From the Bookshelf of Addicted to YA…

Red Rising (Red Rising Saga, #1)

Pierce Brown

Start date: May 1, 2015

Finish date: May 31, 2015

Discussion: Series

Why we're reading this: It won the poll for the series BOTM
[close] It won the poll for the series BOTM

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 506 topics — 19,054 comments total

Series

* Continuing Series- Nightbane
By Bailey · 4 posts · 30 views

last updated Aug 12, 2025 07:32AM

* New Series- The Princess Trials
By Bailey · 10 posts · 59 views

last updated Aug 27, 2025 04:41PM

showing 10 of 11 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Jul 24, 2019 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

AMAZING BOOK!!!! I just found my newest favorite book of the year. I have so many but holy cow this book is so good. It was so hard to put down. Once it got rolling it really got rolling. every chapter there was something new going on. It was such a page turner. I haven't had a book like that in a long time and I can't wait to keep going with the rest of the books in this series. OMGosh I can't say enough good about this book. The writing was amazing and so easy to read, the characters were fant AMAZING BOOK!!!! I just found my newest favorite book of the year. I have so many but holy cow this book is so good. It was so hard to put down. Once it got rolling it really got rolling. every chapter there was something new going on. It was such a page turner. I haven't had a book like that in a long time and I can't wait to keep going with the rest of the books in this series. OMGosh I can't say enough good about this book. The writing was amazing and so easy to read, the characters were fantastic, I loved the heros of the book and hated the villains with such a passion which to me is the sign of a great author. When an author can make you feel so passionately about character (good or bad ones) then this author is incredible at his craft.

This book reminded me of The Hunger Games a little bit. Hunger games had districts and Red Rising had colors and each had specific tasks they do. Reds being the lowest of the colors and Golds being the pampered and the ones with all the luxuries they can get their hands on. Never go hungry or lack the comforts in their homes. The Reds are lucky if they get food every night or have a bed big enough for a husband and a wife.

I am really going to be spoiling the book so don't read if you don't want to know :D

(view spoiler)[
Darrow was born a Red and was a Helldiver, He dug for Helium-3 which was supposed to help terraform Mars so that people on Earth could come in live there. They were told they were the pioneers of Mars and even though they were never going to see Mars with it's cities and life they could rest assured that their children's children would one day reap the benefits of all the hard work they did to make Mars livable. The lie is that Mars is livable and they are using the underground Reds as slaves to keep digging the Helium-3 needed to keep life on Mars alive. So much had to happen for Darrow to find this out. He lost his wife, he lost his own life or that's what the underground believes.

There is a secret society working to set free those that kill themselves daily underground and Darrow they feel is their ticket. They turn him into a Gold using what is known as a carver who does all sorts of painful horrible things to get the Red off of him and inplant everything that Gold is. Beauty, brawn, speed, brains. They were gifted with everything and what they weren't gifted with they have a carver fix 9or that's what I gathered) above ground there are Pinks who are for pleasure purposes only and I don't think they had Pinks underground. There is so much to this book and it's done so well. I loved everything about it.

These young Golds have to go through a Passage (which breaks my heart) then into a school which turns out to be castles that each clan is in charge of and they try to find their leader of this castle. Blood is shed and kids are killed and it's like it's real life except it's only a school and they are being taught lessons no kid should have to live through. Darrow goes through many changes in this lesson. He makes enemies and makes some great friends and allies.

I can't wait to pick up Golden Son and read it next. I want it now :D EXCELLENT book. I can only imagine that the whole series will be just as good if not better. I swear if I could give it 10 stars I would! (hide spoiler)] ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Dec 02, 2014 Kristie rated it liked it

Shelves: ya-lit-sci-fi-fant, ya-lit-dystopia

I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. While I appreciated the sentiments and themes of the book, the density of the language and slow-moving plot was difficult for me to slog through. I also had a hard time finding any character that I especially liked. Darrow felt like a cliche; he was too much of a superman for me to relate to. The whole book read much like High Fantasy, which isn't a bad thing, just not really a genre that I am into. Still, the brutality of the book and the the ...more

Like · see review