A review by rumpixel
Red Rising by Pierce Brown

adventurous dark hopeful tense medium-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

4.5

The beginning of this book relies a little too heavily on some tired tropes. The second Eo was introduced, I knew home girl was going to be used as the crutch for Darrow's 'call to adventure'. It doesn't wholly detract from the impact and shape Darrow's grief and rage take, but she does become the manic pixie dream girl whose only story purpose was to love Darrow and thrust upon him a moral quest he otherwise had no interest in.

Once you get past that, the book becomes far more interesting. Nothing truly came out of nowhere in terms of plot twists, it's more like multiple plot points sit on a steady simmer on the backburner and you keep a wary eye on — which overall makes it a satisfying read. The world building was integrated throughout, I never felt bogged down with details. The game is brutal and fascinating. The relationships are what makes this book strong against my criticisms.

At the core of it, Darrow is a bit overpowered but he's also our conduit to engage with the wide cast of characters. All of them shine in their own way, even the deplorable ones. Sevro quickly became my favourite, the real MVP, and if he were the main character I think that would have diminished just how great he is to experience through Darrow's perspective. Darrow also fails enough times, either through his own hubris or miscalculated trust, that it offsets any feeling that he is invincible — in my opinion.

All in all, I'm definitely going to continue the series. I'm a sucker for a Greek/Roman God class system, and in the current age of late stage capitalism I'm particularly hungry to eat the rich >:3
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