The Red Rising Trilogy

Last year, I did a massive book challenge, Popsugar's Reading Challenge for 2015. I read a lot of great books for this challenge and was just barely able to finish all 52 books three days before  the start of the new year. For a look at what I read, check out my Reading Challenge Pinterest Board.   Among these books, I read the first two novels in the Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown (the last one wasn't out yet.) My friend Katie had recommended them to me long before this, but I finally took the dive to discover that these books are pretty brilliant!

I like to describe Red Rising as Game of Thrones in space. It's a science fiction dystopian novel, and has similarities to series' like The Hunger Games and Ender's Game.  (Just realized all these novels have 'game' in them, how weird is that?) Red Rising  is intense and not for the faint of heart. Tons of violence, action, space slang, cursing -- and morally ambiguous but lovable characters.

The story revolves around Darrow. Born a Red, Darrow is essentially an unknowing slave of the Gold race. His people are frequently hanged and whipped for speaking out, and he spends his life working in the dangerous mines of Mars, nearly guaranteeing an early death due to the harsh conditions. It's a hard life, but Darrow is generally resigned and okay with it, until his wife Eo does something to change everything in Darrow's small world.  Eo's dream is a better life for Reds and other lowColors, to "break the chains" of their slavery and oppression. With Eo as his guide and his constant reminder of what he's working towards, Darrow is thrust into the world of the Aureate. Enhanced by genetic modification, surgery, education, and physical therapy, Darrow disguises himself as a Gold and enters into The Institute, a military training school where he can rise to a position powerful enough to take down Gold from within.  However, Darrow learns that Gold society is just as cruel as the one he left behind and that it's eat or be eaten, kill or be killed.  Through it all, Darrow finds confusing friendships and loves with those he's meant to destroy.

To be honest, the Red Rising trilogy is probably the most brutal thing I've ever read, not for the young or those sensitive to violence. There is war, graphic death, off-page rape, abuse and more.  If you can handle that level of intensity, these books will by turns haunt you and charm you, make you laugh, scream, cry and want to throw the book across the room.  If you're into science fiction, action, and/or dystopian fiction you'll definitely want to check these out.