A review by bababookmatt
Red Rising by Pierce Brown

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

This book hits all the emotional flavors of a solid adventure. The book has several very minor shortcomings, it’s not perfect, but it’s so engaging and captivating that those can be easily overlooked. This concept of a colonized Mars is dazzling. I especially loved the tech. However, I often forgot I was on Mars. Meeting the main character, Darrow’s, family and society while celebrating, working, loving, and suffering and losing immediately opened my heart to him and his plight. However, his development felt kinda inorganic; almost like a boy stepped into a montage and came out a man. The society was visionary, yet conceptually believable, making me so excited to see wherever we would go next. However, that ended up being one location for a majority of the book. Sure, I can name imperfections, but the characters, world, plot, society, and dynamics were as captivating, compelling, entertaining, and fun as I ever desire from a story. I can’t wait to read the second book!