Review: Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Publishing Date: June 7th, 2011
Genre: YA
Pages: 459 pgs
ISBN: 9781442429987

Rating: 4 Stars

Summary from GoodReads:

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

My Review:

I had heard so much about this book that I just had to go out and buy it the minute it came out. I have to admit it was a bit different than what I expected but I mean that in a good way. I really enjoyed the world that the characters lived in. For some reason I kept picturing Saba as male rather than female. I think that it is because she exhibits so many qualities that are typically found in a male gender role. I like that Young is trying to challenge these gender roles by having such a strong female character. Saba is on a mission to find her twin brother, Lugh, who was taken by men on horses. Her younger sister joins her and over the course of their travels they find trouble but they also find new friends. I really loved the writing in this book and I think that Young did a really good job of showing Saba’s struggle with her identity. She is forced into a world that is completely unknown and she doesn’t have her brother with her. Lugh has always been Saba’s rock and she is unsure how to navigate her relationship with her younger sister and her new confidants. I have read quite a few books that are a part of a series and I am really glad that while this is the first book in a series, Young is able to wrap things up nicely with this book. I don’t feel like I have been left hanging to wait for another year to read the next book. Overall I give this book 4 out of 5 stars and I definitely recommend that you go out and get this book.