Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.
Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.
But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.
Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity’s overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society’s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies… even if it means he has to become one of them to do so. (from Goodreads)
What did I just read?
This book had been recommended to me by countless bookstagram friends so I knew I had to read it, and am I glad I did. This book is not what I expected at all. It starts out one way and then takes what for me was an unexpected turn.
There is a lot of political intrigues and all-out war in this book. And if you are into Roman history I think this is the book for you. I really enjoyed the characters in this book. I think every single character is morally grey, there may even be some just evil people, but there are no “good guys” which I personally love, as I find those characters much more interesting.
This book is hard to read at some points and I can understand why some people might be turned off. If you don’t want to read about violence this is not the book for you.
Overall: 4
Buy it on Amazon here