Blood Red Road

Blood Red Road (Dustlands #1) by Moira Young
★★★★★

Release Date: June 7, 2011

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Age: Young Adult

Genre: Dystopian, Adventure

Source: Bought

Format: Hardcover

Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back. 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. Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction.

This is how I would describe Blood Red Road in one sentence. A breath of fresh air and unique prose that is sure to muster up a lot of discussion and a huge fan base in the dystopian and post-apocalyptic genres. Thankfully this book is going to be part of a series, because I can't let go of this amazing journey.

It's no secret that I love books with tough-as-nails warrior girls, because girls aren't just the lovey doe eyed romantic types, they can be fierce and fierce is what Saba is. I love dystopian and alternate reality/universe type books. I love reading about cat and mouse type romances that have a little chase in them but don't hog all of the screen time, because there's more to life than boys (kind of). But, most of all I love a fresh new fun, exciting, heart racing, book that I can't put down but don't want to finish. Let me just say, I might have found one of the best books of 2011 thus far, and I recommend it to all of you reading this right now.

Moira Young dazzled me with her writing that flows like water, yes I said that, I think it's the best way to describe it. The pages are so easy to read and get lost in. At first getting used to her unique and simple style of writing was hard but once I was used to it I loved it. It made so much sense, and reading the words as they appear like an for and gave me a sense of exactly how Saba or any character talked. There isn't one character in this book that I didn't like, they are all remarkable and definitely have their own stories to tell. Some spin off novels could definitely come to light after this one.

From Blood Red Road:

"We're on our own. An I feel calm. It seems crazy . . . but I'm calm. Because now I see what I gotta do. An what I ain't gotta do, which is waste time thinkin that anybody's gonna help us. That somebody's gonna come along an rescue us. I cain't count on nobody but me."

Saba changes so much throughout this book, it was my favorite part of reading. Her story is a rough one, she goes through a lot. Moira Young portrays her pain, suffering, and endurance wonderfully. Through the whole story we're right by Saba's side.

It's a book about family and how far you would go for those closest to you. It's also a heart breaking book about opening yourself up to new friends and letting them in, trust is a powerful thing that Saba knows can be used against her.

I could keep talking but I think you just need to buy this one for yourself and give it a whirl.

I recommend it to fans of: