Blood Red Road

Title: Blood Red Road

Author: Moira Young

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Publication Date: June 2011

Genre/Format: Science Fiction- Dystopian/Novel

Goodreads Summary: 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.

What I Think: 1. What amazing world building! Moira Young did an amazing job with not only the setting, but the "government" in her debut novel. 

2. The cover of this book truly sets the tone for the story. Even when the story isn't taking place in the desert, the setting plays a major role in the story. 

3. Sada. Wow. She is a strong woman protagonist. Though I found her hard to like at points, I knew it was from her passion boiling inside that she acted the way she did. 

4. The best pet in a book every! Nero, the crow, is the secret star of the book.

5. The relationships in this book are things of beauty. The details in characterization that Young meticulously added to the story made it so that you are emotionally connected to all of the characters although there are many of them. 

6. Girl. Cage. Fighting. Wow- it is brutal!

Read Together: Grades 8 to 12

Read Alone: Grades 9 to 12

Read With: Enclave by Ann Aguirre, Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky, Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines, Fire & Graceling by Kristin Cashore, Knife of Never Letting Go (series) by Patrick Ness

Snatch of Text: "Lugh got born first. One Midwinter Day when the sun hangs low in the sky. 

Then me. Two hours later. 

That pretty much says it all. 

Lugh goes first, always first, and I follow on behind. 

An that's fine. 

That's right. 

That's how it's meant to be." (p. 1) 

Mentor Text for: Writing Style, World Building, Setting, Characterization

Writing Prompts: Moira Young decided not to use quotation marks when writing this book- why do you think that is? Did you like her choice? Explain your answer.

Topics Covered: Government, World Building, Violence, Love, Family

I *heart* It: