Red Rising is a solid, high-quality card game that feels like a 'gamer's game' without taking three hours to play. It’s essentially a more complex version of Fantasy Realms with a gritty sci-fi skin.

While the dystopian themes are heavy, the actual gameplay is mostly about optimizing your hand and doing math. If your kid likes the books, this is a no-brainer. If they don't know the books, it’s still a great brain-burner, though the 11 different card colors might make their head spin for the first game or two.