finally got around to reading this during the summer. It was a good read, I’ll get crucified for this, but I didn’t love it. There’s no denying the characterisation and world-building are excellent, and I did enjoy it, I just found myself a bit meh afterwards. That being said, I have the other two books in the series, and I will certainly be reading them, but I wouldn’t be bumping them to the top of the TBR.
ruthsic's review
4.0
Red Rising is an absolutely intense read of a book. Set at least 5 centuries into the future when humans are colonizing other planets, the story is about a Society built to resemble Roman empires - a system of hierarchy built on physical prowess. The protagonist, Darrow, is a Red, the lowest of the pyramid of power, and doesn't know that the Golds (the apex) have been keeping them as slaves rather than as pioneers to inhabit new planets. When his wife martyrs herself (they married really young) he sees no reason to live other than to bring the Society down. So, he disguises himself and infiltrates them so as to topple the empire from within. But first he has to pass the Institute so that he can integrate himself into the highest positions of the society. But the Institute itself is a battleground for the Golds, to teach them what is means to hold, wield and contain power and Darrow is an eager pupil.
The world-building for the series is well-constructed, with attention given to how the system would work. It doesn't rely simply on the Golds thinking themselves above the others - they know they can be toppled, they just learn how to keep hold on that power. The younger ones of the Golds, though, have been brought up in luxury and the older ones hold them to a system of power on merit - hence the Institute. Darrow, at first, sees how as a Red he was not to their level; he is intimidated by their superiority. The systemic hierarchy works because they are genetically bred that way. Darrow learning how to make his new status as a Gold work in his favor, how to balance between taking revenge and planning for his path - that was well-written. I look forward to seeing how his duality as a Gold in body but Red in heart would affect his psyche.
This all was good, but what I felt the author didn't pay attention to was the dynamics of gender equality; I find it a bit unbelievable that in a society where even the women are warriors like the men and are prime physical specimens, the society is still quite patriarchal. Like, I would expect more gender equality in the future! Also, I found that the women characters in the novel are mostly superfluous, except for Eo (who gets herself killed pretty early so that he can get motivated) and Mustang (who yields power to him, despite being a better leader? Also, her father doesn't see her as equal to her brother?) but then they are also kind of pushed aside for our protagonist. I really like Mustang and would love to see her have a more important position, story-wise, in future books.
The world-building for the series is well-constructed, with attention given to how the system would work. It doesn't rely simply on the Golds thinking themselves above the others - they know they can be toppled, they just learn how to keep hold on that power. The younger ones of the Golds, though, have been brought up in luxury and the older ones hold them to a system of power on merit - hence the Institute. Darrow, at first, sees how as a Red he was not to their level; he is intimidated by their superiority. The systemic hierarchy works because they are genetically bred that way. Darrow learning how to make his new status as a Gold work in his favor, how to balance between taking revenge and planning for his path - that was well-written. I look forward to seeing how his duality as a Gold in body but Red in heart would affect his psyche.
This all was good, but what I felt the author didn't pay attention to was the dynamics of gender equality; I find it a bit unbelievable that in a society where even the women are warriors like the men and are prime physical specimens, the society is still quite patriarchal. Like, I would expect more gender equality in the future! Also, I found that the women characters in the novel are mostly superfluous, except for Eo (who gets herself killed pretty early so that he can get motivated) and Mustang (who yields power to him, despite being a better leader? Also, her father doesn't see her as equal to her brother?) but then they are also kind of pushed aside for our protagonist. I really like Mustang and would love to see her have a more important position, story-wise, in future books.
trishsayshi's review
3.0
It wasn’t for me personally, but I understand why others had a good time with it.
btrz7's review
3.0
I suppose I would call this book extremely derivative. It's a general opinion I've seen and I can only agree with it. It's been true for most dystopias that have come out since the success of The Hunger Games, only some are more successful than others, and I think this falls into the successful category, if only for the fact that despite my inability to stop comparing it to every other dystopian book I've read I still enjoyed it.
We have a universe/solar system divided into a hierarchy of colors, where each color has its position in the Society pyramid, with its assigned roles in the maintenance of life and differences between colors are physical and genetic, apparently. In this world, Red is the lowest color, with their assigned roles involving slaving away at underground mines without ever seeing the surface and being maintained in a perpetual lie, and Gold is the highest color, destined to lead and conquer and have everything at their disposition, almost as if they were Gods. Of course this creates discontentment and there's a resistance group called the Sons of Ares, who choose our protagonist, a low Red, to be their hero.
Up until here, nothing new, and beyond that we continue into familiar territory. The hero is transformed into a fine specimen and goes undercover in Gold Society, having to survive the Institute (could you get more generic?) to have a chance in rising in power. The Institute is basically the Hunger Games with Greco-Roman influence.
But again, despite all this lack of originality I still found myself entertained at the games and with the science-fiction elements of the story, so I guess it was worth reading.
We have a universe/solar system divided into a hierarchy of colors, where each color has its position in the Society pyramid, with its assigned roles in the maintenance of life and differences between colors are physical and genetic, apparently. In this world, Red is the lowest color, with their assigned roles involving slaving away at underground mines without ever seeing the surface and being maintained in a perpetual lie, and Gold is the highest color, destined to lead and conquer and have everything at their disposition, almost as if they were Gods. Of course this creates discontentment and there's a resistance group called the Sons of Ares, who choose our protagonist, a low Red, to be their hero.
Up until here, nothing new, and beyond that we continue into familiar territory. The hero is transformed into a fine specimen and goes undercover in Gold Society, having to survive the Institute (could you get more generic?) to have a chance in rising in power. The Institute is basically the Hunger Games with Greco-Roman influence.
But again, despite all this lack of originality I still found myself entertained at the games and with the science-fiction elements of the story, so I guess it was worth reading.
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