A review by claire_not_rebecca
Red Rising by Pierce Brown

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I really really enjoyed this book, the world was visceral and brutal and the characters, while not quite likable, were very interesting and multilayered. Red Rising really shines through in its understanding of power and manipulation, and in its sense of unavoidable tragedy. The main characters victories feel earned and the relationships he forms are fascinating. My only genuine complaint in the book is that I don't love the treatment of the female characters. I oftentimes felt like they were inherently written as less important and rather than the author taking that as something out protagonist could have noticed and discussed, it was all but ignored. I was also frustrated with specifically the way they were brutalized within the plotline of the book, because it was used as character development for the male characters, but not used as important or really significant in their respective B-plots. Other than that, though, I really enjoyed this book, I feel like I thought about nothing else while reading it and I will absolutely be continuing the series!!
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