Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. As always, I only link to things that I love.

Golden Son  (sequel to Pierce Brown’s Red Rising (The Red Rising Trilogy, Book 1)) drops (is that appropriate usage or is that only an album thing? *sigh, the questions that keep me up at night) today!  In celebration, I’m re-reading Red Rising before I start Golden.

I remember well the first time that I read this book.

It was evening, I’d been falling down the rabbit hole of Amazon recommendations when I came upon Red Rising. Quite honestly, I was more than a little hesitant at the whopping $10.99 price for an e-book. I could probably have bought a hardcover at that price (a tiny children’s one…) but, in an impulsive and fiscally irresponsible move, I one-clicked the hell out it. And boy, oh boy was I glad devastated that I did. This is not a small book. It’s 382 pages (5971 locations) long and Pierce Brown kept me up the entire night reading.

Tangent: Not to say that the economy and general state of the world isn’t concerning, but the books/entertainment coming out of these uncertain times are largely my favorites, and Red Rising really hits it. The book features: a dystopian world; a rigid class structure; a tragic love; and a savior hero.

I figured I’d let the book speak for itself. If you’re not sold on reading it from these, nothing I say is going to change your mind.

Quotes from the Book or Why You Should Read Red Rising: (No spoilers)

Love: “In her eyes, I see my heart. In her breath, I hear my soul.”

The Braveheart Quote: “Death isn’t empty like you say it is. Emptiness is life without freedom.”

The Struggle Against the Overlords: “We’re empire-breakers….”

The Rigid Class Divide: “If I saw myself on the street, I would hate me.”

The hero: ” ‘If you punch me back, you will be sent home, Pixie.’ I kick him in the shin.”

In conclusion, read it. Then read Golden Son and we can discuss.