Scan barcode
A review by sarahmsklar8
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
3.0
Age of reviewer: 36
Part of me really dislikes this book, but I am a sucker for political fantasy/sci-fi.
Men, don't hate me for this, but this was very much written by a man, for men, in a very stereotypical sense. Red Rising tries to be this profound political revelation, but it reads hollow and ignorant. The prose was manufactured in a way that makes the common man feel intellectual, substituting value for filler with the goal of inciting an uprising to bring down their oppressors without actually understanding who or what they are fighting. It's a clever tactic of tricking the pawns to fight a battle while thinking it was their idea all along.
Darrow is the most arrogant "hero" and truly perfect for the role of leader of the uprising, in the sense that his "holier-than-thou" mentally is exactly the same as the Golds he intends to overthrow.
While the plot itself has intrigue, the depictions are incredibly lacking.
In a story about a lowest class rising up against those at the top, Brown misses his own point and has his MC hero even overlook them.
"The brown and pink servants are scared of her, and me. I watch them skitter away. My distant cousins." Showing the connection Darrow has with the servants, yet Brown goes on to describe them as nothing more than "The beautiful boy" (ch. 43, page 363).
At this point I realized I really don't know what the main characters even look like. Descriptions are very surface level and superficial.
The entire book is telling the reader, rather than showing them. I find the writing to be stiff and informative. Like I am getting a quick debrief rather than living in the moment.
Battle scenes are written "A squad of seven Grays try to take me down. But my pulseShield protects me from their scorchers." (Ch. 42, pg 358). Sir. This is nearing the end of the book. This highly anticipated battle. How is this the detail you provide when in the first paragraph of chapter 1, Darrow reflects on when his father was hanged, you gave us "I just watched and thought it a shame that he died dancing but without his dancing shoes." You give the reader sprinkles of brilliance, but it is ultimately lipstick on a pig.
Tik Tok @Abbysbookishcorner summed it up so well when she said "it's a representation of male rage, which burns fast, hard, is pointless, and accomplishes very little."
Part of me really dislikes this book, but I am a sucker for political fantasy/sci-fi.
Men, don't hate me for this, but this was very much written by a man, for men, in a very stereotypical sense. Red Rising tries to be this profound political revelation, but it reads hollow and ignorant. The prose was manufactured in a way that makes the common man feel intellectual, substituting value for filler with the goal of inciting an uprising to bring down their oppressors without actually understanding who or what they are fighting. It's a clever tactic of tricking the pawns to fight a battle while thinking it was their idea all along.
Darrow is the most arrogant "hero" and truly perfect for the role of leader of the uprising, in the sense that his "holier-than-thou" mentally is exactly the same as the Golds he intends to overthrow.
While the plot itself has intrigue, the depictions are incredibly lacking.
In a story about a lowest class rising up against those at the top, Brown misses his own point and has his MC hero even overlook them.
"The brown and pink servants are scared of her, and me. I watch them skitter away. My distant cousins." Showing the connection Darrow has with the servants, yet Brown goes on to describe them as nothing more than "The beautiful boy" (ch. 43, page 363).
At this point I realized I really don't know what the main characters even look like. Descriptions are very surface level and superficial.
The entire book is telling the reader, rather than showing them. I find the writing to be stiff and informative. Like I am getting a quick debrief rather than living in the moment.
Battle scenes are written "A squad of seven Grays try to take me down. But my pulseShield protects me from their scorchers." (Ch. 42, pg 358). Sir. This is nearing the end of the book. This highly anticipated battle. How is this the detail you provide when in the first paragraph of chapter 1, Darrow reflects on when his father was hanged, you gave us "I just watched and thought it a shame that he died dancing but without his dancing shoes." You give the reader sprinkles of brilliance, but it is ultimately lipstick on a pig.
Tik Tok @Abbysbookishcorner summed it up so well when she said "it's a representation of male rage, which burns fast, hard, is pointless, and accomplishes very little."