Red Rising is a dystopian novel by Pierce Brown that separates classes by color, red being the lowest. I found it interesting that everything in each class was just one color. If you're a red, you have red hair, eyes, and clothing. If you're a gold (the top class), you pretty much just glow.
This book was intense, to put it mildly. Darrow, a lowly red, discovers everything he knew about his life is a lie and is given the opportunity to infiltrate the government as a gold. His process of transforming into a gold, physically and mentally, and being put in a deadly test shows the survivor instinct of human nature. People fight for what they believe in, especially the ones who no one expects to succeed.
The complexity of the plot kept me constantly surprised...and at times very confused. It's heavier science fiction than I usually read, and took a little getting used to. It's not a relaxing read, that's for sure. But it's engaging and fresh.
I loved the exploration of human nature. What drives us to help people? What truly motivates our actions? Darrow thinks he is motivated by revenge, but I think he is motivated by hope. He hopes for a better world, and is willing to put himself through the darkest corners of his mind to give the reds a chance at happiness. Or at least a better meal.
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