**No spoilers for World After, but one spoiler for Angelfall. Go read it first!

4.25 Stars. Yeah, I said it.

“You broke me out of the grasp of a living horror when I thought all hope was gone. You gave me the opportunity to crawl back to life when no one else could."

She glances over at me, her eyes shining in the dark. "You're a hero, Penryn, whether you like it or not.”

And there you have it. Penryn Young is a reluctant hero.

I think we've all become so accustomed to the typical YA heroine, that when a "Penryn" comes along, the masses lose their damn minds. That’s the craze that this series has brought about. It’s not the same as the hype of many shitty YA books past, though. When I read a YA, I’m usually bracing myself for the worst. TSTL Mary Sues have become the norm, though it still baffles me. Penryn is neither TSTL nor too good to be true. She’s a different kind of animal.

"I would have lived in peace. But my enemies brought me war."

*No spoilers.

It's been a while since I've been blown away by a Dystopian novel the way Red Rising has blown me away. Sure, there are some good ones out there, but the crappy ones far outnumber them. I didn't think there was anything left to add to this genre, but Pierce Brown has proven me wrong.