++++Moira Young - Blood Red Road - Book Review++++

                                       

• Pages - 531
• Published - By Marion Lloyd Books - U.K/Margaret K McElderry - U.S
• Date -  June 2011
• Age 14+

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.

This book is one of the most-anticipated release titles in teen-fiction this year. Therefore, it was fantastic for this to be part of my ever growing reading pile. This proof copy actually came with no book synopsis, so I had no idea where it would take me, which in some ways made it even more intriguing.


Anyway, the story is told through the eyes of Saba, who lives out her normal quiet life with Pa, her twin brother Lugh and her little sister. They all live in the middle of nowhere, until life as they know it eventually changes, as Lugh gets kidnapped and taken away by cloaked men on horse back.


I really loved this book - it's full of everything that I love including suspense, action and friendship as well as a number of violent encounters, which make amazing reading! It also delivers a strong dark edge that will leave your heart beating incredibly quickly. Saba is a fantastically written character, she's a strong feisty heroine, with bags of guts and self determination which sees her through this non-stop rumble of hardship and adventure.


The book is an epic story that is told through a brilliant new voice. It will leave you hanging on every word, you'll skip through the 500+ pages in a heartbeat, it's brilliant and possibly my favorite book to date. The world that the author has built feels incredibly original and the places that the characters find themselves travelling to, are very well constructed. They help create a sense of the fantasy world that engages the reader and brings out the story, which will stay with you long after you have turned the last page.


The ending is a action-packed as the dystopian/post-apocalyptic world is left behind, but hopefully only temporarily, so that a new adventure can start from this point. I really hope that another book will follow these amazing characters on another epic adventure, here's hoping . . . . . . .! 

                                                     

                                                          
This is the U.S book cover jacket for the same book. I have to say that it has a totally different look and feel. I'd love to hear your thoughts on both book covers.