Red Rising Review: Why I Was Completely Wrong About the Hype

Of course I had to get this phenomenal hardcover, don’t judge me - worth every penny! I’ll put a link to it below, don’t worry.

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If some of you who follow this blog also follow us on social media, you might know about the recent video I did detailing the five epic fantasy series I wanted to finish this year. There were some incredibly strong contenders on that list—Malazan Book of the Fallen, The Bloodsworn Saga, The Liveship Traders Trilogy.

But there was one option that evidently struck a massive nerve. We received an absolute avalanche of DMs and comments demanding that I push it to the front of the line. So, to appease the masses, I finally caved and gave it a go. That’s right: I officially started the Red Rising series.

And I am not too proud to admit it: you were all right, and I was completely wrong.

The Book at a Glance

• Title: Red Rising

• Author: Pierce Brown

• Genre: Sci-Fi / Space Opera (with a heavy Fantasy soul)

• Series: Book 1 of the Red Rising Saga

• My Rating: 5/5 Stars

• My Status: Finished (and already sleep-deprived from Book 2).

The Sci-Fi vs. Fantasy Debate

Let’s address the elephant in the room. I know, I know—it is technically science fiction, not fantasy. Please do not set the internet fact-check police on me. But nobody can deny that the fantasy community has entirely adopted the Red Rising series as its own. After finishing this first book, I finally understand why.

It reads far more like The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson than your typical sci-fi space opera. Yes, there is high-tech gear, a sprawling galactic empire, and intense body modifications, but all of that takes a definitive backseat to the actual story. In that sense, it strongly reminds me of Game of Thrones. The "hard-to-believe" tech and magic elements are present, but the main focus is entirely on the brutal political and social relationships between the factions.

Avoiding the Plague (And the Hype)

I will be completely honest here: I had been deeply skeptical of this series for a while.

At one point, my entire social media feed was flooded with posts about Red Rising. The hype was absolutely deafening, which naturally made me highly suspicious. I avoided it like the plague, assuming it couldn't possibly live up to the noise. When the community finally bullied me into picking it up, my exact thought process was, "Eh, why not? It can't be worse than most of the dross that gets mass-printed anyway."

Holy fizzlesticks, was I wrong. This book is phenomenal.

The Institute and the Spartan Agoge

As a reader, I am an absolute sucker for first-person POVs, and Pierce Brown delivers a narrative voice that made me feel every single emotional and physical gut punch right alongside the protagonist, Darrow.

Without giving away too much of the Red Rising summary for the uninitiated, the true brilliance of the book kicks in during the second half. The entire Institute storyline is mesmerizing. It operates as a weirdly realistic and deeply twisted version of the historical Spartan Agoge. Brown blurs the lines between science fiction and brutal, historical realism, and that is what truly converted me into a massive fan.

The Best of the Red Rising Characters

The dynamic between the Red Rising characters is what drives the emotional weight of the story, but one character completely stole the show for me.

Sevro au Barca. Hands down.

Thanks to that little Goblin, I no longer have to imagine what a Peerless Scarred from the Balkans would look like. Every single time Sevro made an appearance on the page, doing something feral, loyal, and entirely unhinged, something deep inside my soul just started chanting, "One of us, one of us..."

The Final Verdict

The hype is real. This is a definitive, undisputed 5/5 for me.

In fact, I got so hooked on the ending that I stayed up until 3:00 AM yesterday just to immediately dive into the second book, Golden Son. I regretted that life choice heavily this morning at 6:30 AM when I was headbutted awake by a hungry toddler, but it was worth it.

I’ve learned my lesson from the Dungeon Crawler Carl binge—I am not going to wait until I finish the whole series to talk about it. I will try to do dedicated videos on our social channels and individual blog reviews for each book as I go. So, stay tuned for my sleep-deprived take on Golden Son very soon!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Red Rising considered YA (Young Adult)? While the characters in the first book are teenagers participating in an academy-style setting (The Institute), the themes, violence, and political complexity are incredibly dark and brutal. It bridges the gap between YA and Adult fiction, but the sequels plant the series firmly in the Adult Sci-Fi category.

Do I need to read the whole Red Rising series? The first book tells a complete and highly satisfying arc regarding The Institute, but it is just the launching pad for a massive planetary rebellion. You will almost certainly want to pick up Golden Son immediately after finishing.

Who is the best character in Red Rising? While Darrow is a fantastic, complex protagonist, fan favorites among the Red Rising characters usually include Sevro, Mustang, and Cassius. (Though my allegiance is permanently sworn to Sevro).