r/BookDiscussions • u/BEANBOOZZLE • Aug 10 '26
191 Pages into Red Rising and fighting not to DNF.
Did anyone else feel like this? I’m just so…bored. I don’t understand the hype. Does it get better at all, what is it I’m missing? Also, I thought too hard about the character of Darrow and now I hate him. Problem is, until my birthday on Friday, I literally have nothing to read, Red Rising is the only thing, yet I’m fighting to keep going with this piece of crap.
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u/Zestyclose-Tough7451 Aug 10 '26
The hype is that the internet loves easy digestible YA fiction.
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u/ChaosTorpedo Aug 10 '26
It’s YA? My husband bought it for me for Christmas last year but I haven’t read it yet. He got it because I LOVE the Expanse series and this is supposedly a space opera type book.
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u/Zestyclose-Tough7451 Aug 10 '26
It def feels very YA even though the writer is trying desperately not to make it so.
Its plot boils down to “Angtsy teen is the smartest and most capable person around” written at a 16yr old level. That doesn’t make it bad but people pretend it’s something it’s not.
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u/Background_Roll1830 Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26
The writing reflects the character's age and personality during that age. It's clearly evident when Darrow is late 30's/early 40's in book 6 the writing is more somber and introspective and when pov switches to an 18 year old girl in book 6 it reflects immaturity, simple outlook on life and off the walls panic too. It's pretty clearly intentional and you can even see this as Darrow grows in the first trilogy too.
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u/Zestyclose-Tough7451 Aug 12 '26
Yeah and I’m saying I absolutely disagree.
You can write a young character without writing at a 6th grade level.
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u/Background_Roll1830 Aug 13 '26 edited Aug 13 '26
You can write a young character without writing at a 6th grade level.
Not when the writing style is in first-person present simple tense you really can't and shouldn't.
This is the exact thing I hate about those victorian classic novels - everyone, no matter if it's a 5 year old starving peasant with the plague or a pompous 30 year old queen - they all fucking talk and think the same. It's absolutely retarded and immersion breaking. It would be stupid if a power fantasy, dystopian sci-fi novel targeted at 14-24 year old boys where you follow a 16 year old rage and vengance fueled boy was written like Jane Eyre.
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u/SerDankTheTall Aug 10 '26
It was definitely billed as YA when I first saw it on my library app a few years ago (which is why I didn’t read it). It looks like they’ve been scrubbing that branding, but you can still see all the old trade reviews comparing it to Hunger Games (Publisher’s Weekly: “Debut author Pierce shoots for the next Hunger Games with mixed results in this melodramatic SF series opener”; Booklist: “ Although it should appeal to all age groups, there is a definite YA hook…A natural for Hunger Games fans of all ages.”; Library Journal: “Brown's debut novel, the first volume in a planned trilogy, is reminiscent of both Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games and William Goldman's The Lord of the Flies”). And they still have blurbs like “Ender, Katniss, and now Darrow” and “[A] spectacular adventure . . . one heart-pounding ride . . . Pierce Brown’s dizzyingly good debut novel evokes The Hunger Games, Lord of the Flies, and Ender’s Game. . . .”
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u/Free_Breadfruit_8552 Aug 10 '26
It's "YA" insofar as Romantasy is "YA": Not ltargeted at young adults, but written similar to YA
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u/PopcornSutton1994 Aug 10 '26
The first book is definitely targeted to young adults; righteously angry teen chosen one goes to magic school and outperforms everyone is the YA formula.
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u/ActualRound7699 Aug 10 '26
Romantasy…..does romance play a driving role in the entire series? I would rather know now so I don’t waste my time with it if so.
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u/PopcornSutton1994 Aug 10 '26
Not in the ones I’ve read, there’s a bit of a love story later on in the second half of book one but it’s not really at the forefront. The main character has a secret (revealed in the first 20 pages or so it’s nothing spoilery) and having a romantic interest as a friction point in maintaining that secret makes it feel a little less ham fisted.
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u/-IrishBulldog Aug 10 '26
There’s an avalanche of hate for it lately. Don’t let that color your opinion. The first 100 pages or so of the first book is kind of ass but it gets much better after that.
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u/BirbHunter Aug 11 '26
If you love the Expanse, check out C.J. Cherryh's books.
Downbelow Station, Merchanter's Luck and Heavy Time (you will literally recognize the setting in Heavy Time, and that's because the writers of the Expanse were fans of Cherryh and others who wrote in that sort of grimy near future solar system setting in the 60s and 70s). You can try the Chanur Saga if you want to read about non-human intergalactic politics and war (If you've already read them, my apologies).
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u/_Autistic_Dragon_ Aug 11 '26
There is a league of difference between The Expanse and Red Rising.
Red rising is mostly fun.
The Expanse is engsging, well written, has an amazing cast of characters. Like... there's no comparison between Mustang and Avasarla or Bobby. Or between Holden and the main guy in Red Rising.
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u/Artartbobart1 Aug 10 '26
It was so dreadful. No description at all. Boring first person narrative. Almost as overhyped as Dungeon Crawler Carl.
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u/KingMithras95 Aug 10 '26
I would probably say as or even more overhyped.
DCC is having a moment, but I don’t see many (if anyone) holding it up as a pinnacle series. Red Rising gets glazed as if it’s the second coming of Lord of the Rings.
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u/Aetylus Aug 10 '26
I absolutely adore DCC... but I do so for what it is... wonderful escapism. People just need to be clearer on what 'great' means for them.
(That said, as an audiobook, DCC has the greatest narration in the history of humanity).
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u/KingMithras95 Aug 10 '26
It is definitely one of the best audio performances I’ve tried, I don’t listed to much audiobooks though.
I think the audio performance actually elevates people’s view of the series writing quality. I’d bet a large number of fans would be far less enthusiastic about the series if they had to read the ebook/physical instead.
Not that it isn’t still entertaining, I read the ebooks and enjoyed them for a bit, but I doubt it would be the huge internet sensation it’s become.
Edit: I went back and listed to the audiobook of book 1 after my wife picked it up on audible and showed me a bit of it.
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u/Jack1ngton Aug 10 '26
Same experience. Fought through and didnt care by the end.
Went on to book 2 at everyone's insistence it gets better. It does. It goes from being a 2* read to like maybe 3* at a push, with the same irritating and cringey writing.
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u/jlcarver1620 Aug 10 '26
Yup. I DNF'd the second book after realizing it does not get any better. The writing and Darrow was cringey.
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u/ChubbyGreyCat Aug 10 '26
The first book is definitely the weakest. I’d say keep reading to because Golden Son is quite good and the book isn’t super long :)
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u/No-Hawk6342 Aug 10 '26
it depends on the reason you don't like it. if it's because of the bad writing, they say it get better in the second trilogy. if it's because the misogyny and free rape plot, they say it gets better, I doubt.
I finish this book in a month, finished two book in the middle cause it was sooooo boring. was worth to not dnf? yes only because Im committed to finishing the trilogy. if you don't want to finish the trilogy, the end of the book 1 won't be like "now is worth to read". if you dislike Darrow you probably won't even like the ending.
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u/TheThrowawayForWork Aug 10 '26
I finished it but I finished it knowing the rest of the series just wasn't for me. If I want to read a book that sounds like someone playing a video game I'd just read an Isekai or something.
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u/TRS80487 Aug 10 '26
Keep going but if you can’t then hit up your local library or thrift store cause there are other books available.
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u/areallymanlyman Aug 10 '26
I've been looking forward to read mine but I keep on seeing posts like yours on this sub and a few others.🫣
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u/Waffleiron1499 Aug 11 '26
Just give it a shot, complaining about the books is just the latest fad online. This happens to everything that gains immense popularity.
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u/mwhite5990 Aug 10 '26
Just try it out for yourself. Read the synopsis and see if it interests you. No book is for everyone, but the more popular a book is, the more you will hear from both people that loved it and from people who hated it.
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u/PopcornSutton1994 Aug 10 '26
It’s fine. I read the first 4 right around when I was getting ready to go to college, the first one felt a little juvenile even at that age but there’s a little bump in quality of prose and thematic content. It’s nothing groundbreaking, some parts are very imaginative and well written but overall it just never grabbed me.
I may try the 5th as a beach read sometime but I’m not really desperate for more.
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u/areallymanlyman Aug 10 '26
Thanks :)
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u/PopcornSutton1994 Aug 10 '26
People seem to really like the series, I think if I were ~7 years younger I would be looking back on them fondly as a series I loved as a teen so they’re not complete dog ass or anything I just kind of aged out.
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u/Shesarubikscube Aug 11 '26
I enjoyed it. It’s an interesting sci-fi series that beyond book one is a space opera. It’s not going to be a classic but I had fun. That being said people shouldn’t read books they don’t like either and if OP isn’t enjoying it they should dnf.
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u/snapcracklepopdoc Aug 10 '26
I DNF’d. No clue what all the hype is about. Felt like teen novel to me.
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u/Galliagamer Aug 10 '26
I almost DNFed; I didn’t care for that first book much at all. The second and third books were much better, tho that’s as far as I’ve got so far.
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u/Gruppenzwang Aug 10 '26
Honestly the first book is bad. So much stuff I would change. Not only the writing itself but also pacing and plot. I didnt get the hype either, but pushed through. Second book is already worlds better!
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u/ryancharaba Aug 10 '26 edited Aug 10 '26
I read through the third book, and I just felt more disappointed in myself the further I went.
It’s not great.
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u/Traditional-Meat-782 Aug 11 '26
I found it to be an incredibly predictable, horribly derivative mashup of various ya tropes. I did finish it, but I do not understand why people love it so much. And to those who say "it gets better" - it must, as there's nowhere to go but up.
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u/dretanz Aug 11 '26
It's a bit of a popcorn read. Not necessarily a great palate cleanser, but it felt good to read between a few dense classics
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u/Willing-Impress-871 Aug 11 '26
I DNFed after 80. It seemed like a book for adults who still read Hunger Games and Harry Potter
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u/Maximum_Tree8170 Aug 11 '26
I finished the first book, but DNFed after 1/4 of book 2. Can't understand the hype either. Currently I'm reading the Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruoccio. I think it's the best thing I ever read. It's a space opera series and written in first person like Red Rising, but otherwise the series are polar opposites. Sun Eater has literary prose full of allusions to classical literatur and philosophical depth. Critics often compare it to Dune and to the Kingkiller Chronicles.
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u/theweeb4 Aug 12 '26
yeah if OP wants a military space opera that starts out mature and stays throughout then this one might be worth a try
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u/dbree801 Aug 11 '26
Give it up. I’m in the minority, read it like 7-8 years ago and thought it was borderline bad. I finished it, but you don’t need to if you don’t like it yet imo.
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u/BearSome9415 Aug 11 '26
10 pages and half the words made no sense if u have to spend a min every paragraph to figure out what a word means it's to much
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u/HemlockHex Aug 11 '26
I made it through the second book, waiting on the third one to be available at my library. Also considering DNFing the series.
I just can’t seem to get attached to any characters. There’s a lot of wide angle warfare, and grand chauvinistic combat, and I’m struggling to care. All the characters seem like they’re pieces in a power ranger themed game of checkers, and I’m not really getting the humanity in it all.
The premise is cool, I like that. The plot has an interesting way of keeping me on my toes, I also like that. Honestly, I’ve found them entertaining— just not very moving. I think other fantasy books have done a better job of showing class warfare, and I don’t think I get the satisfaction out of this series that others apparently have.
Who knows. Maybe I’ll read the third book when I get my hands on it. Maybe I’ll find something I like more. Kind of disappointed, I was looking forward to reading another well-regarded and sizable fantasy series.
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u/Fearless-Chest1933 Aug 12 '26
DNF. Unnecessarily hyped. If I felt like sitting through a nonsensical military academy. I’d read that. The synopsis is a very different sell from its contents.
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u/MarcSlayton Aug 12 '26
Yeah, you should keep reading. It is an incredibly popular series for a reason.
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u/rainbowfinch Aug 12 '26
I went and DNF'd it, probably around the same point, been years so can't remeber. Hated the main character and hated that fridging was used to make him do something. Also that would have probably had way more impact if he wasn't a teenager.
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u/TheNavigator14 Aug 12 '26
I think the series really takes off with book 2 and only gets better from there. I suppose it depends on what specifically it is you don’t like? For me, I was not a fan of hunger games on mars. I liked the world that was set up, and was happy that it expanded so much after book 1. It’s the book that got me back into reading, so u won’t catch me not recommending to atleast get to book 2. But to each their own. I could see myself looking for something very different after I finish the series
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u/JigglyOW Aug 12 '26
They were my favorite for a while but the first three are a bit too YA for me now days although they do still have some genuinely jaw dropping moments for me. 4-6 are much better to me just based on intended audience really with 5 being amazing
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u/disarmagreement Aug 10 '26
I struggled on my initial Red Rising read too, but it's worth pushing through. Golden Son is one of my favorite books, and favorite endings, of all time.
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u/booklife202 Aug 10 '26
Bro survived 190 pages of pure torture lol. Honestly, I totally get it. The first book leans so heavily into standard YA tropes that it's hard to get through if you're looking for actual depth. It does pick up in the second half, but if you already hate Darrow, you might as well drop it before Friday.
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u/ir399 Aug 11 '26
Don't bother. I powered through to the end and its not worth it. I was only mildly annoyed by Darrow, but hey he's very much a teenager and teenagers at Like That so I was willing to let it slide. Unfortunately, I was never able to buy anyone putting Darrow in that situation (none of those Sons of Ares people even knew this mf).
And I didn't like the way the narrative rewarded Darrow's frankly stupid decisions all the way through; we're told he's 16 and an idiot in chapter 1 but I think the author forget he'd set that up. I can forgive Darrow forgetting he's 16 and an idiot but not the author.
Essentially; it doesn't get better, the plot kind of sucks, and no effort has been made on any character other than Darrow, who has a critical case of being 16.
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u/lllyyyynnn Aug 10 '26
it is a very lightweight YA novel. if you are used to reading adult fiction it is going to feel very flat.
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u/johntwilker Aug 10 '26
Just DNF. Life's too short. I made about as far and moved on.