Review of Blood Red Road 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. 

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I started this book with the same thoughts as everyone else - 'Jeez, this is nearly 500 pages!', 'The writing style is driving me bonkers!' and 'Why on earth are there crosses instead of numbers at the beginning of the chapters?' After a while though, I got used to everything and found that it read very quickly - I was able to read 20 pages in 5 minutes without any problems.

I didn't really connect with Saba when I first met her. Even though she's supposed to be 18, she seemed younger than that. However I grew to understand her more as the story progressed and she became tougher from what her world was throwing at her. At times she reminded me quite strongly of Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games because of her sheer determination and courage.

Saba and Jack's relationship is quite easily one of my favourites. I loved that she showed no interest in him whatsoever, not wanting to admit to herself that she liked him and that she continued this throughout most of the  book, rather than jumping his bones the second she got, like most YA heroines.

I loved Saba's younger sister, Emmi. She doesn't get a mention on the blurb, which is a shame as she's one of the strongest characters. She chases after Saba, not wanting to be left behind and puts up with Saba's hostility, not to mention countless beatings (not from Saba). For a nine year old, she's pretty brave.

I also just realised that the guy I've been picturing as the King is Freddie Mercury.

5/5