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A review by c_serpent
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
So.
The writing in this book isn't bad. it's what got me to 30%. But it's the Hunger Games in space with a boy instead of Katniss and none of the nuance. And the things that happened in the plot were just???
Like. His wife (yes he's married at 16 years old) gets fridged in the first 15%. And I didn't have high hopes when his wife dies and literally directly after he meets some people and one of them is a woman and he instantly thinks "she is beautiful, even more than my wife" and like? have some respect it's been 48 hours.
The narrator of this audiobook was great. He gives Darrow this lovely Irish brogue. But then this guy Mateo tells Darrow that they're going to have to rid him of his brogue and?? The brogue was almost the only thing keeping me on. Because Darrow, bless his heart, doesn't have a personality. He's sad at night because his wife died, and he's angry, and he wants to hold onto his identity, but not in a meaningful way. He just doesn't have a personality, and that he therefore cannot propel the story forward.
I knew instantly that the minute he falls in love or this book otherwise becomes unbearable I'm out. I am not interested, Thanks But No Thanks!
Then around 29% he sees this Gold girl naked they both blushed and it's a countdown: how far can i get into this book before he falls in love with an amoral member of the highest caste despite having a dead wife from the lowest caste that was his everything?
Also they eradicated his brogue, and I'm out, just like I said. Because THEN I looked up spoilers and the blonde girl he thinks is hot is the daughter of the man who killed his wife and they fall in love ANYWAY. And I'm just like? How am I supposed to root for you. You're not giving me anything to work with.
From what I read about the series after I gave up, the plot is extremely predictable. It's just very. "of course this is what happens next. of course" tropey but not in a good way. Kind of like Eragon, honestly. And that's not a great comparison.
Life is too short to read books that don't actually say anything. So goodbye, Red Rising. More like Gorge Rising. Regret Rising. And I'm tapping out, bruv.
Three stars have been removed for ripping off the Hunger Games but in a dudebro "I'm a white man who can capitalize on this" way. One star has been removed for Darrow making me uncomfortable with his descriptions of women. Why do you always notice exactly what they look like first and need to comment on it in a leery kind of way. "She was beautiful." She's a jerk and slandered your wife and that makes her NOT beautiful, beauty is more than her face. What the heck. One more star has been removed from Darrow for reminding me of Billy from the Dragons in our Midst series, which is REALLY BAD. One star has been given to Eo, for being fridged, and because she deserved better than angst-fodder. I mean, I assume. I only have Darrow's word to go off of. And one star is given to the book for being well written, because that is what got me to 30%.
Yes, I took away all 5 stars before giving some back. That's not a good rating.
Total Score: 2/5 stars
The writing in this book isn't bad. it's what got me to 30%. But it's the Hunger Games in space with a boy instead of Katniss and none of the nuance. And the things that happened in the plot were just???
Like.
The narrator of this audiobook was great. He gives Darrow this lovely Irish brogue. But then this guy Mateo tells Darrow that they're going to have to rid him of his brogue and?? The brogue was almost the only thing keeping me on. Because Darrow, bless his heart, doesn't have a personality. He's sad at night because his wife died, and he's angry, and he wants to hold onto his identity, but not in a meaningful way. He just doesn't have a personality, and that he therefore cannot propel the story forward.
I knew instantly that the minute he falls in love or this book otherwise becomes unbearable I'm out. I am not interested, Thanks But No Thanks!
Then around 29% he sees this Gold girl naked they both blushed and it's a countdown: how far can i get into this book before he falls in love with an amoral member of the highest caste despite having a dead wife from the lowest caste that was his everything?
Also they eradicated his brogue, and I'm out, just like I said. Because THEN I looked up spoilers and the blonde girl he thinks is hot is the daughter of the man who killed his wife and they fall in love ANYWAY. And I'm just like? How am I supposed to root for you. You're not giving me anything to work with.
From what I read about the series after I gave up, the plot is extremely predictable. It's just very. "of course this is what happens next. of course" tropey but not in a good way. Kind of like Eragon, honestly. And that's not a great comparison.
Life is too short to read books that don't actually say anything. So goodbye, Red Rising. More like Gorge Rising. Regret Rising. And I'm tapping out, bruv.
Three stars have been removed for ripping off the Hunger Games but in a dudebro "I'm a white man who can capitalize on this" way. One star has been removed for Darrow making me uncomfortable with his descriptions of women. Why do you always notice exactly what they look like first and need to comment on it in a leery kind of way. "She was beautiful." She's a jerk and slandered your wife and that makes her NOT beautiful, beauty is more than her face. What the heck. One more star has been removed from Darrow for reminding me of Billy from the Dragons in our Midst series, which is REALLY BAD. One star has been given to Eo, for being fridged, and because she deserved better than angst-fodder.
Yes, I took away all 5 stars before giving some back. That's not a good rating.
Total Score: 2/5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Death of parent, Murder, and Slavery