Book Critique: Blood Red Road

The moment I saw that James Dashner, the writer of the The Maze Runner series, was on the front cover of Moira Young’s Blood Red Road, I knew I had to read this book. Having loved the Maze Runner series, I knew that this book would be just as good, if not better. Fortunately, it was as good as I thought it would be. The clarity of the words and the sense of entering a different world that the book creates are definitely the best features of this novel.

The language of the book caused no problems during my read. It was a really easy read and it allowed the reader to relax and be worry-free. There were no instances in which the placement of words caused confusion or distortion, except for the fact that the book does incorporate a western accent. With language such as “y’all” or “dis”, the book can cause some problems for those who have difficulty analyzing different dialogues. However, in general the book does an excellent job of flowing well. I would say that the book is a perfect read for teenagers or those who are interested in dystopian society like novels.

Another reason why the book was such a great read was because it freed the reader from all worries or problems that might be occurring in the outside world, and allowed them to enter this new fantasy world. This world consisted of beasts and zombies, and the good guys always won. While reading the book, there were various occasions in which the book made it seem like I was a part of this new world; like I was a character fighting for my life against these unspeakable creatures. A great contributor to this sensation is the vocabulary used by Young. Young used words that were descriptive enough, yet not too complex so that readers of all ages could comprehend. These words and sayings provided the reader with very detailed pictures that I could create in my mind. With each page there was a different scene in which Young would yet again give the reader a perfect description of what exactly was going on. With the constant fighting and battles, Young’s word choice had to be perfect in order for the reader to understand all that was happening. Luckily, she did just that. She incorporated a detailed description of the scenery, described the characters in each scene to the finest of detail, and also summarized each kill or death to a point at which one may think it was actually real. The book posed no threat in which the reader was left to create a picture or to think for themselves.

In conclusion, this book was a great read that I would recommend to those who loved either the Maze Runner or the Hunger Games series. The book did an excellent job of taking the reader out of real life and putting them into a whole new world. It was an awesome book that lead me to read the sequel.