Red Rising

The big take away here is that I really enjoyed reading this book. It's an entertaining read that I had a hard time pulling myself away from. Brown has a strong authorial voice, and the writing style is a pleasure to immerse yourself in. It has excellent pacing, and while the premise and world building appears at first to be rather tired, it was fresh enough to keep me interested and wanting to learn more about it. The characters feel unique and real for the most part, and I definitely found myself getting attached to some of them. 

That all being said, I don't pretend that this is some literary masterpiece. It's a lot like Hugh Howey's Wool in a lot of ways. Feeling somewhat juvenile even though some of the content is far too heavy for that title. A plot that's overly telegraphed with easy to predict outcomes, though I will say that Red Rising is not nearly as bad on this point. Most damning, however, is Brown's insistence to tell the reader everything, instead of showing. Nothing is left for the reader to infer or ponder over by themselves. Everything is screamed at you at full volume, usually multiple times, until you roll your eyes at being treated like someone with a sixth grade comprehension level. I was disheartened at the lack of subtlety.  

But not everything needs to have subtlety to be enjoyable, or worth your time. It was perfect for me at this moment in time, as I had fallen into a bit of a reading slump. I needed something exciting and easy to get myself back into the swing. I've also heard that the sequels are of higher quality, so I'm interested in continuing the series at some point. The ending left me with enough motivation to continue for sure.