Red Rising

Cover retrieved from Goodreads

Red Rising (Red Rising #1)

Pierce Brown

Del Rey (Random House): 2014, 382 pages

Reviewed by Tori Lyons

The Earth is dying, so Mars is being colonized by a brave group of pioneer Reds.  Darrow is one of these pioneers, mining for Helium-6 deep under the surface of Mars.  After Darrow’s wife is executed, he is recruited by a secretive group of rebels who open his eyes to the truth: Mars has actually been colonized for generations and Reds like Darrow are toiling away to support the extravagant lifestyles of the Golds living on the surface. Fueled by his rage and a sense of justice, Darrow is reformed into a Gold and sets out to overthrow the colorful caste system from the inside. 

Nimona

Cover retried from Goodreads

Nimona

Noelle Stevenson

Harper Collins: 2015, 272 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

Nimona is a graphic novel by Noelle Stevenson, which started as a web comic.  Nimona is a young girl who also happens to be a shapeshifter and she has a knack for causing trouble.  She becomes the sidekick to the villain Lord Ballister Blackheart.  Blackheart is out for revenge against Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics.  As Blackheart spends more time with Nimona, he begins to realize that her powers are more dangerous than he imagined.  Can he prove that the Institution is actually up to no good, finally exact revenge against Goldenloin, and keep Nimona in check?