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A review by ammm1990
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
adventurous
dark
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
4.25
The prose is at times a little too YA-y, if that makes sense (something I think Brown improves on steadily throughout the series), and can feel a little too adolescent male fantasy-esque at times--think Kvothe from the Kingkiller Chronicles.
However, those things do not stop this from being a really fun, and at times quite thought-provoking characters who you'll either love, hate, hate to love, or love to hate. Pretty much every named character has enough depth and substance to make them unique and interesting, and all of them develop in compelling ways. There are strong male and female characters, and strong characters from every caste that exists within the world (roughly analogous to our world's races and socioeconomic statuses rolled into one). Even the characters who seem like the unambiguous bad guys often have internal justifications that make sense within the context of the world, and you'll fluctuate between hating their guts and pitying them, and even the best people who are fighting on the side of justice are often corruptible and not above committing acts of heinous cruelty and brutality.
I loved each successive book in the trilogy more, but this one is excellent even on its own, and kept me going at breakneck speeds, reading irresponsibly late into the night every night until I was done.
However, those things do not stop this from being a really fun, and at times quite thought-provoking characters who you'll either love, hate, hate to love, or love to hate. Pretty much every named character has enough depth and substance to make them unique and interesting, and all of them develop in compelling ways. There are strong male and female characters, and strong characters from every caste that exists within the world (roughly analogous to our world's races and socioeconomic statuses rolled into one). Even the characters who seem like the unambiguous bad guys often have internal justifications that make sense within the context of the world, and you'll fluctuate between hating their guts and pitying them, and even the best people who are fighting on the side of justice are often corruptible and not above committing acts of heinous cruelty and brutality.
I loved each successive book in the trilogy more, but this one is excellent even on its own, and kept me going at breakneck speeds, reading irresponsibly late into the night every night until I was done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Murder
Moderate: Animal death and Rape