I was a bit intimidated by this book. Especially since I found out it has gore.. something I usually run away from in my books, tv shows, movies, etc. However I decided to toughen up and read it. I tweeted Giselle @ Book Nerd Canada and we decided to do a read-a-long of it. I am so happy we did that because I felt that reading with a person enhanced my enjoinment level, plus we would have discussions every 50 pages, ask each other questions and basically help each other figure out anything we missed or were confused about. 
 Initially, Red Rising was slow.. I was a bit confused and just couldn't really connect with the world and the plot. I was a bit uncomfortable with the writing and how crude it was.. I am so used to the glossed up YA writing, so this was a bit of a shock for me. 
 However, once I got into the novel, I honestly couldn't put it down. The world building was so fascinating, and even though it was still a bit confusing, I loved the Harry Potter-esque housing system and also The Hunger Games survival game theme. Darrow, the main protagonist definitely became more likable and I liked his way of thinking, it definitely mirrored what I usually believed in. This book was also emotional. I really grew attached to Eo, she was so pure in such a dirty and corrupt world. 
 Though I must warn you.. I almost labeled this book a disappointment because the beginning wasn't able to capture my interest at all.. however halfway through, I was addicted! (see tweet below) 
 I learnt to ignore the gory parts and appreciated the character development. I mentioned earlier I grew attached to Eo, but she wasn't the only one. So many of these characters randomly pop up and then later on you find yourself invested in their well being. We have Mustang, Sevro, and even Pax. Brown seriously knows how to maintain such a cruel dystopian world but still be able to build authentic friendships and character development. Also, the twists in this book are unbelievable. So bloodydamn good. I really really couldn't predict a single one of them. 
 Overall, this whole book was such an addicting read. I do have to point out that the beginning is slow, and apparently some people DNF-ed it.. All I can do is give you potential readers a warning. Even if you think it is slow/boring/confused in the beginning, stick with it because it is worth it. All people like me who hate gore, there isn't much, but you can easily skip over those descriptions. I am so glad I did read it and I am SO excited for the sequel. I've no idea what will happen next and that makes me so excited for it. I definitely recommend it to old YA readers. I don't recommend this book to young readers because of the content, but older YA readers.. what are you waiting for?