Blood Red Road by Moira Young
- Published: June 7th, 2011
- Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
- Pages: 459
- Challenge: 100+ Reading Challenge, Debut Author Challenge 2011, 350 Page Books Challenge
- Other: First book in the Dustland series. There will be three books in total.
- Buy the book: Amazon
- Rating: ★★★★
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.
Blood Red Road made for a marvelous read that I couldn’t put down.
Let me start off by saying that this is not a dystopian novel. It is post apocalyptic, yes, but there’s no sign of a dystopian society in this book whatsoever. There are references to Wreckers, who I assume are we, as Blood Red Road takes place in the future, but other than that, I’d say the story has more of a hystorical feel to it – no technology, just dry wasteland and people living in poverty, scattered around the country.
We basically follow Saba on her trip to rescue her twin brother, who is abducted at the beginning of the story. On her way she comes across obstacles (the fighting cage!) but she is one kick ass heroine and she knows how to survive. She has her little sister in tow, even though she didn’t want that and actually hates her. However, Emmi proves that she doesn’t have to be a pain when she’s tagging along.
A character that I particularly liked is Jack. Cocky, handsome, confident and strong, that’s Jack. He’s not afraid to tell Saba what the deal is, even though Saba has a mind of her own. I’m looking forward to seeing more of him in the sequel, which I will definitely be picking up.
My overall rating: 
Four and a half stars for Saba, Nero, Emmi and Jack.