Yuffie's Book Reviews

Red Rising - by Pierce Brown

... I cannot fathom how this is a bestseller. I cannot fathom how most of the reviews gave it 5 stars on Goodreads and Amazon.

Red Rising was recommended to me by my classmate, who said it was the best book he's ever read. Trusting him, I was excited to read it, plus book #3 won Goodread's best scifi of the year for 2016.

Oh my god this was one of the worst books I've ever read.... I haven't read something this bad since Clockwork Angel.

It's basically Hunger Games. With really superficial factions of people "colors" Ohhh *headesks over and over* It was so dumb. I cannot get over how stupid this premise was.

The main character, Darrow was boring as hell. His narrative voice was the most droning, monotonous, emotionless, lifeless, personality-less voice I have had the displeasure of reading. He didn't speak in contractions, for one, which added to the overly formal, stuffy, droning tone.

The narration also was full to the brim with unnecessary filters, and 98% of the action sequences were glossed over in just a line or two. Entire BATTLES were fought within the span of half a page. It was so underdeveloped... I'm flabbergasted at how this got published. How this got HERALDED BY THE SCI-FI READING COMMUNITY??? Whatttt... OHhhhh My heart hurts at how loved such terrible writing and underdeveloped characters and story and stupid, incomprehensible, unrealistic plot was.

Also a girl was fridged at the very start (Darrow's wife), who he then whined and pined over for the entirety of the book. Ohhh god the angsting was real. *headdesks again*

This read like a YA bestseller (which, if you know me, means utter shit), so I don't know how this was classified as an adult fic book. The MC is 16, and there wasn't really anything overtly adult. So that was misleading... I never would've picked up this book had I known it was YA.

Literally a Hunger Games carbon copy with monotone snooze-fest Katniss. (and I really, really disliked Hunger Games, so that should give insight into my ire here at being basically tricked into reading it.) 

I hate this book. I hate my classmate for recommending it to me. I hate myself for reading the first page and being like "*cringe...* this writing sucks... Oh, well, he said it was the best book he's ever read, so I'm sure it'll improve!" and reading on, and then actually finishing it (whilst clawing out my eyes and trying not to rip this book in half).

Don't read this. Please, please go read some good scifi like Altered Carbon and The Stars My Destination.

2/5 stars