Blood Red Road by Moira Young review

Blood Red Road by Moira Young (Dustlands #1)

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Synopsis from Goodreads
In a lawless future land, where life is cheap and survival is hard, Saba has been brought up in isolated Silverlake. She never sees the dangers of the destructive society outside. When her twin brother is snatched by mysterious black-robed riders, she sets outon an epic quest to rescue him. The story's searing pace, its spare style, the excitement of its fabulously damaged world, its unforgettably vivid characters, its violent action and glorious lovestory make this a truly sensational YA debut novel.

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I'm not surprised that Blood Read Road lived up to all the hype around it. It's a marvellous book whose style is very similar to the one in The Reapers are The Angels by Alden Bell. Raw, rough, very simplistic but nonetheless powerful.



Somehow from reading the synopsis I expected Saba to be a teenager, but she is eighteen, and the issues she is dealing with are those of young woman however immature she appears to be in the beginning.

If any of you remember Mad Max or more recent The Book of Eli, the world building here is very similar, - people live like savages,  death rate is astronomical, psycho killers rule, technology forgotten, the knowledge of the past is unreachable simply because nobody teaches people to read. Those who can read and have access to the books have certain power.


The book doesn't say what happened to the era of technology, but calls people of the past Wreckers. I assume that somehow we as civilisation messed up and most of the humans died.


Saba lives in the middle of the desert with her crazy dad, her twin brother and a little sister. When her twin Lugh is forcefully taken by city dwellers and her dad is killed, she will do anything to bring Lugh back.

The rest of the book is an incredibly difficult journey of two sisters, surreal, harsh and breathtaking at the same time. Captured, enslaved, forced to fight in cages like an animal for the pleasure of drugged out if its mind crowd, Saba is determined to do no matter what to save her sister and get to Lugh. 

There is a wealth of amazing characters in this book - Saba herself, charming, mischievous Jack who becomes Saba's unwelcome friend. De Malo who is an absolute enigma. A silent enemy with mysterious powers, he doesn't appear on the pages more than couple of times, but when he is there he dominates the plot. Free Hawks, the mad King...the list can go on.


For all the simplicity of the writing, the plot is captivating, there is an undeniable chemistry between Jack and Saba, and even Emmi is adorable most of the time.
 
The end, although not a cliffhanger,  becomes a beginning of another journey which feels oddly appropriate, and the characters stay in your memory for a long time.

I heartily recommend Blood Red Road to any fan of dystopia.


Similar books:
The Reapers are The Angels by Alden Bell

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С огромным удовольствием прочитала эту книгу и хочу сказать, что все комплименты и восторженные ревью ею вполне заслужены.


Кроваво-красная Дорога - это не типичная дистопия, и чем-то напоминает мне Безумного Макса впережку с Книгой Элайи.


Цивилизация полностью разрушена после какой-то катастрофы, о которой автор не рассказывает. Технологии потеряны, люди превратились в дикарей и позабывали о своём прошлом, история передаётся устно. 


18-летняя Саба живёт с отцом, братом-близнецом Лю и младшей сестрой в пустынном поселении у высохшего озера, огорождённого песками. В один день Лю похищают Тёмные Стражи, убивая в процессе отца Сабы.


Саба клянётся вернуть брата во чтобы то ни стало и вместе с 9-летней сестрёнкой Эмми пускается в тяжёлое путешествие по его следам.


Девочки проходят через рабство, Сабе приходится драться в клетке города на потеху обезумевшей, обкуренной толпе, она находит друзей и приобретает мошущественных врагов.

Персонажи в Кроваво-красной Дороге шикарны - что сама Саба, что таинственный обаятельный шутник-Джэк, Свободные Соколы, безумный король и Де Мало - загадочный Страж, который редко появляется в повествовании, но когда он там есть - то доминирует страницы                  книги...                                                                                                                                                                

 В общем, читайте! К простому, примитивному слогу надо привыкнуть, но в остальном книга незаметно влезает в душу  и не отпускает долго после того, как её прочитали.

9/10