Empire of Silence

Gave it a shot as the series is highly recommended for Red Rising aficionados. I didn't find the book engaging until the 2nd half after trogging through Hadrian's cold upbringing and constantly referring to the two indexes and dramatis personae to even have a clue what was going on or who he was talking to. I appreciated the reference section, but wish that Ruocchio committed to putting everything in it rather than some choice words. From what I understand, Empire of Silence's strength comes from it being a series. The first book and introduction to the series was okay. I'll give the next book a chance, but I'm not in a rush to do so.