4.75 stars
I did not know what to expect when I picked this book up, but I can say that the immense amount of hype surrounding this book is well-deserved.
Maybe once I can get my thoughts in order I will be able to write a more cohesive review, but I loved everything about this book. From the flawed characters to the rich world-building to a plot full of action and political intrigue, Pierce Brown was able to construct a complex and engrossing story that I’m going to be thinking about for a long time to come.

I do have a couple of criticisms, even though neither took away from my enjoyment of the book.

The first is that none of the female characters in this story aren’t as well-developed as any of the male characters. They don’t really have any agency, and are used almost as catalysts for the main character’s actions. I’ve heard that this gets better as the series continues.

The next is that the beginning of this book is a little confusing. We are dropped into this world with no setup and the characters speak using slang that takes a bit to get used to. Darrow refers to different things in his world with no explanation, so we have to figure out what he is talking about by the context of the conversations going on around him. However, I feel like if you just go with the flow for a short period of time, it all starts to make sense as you become engrossed in this world.

This books is reminiscent of the Hunger Games, but far more brutal. It would be like Hunger Games and Game of Thrones had a book baby with a little Lord of the Flies thrown in for good measure. I loved every second of it, and am so glad I have the whole series!