Blood Red Road by Moira Young. It's a dystopian novel, so that right there thrills me. I love a good dystopian novel.
Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.
Why I Liked It:
1. Saba is a fantastic character. You can't help but root for her along every twist and turn of the story. She's fiercely loyal, something I really like. She's determined, a quality I like in girls. She's multi-faceted, which kept me turning pages.
2. The language. Okay, I'll freely admit that at first, I didn't think I could read the book. It has no quotation marks. None. And there's a ton of slang and dialect (I guess that's what it's called). But I vowed to give it 100 pages and if the manner of language and dialect and lack of quotations bothered me, I'd quit.
Well, I didn't quit. After about 30 - 40 pages, I barely noticed those things. It's written in a conversational-enough style that the things I thought were drawbacks, weren't.
So put BLOOD RED ROAD on your list! If you like dystopian stories, this is one you must read.
What's the last book you finished reading that you started out thinking "Oh, man, I don't know..."?
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ReplyDeleteI guess the rumor is true...quotation marks are going the way of the semicolon.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing about this. I hadn't heard of it.
ReplyDeleteThe sample of "Blood Red Road" is on the front page of my Kindle, just waiting for me to be done with "Forever." (Another red book I guess, with the cover and all...)
ReplyDeleteThe last book I thought I might not make it through and was glad I did was "Monsters of Men" (or whichever was first in the "Chaos Walking" trilogy, I can't remember now. There's a dog that kind of talks and really annoyed me. And a horse, eventually, too. Still does, but the rest of the book was SO worth it that I don't care.
This book sounds excellent. I cannot wait to read it. I always love an excellent find. I can't remember the last book I thought I couldn't make it through. The Brisingr book in Christopher Paolini's series was a little slow, it was hard to get through. The first two are awesome and kept me reading until the very end though. I am hoping #4 measures up to the first 2.
ReplyDeleteSounds interesting. Is that going to be the new thing, no quotation marks?
ReplyDeleteWow this actually sounds really different, but excellent. Thanks, Elana!
ReplyDeleteOh my word, you know what I love? Having met you in person, I can now see you as I read your posts!! I can hear it actually in your voice. It's because you're as amazing in real life as you are in print. Okay, just thought I'd mention it.
ReplyDeleteAs for Blood Red Road, I love books that experiment with style. What a cool concept, although I would think it would be daunting to read a book without quotation marks. I'm glad to hear it's still a smooth read. The premise sounds awesome! Fab review, Elana!
I read Forget-Her-Nots a few months ago, and just could not get through it. Then again, I think it was written for a younger audience. This book sounds great though!
ReplyDeleteNo quotation marks? Interesting...
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check that one out! For one thing, I LOVE dystopian novels. And for another, I'm interested in how it works out without the quotation marks.
Thanks for the recommendation!
No quotations? I wonder why. More importantly, how did the author get away with it?
ReplyDeleteKind of reminds me of Hunger Games or Possession :)
ReplyDeleteI had no idea this book was like that (dialect, lack of punctuation), but I like the premise. Good to know that stuff didn't bother you. I will definitely have to check it out!
ReplyDeleteI just finished Wither, which I had a few reservations about to begin with, but I ended up quite liking it. A book that started with my thinking the heroine's voice would be too bubbly for me was Paranormalcy, but I ended up loving it!
Sounds fabulous - I love dystopians too :) I would have assumed I would hate it without quotation marks.. glad to hear it's not much trouble. Now to go work the word Red into my title...
ReplyDeleteThese 2 things have me hooked:
ReplyDelete(1) she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. (2) a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks.
Wow! The Free Hawks sound COOL.
It's already on my list-to read. Just have to make it down to that part of my list.
I read a book without quotation marks before; it's interesting, but a little disorienting at first. It's harder to tell just by looking when people are speaking!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review!
Actually, I'm critiquing a book right now. The first twenty pages literally put me to sleep. I NEVER fall asleep when I read.
ReplyDeleteThe author is counting on me so I trudged on. Now I can't wait to read more. It's AMAZING. I know exactly what I need to convey to this author.
Sweet! Thanks E!
ReplyDeleteI love dystopian books. I can't imagine how it would read without quotation marks. I know that certain dialects can be hard to get used to. Like Theresa said, I'm also wondering how the author got away with it!
ReplyDelete