Red Rising

It took me a second to get into this just because there is a lot going on world building wise - but everything quickly falls into place and then I couldn’t put it down.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Wow. Just wow. This book played like a movie in my head! Every scene, every line, every twist had me completely hooked. Pierce Brown!!! THE MAN THAT YOU ARE!!! Thank you for letting us inside your brain!I’ll be honest, it took me a bit to get through the first few chapters, but that was totally on me. I was in a reading slump not really giving any book the attention it deserved. Once I finally sat down and committed to reading Red Rising, I was locked in!Dystopian worlds are my favorite! Give me a corrupt government, rebellion, and someone bold enough to tear the system down and I’m all in.And Severo… oh my goodness. He really snuck up on me! 😉 He’s fiercely loyal, cunning, and makes all the right moves. He’s easily my favorite character.

This is a book that I would read again. I have few books that I would read again and again. I enjoyed the story and mourned the losses. I look forward to seeing the continuation of the story- good and sad.

Red Rising is an incredible story with amazing characters that make you want to join the fight. I will read anything Pierce Brown puts out because I know it will be given an incredible amount of attention and detail to bring me on a journey every time. Bloodydamn good book!

I thought this book was amazing! The world and society they are in is so well done. Everything about the Institute made this book so special. The characters also shine in this book, and Pierce Brown makes it very easy to either love or hate a character. The action was also great! I highly recommend this book for new readers, I give it a 5/5 and I am ready to read the next one!

RED RISING by Pierce Brown!!!!Ok so I have been seeing this book all over Tik Tok and the fantasy groups on Facebook and Instagram. I thought it was a new book. People were raving about it, crying about it, and just plain speechless. So I thought I would see what all the hubbub was about. Little did I know this book is not new, it was published in 2017!!!The plot follows Darrow. Now in this time line, everyone is not created equally. There are classes and they are named by color. Darrow is a Red. The Reds are the lowlifes mining things that are going to help terraform Mars, which is where this takes place. They were made to believe that, they are heroes for the work that they do. Little did Darrow and the Reds know, it was all a lie.After the death of his wife, and an execution of Darrow that did not succeed, Darrow is shown what is actually going on.In order to get full revenge and help his fellow Reds, he must become everything that he hates. He must become a Gold, the highest of the Color Coded Society.Can Darrow get the revenge he desires or will he be sucked into a life that he never had and become everything he hates?This book was phenomenal!!! If you like some adventure with some science fiction, get this book!! I was blown away!!!

This being the first in a series makes it such an odd duck of a book, first of all. The first quarter is spent setting motivation, the second in establishing the means. But it is in the second half that the real book bares its head and begins to howl.Sure, okay, the whole thing up until that half-book turn is more or less sci-fi/fantasy pastiche. You'll recognize echoes of Gattaca and The Hunger Games and Neuromancer, even a sprinkle of Percy Jackson here and there, but the way it builds, the way it twists within the sheath of familiar tropes is what it's all about. This is fresh and okay, I get now why this came so highly recommended. I'm already moving toward the add to cart button on the rest of the series. Let's see where this goes.

This is a well paced action, Sci-fi story. One that has themes of revolution, tyranny, friendships.I cannot emphasize how well paced it is. People say that the next book is even better, but I already really enjoyed this one. I should’ve finished it sooner. There are those who say it’s kinda like a mix between Hunger Games & Ender’s game. I can see the comparisons. But just keep in mind that it’s still very much its own thing.If you’re a fan of science fiction, or any of the books I previously mentioned, then you’ll most likely enjoy this book. Some people say it has boring parts, but I again state it is well-paced. This book lays out world-building, and introduces a lot of important characters. And rivalries. There’s a reason this book is popular. It’s excellent.

Favorite series, hands down. Pierce Brown did a phenomenal job in writing compelling characters, engaging plot lines, unexpected twists, all with a solid premise. Admittedly, the first 100 pages or so were a bit of a slog but every author deserves some grace for soft starts. But as soon as the carving happened I was sucked in, bought the rest of the series that night, and finished it as fast as possible. This book is a bit violent for those who are squeamish, and involves older teenagers hurting each other in more intense ways than the hunger games, but it also explores far more emotional depth than most YA dystopian books do, and I would not consider the rest of the series YA. I recommend this book to everyone who enjoys adventure, Sci-fi, fantasy, twisting plots, and riding on the edge of your seat!

I put off reading Red Rising for way too long. People kept telling me it was worth the hype, and I shrugged it off, figuring it would be just another trendy sci-fi series. That was a mistake. The book grabs you by the throat from the very first chapter and doesn’t let go. The pace is relentless, scenes bleed into one another without giving you a chance to breathe, and the action is brutal in a way that feels raw and unflinching. Battles are messy, desperate, and violent, not polished or glamorous.What surprised me most was how quickly the story moves. There’s no wasted space, no dragging through filler. One moment you’re caught up in the political games, the next you’re in savage combat where survival feels impossible. It’s ruthless, fast, and completely addictive. Looking back, I can’t believe I waited this long to read it. If you’ve been on the fence like I was, do yourself a favor: don’t wait.

This book is honestly super thrilling and would be a fan favorite for SciFi lovers. The world building is super interesting and detailed. The author does a great job at creating plots with dramatic twist and unexpected moments. The books keeps you at the edge of your seat, constantly wanting to read another chapter. The books keeps also came in very good condition. No bent pages or covers. The product was very pristine from the packaging.

Red rising by Pierce Brown⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Spice Level: N/AI love a book that challenges my perspective! & This book did that & MORE !!! This storyline feels like it took “48 laws of power” and put them in story form filled with…SUSPENSE & ACTION! Though this storyline follows the journey of an initially 16 year old Darrow the author did not hold back with the brutality and heartbreaking casualties. Betrayal showed her sharp fangs at every corner! 😈 I’d grow to love a character just for them to be taken out by a brutal death. 😔 However, loyalty was birthed in a field of disparity & madness.The writing was advanced & at times complex but, it flowed smoothly and kept me GLUED! Within this novel are plots that bring forth actual laughter, tears, and angst! I was useless to the world because, I simply could not put the book down. The characters are developed so beautifully that, though I LOATHED the villains,…I understood them. Nothing about this read was expected, cliche, or even BORING! Pierce brown knows how to suck you in with just the first few pages! For me it was the very first paragraph!The overall writing was BRILLIANT, ESPECIALLY THE FIGHT SCENES!! I felt as though I was there watching it play out! I could hear the crunch of bones! I could see the spray of blood, and I found myself bracing for impact! However, it wasn’t all blood 🩸 and gore. It truly dissected serious concepts that make you sit back and consider your own world, society, and civilization. For example, we share the same earth but many of us live separated by worlds shaped by power, classism, culture, religion, gender, race etc….but what shapes our beliefs? What motivates the people’s unity? and even more so…what wedges us to division??? Who or what laid form to the structural blueprint that our society adheres to? Was it a result of time and united adaptation or closed door planning followed by strategic manipulations and enforcement? History is documented record…but history is always HIS ( the victor’s) STORY.In summary this book has easily become my favorite book of the year, of this genre. I came late to the party but, my goodman am I “Bloodyd*mn” glad that I came!

I think this book was overall quite interesting, a good start to a series, but not without some flaws in my opinion.I thought the introduction into this world started off extremely strong and hooked me from page one. Moving through the chapters however, I did find Darrow to be a rather dull character at times. There would be stilted sentences threaded throughout that I found to be kind of comical. Thanks to the other elements and promises of what was to come, that kept my head in the story and to keep pushing forward.I thought the major loss in the beginning, happened a little too soon for me to even care. And, the age of Darrow was also something I found myself battling. I feel like the fact that Darrow is a minor (as well as the entirety of the main cast of characters) is probably very intentional to solidify the brutality and inhumane way that this society functions....however, it was still an internal battle for me to remember that these are just teenagers in such incredibly mature situations.Anyways, I felt that the movement into the next phase of Darrow having a new mission and going behind enemy lines was well done. I felt very excited on what was to come next....but, I'm not going to lie. Once Darrow entered into The Institute I felt the writing got a little messy and chaotic. I had to pretend that it was sort of set in the past rather than the future; because these were kids being thrown into this OTT, severely unforgiving game that adults were acting as if it was all some sort of video game/soap opera.At times it was a little absurd and things did go over my head. And it was during this time that I actually starting losing focus on Darrow. He continued to appear as a very simplistic, nearly "caveman" mentality manchild...which, is fair being that he is just a teenager. But, I do feel that the writing didn't quite support who Darrow thought he was as a character. As this is the first book in the series, I didn't personally see Darrow exhibit anything that stood out to me as character development, but I am very eager to see how he grows in the next installments!Sevro aka Goblin was probably the character that carried this book for me. I loved him from the first scene he appeared in. He was everything I love in a character, a severe underdog that does not back down. He was a beast, period. I loved all of his contributions in scenes and seeing the little bit of his story get revealed was perfect for me. And he is one of the biggest reasons I want to keep reading this series.Victoria aka Mustang was another character that kept me going in this story as well. She was jus awesome. She kept me interested and I loved how she had her own convictions and even though she's quite petite, she's full of fight, and bravery. I enjoyed the influence she seemed to have over Darrow. I think she was a strong character for Darrow to learn from and look up to, throughout the story and made me like Darrow a bit when the two shared scenes.Cassius was the second MVP of this book for me. I felt that his character was solidly constructed and I loved how he stuck to his beliefs and also could back up his talk. I think his character arc made sense and I am eager to see how his story unfolds in the next installments.Even though there were certain things that I felt kind of got out of hand and the plot went a little crazy astray from what I thought I was getting into with this series...I am eager to jump into the next book. I want to see what happens now. I have high hopes that the second installment will only strengthen what foundation Brown has laid down for this series.

Holy Helldivers, that was a bloodydamn wild ride, and I can't wait for the rest of it.I've heard a lot of comparisons for this book, including the Hunger Games and the Six Million Dollar Man. But I'll let you be the judge of what's what in that regard.Let's talk synopsis first ... (minor spoilers included - I'm really trying hard to not ruin any of the big stuff.)Red Rising is written from the 1st person account of Darrow, who is a "Red" - the lowest caste which is responsible for mining Helium-3 on Mars and (they believe) laying the foundations to make Mars habitable for "softer Colors". Through a tragic series of events, he comes to realize that his life and place in society is a lie that serves to prop up the other colors in an elaborate caste system, which essentially enslaves his caste. A resistance network seeks to topple this heirarchy by making Darrow into that which has subjugated them, a Gold ... but not just ANY Gold. In order to make changes to this system of slavery, he will need to be the best of the best so that he can rise within the cutthroat caste of Golds. After a painful biological transition, Darrow tests into a school in which the leaders of the Golds are forged and taught painful lessons in the ideology of "might makes right". The question is will Darrow become the monster that he seeks to vanquish?WHAT I LOVED:Darrow is a relatable character from the beginning. He's a 16 year old kid with all the arrogance and impulsiveness you'd expect from a teenager who has been the best within his community. And though you experience the brashness and cynicism, you also see tenderness, wonder, and vulnerability. His evolution as a character is believable. Because he's not fighting for his *own* dream, it is understandable when he temporarily gets sidetracked from the bigger picture due to his rage against such an unfair system that has unfeelingly and unknowingly stolen everything from him. He has much to learn if he is going to overcome ... "I learn more when I make mistakes, so long as they don't kill me."The Supporting Characters. They're on point, y'all. The writing makes it clear that some of the worst of the characters have depth to them, whether it was in hinting at the reasons they did the terrible things they did or in showing that there was a possibility of redemption. And the journey of how Darrow acquires his allies is truly where you see his growth as a character.Honestly y'all, there's just so much that I could rave about ... but I'm an impatient sort and if you've stuck with me this far, you've probably already made up your mind about whether you want to read this. (and you really should read this.)OTHER THOUGHTS:There is a lot of worldbuilding going on here, especially in the beginning and the slang/terms used reflect that. Some readers seem to have been turned off by that, but I didn't feel it was excessive or overly cumbersome.I've seen several people question whether this should be categorized as a YA book. The themes (politics, hierarchical systems, racism, power dynamics, etc.) involved are weighty. There are allusions to rape and cannibalism, and the story is rife with violence and brutality. While the ages of the characters in this book are largely in their teens, but most teenagers in our world aren't confronted with these topics so blatantly in their day to day life. YET ... isn't the job of books and the characters in them to make us think critically about the world around us? To help us form our views about what is right and wrong, what is noble and what is dishonorable? To make us think about what we would do in their shoes? And, hopefully, to help us see the kind of people we want to be and encourage us in that that direction? While I don't think I would want my 14 year old read this unsupervised, I think stories like this one can powerfully shape the minds of young people and adults alike when we reflect on the lessons it contains, rather than just consuming it purely for our own entertainment.How many of us seriously consider where we might fall in such a hierarchy? Do we truly look for the ways that our comfort might blind us to the suffering of others that might serve to prop up that comfort? Do we care to do so? Do we see the hypocrisy in ourselves that we see rife in some of the characters of this book? And if we feel that twinge of discomfort, do you press into that to see why or do we move on, happy to be entertained by a story?"The measure of a man is what he does when he has power." -Plato ... a common theme in this book, but I might go a step further and say that the measure of a man is what he does with the power he has. We ALL have a measure of power. How are we using that power to elicit change in ourselves and in the world around us?

There is so much wrong with this book I hardly know where to begin. I guess I'll start off with the fact that I actually liked the first part, that is, the sample I downloaded. I liked it enough to buy the whole book ... and from there it started to go downhill. Yes, there will be spoilers. Not like it really matters, since I didn't even finish it and since the book is basically one giant cliche mess.The only interesting part was in the beginning where Darrow was pretty much a normal human; I can forgive him for seeming like he's thirty years old when he's half that, because of the hard life he's had. I liked his relationship with his wife. His wife, however, was much too wise and otherworldly. I could get if she was like Darrow, seeming older than her years because of life's hardships. But she talks more like a mentor character would.As for Darrow, his POV is annoyingly flowery. Way too far flung and prosy for a guy who grew up in the dirt and tunnels with (I'm just guessing here) not much education; he's only sixteen, after all, and is already doing a grown man's job. How much schooling could he have had?However, I forgave it of all that until his wife dies and he goes on the run in a truly unbelievable sequence of events. Really? They whipped him and hanged her for going into a low-ranking official's garden? Really, his uncle was able to cut him down and smuggle him ... somewhere after they try to hang him?But that's just the tip of the iceberg.I hate to say this, but revenge isn't a strong enough motive for Darrow. Nor is it even portrayed strongly enough for me to believe in it. His wife dies, so he basically allows himself to become a puppet in the hands of people he's never met and only heard of in vague rumors. They turn him into a superhuman so he can out-Gold the Golds. We get ridiculous montages of him turning from ordinary, semi-interesting boy into dull, muscled up superman. He's just going through the motions. I'm not feeling his seething anger; I'm just seeing him watching everything like a spectator and kindasortanotreally gloating over how people are afraid of him. Yeah, he's the Goldiest Gold that ever Golded, that's for sure.When I picked up the book, I didn't really know what to expect. But I'm a sucker for stories where ordinary people take down powerful governments because the ordinary person has something (conviction, charisma, leadership abilities, *something*) which singles them out from everyone else. Darrow ... doesn't. He doesn't have anything except sort of super speed from his job in the mines, and somehow his strength makes it where he can handle getting a complete biological makeover where everyone else has failed. Who needs sleeping pills when you've got this on your nightstand?Like I said before, the prose is cringe-worthy. It reads very much like stuff I wrote at sixteen. It's juvenile, shallow, and makes me wish I had a physical copy instead of an ebook just so I could have the pleasure of chucking it across the room. Here are a few examples of the abysmally bland, juvenile writing that infests this book.'I touch the haemanthus blossom in y pocket and feel the wedding band around my neck. They didn't create me. She did.' Um, no. No she didn't. Darrow at this point hasn't even thought about her (that the book has indicated) more than once or twice since he started becoming superman.'Of course there are machines to do these things, but an Aureate would never use a machine for something a person could do. There is no power in that.' This is a really lame sentence. Like really? So who does use machines? Not the miners, the lowest rank in society; they still have to use humans for everything they do. The machines help, but they don't do things for them. The whole society seems built on futuristic technology, which the Golds own; yet the Golds are too snobby to use their own machines? Ridiculous. Oh, and hardly three sentences later Darrow uses a data pad to open a window, instead of getting a slave to do it. Hmmmm.'The shining voice comes from a young man torn from Greek verse. Arrogance and beauty drip off of him. Impeccable breeding. I've never seen a smile so wide and white, skin so smooth and lustrous. He's all I despise.' Ummm, OK. Is this really what Darrow would be thinking? I don't think so. But then again, he doesn't have much personality so maybe.Which leads me to the next part I hated about this book (well, two things actually). One is the ridiculous concept that society is divided into extremely strict classes; a lot of dystopian and sci-fi books do this, and it is so incredibly unrealistic. Even more so that the Golds have genetically enhanced themselves until they are hardly human. I can't think of anything more dull. Right. So they are superior. They are at once far more advanced mentally and physically, and yet they are 'soft' and have never 'known true hardship'.The other is all the 'Greek' stuff. It's so unoriginal and so corny that it pulled me right out ...

This book was superbly phenomenal. Heartrendingly painful and breathtakingly sweet. The first book to give me goosebumps every other page! Be that because of the sheer brilliance of Mr Brown's writing, how his characters felt so real and made me scared and nervous and suspicious and sad with every second breath, or just the life these characters took on all by themselves. Either way, it has climbed all the way up to my top 10 favorite books of all time. A quick note:Those who couldn't get past the first few pages: **Push your little bum through it!** I felt this struggle in the beginning too and actually put this book away for 2 years (!) , but when I came back and just jumped in, hit that 50-ish page mark, I was complete trash for this series and the author's writing!The things that stood out to me about this book the most was the writing, I loved the highLingo `( camel-case (programmers unite!))` and the colored tiers. The hierarchy, how this all fits into a sci-fi world. How the world out there is so big and yet when we start reading, we can't even fathom the chaos and vastness of it all that is brewing right atop our favorite character's mine(read: home). We get to learn and journey along with Darrow and see the worst and some of the best parts of this new Terra-formed Mars and the world they live in through Darrow's dry-wit and perspective. We get to see him grow as a character tremendously and I can go on and on about the fine young man he has become after the events of this book. They are forced to make some of the hardest decisions in their lives during their testing, and seeing the character growth is in and of itself something to admire, if nothing else. But, once the ball gets rolling, no amount of bodies piled up together can stop it, so enjoy helldiver Darrow-life while you can.This book is unapologetically clever, thought-provoking, ruthless, cunning, captivating, scary, and most importantly, it makes you reevaluate a lot of very important topics in society, not just in this fictional world. It's relevant right now.<<>>I made a note of when I officially fell in love with Darrow, Sevro, Pax, and Mustang(Virginia) on page 166. One of the sticky notes with less context simply stated: "all the goosebumps all the gorydamn time!" Books don't do that for me. I can usually see plot twists and characters being forced to say and do things to seem "good" in the reader's eye straight away, yet nothing was forced here. I was smacked upside the head every time there was a twist. I was still guessing right up until the last page.A few more things I adore about the writing and the world/characters:- The color castes and how you can be carved into a completely different person, not on the inside, my friends, all outside. Super strength, extremely good looks, a really tight little bum, some jingly bits, whatever you want, but inside...ohhh, inside they are still the same pigs/broken children/men/woman, etc. They talk to one another in such a way that it just makes you feel like you could easily fit in with them. Some are vile and just plain rude, others slap you in the face with a really well-crafted set of words. It feels like they could be my friends. I only speak for myself here, but I am extremely sarcastic and would fit right in using this kinda lingo! It's often said that those who are more verbose and non-beat-around-the-bushers are some of the most honest/loyal humans you get.- ALL the betrayal, high stakes, very much of the Adrenalin, very much of the kill-kill and some stab-stab(okay, a lot). What got me shaking my head when I finished this was how real and utterly heartbreaking every second of their trial was. The loss and the betrayal and the realization of a society that is corrupt, as many are, and then when the trials were done and our brilliant little cinnamon roll Darrow and co. kicked some butt, it was over, just like that.- He overthrew a freaking corrupt structure/society and did something no one would have dared. He took the fight to the ruthless idiots watching kids being murdered and tortured and doing nothing, and he then proceeded to stick their heads where the sun don't shine, one by one. Also, Epic battle scene!And to get back to my point, here we have this high-stakes, life-and-death situation, and then when it's done, nothing. It's like it wasn't that serious, like lives weren't lost and that friends hadn't died and friends hadn't betrayed.This makes me loves these books even more. It shows how terribly ruthless and full of sh$t this society and the hierarchy of it is. How we need Darrow and his band of misfits to overthrow society. To make a change or to just slingBlade an ArchGovernor's head off his fake body ^.^ (no this didn't happen bit it should!!)Bloodydamn brilliant read. 10/10 would suffer the feels again!R.I.P my sweet little Pax, you teddybear, you 3

So this book was a proof of my sometimes-lameness in reading certain book. I purchased the kindle copy last year, started reading it for the first time around February, and now 3 months later I just finished it after having long battle with side of me that wanted to keep putting it down. I swear this was my first time of needing such a long time to finish a fiction.I personally was in total awe with this book and Pierce Brown. Red Rising was a debut novel and the author outdid himself with all the rich details and the unthought-of plot, ever. And not to forget his imagination to build up a fantasy of the whole Mars and all its complexity, it was dead awesome. Bloodydamn. Just where did he gather the inspiration to write this trilogy?‘I was not raised in palaces. I did not ride horses through meadows and eat meals of hummingbird tongues. I was forged in the bowels of this hard world. Sharpened by hate. Strengthened by love.’(Prologue, Red Rising)Sixteen years old Darrow was a Red. A Red by all means was meant to be a slave to higher colors, specifically Gold. Sad truth Reds sat on the very bottom of society which made them slaves to every color. Darrow never dreamt of living more than what his current life offered now. He was a helldiver, the youngest in history, the best in history. He married a beautiful brave girl named Eo. He had his family all living together even though his father was long gone when he was still a kid. He thought no more than spending all his life in Lykos as Red Lambda where song and dance was the comforts to their rough life.But nothing remained forever in life.“I live for you”“Then you must live for more.”(Chapter IV, Red Rising)The day the nightmare happened, all Darrow wanted was to follow the smell of death. And that was what about to happen except a group of rebels wanted a different path for him.Away from Lykos, family, and all familiar thing back in Red ground, Darrow was shaped to a whole different form. Red Darrow was now a Gold. Well, at least that was what shown on the outside. Darrow was still Red in heart and sure he would never change. Disguised as Gold, Darrow tried a risky step to infiltrate the evil color from the inside. And just like another teenage Gold, he stepped up to join a Gold institution where he could pick a start of revenge. Little did he know that the institution wasn’t at all like its simple name. It was not a school. It was more like a life-and-death battle to be the only one ArchPrimus. Darrow used all his strength to be the said Primus and found along the way how exactly it was to be a real Gold: mean, unforgiving, and unstopped. He began to question himself about all he’d done to get the title, wondered if that would make him no less than an evil Gold. But he did it all for Red, for people back in Lykos, for every Red blood who put their faiths on his shoulder. Surely that would make a different, right? As he questioned himself that, he was faced with another surprising fact that Gold could be a loyal friend if treated right. Struggling with all these complicated dilemmas, Darrow was once again reminded by the fact that in the end, after all the torture, blood, pain, and death, it was only just a beginning.I remembered became all teary inside once I finished it. Not because the story, though, but because the fact that I was finally able to reach the last page.My first impression about Red Rising was hardcore dystopian.But first thing first, let me say something.I NEVER like dystopian book.I hate it. I do. Dystopian infuriates and depresses me at the same time. I always avoid this genre at all cost. I believe that reading is a joy where we could fully escape to the story without having to worry about being lost because we can always close the page any moment to come back. But the ‘misery’ from reading this genre seemed to haunt my soul forever no matter just when I decided to stop reading it.So we could easily conclude that I’d hate this book. What with each violence scene was being described very casually here.But here I was going to say something that would make my whole speech above pointless: I loved Red Rising.I know, I am being confusing here but this was what exactly I felt. This book had me at mental battle between loving and hating this book. I hated this book that I couldn’t stop wincing at all those miserable scenes which practically on EVERY page. Yet my mind was in a superb awestruck condition by all the details that I could not forget this book until this very second. Hell, Red Rising might be the first dystopian book that I ever loved.The author did characterizations to each character very well. Darrow was my top favorite. I loved that Pierce Brown didn’t make him as this flawless hero but simply as human who made mistakes and learned from it to be better. I loved Darrow’s way of thinking despite his young age. He was so much mature, well, being Red it was common though.The other character, Eo, also took special place in my heart. T...