Review: Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Pages: 492 Release Date: June 2nd 2011 Publisher: Marion Lloyd Books (Scholastic) Source: Publisher

Goodreads synopsis:

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.


My Review:

I absolutely adored ‘Blood Red Road’. It was so fresh and unlike anything I’ve ever read before!

The setting is described marvellously, with barren wastelands being the main environment. It feels like a whole new futuristic, bleak world, in which there are terrible sandstorms. Young split ‘Blood Red Road’ into sections, such as when Saba came to a new place and this really added to the adventure theme, as I felt like I was on the journey with Saba.

The characters in ‘Blood Red Road’ feel very real! Saba was definitely annoying at first, but grew on me as the novel progressed. She had her bad points –she is very selfish, but also her good points –fiercely independent. Saba really does go through her own personal journey through the novel and learns much more about herself. I liked how she was willing to sacrifice herself to rescue her brother – I also enjoyed how it was a girl doing the rescuing! :)

Jack was an enjoyable character! I l liked him from the first meeting and I’m glad that he had an important involvement in the story. He is very humorous, and I felt like ‘Blood Red Road’ needed a character like Jack to lighten the tension in parts. Most of the characters all added that little bit of something into the novel and I enjoyed reading about them, from Papa, to Tommo, to Emmi.

The plot kept me on the edge of my toes throughout! There was always something happening , whether it be kidnap or fighting. I particularly enjoyed how Young created her own dialect. This emphasised the sense of a whole new world and time. The contrast between the beginning and the end is very clear and I really enjoyed seeing how Saba’s situation had been developed and changed throughout.

Overall, I loved ‘Blood Red Road’ and I would recommend to anyone who loves a massive adventure, strong, feisty heroine, a little bit of romance and plenty of action! I will definitely read the sequel, which comes out next year! :)

5 out of 5 stars.