You can download it to your e-reader or read it online at Amazon.com. It costs just $3, and it's well worth it: http://www.amazon.com/Red-ebook/dp/B00C8GUTG4

You might want to pay a visit to the author's personal site, and there's also a trailer available here:

Here's a photo of the author herself, which she kindly sent me specifically for this review:



(And yes, it did take me a full two months to stop procrastinating on this review.)


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It might not a genre of fiction I read particularly often, but RED was great fun to read.

What I enjoyed most were the complex characters and the vivid settings. The title of this book might be RED, but the characters' actions and backstories are a sea of gray. Even the protagonist is consumed by an obsession with violence and bloodlust. These characters are all deeply scarred - and sometimes downright psychotic - individuals, but their flaws and fears make them relatable and distinctive. EJ consistently paints vivid settings with her words, and the river of impeccably-dressed corpses was especially memorable.

The pacing was good, too. I never wanted to stop reading RED - I wanted to keep charging ahead and find out what happens next. In fact, I read almost the entire thing in a single day. Only one point in the entire book threatened to drag - the training scene in Germany - but even that part flows nicely, without feeling extraneous.

EJ describes herself as a poet at heart, and her use of poetry lends a distinctive feel to the prose. While much of the book takes place in an extrastellar fantasy world, her fusion of fantasy with contemporary earthly locales is another example of EJ's unique voice.

The biggest problem I had with RED is I got lost during the Mexico scene. This could be the fault of me reading too fast during a tense, exciting moment, though. I also saw some sections, primarily in the middle third of the book, that seemed rushed. I feel that certain paragraphs could've done with further polishing.

EJ is quite open about her frustration with overused plot devices, and the ending actually surprised me - something that doesn't happen much when reading fiction. The conclusion certainly wasn't what I was anticipating, but it left a good taste in my mouth and leaves open the possibility of a sequel.

It's not perfect, but RED is an excellent debut novel that dares to take chances, and I believe EJ is only going to go up in the future. I look forward to seeing what she'll come up with next.