Blood Red Road (Dust Lands #1)

The book was pretty good. The protagonist made this book really enjoyable. Saba's all back hair, eyes, and take no stuff personality. She's also called The Angel of Death from her cage fighting days. What's there not to like? She's a tough 16 year old girl w/ a pet crow, harbors a unhealthy brother-complex, & crazy about an older silver eyed dude named Jack.

The only thing I could borderline take was the writing style, but the old south writing style did make you feel closer to Saba. Another thing I liked was the foreshadowing. It was a major key to the next book. The ending though a bit cliche, the ending paved a good start for the next book. I also respect the author for being timely on the series releases. I can't tell you how many times Iv'e been through pushed back released days. The most Iv'e waited was 12 months! Anyway, the book had the ideal points I was looking for such as romance, supernatural, mild angst, and a tough lead. I highly recommend.

*may contain spoilers*

LOCATION:
Who knows?! This is dystopian fiction. All I remember is that the place where the main character lived in is dusty and all dried up, like the Sahara. But then, there is a frequent change of the location in the book because the main character travels so much in search for her twin brother.

MAIN CHARACTERS:
Of course there is Saba. She is amazing in every way. At first she was this girl always trailing behind her brother. She made a complete turn-around at the end of the book. There's Jack, the love interest. Jack is secretive, resourceful, protective, and insanely hot. I loved that he lets Saba do her thing, gives her the freedom to be whatever she needs to be, and is isn't threatened by it. He loves the fact that Saba is a strong giril. The relationship between Saba and Jack is confusing, though. There was a part in the book when Jack was pining for Saba. Then a few chapters more, Jack hated Saba. Forward a few more chapters, Saba was kissing Jack. Gives life to the status, "it's complicated."

WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT:
Long story short, Saba goes through scary things to look for her brother, who was kidnapped by the Horsemen. The character went through some sort of slavery / gladiator / refugee kind of thing in the book.

LOVE:
I loved it when the woman shaved Saba's hair to prepare her to be some sort of girl gladiator. From that point, Saba's character changed. She became stronger and more determined to find her brother Lugh. Her character transformed from being a mere follower to a respected leader.

NO LOVE:
The way the book was written. If it weren't for the delicious story, I would have stopped reading at page one. But that's the thing! The story is just so damned good, you won't be able to stop.

FAVORITE CHARACTER:
I like Saba. She is just so determined, it's inspiring. I actually want to be her sometimes. She reminds me of Katniss, but Jack (oh, Jack!) is sure no Peeta.

FAVORITE LINE:
Oh I’m warm blooded. Jack grins. Anyways, Saba likes to look at my bare chest.
Lugh looks at me. Frowns. Is that a fact? he says.

MUSINGS:
Again, I hated the way the story was written. There were a lot of time when I just had to read passages several times just to get through all that wrong grammar and spelling. Eyesore galore. And again, the book is really engaging. It's somehow similar to the Hunger Games in that Saba is like Katniss - girl power through and through. They are also in the midst of oppression by their King (who, for some reason was depicted as King Louis XIV of France).

CONTENT REVIEW:
profanity: mild (if you can get through the writing-style)
violence: moderate
sexual content: mild
mature themes: mild
age recommendation: 13+

RATING:
Cover: 1.5
Plot: 3.5
Writing: 1.5
Characters: 4.0
Ending: 3.5
Overall Rating: 3.0 - Very Good (89% - 92%)