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daphx00's review against another edition
4.0
Blood Red Road made for a marvelous read that I couldn't put down.
Let me start off by saying that this is not a dystopian novel. It is post apocalyptic, yes, but there's no sign of a dystopian society in this book whatsoever. There are references to Wreckers, who I assume are we, as Blood Red Road takes place in the future, but other than that, I'd say the story has more of a hystorical feel to it - no technology, just dry wasteland and people living in poverty, scattered around the country.
We basically follow Saba on her trip to rescue her twin brother, who is abducted at the beginning of the story. On her way she comes across obstacles (the fighting cage!) but she is one kick ass heroine and she knows how to survive. She has her little sister in tow, even though she didn't want that and actually hates her. However, Emmi proves that she doesn't have to be a pain when she's tagging along.
A character that I particularly liked is Jack. Cocky, handsome, confident and strong, that's Jack. He's not afraid to tell Saba what the deal is, even though Saba has a mind of her own. I'm looking forward to seeing more of him in the sequel, which I will definitely be picking up.
My overall rating: 4.5/5
Four and a half stars for Saba, Nero, Emmi and Jack.
(this review is published on my blog, http://lvngbooks.blogspot.com)
Let me start off by saying that this is not a dystopian novel. It is post apocalyptic, yes, but there's no sign of a dystopian society in this book whatsoever. There are references to Wreckers, who I assume are we, as Blood Red Road takes place in the future, but other than that, I'd say the story has more of a hystorical feel to it - no technology, just dry wasteland and people living in poverty, scattered around the country.
We basically follow Saba on her trip to rescue her twin brother, who is abducted at the beginning of the story. On her way she comes across obstacles (the fighting cage!) but she is one kick ass heroine and she knows how to survive. She has her little sister in tow, even though she didn't want that and actually hates her. However, Emmi proves that she doesn't have to be a pain when she's tagging along.
A character that I particularly liked is Jack. Cocky, handsome, confident and strong, that's Jack. He's not afraid to tell Saba what the deal is, even though Saba has a mind of her own. I'm looking forward to seeing more of him in the sequel, which I will definitely be picking up.
My overall rating: 4.5/5
Four and a half stars for Saba, Nero, Emmi and Jack.
(this review is published on my blog, http://lvngbooks.blogspot.com)
crystalstarrlight's review
4.0
"...what I ain't gotta do, which is waste time thinkin that anybody's gonna help us...I cain't count on nobody but me."
Saba and Lugh live with their father, Willem, and their younger sister, Emmi, near Silverlake. Life is quiet and lonely, until Tontons (the King's guards) come to take Lugh away. Saba then heads off into the wild unknown to find her brother and nothing will stop her.
With the popularity of the Hunger Games and everyone trying to cash in on the recent dystopia craze, it's hard to make a book standout. But this book does. Unlike many other books, Saba is actually a strong, independent female, the writing style is unique and inviting, and the story is something other than "Forbidden Love in a Dystopia".
The first thing you will notice when you start reading is the writing style. Or maybe, as an example, I'll say "ritin' style". Because this book is written how you would imagine someone from the old West speaking. Words are misspelled, grammar isn't perfect, there are absolutely no quotation marks setting off dialogue (but don't worry, for some reason, it's pretty clear in all but a few places what is being said and who is saying it), and descriptions are scarce to the point of almost being nonexistent. I give Young kudos; this is something I've not seen in a young adult novel (at least not in recent years). It definitely makes her book stand out from the crowd.
However, I will nitpick. The latter half seems a bit more sloppy, a bit too refined (though I'm sure you could explain that away with her growing knowledge of the world around her). There is even a point where she says something to the extent of "He gives me a what-the-heck-do-you-think-you-are-doin' look". That right there did NOT feel like Saba any time before; instead it felt like a contemporary teen novel. Really broke me from the flow. Also, when I said that descriptions are minimal to the point of being almost noexistent, I wasn't kidding. I had to read through the description of the long looker three or four times before I figured out what the hell it was. The only description was that it was plastic and had two lenses away from the eyes. I had no idea the size, the shape or anything else, and if Jack hadn't twisted a knob to focus the lenses, I probably would STILL be wondering what that was. (By the way, the item I'm talking about is a pair of binoculars.)
Blood Red Road is populated with a lot of interesting characters, most notably Saba herself. Saba was a great character and instead of saying she's independent, she actually is. She is very much like Katniss (her dedication to her family, her quick-thinking, her ability to hunt and live on her own). While I still wonder how she learned to survive so well on her own (it's hinted that she hunted back at Silverlake, but that doesn't explain everything), I was just glad that Saba was the one doing the rescuing, not her brother Lugh or her *groan* love interest. Emmi got a bit annoying (I would have liked to thump her on the head for all the running around and getting into trouble she does--she is NINE years old, stay at home, kiddo!), but I did like how Saba and Emmi grew to have a better relationship. The Free Hawks were interesting, but they were underutilized (particularly when compared to the cover, that implies somewhat a greater, more lasting connection). I definitely would have liked to see more of Epona and Ash and their relationship to Saba (and a wee bit less of Jack, the Love Interest).
And then we have Jack, the love interest. From the moment he first appeared in the men's exercise room, I knew he would be paired up with Saba. We hadn't bothered to see the men's exercise room before, but now that this guy was here, the guy with the "silver moon eyes" and the "beautiful features" (wasn't it guys that were supposed to be so superficial? So why do all these books focus on how beautiful the lead male is??? And what is it with Saba almost waxing poetic about Jack's features? You get maybe three adjectives about an entire setting, but unending descriptions of how wonderful Jack is? Foul!) you want me to believe he is just a nobody? Uh uh. No way.
I won't hate on Jack too much, because Saba and Jack do have good chemistry, and he doesn't push her around. But why does Saba almost IMMEDIATELY fall in love with him? Why does the heartstone burn ONLY FOR HIM? Wasn't her heart's desire to get her brother back? Plus, having the stone indicate that Saba was hot for Jack when the reader could already tell was total overkill. And then, at the end, the fifty trillion apologies that Saba says to Jack; yes, she was an @ss, yes, she was rude, but Jack was also undermining her authority to Emmi (whom he strangely became friends with almost overnight) and tended to tease her at times when she was stressed. So, not a fan of the romance but it wasn't terrible, by any means. At least Young tried to make it a love-hate relationship (think Han and Leia) instead of Love at First Bite (think Edward and Bella).
I found it pretty obvious who was going to die--that character was painted as patient and kind and all these good things that just screamed "I am dying in a few pages, appreciate me!" Ike and Tommo were interesting characters, but I bemoaned that Saba and Ike didn't get together, if only to relieve some of the boredom. I would really like to have a character get involved with someone that didn't have "silver moon eyes" and "beautiful features" but instead was hardy and well-built.
The villains were okay, nothing extraordinary, but nothing terrible either. The Pinches (particularly Miz Pinch) felt a bit over the top, but the King was very interesting (minus who his relations were and how he treated them--that seemed weird). I liked how he replicated the Sun King from history. And the lead Tonton (forgot his name) promises to be interesting as well. He seems to abide by his own moral code.
The world that Saba and her friends reside in is fascinating and (for once) made sense. The world apparently is nearly desert dry (though a few more descriptions would have been nice to get an idea of how easy it is for these guys to fill their water cannisters), set back into the Old West days with the modern technology in the distant past. Young has set this world up so well, I definitely want to return to it.
I've nitpicked a lot in my review, but overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked the writing style, the characters were great, the plot proceeds at a good pace (even though a few times it goes on detours and pitstops), and the world was definitely inviting. I especially liked how the book is pretty self-contained; sure there are openings for Book 2, but there is no crazy cliffhanger.
So if your summer reading list is open and you like smart dystopias, head on down to your local bookstore or library and check this out.
Saba and Lugh live with their father, Willem, and their younger sister, Emmi, near Silverlake. Life is quiet and lonely, until Tontons (the King's guards) come to take Lugh away. Saba then heads off into the wild unknown to find her brother and nothing will stop her.
With the popularity of the Hunger Games and everyone trying to cash in on the recent dystopia craze, it's hard to make a book standout. But this book does. Unlike many other books, Saba is actually a strong, independent female, the writing style is unique and inviting, and the story is something other than "Forbidden Love in a Dystopia".
The first thing you will notice when you start reading is the writing style. Or maybe, as an example, I'll say "ritin' style". Because this book is written how you would imagine someone from the old West speaking. Words are misspelled, grammar isn't perfect, there are absolutely no quotation marks setting off dialogue (but don't worry, for some reason, it's pretty clear in all but a few places what is being said and who is saying it), and descriptions are scarce to the point of almost being nonexistent. I give Young kudos; this is something I've not seen in a young adult novel (at least not in recent years). It definitely makes her book stand out from the crowd.
However, I will nitpick. The latter half seems a bit more sloppy, a bit too refined (though I'm sure you could explain that away with her growing knowledge of the world around her). There is even a point where she says something to the extent of "He gives me a what-the-heck-do-you-think-you-are-doin' look". That right there did NOT feel like Saba any time before; instead it felt like a contemporary teen novel. Really broke me from the flow. Also, when I said that descriptions are minimal to the point of being almost noexistent, I wasn't kidding. I had to read through the description of the long looker three or four times before I figured out what the hell it was. The only description was that it was plastic and had two lenses away from the eyes. I had no idea the size, the shape or anything else, and if Jack hadn't twisted a knob to focus the lenses, I probably would STILL be wondering what that was. (By the way, the item I'm talking about is a pair of binoculars.)
Blood Red Road is populated with a lot of interesting characters, most notably Saba herself. Saba was a great character and instead of saying she's independent, she actually is. She is very much like Katniss (her dedication to her family, her quick-thinking, her ability to hunt and live on her own). While I still wonder how she learned to survive so well on her own (it's hinted that she hunted back at Silverlake, but that doesn't explain everything), I was just glad that Saba was the one doing the rescuing, not her brother Lugh or her *groan* love interest. Emmi got a bit annoying (I would have liked to thump her on the head for all the running around and getting into trouble she does--she is NINE years old, stay at home, kiddo!), but I did like how Saba and Emmi grew to have a better relationship. The Free Hawks were interesting, but they were underutilized (particularly when compared to the cover, that implies somewhat a greater, more lasting connection). I definitely would have liked to see more of Epona and Ash and their relationship to Saba (and a wee bit less of Jack, the Love Interest).
And then we have Jack, the love interest. From the moment he first appeared in the men's exercise room, I knew he would be paired up with Saba. We hadn't bothered to see the men's exercise room before, but now that this guy was here, the guy with the "silver moon eyes" and the "beautiful features" (wasn't it guys that were supposed to be so superficial? So why do all these books focus on how beautiful the lead male is??? And what is it with Saba almost waxing poetic about Jack's features? You get maybe three adjectives about an entire setting, but unending descriptions of how wonderful Jack is? Foul!) you want me to believe he is just a nobody? Uh uh. No way.
I won't hate on Jack too much, because Saba and Jack do have good chemistry, and he doesn't push her around. But why does Saba almost IMMEDIATELY fall in love with him? Why does the heartstone burn ONLY FOR HIM? Wasn't her heart's desire to get her brother back? Plus, having the stone indicate that Saba was hot for Jack when the reader could already tell was total overkill. And then, at the end, the fifty trillion apologies that Saba says to Jack; yes, she was an @ss, yes, she was rude, but Jack was also undermining her authority to Emmi (whom he strangely became friends with almost overnight) and tended to tease her at times when she was stressed. So, not a fan of the romance but it wasn't terrible, by any means. At least Young tried to make it a love-hate relationship (think Han and Leia) instead of Love at First Bite (think Edward and Bella).
I found it pretty obvious who was going to die--that character was painted as patient and kind and all these good things that just screamed "I am dying in a few pages, appreciate me!" Ike and Tommo were interesting characters, but I bemoaned that Saba and Ike didn't get together, if only to relieve some of the boredom. I would really like to have a character get involved with someone that didn't have "silver moon eyes" and "beautiful features" but instead was hardy and well-built.
The villains were okay, nothing extraordinary, but nothing terrible either. The Pinches (particularly Miz Pinch) felt a bit over the top, but the King was very interesting (minus who his relations were and how he treated them--that seemed weird). I liked how he replicated the Sun King from history. And the lead Tonton (forgot his name) promises to be interesting as well. He seems to abide by his own moral code.
The world that Saba and her friends reside in is fascinating and (for once) made sense. The world apparently is nearly desert dry (though a few more descriptions would have been nice to get an idea of how easy it is for these guys to fill their water cannisters), set back into the Old West days with the modern technology in the distant past. Young has set this world up so well, I definitely want to return to it.
I've nitpicked a lot in my review, but overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked the writing style, the characters were great, the plot proceeds at a good pace (even though a few times it goes on detours and pitstops), and the world was definitely inviting. I especially liked how the book is pretty self-contained; sure there are openings for Book 2, but there is no crazy cliffhanger.
So if your summer reading list is open and you like smart dystopias, head on down to your local bookstore or library and check this out.
lovelyloro's review against another edition
2.0
This is a 1.5, in my opinion. This was a tedious read. If you love a hyper-annoyingly immature, self-centered, rude, cantankerous protagonist then this is your book! The polarities of the portrayed familial relationships were dizzying and borderline ridiculous. There were elements of this novel that were interesting and had potential for originality, but it tragically fell short. Some of what I considered to be the plot holes, apparently, are dealt with in book two; only problem is I won't personally be reading book 2.
joyreadsinnc's review against another edition
3.0
The book got better as it went along. I had a hard time following some of the story because of the dialect and the fact that the author does not use quotation marks for characters speaking words. As with many of the young adult books, it was rather a predictable story.
breezy610's review against another edition
4.0
This was a quite enjoyable book. I didn't think i would like after reading several pages, but i decided to push on with it. and I decide again that I like it. The only problem that i have with this book is the way they talk, but i do understand why they talked like that. I can't wait for the next book.
melishi211's review against another edition
4.0
Six months later I finish it. Read on kobo. It took me extra long to get into do te writing style the story was good. The writing style while added (I dont believe) it was needed.
narcissia's review against another edition
5.0
Blood Red Road is hands down my favorite read of the year, so far. And I'm pretty confident that will be the case for the remainder of the year. I'm sure a lot of you have heard some complaints about it being hard to get into because of the style. And yeah, it's written in the vernacular. And no, there are no quotation marks. But the dialect is not at all difficult to follow, and I didn't miss the quotation marks at all. I never needed them to be there in order to clarify that somebody was speaking. The writing is beautiful and well-constructed. I was sucked into this world immediately, partly because of the vernacular. It makes the world feel more real. The dialect in Blood Red Road isn't bizarre or convoluted. It's simple and easy to follow. I never had to stop an try an figger it out. (See what I did there?) And if the reader stops fussing over it and just reads, then it's an incredibly engaging story that I find is enhanced by the fact that it is written in the vernacular. It brings Saba to life in ways that a stiffer dialogue would not be able to do. So please, please don't let the style stop you from picking this book up and reading it.
Saba is such an amazing character. She's fleshed out and real and honest. She's got strengths and weaknesses that remind the reader of her humanity. Her love for her twin brother Lugh is crystal clear. But we also see her strong feelings of resentment toward her little sister, Emmi. And both are believable. And I can't help but sympathize with her on both fronts, even though I see that she's being unfair. She doesn't want any distractions from her mission to get Lugh back, but she's met with obstacle after obstacle. I love her for her strengths and weaknesses, both. Emmi is also a great character, and I was surprised to come across her because she isn't even mentioned in the synopsis, though she plays quite a large role in the book, and I love the complexities and growth of her relationship with Saba. And Jack. I adore Jack, though he's still a little bit of a mystery to me. He's just the sort of lovable rogue that I live to find in stories. The relationship that forms between Jack and Saba is one that I really like. It's got ups and downs and cutes and loathsomes and compliments and insults. It's fun and frustrating, both. The Free Hawks that Saba befriends are badass, as is Jack's buddy, Ike. They're not as prominent as the other characters, development-wise, but they still have depth and I grew to like and appreciate them a great deal.
I love the setting. There's a lot of desert and dried up rivers and lakes. But there's also scrubby forests, mountains, shanty towns and cities that are only vast, empty skeletons of their former selves. The world building is done really well, and it's easy to imagine all of these places that Saba travels through and the people who inhabit some of them. It has a sort of western feel, which is only enhanced by the dialect of the characters, and when mixed with a post-apocalyptic wasteland the setting has a vibe similar to that of something like The Book of Eli movie with Denzel Washington or The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
The plot moves quickly. Saba is placed into one situation after another, but there's travel and other times when she must wait before she can act, so there is also a good bit of room for character and relationship development. The action and development scenes are perfectly placed to keep the story moving along while also keeping the reader interested in the characters themselves. And the end gives readers resolution with the promise of more to come, which is just how I like it in a series.
So yeah, I love it. Five stars.
Saba is such an amazing character. She's fleshed out and real and honest. She's got strengths and weaknesses that remind the reader of her humanity. Her love for her twin brother Lugh is crystal clear. But we also see her strong feelings of resentment toward her little sister, Emmi. And both are believable. And I can't help but sympathize with her on both fronts, even though I see that she's being unfair. She doesn't want any distractions from her mission to get Lugh back, but she's met with obstacle after obstacle. I love her for her strengths and weaknesses, both. Emmi is also a great character, and I was surprised to come across her because she isn't even mentioned in the synopsis, though she plays quite a large role in the book, and I love the complexities and growth of her relationship with Saba. And Jack. I adore Jack, though he's still a little bit of a mystery to me. He's just the sort of lovable rogue that I live to find in stories. The relationship that forms between Jack and Saba is one that I really like. It's got ups and downs and cutes and loathsomes and compliments and insults. It's fun and frustrating, both. The Free Hawks that Saba befriends are badass, as is Jack's buddy, Ike. They're not as prominent as the other characters, development-wise, but they still have depth and I grew to like and appreciate them a great deal.
I love the setting. There's a lot of desert and dried up rivers and lakes. But there's also scrubby forests, mountains, shanty towns and cities that are only vast, empty skeletons of their former selves. The world building is done really well, and it's easy to imagine all of these places that Saba travels through and the people who inhabit some of them. It has a sort of western feel, which is only enhanced by the dialect of the characters, and when mixed with a post-apocalyptic wasteland the setting has a vibe similar to that of something like The Book of Eli movie with Denzel Washington or The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
The plot moves quickly. Saba is placed into one situation after another, but there's travel and other times when she must wait before she can act, so there is also a good bit of room for character and relationship development. The action and development scenes are perfectly placed to keep the story moving along while also keeping the reader interested in the characters themselves. And the end gives readers resolution with the promise of more to come, which is just how I like it in a series.
So yeah, I love it. Five stars.
byp's review against another edition
5.0
This is the next YA book you want to read. Probably one of the best books I've read all year.
sam_hartwig's review against another edition
4.0
"Saba: People with this name have a deep inner desire for love and companionship, and want to work with others to achieve peace and harmony." ~ I found this on the internet and thought it suited Saba fairly accurately.
This book took me on a truly epic adventure which I didn't expect at all. It sure was a long bloody road but boy was it awesome! If you're someone who likes fantasy books but doesn't like all the boring riding through the woods scenes but loves a good battle scene then this is the book for you. It's filled to the brim with fast paced action, characters you want to fight for and a dystopian backdrop to rival all others.
I had no idea really what to expect from this, all I knew was that it was something very special because I've read many reviews from people beaming about this book. So of course it landed on my to read list and now that I've read it I can join all those other beaming reviewers.
What I loved about this was the main character Saba - she is stubborn, fierce and very loyal to her brother. These qualities make her the perfect person to learn to love and loathe at the same time. While Saba is loyal and has lots of respect for her slightly older twin brother Lugh, she is a truly horrible person to her little sister Emmi. At times I found myself disgusted at how she would treat Emmi, but during their forced time together Saba slowly starts to redeem herself and realise the hatred she has for her sister is really from another cause. I must admit though that Saba got a lot of help from Jack in learning how to see people in a different light.
Now Jack is another story. Enter the love interest, the one and only love interest. No love triangles in this book (unless you count the love Saba has for her brother but that's plain weird and doesn't count). Jack is brave, caring and a leader, oh and how can I forget those moonlight coloured eyes. It takes a while for us to meet Jack and a long while for Saba to get to grips with her true feelings for him. The romance is sweet and steamy at the same time, at some moments I was like "awww" and other moments I was like "phew down boy!" haha.
Something that really bugged me though was the language and grammar used through out the book. It took me a while to get used to it and after that I found it to be one of the things I loved about the story. BUT at one stage Saba was telling everyone that she was sorry for her behaviour and how she was acting, one of the words she used to describe herself was: cantankersome.... now I had no idea whether this word even existed and here Saba is - obviously never read a book in her life as she doesn't know what words were and described them as scribbles on a page - using a word like cantankersome to explain her actions! Feels a bit off to me.
I don't mind a cliffhanger at the end of a book because it leaves you wanting more but I really liked how this book ended. I was left feeling satisfied, this chapter has ended but I knew that there is going to be more adventures to come. I'm still very much looking forward to getting the next book in the series. Hopefully I can get it on Audiobook too.
Also on my blog
This book took me on a truly epic adventure which I didn't expect at all. It sure was a long bloody road but boy was it awesome! If you're someone who likes fantasy books but doesn't like all the boring riding through the woods scenes but loves a good battle scene then this is the book for you. It's filled to the brim with fast paced action, characters you want to fight for and a dystopian backdrop to rival all others.
I had no idea really what to expect from this, all I knew was that it was something very special because I've read many reviews from people beaming about this book. So of course it landed on my to read list and now that I've read it I can join all those other beaming reviewers.
What I loved about this was the main character Saba - she is stubborn, fierce and very loyal to her brother. These qualities make her the perfect person to learn to love and loathe at the same time. While Saba is loyal and has lots of respect for her slightly older twin brother Lugh, she is a truly horrible person to her little sister Emmi. At times I found myself disgusted at how she would treat Emmi, but during their forced time together Saba slowly starts to redeem herself and realise the hatred she has for her sister is really from another cause. I must admit though that Saba got a lot of help from Jack in learning how to see people in a different light.
Now Jack is another story. Enter the love interest, the one and only love interest. No love triangles in this book (unless you count the love Saba has for her brother but that's plain weird and doesn't count). Jack is brave, caring and a leader, oh and how can I forget those moonlight coloured eyes. It takes a while for us to meet Jack and a long while for Saba to get to grips with her true feelings for him. The romance is sweet and steamy at the same time, at some moments I was like "awww" and other moments I was like "phew down boy!" haha.
Something that really bugged me though was the language and grammar used through out the book. It took me a while to get used to it and after that I found it to be one of the things I loved about the story. BUT at one stage Saba was telling everyone that she was sorry for her behaviour and how she was acting, one of the words she used to describe herself was: cantankersome.... now I had no idea whether this word even existed and here Saba is - obviously never read a book in her life as she doesn't know what words were and described them as scribbles on a page - using a word like cantankersome to explain her actions! Feels a bit off to me.
I don't mind a cliffhanger at the end of a book because it leaves you wanting more but I really liked how this book ended. I was left feeling satisfied, this chapter has ended but I knew that there is going to be more adventures to come. I'm still very much looking forward to getting the next book in the series. Hopefully I can get it on Audiobook too.
Also on my blog
maddie_orart's review against another edition
4.0
Full review posted on Of Reading and Random Things
When I first read Blood Red Road in 2011, I thought it was one of the best books ever and I would’ve given it 10 stars if I could. So being the person I am, I decided to reread it and see if I was an idiot for loving it so much. It turns out I am not, in fact, an idiot. I mean, I have more opinions now, but I still really like Blood Red Road and I can’t wait to read the sequels.
The first thing that I noticed the moment I started reading was the dialect. With words being misspelled on purpose like ‘yer’ (your) and stummick (stomach), the absent letter ‘g’ and the lack of inverted commas that indicate speech, it’s so different from other books that I’ve read. In the beginning, I’d read a few lines before seeing ‘he/she says’ and realize that ‘Oh! That was meant to be a dialogue!’. It was jarring and took some getting used to but it didn’t take me long, and I ended up really appreciating the unique writing style.
Overall, nothing really bothered me so much that it made me enjoy the book less, I still love this book. I think Blood Red Road is a great read and it set itself apart from other dystopian novels published at the time. It’s entertaining and action-packed, with great characters that come together to create a great story.
When I first read Blood Red Road in 2011, I thought it was one of the best books ever and I would’ve given it 10 stars if I could. So being the person I am, I decided to reread it and see if I was an idiot for loving it so much. It turns out I am not, in fact, an idiot. I mean, I have more opinions now, but I still really like Blood Red Road and I can’t wait to read the sequels.
The first thing that I noticed the moment I started reading was the dialect. With words being misspelled on purpose like ‘yer’ (your) and stummick (stomach), the absent letter ‘g’ and the lack of inverted commas that indicate speech, it’s so different from other books that I’ve read. In the beginning, I’d read a few lines before seeing ‘he/she says’ and realize that ‘Oh! That was meant to be a dialogue!’. It was jarring and took some getting used to but it didn’t take me long, and I ended up really appreciating the unique writing style.
Overall, nothing really bothered me so much that it made me enjoy the book less, I still love this book. I think Blood Red Road is a great read and it set itself apart from other dystopian novels published at the time. It’s entertaining and action-packed, with great characters that come together to create a great story.