Red Rising- What's a little revenge among friends?

So this week I finished a book called Red Rising by Pierce Brown. I would have to put this one as one of the better books I’ve read so far this year.

I knew going in that it was the first book of a trilogy and so I was sort of leery.  Stories don’t tend to hold up through a three book set very well. Of course, there are notable exceptions to this rule. And having said that, usually the first one is good, so I went ahead. 

I’m glad I did.

There are pieces that are pulled from other sources, such as kids fighting kids (a la the Hunger Games), but the underlying story is new and solid. I'm sure there will be comparisons to the Hunger Games books but I felt this book was better that those books in every way. I am not one who bashed the Hunger Games in any way but I enjoyed this one more. There are pitfalls and plot twists enough even for me. Comparisons to other books do a disservice to this book.

There is an old saying that revenge is a dish best served cold, but the protagonist, Darrow, seems to run too hot to be able to hold out for the end game and his final revenge. It kept me engaged because I was ready for him to abort his careful planning at any time and just jump in with all guns blazing. It suited his temperament much better than the long, patient revenge that he had planned. 

You knew, throughout the book, that he wanted to just say, "What plan? Let's blow them all up!". You were just waiting for it to happen.

That was part of the author's gift in this book. He had me on the edge of my seat waiting for it to happen and at the same time begging the hero not to let it happen.

You know I love twists and turns and this book has plenty of them. 

The story is rich and imaginative. I loved where the author took the story. The concept was well thought out and executed. The plot is tight and believable which is always good for Sci-fi/fantasy books. The characters are deep and multi-layered.

I hope the rest of the series holds up as well. It was well executed and worth the read. 

But, that's just my opinion.

~Jeff