Blood Red Road - Moira Young
Synopsis: Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.
Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization. (From Goodreads)
Somehow every epic story and empire has been rolled into one book. How does Moira Young make it work? I have theories, but really, I couldn't exactly say. It starts out kinda Wild West, then it turns into a bit of pirating, then there's some Roman empire-ness, some Robin Hood, and even some Napoleonic things made it in there. Everything is a contradiction somehow (ex. Hopetown - is actually a place overrun with vagrants and lowlifes) and the things you think you can predict are actually surprising. I kept trying to put labels on this book and then I gave up - I don't know what it is - other than a heroic journey.
The language of this book is off putting at first. I almost set it aside after a few pages because I wasn't really in the mood to plow through the language of a girl who is uneducated (only one character in this book even knows what a book is). But I've heard so many fantastic things about this book that I kept going. I wasn't into it when Saba leaves Silverlake to find Lugh and it actually took me until she meets a couple while trying to cross the desert (known as the Sandsea) that I was actually like - Ok, now we're talking. From that point on, this book fits every definition I have of amazing.
Except the worms. I could have done without the worms. There are some giant worm things, that were the only things that I felt were a little too unrealistic for this world.
But the characters are great -they're hard to get to know at first because Saba is so closed off in general and the language takes a little wading through - but once they are around for awhile they're really colorful and quite fascinating. Saba's relationship with her younger sister is really cool to watch. I expected it would follow a certain timeline - and it didn't. Saba herself is so unpredictable that even when you think she's softening, she does something that just makes you think - why did I even think she was soft?
This is the first in a trilogy. It actually ended with a bit of closure for me, so I wouldn't necessarily need the rest of the books - however, I'll definitely keep reading this series because I love the characters and the world so much. Plus, I'm really excited to see what other stories or empires she can put Saba through.
Blood Red Road - Moira Young
Synopsis: Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.
Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization. (From Goodreads)
Somehow every epic story and empire has been rolled into one book. How does Moira Young make it work? I have theories, but really, I couldn't exactly say. It starts out kinda Wild West, then it turns into a bit of pirating, then there's some Roman empire-ness, some Robin Hood, and even some Napoleonic things made it in there. Everything is a contradiction somehow (ex. Hopetown - is actually a place overrun with vagrants and lowlifes) and the things you think you can predict are actually surprising. I kept trying to put labels on this book and then I gave up - I don't know what it is - other than a heroic journey.
The language of this book is off putting at first. I almost set it aside after a few pages because I wasn't really in the mood to plow through the language of a girl who is uneducated (only one character in this book even knows what a book is). But I've heard so many fantastic things about this book that I kept going. I wasn't into it when Saba leaves Silverlake to find Lugh and it actually took me until she meets a couple while trying to cross the desert (known as the Sandsea) that I was actually like - Ok, now we're talking. From that point on, this book fits every definition I have of amazing.
Except the worms. I could have done without the worms. There are some giant worm things, that were the only things that I felt were a little too unrealistic for this world.
But the characters are great -they're hard to get to know at first because Saba is so closed off in general and the language takes a little wading through - but once they are around for awhile they're really colorful and quite fascinating. Saba's relationship with her younger sister is really cool to watch. I expected it would follow a certain timeline - and it didn't. Saba herself is so unpredictable that even when you think she's softening, she does something that just makes you think - why did I even think she was soft?
This is the first in a trilogy. It actually ended with a bit of closure for me, so I wouldn't necessarily need the rest of the books - however, I'll definitely keep reading this series because I love the characters and the world so much. Plus, I'm really excited to see what other stories or empires she can put Saba through.
