Absolutely! Here's a whimsical review for *Red Rising* by Pierce Brown:

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Oh my stars and galaxies! *Red Rising* is like a cosmic adventure that takes you to the far reaches of the universe! Imagine a world where society is divided into color-coded classes, and our hero, Darrow, is a lowly Red, toiling away beneath the surface of Mars. But hold onto your space helmets, because Darrow's journey is about to blast off into the stratosphere!
Darrow is such a fierce and determined character. He's got the heart of a lion and the courage of a warrior. When he's given the chance to infiltrate the elite Golds and bring down the oppressive regime from within, he grabs it with both hands and rockets into action!
Pierce Brown has crafted a world that's as vivid and complex as a star map. The society is intricately detailed, with each color representing a different role and status. The Golds are like glittering gods, ruling over the other colors with an iron fist. But Darrow's transformation from Red to Gold is nothing short of magical, and his journey is filled with thrilling battles, cunning strategies, and heart-pounding moments.
The plot is a rollercoaster of emotions, with twists and turns that will leave you breathless. Just when you think you know what's coming next, the story takes a sharp turn and you're left gasping in surprise. It's a tale of rebellion, sacrifice, and the unbreakable spirit of a hero who dares to dream of a better world.
But what truly makes *Red Rising* shine is its message of hope and the power of one person to make a difference. Darrow's journey is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the magic that happens when you fight for what you believe in.
So, if you're in the mood for a cosmic adventure filled with action, intrigue, and a touch of magic, *Red Rising* is the perfect book for you! It's a tale of courage, rebellion, and the enchanting journey of a hero who dares to reach for the stars.

I remember this book being hyped up years ago on the book socials such as Booktube and thanks to Netgalley I was able to read it and I’m glad I finally got around to it. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I did enjoy the story.

We follow Darrow, a Red, who becomes a Gold and tried to get into a high brow school to become the best of the best. I did have to look up the colour system because I wasn’t quite sure how it worked. It’s not overly clear in the book where each colour sat on the hierarchy.

Straight away there’s a lot of death and violence. This continued throughout the book and in some places it was a little difficult to read. I like a bit of drama in a book but I wasn’t aware as to how much bloodshed there would be as we progressed through the story.

Darrow is a great main character if not slightly arrogant in places but I didn’t feel like any of the characters felt out of place. You become attached to them so when someone dies it does hurt. But in a good way.

I would be really interested in continuing the saga to see where Darrow’s story goes, especially with the twists of the first one.

4/5 stars.

I can't believe how long it took me to pick up and read this book. The start was a bit slow but once through that it was jam-packed and non-stop. A little gory at times and reminded me of hunger games, I'm interested to see where this series goes.

I've given this book two really solid tries, but it's ultimately not for me! I wish I loved this as much as everyone else -- would definitely recommend to anyone looking for YA science fiction books!

Description and world is brilliant and vivid, though I can’t help but to feel like I have missed something. This starts, to me, feeling like it is almost half way through a conversation. I had to reread the first few chapters to understand that I hadn’t missed anything.

I don’t feel like this is character driven, more of world driven. I felt a comparison with Braveheart, the story of Sir William Wallace, just with a sci-fi setting mixed with the ancient greek mythology..

I’m not sure if I’m going to finish off the series but I enjoyed the description and the characters from book one.

What an excellent start to a series! The character development and plot were both absolutely fascinating. The pacing was a little slow, but I think that was all very necessary, and I definitely think that with the world building here, we'll see faster pacing in future books.

A good start to the series. Not what I was expecting at all but still enjoyable. Will read the rest of the series.

I ended up not finishing this novel when the main character's wife is killed off in order to further his own plot and in a cheap move to give emotional resonance to the story. By this point, we should be past fridging female characters.

I was torn between 3.5 and 4 stars for a while, but left it at 4 because it packs a lot of emotions. Darrow wasn't my favorite at all, but the secondary characters were great and a thrill to read.
The world building, especifically the cast system, is interesting.

If you're looking for action (on the gory side), great secondary characters (allthough the women narrative could use some improvement), a roman empire/patriarchy ruling kind of thing, this book is for you.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

sorry to say this book wasnt for me...just one of those things that some you like and some you dont ..this was one of them

sorry..

I enjoyed the beginning of this book, I thought the world building was good, and it sucked me in... but it just didn't last. I found it really starting to drag by about halfway through. Darrow was basically a Mary Sue, someone great at everything, and I get that the book was trying to pull at a wider social commentary, but it fell flat. I got Flowers for Algernon vibes, without any of the emotional message, and I just got very apathetic about this, and I won't be reading the rest of the series. I was kind of expecting it to suck me in like The Martian did, but this is a very different kind of space adventure (well, it's fantasy, so I get that, but still). Just not for me.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great read. In this we follow Darrow,a Red,as he realises he's been told a lie his whole life,and infiltrates the Golds. 

The setting of this world was fascinating and it is a distant future. I'm not exactly sure which year but humans are living on Mars. This has a kind of caste system where the colour you are dictates how you are perceived in society and what roles and jobs you can have.Golds are the highest while Reds are the lowest. I haven't read a lot of sci-fi but I really enjoy it. We learn a lot about the world that they live in but gradually. It wasn't hard to digest and not a lot was given at once. At least that's what it felt like.  The world they live in is very interesting. 

In terms of the plot,I didn't expect it to go the way it did. I expected a school setting and it wasn't exactly that. I didn't expect to cry so early on and I did. It's very brutal. It reminded me a lot of The Hunger Games and  I really liked that.The start of the book was kind of slow to build up for the main story. Once we got to the main story, it was very fast. It had a lot of action and there was never a dull moment. I was eager to see where the story was going.

I liked Darrow as the main character,but at times I felt he changed too much. One of my favourite characters was Sevro, he's very different. He's a lone wolf and fends for himself but is very loyal too. I liked other characters too but don't want to go into detail on who because it's best to find out yourself. I really liked another character and was sad in the direction they went.  In terms of romance, this book didn't have much. I'm glad because we could focus on the main story and not get caught up in the romance of it all

.Overall, I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next one!I recommend this book to people who enjoy sci-fi, action and want little romance in the books.
4/5

Red Rising is an epic science fiction dystopia. I wish I hadn't waited so long to read it. The way the society is split into colours fascinating, especially that people are unable to change the colour (legally). Hopefully  we get to found out more about the different colours in the next books. The way in which the Gold caste battle to prove who is the best is compelling. It's the most brutal type of competition. It make an interesting read as you do not what is going to happen next. Darrow is the main character, we watch as he changes from a red boy in the pits to the Gold proving that he is the best. I am very much on team Darrow, I was rooting for him and was proud of his achievement. I do worry that he will be consumed with revenge that he will become the thing he hates. Red Rising is gripping, action filled with great surprises. If you like reading books like Flashfall, Red Queen, Hunger Games I would advised picking up Red Rising. My rating for Red Rising is 5 out of 5.

Will no longer be reading or reviewing this book due to lack of interest in the title, and the fact that the title has been archived.

** I received this novel free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

** MINOR SPOILERS IN REVIEW**

In a recent review I mentioned that sometimes books come to you at the wrong time, Gnomon, a book which has some of the most beautifully crafted sentences I have ever read and vocabulary to DIE FOR took me a punishing six months to read. At another point in life I would have loved it, sadly at this time of life I didn't.

And the next book I read, Pierce Brown's 'Red Rising' came to me at exactly the right time. I've been a bit jaded with reading and it was only that I received it for free that I committed to read it and review. Wow! I am so glad I did! Although it clocks in at almost 400 pages I read this in two days. This book reminded me of my joy of reading in general, and of reading something where 'you have to know what happens next'. No high brow convoluted plot to make one think, just a fast paced story that made me want to read 'one more chapter'.

And the funny thing is...there is loads in this book that I normally DO NOT LIKE. There are loads of reasons why I shouldn't like this book but I do - it pushes the right buttons at the right time for me.

The setting grabbed me mostly because I'm in an Eclipse Phase roleplaying game at the moment so the themes of mining on Mars got to me straight away. The Reds (underground miners) are quite a clearly defined 'race' of humans living under the ground, drilling and living on subsistence rations. Brown is quite effective at detailing this society, effectively a slave society and their cruel overlords. We have a 'plucky young hero coming from nothing who is exceptionally talented' digging deep down below and I did a massive YAWN. How often do we read in fantasy novels in particular of the stable boy becoming King. This was here and it is so predictable! It felt like I was reading 'every fantasy novel ever'.

Said hero and 'perfect, yet downtrodden by the system' sneak off for some 'cuddle time' and lo and behold our hero discovers there is sky above Mars for the first time.

Fast forward a bunch of meanness from the overseers and our hero Darrow decides to rise up and fight back and FREE THE REDS!!!! Yep, you've heard it all before. (Did I tell you there was a lot about the book that normally bugged me). But bloodydamn it I kept reading and devouring every page.

Darrow then gets to above ground and discovers that there are more than Reds and Greys (the overseers of the mining colony). He discovers that humans have been living on the planet for ages and that the Reds are slaves, not for the forthcoming of colonisation of Man but to empty the bins and stuff. He learns that there are a thousand cities each with a hundred mining colonies, each with a number of tribes under the ground. He learns of the high and low-Reds, the Pinks (the sex slaves), the Silvers, Greens (media types or was it science), Blues, Purples (one doing research the other accountancy), Browns (domestic staff - reminiscent of black houseservants and the Marthas in The Handmaid's Tale,Obsidians (the super soldiers) and the Golds....

The Golds are revered as gods by the Reds, distant super humans of exquisite beauty and perfection. They rule stuff and are generally not nice.

What I like about this setting is that it's basically a bunch of colours and a really rigid hierarchical system that screams unfairness and segregation. It plays on very real feelings of unfairness and people 'knowing their place'. It pushes buttons on racism, beauty and body image. It's all simple as the book is aimed at a Young Adult audience but it's effective rather than clunky. I never felt like I was getting bashed on the head by the book saying RACISM IS WRONG. It's obvious and is there for all to see.

Do Darrow the Red hooks up (rather easily) with a bunch of Reds Under The Bed (see what I did there...) and goes to smash up the Golds....

He does this by undergoing significant body modification and to me, this was one of the more interesting sections of the book as he undergoes radical transformation into one of the super Golds. His skin and hair is changed, his body taller, stronger, leaner, faster. He becomes Gold. I really liked this section as said earlier, I've been into Eclipse Phase and Transhumanism and body morphing is something I am all over at the moment (right book, right time!!)

And then sadly, the book changes....basically Darrow the Gold goes to the equivalent of officer school to become one of the best and get a top place in the hierarchy of Golds so he can blow stuff up later.

The rest of the book becomes a The Hunger Games or Battle Royale knockoff. A bunch of elite kids get to play capture the flag in a natural landscape (that feels more Earth than Mars) to see who is the best. I was a bit disappointed with this as I felt the early sections building up to the 'rich kids fight it out' portion of the book were the better. Each of the kids are drafted to a House and each House has a castle to defend and slaves to capture. It's presented as a game of leadership and as you may expect it doesn't work out that way.

I requested the book because I've been on a bit of a grimdark trip recently and the publisher promotion for this described it as 'Game of Thrones in Space'. That hooked me in as something I want to read. Well, sadly it isn't particularly GoT although I can see why it has been tagged as such. Yes, there are wealthy Houses forming alliances and betraying each other and all that jazz. Yes there are some particularly gruesome scenes like cutting oneself out of a dead horse to surprise an enemy was awesome. That said, it didn't feel particularly Machiavellian, all the protagonists have the same goal and when in the 'game' despite being bloodthirsty it didn't feel particularly bleak or cruel.

I feel like I am being unfair on the book, because for all the things which normally bug me I did read it quickly and was looking for time to go back to it. I wanted to see how Darrow would get on. I did root for him. The world was convincing and I cared about the characters throughout.

I'm not a fan of YA at all but this gets a solid Four Stars for entertaining me thoroughly for the last few days.

A fantastic read. Thoroughly enjoyed this and it is not something I would usually pick up. Will look for more from this author in future.

I’ve heard great things about Red Rising Saga and this book didn’t betray me at all.
I started to read this book not knowing much things about the story. It’s caught me surprise every page I turned and I was deeply immersed to it. It’s bloodydamn awesome!

The story takes place in Mars and its society is unique that people are divided by colours. The main character, Darrow is a Red and he is the youngest Helldiver. Red people lives like moles and digs Hellium so that their future generation can live on the surface. One day, he discovered the truth of Mars and because of it, his wife and Darrow were killed...
However, Darrow rises as a Gold, the highest rank and also the colour that killed him. He rises for his wife,Eo and Red to change the society.

There are lots of violence scenes and I was so shocked when one of my favorite character died. Darrow and others have to be ruthless. Especially Darrow has to be like a beast for his purpose. Although the writing is very vicious, the plot is bloody good.

Darren is an attractive and tactical character. I love him so much. He makes mistakes but he learns from them. He turns to a better and stronger leader and I like the way he thinks. It was so exciting to read his strategy. What’s more, his fellowships with others are really enjoyable.

This book became one of my favorite YA read. I don’t know why I haven’t read it till now. I’ll read this book again and again later and also its sequels.
I’m super exciting to read the next one. I want to know how Darrow is going to be and how he acts for his purpose.

I marked this book as 4.8 stars out of 5.0.

Really struggled with the first part of this story which was and really dragged.
It did improve the further in I read, hence 3 stars.

Loved every single second of reading it, it has a gripping plot and I can't wait to see where it goes; I'm about to buy the other two on amazon now.

Red Rising begins in the depth of Mars.



Darrow is a Red, a caste of miners who believe they are mining gas vital for the creation of a livable habitat on the surface of Mars, in preparation for future colonists. But the surface of Mars has been habitable for generations and the Reds whole existence is a lie used to control them, to keep them as slaves in a coloured based hierarchy designed to perpetuate the wealth and power of the Golds.



At first the narrative seems to be standard dystopian; repressed masses, treated cruelly and unfairly by an uncaring elite. Darrow is young, with a lovely wife and little desire to rebel or improve his life even though his family receives barely enough food to survive.

But following a tragedy he is recruited by an infamous resistance group.



At this point the story diverges from the classic dystopian tropes of the underdog fighting oppression and becomes more similar to the tale of an undercover agent; disguising his identity, living among the enemy terrified of being discovered yet concerned about becoming too much like the people he despises, immersed in a new life making friends with the Golds he will eventually have to betray.



The pacing of the narrative is quite slow especially at the beginning when the scenes are set among the red miners. There is an emphasis on the Reds expressing themselves through dance and song. Songs that a much more than entertainment, a yearning conveyed in poetical form so deep and painful that certain songs are banned on pain of death. There is a suggestions that these songs have deeper meaning or significance which is never fully realized in this book but whose potential is left open for future interpretation.



As the book progress we are stunned by how stark and brutal it all is. The narrative is dark and shocking but realistic and believable. The author does not wallow in violence or cruelty but it is present on the page raw and unhidden. Although the writing focuses mainly on strategy and plot the author manages to create a genuine relationships between the characters and a connection with the reader even during the battle scenes when so many characters are in play.



The books was not perfect and at times I was mystified as to where it was headed. There was also a tricky twist at the end which felt tacked on and unnecessary.

However as the first book in a series it provided a proper logical conclusion to this first episode while still leaving plenty to pique our curiosity about the sequels.