Parents' Guide to

Red Rising

By Michael Berry, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Incessant cruelty spoils action-packed sci-fi saga.

Red Rising Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 14+

Based on 10 parent reviews

age 16+

Ambitious first book, probably okay for 15+ y/o to read

Definitely more intense and violent than The Hunger Games books, and sexual violence/rape is mentioned, but never described in detail.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
age 17+

Good sci-fi premise, has a lot to be desired

Red rising shocked me when I read it, from the marriage age for girls being 14 to the caste system designating ‘Brown’ people as servants, ‘pink’ people as sex workers and sex slaves, I was not thrilled with this book. I would recommend that parents read this book before letting their children read it to made sure it’s not including anything you wouldn’t want them to see.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (10 ):
Kids say (21 ):

RED RISING is action-packed, suspenseful, and frequently clever, a futuristic riff on The Count of Monte Cristo. Unfortunately, its better qualities are buried by the melodramatic posturing of its protagonist and by the incessant cruelty of its plot and supporting players. Author Pierce Brown clearly has a strategy for the long haul, in which lessons will be learned about the cost of vengeance, but the constant violence, aggressive language, and general unpleasantness of nearly every character overshadows and undercuts any positive message.

Older teens may respond to the high emotional level of the writing, but some may miss the point that Darrow's attitudes and actions are not to be emulated.

Book Details

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