Rating: 4/5 
 ***Minor spoilers*** 
 Darrow is a lowRed, the bottom of society, the slaves that don't even know they're slaves. They live with the knowledge that they are making Mars habitable for other humans, but they are being lied to. Mars is already inhabited by everybody except the lowReds. highReds, Pinks, Browns, Whites, Greens - they all live on the surface while the lowReds drill and drill and drill their lives away. But Darrow comes across an opportunity with the Sons of Ares, a Resistance. With their help, Darrow becomes disguised as a Gold, the highest colour in society. He must infiltrate them and do the best he can do become apprenticed under somebody of importance. But to do so, Darrow must make sacrifices, and must become the person he hates. 
 As soon as I started, all this talk of colours reminded me of Red Queen, with the lowly Reds being ruled by the Silvers (in this book, Golds), and then one of the Reds having to become a Silver (once again, Gold in this book). The similarities in plotline pretty much end there, but if you enjoyed Red Queen you will probably enjoy this book. It's full of tension, heartbreak, and betrayal. 
 This book reminds me of a video game, which is most likely why I loved it so much. At about the 20-30% mark, maybe a bit later, Darrow begins his time at the Institute, an elite school for Golds. He must play a game of conquest and strategy. The Golds are divided into houses; think Percy Jackson, but the Roman camp, named after the major gods. To complete the game, only one leader must be left; everyone else must be defeated (not necessarily killed). There is strategy, there are invasions, slaves are taken, and people are betrayed. A lot of people disliked this book because of the sudden turn of events; all of a sudden the remainder of the book turns into a war game, but I loved it. If this doesn't seem like your thing, don't read it; you'll hate it. 
 I really enjoyed Darrow as a main character. He made mistakes, and he learned from them. He thought of more than himself when everyone thought him to be a selfish dictator. He could be rash at times, but I didn't hold that against him because of the situation he was in. 
 The only reason I didn't give this book a higher rating is because I found several things in this book predictable. At times I feel like too many hints were given, which made the "surprises" less exciting. Despite this, I managed to enjoy it a lot. If you have a problem with predictability, I would still give this book a chance. 
 Overall, I loved this book a lot but it was quite predictable at times. I loved the strategy mixed with sci-fi theme to the book. I definitely recommend this if you enjoy strategy/war games or sci-fi novels. If you're not into one or both of those things, I wouldn't waste your time while you could be reading something you'd enjoy. I'll definitely be reading the second novel when I can.