STONE RIDER by David Hofmeyr \\ Ride Hard or Die

Review by Leydy

STONE RIDER
by David Hofmeyr
Age Range: 12 and up
Grade Level: 7 and up
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press (July 14, 2015)
Goodreads | Amazon

"Intense, original, compelling . . . bristles with attitude. So cool. Just read it."--Michael Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Gone and BZRK

In the vein of The Outsiders and the early Western novels of Elmore Leonard, this inventive debut novel, a cross between the cult classic Mad Max movie series and Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, blends adrenaline-fueled action with an improbable yet tender romance to offer a rich and vivid portrayal of misfits and loners forced together in their struggle for a better life.

Adam Stone wants freedom and peace. He wants a chance to escape Blackwater, the dust-bowl desert town he grew up in. Most of all, he wants the beautiful Sadie Blood. Alongside Sadie and the dangerous outsider Kane, Adam will ride the Blackwater Trail in a brutal race that will test them all, body and soul. Only the strongest will survive.

The prize? A one-way ticket to Sky-Base and unimaginable luxury.

And for a chance at this new life, Adam will risk everything.

There is something really special about Stone Riders and that is uniqueness. It’s packed with actions and is incredibly good for lovers of wild books. You ride hard or you die. This is pretty much how it goes down. Although the book is good, it is not great. Honestly, I didn’t connect with any of the characters. Which by the way are all male and there is only one female character. Weird, huh?

Adam Stone is not your typical character. He is a tough cookie to crack. Life as an orphan hasn’t been easy for him. He has learned the hard way. Most importantly, how to survive. Now, he has one goal in mind - Sky-Base. If you were to ask me what Sky-Base is, I would say, a place where people have a better life? There isn’t much details about this place. Only that is a goal for Adam. A place in which he is willing to enter some type of win-or-die race to earn a pass. Personally, I imagine this place to be a very wealthy live on a man-made space station - like in the movie Elysium. Actually this whole entire book reminded me of this movie with the cast looking like Son of Anarchy-ish..?

Okay, so Adam and everyone are bada$$. They love to fight, kill, you name it - they will do anything and everything to survive. What’s cool about them is they’re connected with their bykes - yes with the y. They have this sort of special bond. Now the only girl in this book is Sadie. Another thing that is not explain. Anyways, she totally intimidating. She has a fling with Adam. Another thing I did not understand - their relationship. It was odd.

Overall Stone Rider is very unique, unlike anything I’ve read. It’s packed with actions, something I loved. I enjoyed how all the characters love to destroy things. I loved their survival skills. However, there are many things that were not explained. My biggest issue with this book. And the romance - not really romantic, at all. But it is a good story to read and learning all these survival skills. Certainly entertaining!

Peace, Love + Twilight,
Leydy Baltodano
Blogger & Book Reviewer, Once Upon a Twilight