On paper,
Red Rising is a Hunger Games clone - but that's only a superficial comparison. In reality it's a unique and interesting story in it's own right. My one complaint is that the world-building is a little thin - something I often see in YA stories - when a little more could have really enriched it.
And ... just finished reading
Golden Son and these are my impressions:
On the positive: his writing style is easy to read, it constantly pushes forward, and he never lets go of emotional engagement with the reader. There are plenty of twists, drama, and you're never sure what to expect next.
On the negative: there are too many names! There is a massive cast as it is, but a number of characters are referred to by multiple names - first name, surname, nickname, or title!
Although the setting is a blatant "Rome in Space", I never really get any sense of historical Roman society. Additionally, the space element is completely fantastical and the science aspect more an afterthought. For example, every rocky planet or moon in the solar system is fully terraformed and Earth-like. Including the sulphurous lava moon, Io, which is described as a major agricultural producer. This is not a big complaint, but it underlines a lack of depth and realism, which I find unfortunately common with YA.
Still, the book was interesting enough for me to want to read the third installment - more just to see what happens more than anything. I hope it's bloodydamn worth it.
