Red Rising

I must be honest, I didn't think I was going to like this book after the first few pages. It is gritty, dark and dirty (meaning it takes place underground). But it got such great reviews I decided to plod along. Am I glad I did. This is the story of Darrow. He is a Helldiver of Mars. He is a Red. The lowest class of society. They are kept underground to mine the earth in order to make Mars inhabitable for future generations. They find it a noble undertaking. Well, not everyone. Darrow's wife Eo thinks they are slaves. She wants Darrow to strive for more than being a Red. As a matter of fact, she is willing to die to prove her point. Darrow comes to find that his entire existence has been a lie and begins an undertaking to infiltrate the Gold society. The Gold's are bigger, stronger, prettier and more ruthless than any other color. This is their right. This is their place. Darrow must transform himself into a Gold so he can take them down. He finds himself at the academy, thrust into a competition that will test who will become a member of the power class. The game is brutal, deadly and without morals. Darrow will have to find a way to fit in but stand out. He is drawn into the game and will do anything to succeed. Many will die, many will be betrayed and Darrow himself may have to go against everything he believes in to accomplish his goal. This book is the Hunger Games for an older crowd. It is filled with strategy, mind games and the test of friendship, when no one is your real friend because you are a Red in a Gold world and one false move means your death. Darrow is a great hero (?) filled with righteous indignation. He will be a symbol of his people if he doesn't get in his own way. Boys will love this book, not enough romance for my girls, but the strategizing more than makes up for it. It reads like a movie, and I'm sure it will be one. So pick up this great first book in the series, but make sure you have a free afternoon because you won't want to put it down. Happy reading my friends!