When originally I heard about this book I was very excited. I'm not huge on dystopian novels, but in the case of this one I was ready to invest a considerable amount of time into it because it was a rather long novel (450 or so pages) and the MC is older then most (as far as young adult fiction goes). I kept away from early reviews and excerpts because I wanted to go into the book with a fresh set of eyes, no preconceptions whatsoever.

I really wish I had read a couple at least, so I was prepared.

As a plot BLOOD RED ROAD was thoroughly engrossing. This story is 100% Saba's; her voice, her perceptions, her feelings. Saba doesn't hold back or try to sugar coat things, she's very upfront (to the reader at least) about her faults as well as her strengths. She readily admits that her younger sister is an unwelcome burden, a constant reminder of what they had (a happy family) versus what they didn't have when their mother was alive. She also admits that Lugh is the bright light, the one that leads them and is their guiding force. She doesn't say anything of this with bitterness, she merely accepts that he leads and she follows.

The closeness the twins share is a steady pulse throughout the novel, even when Lugh is taken away and Saba has to face a world where he isn't there to show her what needs doing. I wouldn't say that Saba suddenly realized 'Gee I'm just as smart as Lugh!', it was more of a gradual understanding that Lugh's understanding of the world came from how he saw it. As her perception changed so too did her her ability to interact with the world.

As I said, the plot held me captivated. So its with some irritation that I report it took me nearly two weeks to finish this novel. In that time I put it aside so often I got nearly three times that many pages done on various other books. Even while I sat wondering how Saba figured out a way to keep going, I could not make myself read it any faster than I did.

To put it simply the writing killed me. Not that Young couldn't write, its just because the book was from Saba's POV everything was written as if Saba was writing it down. And since Saba's education was rudimentary at best that meant a whole lot of spelling mistakes, grammar headaches and weirdly placed punctuation. At first I thought it was because it was an advanced reader's copy, but with a sinking feeling I realized that's how the ENTIRE BOOK is written. If it had just been when Saba or the others talked, I could have tolerated it. But when Saba is describing a scene and its in that broken mostly phonetic spelling it grated on me.

That's a personal problem however. As I said, the plot is gripping, I just couldn't get beyond the narrative tone. ( )

The style of writing was different enough that it took me a while to get into Blood Red Road. Once into the world of Saba though, I couldn't escape. I didn't want to escape. I enjoyed it enough to want to read the sequel which doesn't happen often with YA dystopian fiction (Shatter Me anyone?). ( )

Welp, that was pretty awesome. Dystopian future? Check. Badass survivor chick? Check. Superhot dudely love interest? Check. Cage fighting? Check. Girls cage fighting? CHECK. Fighting an Evil Overlord? Check. Giant man-eating worms? DOUBLE CHECK.

Beyond the superficial stuff and the similarities to Mad Max and his Thunderdome, I most enjoyed Saba's character growth. She starts off as quite selfish and a little too focused on her brother (was I the only one who found it a little weird?) but as her exposure to the world grew, so did she. She wasn't totally reformed by the end of the book and there's lots of potential for her in the next, so it felt organic and not forced. Beyond Saba, most of the supporting characters were well-fleshed, except for the totally bizarro Evil Overlord. I wish there had been some more exploration of his character. Why the Louis XIV getup? The gold face paint? Constantly referring to himself as the King?

I wasn't quite convinced that just because Saba was accustomed to physical labor that she would be a competent hand-to-hand fighter, but she was basically a berserker, so that's okay, I guess. I'd have liked it better if Saba hadn't got pantsfeelings for basically the first young, attractive dude she laid eyes on, but that's me quibbling. I probably would have been crushing on Jack too. I was not in love with the paranormal-ish aspects (rain spells? prophetic dreaming? the heartstone? Uh, yeahno) but otherwise found it pretty entertaining. A lot of the violence was weirdly sanitized, so it's probably okay for the slightly-younger-than-young-adult crowd.

Regarding the dialect, I generally hate, hate reading in it, but I didn't loathe it here. It was consistent and fitting, seeing as how very few people in this iteration of the future had ever even seen a book, never mind having had access to regular education. Of course, YMMV, but I found that it made the story feel more authentic.

If this does end up being made into a movie, I'll definitely be going to see it. ( )

3.5 stars-rounding up for the excellent performance of the reader, Heather Lind.

I started this when it first came out, and I ditched it after a few pages. I think I just wasn't in the mood for the present tense, which is fine if the story's good, but I always initially find it distracting. And the lack of quotation marks just irritated me. So I really didn't give this book much of a chance, and for pretty flimsy reasons. When the library's teen book club made it this month's choice, I decided to try it on audio, and that made a huge difference in my attitude toward the story. To get it done by our meeting, I read a lot of the book too, but once I had Lind's reading voice in my head, none of previous qualms were really a problem anymore.

I'm glad I gave it a second look-it's a fine addition to the ever-growing pile of YA dystopian fiction that people (at least the kids in teen book club) can't seem to get enough of. I liked it most at the beginning of Saba's journey, when she sets off to find her kidnapped brother Lugh. I like how Saba's limited view of the world slowly expands, and we learn about the world as she does. And it's not one of those weird futures where I can't possibly see how things might get that way. The drug lord is king. I can get on board with that as a possible dystopian future. I do hope we learn more in the next book about how far in the future they are and where some of their terms came from. The grim setting and tone were done well, and even if I didn't like Saba very much, I was with her. I was eager to see where the search took her.

The family relationships and the friendship with Mercy (Wonder if we'll ever see her again. I wonder if she ever got her horse back.) had a solid foundation and were enough to drive the first part of book. It's when the other relationships came into the picture and the extraordinary coincidences started, that I began to fidget a little. First of all, Helen. The only person in Saba's Hopetown prison who is willing to talk to her just happens to know exactly where Lugh is? The only way I was buying that was if she was a plant and never really taken away to be killed. That does not seem to be the case, unless we find out in the next book that the mysterious DeMalo placed her there. I guess that's possible, but there are enough other amazing coincidences sprinkled about that I wonder if maybe they're just what Young uses as needed to move things along. Second of all, Jack. Don't get me wrong. I don't hate romance. I love the love. I just didn't think this story needed a romantic subplot. Was Jack charming and mysterious, cocky and handsome and inexplicably in love with someone who constantly pushed him away? Yes-he fit the bill to make the young girls swoon. OK, fine. Some of those romantic scenes might have made me swoon too. A little. But that doesn't mean I was on board with romance being added to this particular story. Saba had plenty on her plate without it. The story was fine without it. Third and last-what's the deal with all these people she just met being willing to risk their lives for her? I know they had their own agendas, but there are several points in the story where people are willing to sacrifice their safety for her specific quest. And until very close to the end of the book, Saba has done nothing but pursue her own interests, with the exception of saving Jack. How did Epona and Ash and Maev come to feel such a strong loyalty to her? When did that happen? I don't think Saba's working with them in Hopetown is enough of a basis.

The story was best when it was about Saba finding her brother, learning about the world and learning to become a better sister to Emmi. I know she needed to make friends and have other people introduced as she went along on her journey. I liked the friends she made. I just think that part could have been developed better. Now that they have been through battle together and lost loved ones, the depth of the relationships is more convincing. I just can't think too hard about their beginnings, or it starts to fall apart for me.

Misgivings aside, I liked it overall and I'm curious to see how she continues the story. I put the second one on hold before I finished this review. ( )

I cant tell whether this book was good or not. All I know is that the girl who is the main-character talks appalingly. I grappled with reading it for a while but finally gave up since I had trouble understanding what she was saying and thinking. ( )