An interesting setting with a less interesting main protagonist. Not sure I'll continue to reading the series though since the TV show/movie/whatever is surely on the way. ( )

The most accurate description of this book I can think of is "Hunger Games on Mars". The writing was good, the setting was engaging (if not very imaginative), and I'm looking forward to seeing how Darrow proceeds. My favorite character in the book is Servo, so I hope we'll see more of him in the sequel! Also Pax, so sad he died :( ( )

Too YA for me, didn't finish ( )

Ridiculously derivative, Brown pretty much just hodge-podges together parts from every young adult bestseller in the past 20 years. Despite that it's a fun series that I couldn't put down. ( )

As a young adult novel, it has all the ingredients. Dystopian society, an oppressed class with a hard boiled hero eager to suffer to get revenge. Contrast added by mixing this genius bumpkin with the love children of Calvin Klein and Hitler. Then, you make them fight each other à la "Hunger Games", which is à la "Battle Royale".
It makes for a fun and fast reading lying there by the pool, with the brain in autopilot.

The society dynamics are fine. The characters ar cliché, but well defined. The descriptions are good and the writing style is really enjoyable. However the world building, the Sci-Fi part, is rubbbish. Nonsensical. ( )