Synopsis (from Goodreads): 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.
Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction.
Review: Saba lives her life in a dehydrated, barren world, yet she is content enough as long as she has her twin brother, Lugh. When Lugh is kidnapped by a group of mysterious horsemen, Saba knows she has to do whatever it takes to save him. This starts a rip-roaring adventure, with Saba facing unexpected dangers in her quest to bring Lugh home.
I have to admit, I was sold on Blood Red Road right from the synopsis and had very high expectations for the novel. Often these assumptions can affect a reading experience for the worst, but in this case my expectations were fully met. I loved every minute of Saba’s quest, and I enjoyed getting to know the richly drawn side characters, which include a kick-ass girl vigilante group, Saba’s down-trodden younger sister, and of course, a guy.
I’ll admit, it did take some adjusting to get used to the sparse writing style Young uses in this novel, but once I did it flowed perfectly. Even though there wasn’t a huge amount of description, I didn’t feel that anything was lacking and I could picture everything as if I was there with Saba - rare for any book. I grew to love the writing style - with so many authors bogging their writing down with unnecessary descriptions, it was great to read only what needed to be said and no more.
Saba was a refreshing heroine. She wasn’t portrayed in any way as perfect; in fact she began the novel as selfish, petulant, and just generally unlikeable. However, she went through some extraordinary growth throughout the novel, and by the story’s end she had developed many redeeming traits. I also enjoyed Saba’s relationship with Jack - it felt so real and actually took time to develop, no instant-love here, folks! Jack was adorable, and was never creepy or over-possessive. He and Saba actually worked as a team, and he wasn’t constantly saving her from danger - in fact, Saba would be more likely to save him. So all in all, just a healthy, realistic relationship that I loved.
Blood Red Road was such a fabulous adventure, plain and simple. It’s easily one of my favourite novels of 2011, and I know I’ll be coming back to it whenever I need fun, exciting read. I’m highly anticipating the sequel and can’t wait to see what’s in store for Saba, Jack and the rest of the gang.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Review: Saba lives her life in a dehydrated, barren world, yet she is content enough as long as she has her twin brother, Lugh. When Lugh is kidnapped by a group of mysterious horsemen, Saba knows she has to do whatever it takes to save him. This starts a rip-roaring adventure, with Saba facing unexpected dangers in her quest to bring Lugh home.
I have to admit, I was sold on Blood Red Road right from the synopsis and had very high expectations for the novel. Often these assumptions can affect a reading experience for the worst, but in this case my expectations were fully met. I loved every minute of Saba’s quest, and I enjoyed getting to know the richly drawn side characters, which include a kick-ass girl vigilante group, Saba’s down-trodden younger sister, and of course, a guy.
I’ll admit, it did take some adjusting to get used to the sparse writing style Young uses in this novel, but once I did it flowed perfectly. Even though there wasn’t a huge amount of description, I didn’t feel that anything was lacking and I could picture everything as if I was there with Saba - rare for any book. I grew to love the writing style - with so many authors bogging their writing down with unnecessary descriptions, it was great to read only what needed to be said and no more.
Saba was a refreshing heroine. She wasn’t portrayed in any way as perfect; in fact she began the novel as selfish, petulant, and just generally unlikeable. However, she went through some extraordinary growth throughout the novel, and by the story’s end she had developed many redeeming traits. I also enjoyed Saba’s relationship with Jack - it felt so real and actually took time to develop, no instant-love here, folks! Jack was adorable, and was never creepy or over-possessive. He and Saba actually worked as a team, and he wasn’t constantly saving her from danger - in fact, Saba would be more likely to save him. So all in all, just a healthy, realistic relationship that I loved.
Blood Red Road was such a fabulous adventure, plain and simple. It’s easily one of my favourite novels of 2011, and I know I’ll be coming back to it whenever I need fun, exciting read. I’m highly anticipating the sequel and can’t wait to see what’s in store for Saba, Jack and the rest of the gang.
Rating: 5 out of 5
