Coffee Club with a Reading Problem discussion

Discussion thread for Red Rising.

Coffee Club With a Reading Problem Monthly Book Questionnaire
Share what you thought about this month's book! Give as many details as you can!

1. What was your initial impression when you started the book? Were you immediately drawn into the story, or did it take you a while? Did your opinion of the book change by the end? If so, why?

Initially, I was all-in! I was yelling, "FUCK YES!" The opening is extraordinarily catching with great, strong imagery.
(view spoiler)[The scene describing Darrow's father's execution was simply amazing.

On Mars there is not much gravity. So you have to pull the feet to break the neck. They let the loved ones do it.

I mean, how can that not grab you?! (hide spoiler)]
As I continued reading there were parts that disappointed me or made me slow a little, but, for the most part, I loved (and simultaneously hated) this one. A little more love though.

2. Did the book intrigue, amuse, disturb, alienate, irritate, or frighten you, or did you have a different response to the book?

A lot of this book is straight-up brain candy! Pierce Brown seems to have been interested in a lot of the same stuff I was when I was a kid, and historical and mythological references are littered throughout this. To be honest, at first it annoyed me, but its consistency charmed me in the end.

The action and battles are written so well in this. I read a lot of history books, with a lot of dry talks of skirmishes and battles... They're good for information dumping but let's just say I prefer watching action-heavy movies to reading action-heavy books since most authors can't get the thrill of battle down on paper. This book was a refreshingly gripping read, however. I was definitely invested and turning pages!

Even the political moves had me highlighting great scenes and quotes. There really was a lot to love in this!

3. Did you find the characters convincing? Were they believable? Compelling? Did you consider them fully-developed or one-dimensional? Did they grow or change? Who were your favorite and least favorite characters (and why)?

This is the category where I start having issues. Darrow is definitely a Gary Stu. He's bad at very little, he's handsome and charming (despite having others described as much more handsome than he), he's inexplicably brilliant, he's dextrous; he's the man. Basically, when he does great, I roll my eyes, and when he makes a mistake (he makes very few), I don't feel bad for him.
The treatment of the female characters in this first book (not sure how it'll be in the next book) had me flailing and livid!
(view spoiler)[First, Eo, Darrow's wife. I mean, c'mon, she was a martyr before she even died. Darrow doesn't say much more about her than she was beautiful, kind, beautiful, adored, beautiful, idealistic, and beautiful beautiful beautiful goddamned beautiful. OK, I GET IT, DARROW. Did you notice anything else about her? No? The fuck is this? Plus, she totally stuffed herself in the fridge so Darrow would finally be motivated enough to be the golden boy (and, hey, that's punny). Fuck that. Fuck you, Eo, for making it rage-inducingly clear that your husband is sooo much more important and special and shinier than you. Fuck you, Darrow, for not knowing anything about your wife. And, fuck you too, Pierce Brown! I hate that fucking trope.
Now let's look at the other girls. (hide spoiler)]
Harmony was cool, but there was so little of her.
(view spoiler)[Evey was a footnote character. Darrow just viewed her as pitiful and saved her despite them having no real note-worthy interaction.
I was excited about Antonia, initially. She was clever and calculating! Then, oh, no, she's playing the betrayer bitch. Her demise is a footnote too. Typical.
Lea! Lea didn't have any development. She was just portrayed as so pathetic that Roque was her knight in shining armor. Then she was threatened, taken hostage, and killed just to get at Darrow. This is the point where I'm thinking, "Lea and Darrow weren't even friends! She was just 'Roque's girl' to him!"
Quinn had the additional traits of being brave and fast, but other than one scene where she ran with Darrow, she was essentially "Cassius' girl" and ended up kidnapped and losing an ear to get a reaction out of Darrow. Darrow, Darrow, Darrow, it's always about Darrow!
Tamara (of House Diana) was killed by her own man simply because she was the leader. (She was the one that was trampled to death because Tactus cut her saddle.) (hide spoiler)]
There are some other female side characters, but I can't remember anything important about any of them, so, moving on.
Finally, there was Virginia. I refuse to call her "Mustang" because it's a frustratingly stupid nickname. Virginia is awesome! She's brilliant, perceptive, and a natural and respected leader! She's beautiful too (view spoiler)[(I guess she has to be; it's obviously what Darrow cares most about when it comes to girls he likes).
Darrow admits she's smarter than he is, but he outwits her. I'm not too terribly annoyed with it because the Howlers in the horse bellies was such an awesome, disgusting, and creepy visual, I AINT MAD! But later, after she saves Darrow from his fatal gut-wound, she almost dies from a fever?! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! She and Darrow are camped out together, but she's the only one that gets really sick, and he uses his super special connections to get her medicine and save her. Fuck you again, Pierce Brown.
Then she gets kidnapped and drugged for, you guessed it, an impact on Darrow. Mother******* ******* ****** ******* son of a ******!!!
Darrow even says something stupid akin to, "They made me angry," when she asks him how he got to her, and I just can't anymore with this!
The whole thing with her lineage too, I know it was meant to be a shocking twist that heaps on this drama and sense of urgency at the end, but a) Unless she didn't know that the infamous "Jackal" was her brother, why did Virginia never say anything (and the "she looked like she wanted to talk," doesn't count)? She's brilliant! The throwaway line of her being surprised Darrow was worried that she'd betrayed him makes no goddamn sense and b) Darrow thinking she had betrayed him just further illuminated how stupid Darrow actually is and how little he actually knows any girls in this entire book. ****! (hide spoiler)]
As for the boys, despite there being more of them, I have less complaints.
I loved Cassius. He was the Mark Anthony to Darrow's Caesar, and he seemed to channel James Purfoy's performance in Rome. Brilliant, handsome, and with the world at his fingertips (view spoiler)[if he'd only listen, but he does what he wants (even going after the girls like MA) and fucks everything up for himself! I did have a thought though, as I read, that it would have been brilliant if Cassius and Julian had been paired in The Passage, Cassius had a dissociative episode afterwards and went around looking for Julian's killer, still pinned it on Titus, only to admit and accept later that he had done it himself? That would have been a much more dastardly pull of the strings from their enemies, plus then the pages and pages of Darrow's shallow "guilt" and whining could be avoided. (hide spoiler)]
I also loved Sevro (view spoiler)[(though not as much as he loves Darrow though, ha). The whole "you killed Priam" thing bothered me, because even before The Passage, how could anyone take Sevro as anything but dangerous? Yes, he's small, yes, he was last pick, yes, he had low scores but how can you not pick up the "I'mma fuck you up" vibe? Plus, there was that line about Roque strangling someone, and I felt that alluded to Priam's death and would have been much more shocking and awesome, honestly.
Sevro being Fitchner's son was awesome though! The whole "Daddy's" line had me rolling! (hide spoiler)]
I loved Roque (I kept seeing him as the stoner from The Cabin in the Woods), I loved Pax after Darrow got to know him better (though fuck off with that "laughed like a girl" bullshit, Darrow, I mean it, fuck off), and I loved Fitchner. I adored Virginia if that was not made clear earlier.
(view spoiler)[Titus and his whole reveal was such a wasted opportunity. There could have been prime emotional turmoil and identity crisis as Darrow realized that Reds could be just as cruel and monstrous as Golds (while simultaneously realizing Golds could be just as kind and joyous as Reds), but it was very muted and glossed over. It's like the author was trying to make Titus seem like a sympathetic character BUT I AINT BUYING IT. NO. If he was so traumatized by a woman in his life being raped, is rape really on that list of things he's going to do for his revenge? It hinted and showed him wanting to kill prior to the "girls in the tower" thing, but he gave that up rather quick, and the whole thing was just stupid and sick and made me angry. ANGRY, I SAY!
I was so in love with the idea of the Jackal that I was disappointed when the showdown finally happened. When he was revealed I was all, "Oh, it's Draco Malfoy." A Draco Malfoy that kills and/or eats other Slytherins for his own gain and would cut off his own hand for what he feels is owed to him. "Okay, so...not Draco Malfoy (until he runs off with the aid of Sna- I mean, Proctors...wait, does that actually make Fitchner Snape because he's the good one? AH, MY BRAIN), but also not living up the the hype!" He was only scary to Darrow because of Darrow's own ignorance. Hello, Darrow, these are the people at the top of batshit crazy society! The highest of the high have big-ass scars on their faces to prove they're crazy-ass mofos. If you lead the army, lead the people, you don't need your limbs, your eyes, your ears! Was that not clear by how brutal everyone was in "the game"? Plus, with enough money, can't they all replace this shit? Darrow, you're dumb. DUMB. (hide spoiler)]

4. Was the plot well-developed? Was it believable? Did you feel manipulated along the way, or did the plot events unfold naturally or organically?

I liked the plot overall, but it delved awfully and nearly unforgivably deep into "seen it" territory. Especially since Hunger Games and Divergent are such big successful bloated money-making series still.

5. Was the pacing of the story to your liking? Would you consider the story more plot-driven (events unfolding quickly) or character-driven (more time spent developing characters' inner lives), and did that style work?

This was very plot-driven. As the book I wrote above in the character section indicates, the characters were the weak point of this story for me.

6. Did you expect the ending or were you surprised? Did you find the ending satisfying, or did you want it to end a different way?

Aside from the (view spoiler)[stupid agitating bullshit kidnapping of Virginia, and Darrow thinking she'd betray him, (hide spoiler)] I was good with the ending, especially the very end.

7. Based on this book, would you be interested in continuing the series (if applicable) and/or reading other books by the same author? Is there anything you'd like to ask the author after finishing their book?

I'll be reading Golden Son shortly. I hear it's better.

UPDATE: I read Golden Son and it was very good. Some of the issues from Red Rising were addressed, and I think overall it was a better book. I'm definitely going to get the final book when it comes out! Just in case anyone was wondering if it's worth it to get into the series.