Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Jul. 12th, 2011 09:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
I ain’t afeared of nuthin.
Every step of Saba’s journey sizzles with danger …
In a lawless land, where life is cheap and survival is hard, Saba has been brought up in isolated Silverlake. She never sees the dangers of the destructive society outside. When her twin brother is snatched by mysterious black-robed riders, she sets out on an epic quest to rescue him. The story’s searing pace, its spare style, the excitement of its fabulously damaged world, its unforgettably vivid characters, its violent action and glorious love story makes this a truly sensational YA debut.
18-year-old Saba lives with her twin brother, Lugh, younger sister Emmi and their father in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by red desert. Saba’s mother died giving birth to Emmi and life’s been hard as the rains haven’t been, even though Saba’s father keeps performing rituals to encourage it. Saba’s only other friend is Nero, a raven she reared as a chick and who she has an almost supernatural bond with.
One day Lugh is snatched by a group of mysterious black robed riders who kill Saba’s father. Saba is determined to rescue him, but first she must find somewhere for Emmi to stay. Emmi has other ideas though and is equally determined to help her sister and brother no matter what. Together with Nero, they set off on Lugh’s trail on a quest that will throw them into danger and force them to face the worst that their broken world has to offer.
Moira Young’s debut YA dystopian novel is told through Saba’s strong first person voice. Saba herself is the best reason to read this book – strong willed and determined, she’s devoted to her twin brother - seeing Lugh as a better version of herself – but at the same time blames Emmi for their mother’s death and has never forgiven her for it. I really liked her callousness to Emmi and her slow realisation of the effects that it has on her, with Young making it a very humanising weakness. The narration uses a phonetic approach to spelling, which didn’t always work for me – mainly because while some words are misspelled, others are not.
Although the book is fast-paced, there is still an episodic feel to it. I wasn’t convinced by some of the plot development – particularly where Saba goes from half-starved girl in the wilderness to a cage-fighting champion because there’s little explanation for how she accomplishes it beyond submitting to her rage. The dystopian vision felt underdeveloped, with little sense provided for how the world has been divided up – but I did like the ever-pervading sense of the sands taking everything over. My biggest issue though was with the villain, who never arises above caricature and as such never gives Saba something concrete to fight against.
In conclusion, it’s not a bad book but it didn’t work for me and I think there are better YA dystopians out there for fans of the genre.
The Verdict:
Moira Young’s YA dystopian novel (the first in a trilogy) has a strong first person voice and an interesting main character, particularly because of her relationships with her sister and brother. However, there was too much of an episodic feel to the story, which has a detrimental effect on the otherwise fast pacing and elements of the story (particularly the pivotal scenes where the main character is a cage fighter) didn’t ring true for me. It’s an okay read but there have been other YA dystopian books out this year that I’ve greatly preferred.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
Every step of Saba’s journey sizzles with danger …
In a lawless land, where life is cheap and survival is hard, Saba has been brought up in isolated Silverlake. She never sees the dangers of the destructive society outside. When her twin brother is snatched by mysterious black-robed riders, she sets out on an epic quest to rescue him. The story’s searing pace, its spare style, the excitement of its fabulously damaged world, its unforgettably vivid characters, its violent action and glorious love story makes this a truly sensational YA debut.
18-year-old Saba lives with her twin brother, Lugh, younger sister Emmi and their father in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by red desert. Saba’s mother died giving birth to Emmi and life’s been hard as the rains haven’t been, even though Saba’s father keeps performing rituals to encourage it. Saba’s only other friend is Nero, a raven she reared as a chick and who she has an almost supernatural bond with.
One day Lugh is snatched by a group of mysterious black robed riders who kill Saba’s father. Saba is determined to rescue him, but first she must find somewhere for Emmi to stay. Emmi has other ideas though and is equally determined to help her sister and brother no matter what. Together with Nero, they set off on Lugh’s trail on a quest that will throw them into danger and force them to face the worst that their broken world has to offer.
Moira Young’s debut YA dystopian novel is told through Saba’s strong first person voice. Saba herself is the best reason to read this book – strong willed and determined, she’s devoted to her twin brother - seeing Lugh as a better version of herself – but at the same time blames Emmi for their mother’s death and has never forgiven her for it. I really liked her callousness to Emmi and her slow realisation of the effects that it has on her, with Young making it a very humanising weakness. The narration uses a phonetic approach to spelling, which didn’t always work for me – mainly because while some words are misspelled, others are not.
Although the book is fast-paced, there is still an episodic feel to it. I wasn’t convinced by some of the plot development – particularly where Saba goes from half-starved girl in the wilderness to a cage-fighting champion because there’s little explanation for how she accomplishes it beyond submitting to her rage. The dystopian vision felt underdeveloped, with little sense provided for how the world has been divided up – but I did like the ever-pervading sense of the sands taking everything over. My biggest issue though was with the villain, who never arises above caricature and as such never gives Saba something concrete to fight against.
In conclusion, it’s not a bad book but it didn’t work for me and I think there are better YA dystopians out there for fans of the genre.
The Verdict:
Moira Young’s YA dystopian novel (the first in a trilogy) has a strong first person voice and an interesting main character, particularly because of her relationships with her sister and brother. However, there was too much of an episodic feel to the story, which has a detrimental effect on the otherwise fast pacing and elements of the story (particularly the pivotal scenes where the main character is a cage fighter) didn’t ring true for me. It’s an okay read but there have been other YA dystopian books out this year that I’ve greatly preferred.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
