Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Summary:
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. (from GoodReads)


Review:
Wow. Blood Red Road really surprised me, but in a really good way. It was not what I was expecting at all, because the summary I read was a little misleading (which I think was different than the one I posted). But I didn't mind because I still loved this novel so much.

Blood Red Road is set in the future, but it's not quite a dystopian since there is no controlling or overbearing goverment. It's more of an apocalyptic anarchy, and while there is a King, he doesn't have as much power and control that is found in normal dystopians. And it's set in the desert, so it reads like a Western movie.

The one thing that might turn people off from Blood Red Road is the writing. Moira Young wrote this in first person point-of-view, using a non-conventional dialect. Essentially, the book is written using bad grammar. I didn't like it at first, but after about 20 pages I didn't even notice it. And I actually started to like it because it fit so well with the book.

The plot was extremely fast-paced, with things happening very quickly. Saba's twin Lugh gets kidnapped and not soon after Saba is out looking for him. She gets side-tracked when she is captured and forced to cage fight, which was a very interesting sub-plot . Saba becomes a worthy heroine because of her strength, resilience, and clever planning. It becomes apparent that she would do anything for her brother, especially when she teams up with annoying and arrogant (and soon to be romantic interest) Jack.

Literally, there was never a dull moment in Blood Red Road. And I am very excited to learn that this book is part of a trilogy/series, so I can't wait to read more about Saba. The book ends on a semi-cliffhanger, but it wasn't so bad that you are dying to know what happens next. If you get the chance to read this book, please don't be intimidated by the writing style. You will be glad you kept reading because Blood Red Road was very enjoyable and very well-written.

Rating: 9 out of 10.
Release Date: June 7, 2011
FTC: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab

2011/Margaret K. McElderry/ 512 pages.