Red Rising

Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy #1)

Pierce Brown

9780345539786

January 2014

4 Stars

*I received this galley from NetGalley*

Darrow, along with hundreds of other people, lives under the surface of Mars. They work day in and day out to make the planet habitable.  During a life altering event Darrow discovers that all they have been led to believe is a lie. Mars is already habitable and has been for generations.  An elite class called the Golds has been using Darrow’s people for slave labor while living rich lives. Recruited by rebels Darrow transforms into a Gold and infiltrates the command school where he plans to take out his revenge. It won’t be as easy as he hopes since there are others there with different agendas.

The only complaint that I have with this novel is the pacing. In the beginning it felt weighed down and the plot was what kept me going.  I have seen comparisons to The Hunger Games as far as the story line and I can agree slightly. This is much more violent and intense. I really like the plot and characters so once I got midway and the pace picked up I was excited. The characters are not cookie cutter and their clashing personalities made them fun to read. The twists and turns are well placed and made the outcome more unpredictable while keeping with the plot and those characters.  Darrow is a protagonist that had to grow on me but in the end I found myself really invested in his story. I cannot wait for future installments. 

I do recommend Red Rising, especially to fantasy fans.