by Moira Young
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.
Moments Divine:
"Ever heard of the rule of three? he shouts as we run.
No!
If you save somebody's life three times, their life belongs to you. You saved my life today, that makes once. Save it twice more an I'm all yers.
I'll jest hafta make sure that don't happen, I says."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"How do I know I can trust you?
You can trust me, he says.
You would say that. How do I know you ain't lyin?
You don't. But I ain't."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Uninvited guest ain't ezzackly welcome at Freedom Fields, he says. Sometimes the Tonton hang you, other times they'll cut yer head off an put it on a spike. But they always put ash on the face. It's how you know yer in their territory. Wise man sees that, he turns around an gits the hell out as fast as he can.
But we ain't turnin. I says.
No, he says. Wisdom ain't a virtue I ever aspired to."
Favorite word: ezzackly (It was rather hard to pick so many good ones)
I just loved the language of in this book. The characters aren't highly educated and so they have some great vocabulary. The book is written so well that as I read I feel as if I have been speaking the same way as the characters my whole life. It just makes complete sense.
Such a bleak world followed up with a bleak life yet the characters feel so deeply and hold on to what they have. Saba is beyond description awesome. She is exactly(ezzackly) the sort of person I would want to be my best friend. Unafraid to be straight with you but with a loyalty the likes of which could move mountains. She isn't puffed up or vain about herself. In fact, she rarely considers herself at all. Jack is my new favorite male lead. He has so many layers and not a one of them is extraneous. He is perfect in his imperfection. Super adorable. I can't wait to find out more about him.
The villain has some problems upstairs. I really don't think he was anything more than the traditional bully. Just the face of the operation not the muscle. Which makes me think the future will be a whole lot scarier. We haven't seen nothing yet. Just the tip off the iceberg.
Great read!
