Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Blood Red Road
Author: Moira Young
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (a part of Simon & Schuster)
Release Date: June 7, 2011
Edition: Hardcover
* Purchased on my own.

Saba is going after her brother, Lugh, who has been kidnapped by the Tonton. She said that she'll find him and she always keeps her promises. This means leaving Silverlake and heading off on a journey which will lead Saba to some interesting places and even more interesting characters. She has until midsummer's eve to save her brother and with all the trouble that's getting thrown at her, Saba will need all the time that she can get.

Blood Red Road is extremely difficult to summarize. It's not just that she's going to save her brother but that Saba will be forced to see the uglier side of the world and have to deal with her younger sister, Emmi. She'll be tossed into cage fights, race across sand dunes, fight hellworms/hellwurms, fall in love, make friends, and do a lot more than that to get Lugh back.

At first, I tried to read an e-galley of Blood Red Road but oh my goodness was it difficult to read like that! So yes, I waited to pick up my own copy of Blood Red Road before seriously reading it. After all, it's written in an accent and that's not the easiest thing to read. However, once you get past that fact, Blood Red Road turns into an enjoyable read; as in a book that I couldn't put down until I finished it because not knowing what would happen in the end was plaguing me. I read it a lot faster than I thought that I would and I loved that horses appeared to be the main source of transport in Saba's world.

Then there's Jack, Saba's love interest. They might bicker and she might claim that he isn't her type, but everyone else can see that she's got a thing for him. He's saved her life twice now and she's saved his life twice too. And then there's DeMalo who really seems to vex Saba. I really loved DeMalo although he played such a minor role in Blood Red Road. Seriously, Saba can have Jack if I can have DeMalo.

I feel like I'm barely even touching on just how wide the cast of characters is and just how diverse they are. There are the Free Hawks, the Tonton, the King, Lugh (her brother), and Emmi (her sister). That's not even including Nero, Saba's amazing pet crow or Hermes, the horse who trusts Saba (and that Saba trusts). If you've been thinking about reading Blood Red Road, I'd definitely tell you to go for it. However, if you have trouble reading books written in accents, you might want to try the audiobook instead. I can definitely see why the movie rights to Blood Red Road got picked up and I really do think that it'd make a great movie.

Honestly though, if you've been thinking about picking up Blood Red Road, I'd say go for it! My only real issue with it was that it was written in an accent and that makes it more difficult for me (personally) to read.

Overall Rating: ★★★★ and a half