Review: Red Rising By: Pierce Brown

Red Rising by Pierce Brown
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

*****This is a First Reads, Thank You Goodreads*****

Darrow is a Helldiver on Mars. He takes risks, questions as he goes, goes against the color system society has labeled (he is a lowly Red). When his wife is killed, he commits a crime and is - but, he doesn't die. Instead, he is taken by rebels, that have shown him the truth of the colony - that the Golds have been living like kings on the backs of Reds that they treat and care for as slaves. Darrow works with the rebels by undergoing painful surgery, having lessons on how to behave, so that he can enter and train at the Academy, where future Gold leaders of the galaxy come from. He passes. The Academy encourages brutality, even as far as the first test for him to kill his friend. Is he losing his true self as he trains or just gathering skills to turn upon his enemy? Is this what he wanted to become?

This is a complicated book and I must say that I had complicated feelings throughout about whether I liked it or not, whether I would recommend it or not...I am still feeling torn.
The sellers likened it to The Hunger Games -- maybe for a more adult audience. They likened it to Ender -- a little, but again, I would think that you would want an reader that was 17 or older. Even at my age (cough, cough) some of the brutality and the themes were very hard. I love a good rebellion, a great revenge novel and this is here -- this is the beginning. Do I want more, yes! Would it have been better without a preconceived idea or comparison of other novels - hell, yeah! I would be aware of themes and open for discussion if you are going to read this with or before your child.

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