Name: Golden Son
Series: Red Rising #2
Author: Pierce Brown
Publisher: Del Rey
Format: Kindle & Audio
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction / Fantasy, Romance (technically! Romantasy!), Dystopian
Spice Rating: (I honestly do not remember!)
Rating:
Synopsis: Goodreads
As a Red, Darrow grew up working the mines deep beneath the surface of Mars, enduring backbreaking labor while dreaming of the better future he was building for his descendants. But the Society he faithfully served was built on lies. Darrow’s kind have been betrayed and denied by their elitist masters, the Golds—and their only path to liberation is revolution. And so Darrow sacrifices himself in the name of the greater good for which Eo, his true love and inspiration, laid down her own life. He becomes a Gold, infiltrating their privileged realm so that he can destroy it from within.
A lamb among wolves in a cruel world, Darrow finds friendship, respect, and even love—but also the wrath of powerful rivals. To wage and win the war that will change humankind’s destiny, Darrow must confront the treachery arrayed against him, overcome his all-too-human desire for retribution—and strive not for violent revolt but a hopeful rebirth. Though the road ahead is fraught with danger and deceit, Darrow must choose to follow Eo’s principles of love and justice to free his people.
He must live for more.
Review:
Golden Son is the sequel to Red Rising and so there are likely spoilers for Red Rising in the below. Spoilers for Golden Son will be hidden as normal.
“Friendships take minutes to make, moments to break, years to repair.”
I enjoyed Red Rising, not as much as I had expected to, but enough that I had high hopes for the rest of the series. Golden Son, did not meet those expectations but once again I am in a position where I think Morning Star could be phenomenal based on the endind of Golden Son… So, let’s talk about it!
Red Rising ends with Darrow being chosen by Augustus to join him, and we pick up in Golden Son after some time has passed and Darrow is at the Academy continuing training basically… And I found it, once again, quite difficult to get into. Perhaps when it comes to science fiction I really can’t leave any time between reading the books? Because I definitely didn’t feel like three months would be enough to have forgotten everything… But it is very clear to me I struggled at the start in part just because I’d forgotten most of the people and the terms and that was frustrating.
I like Darrow’s character, I like the moral dilemma’s he is having to navigate as he continues to fake being a Gold with the intention of bringing the system down, while he tries to understand how he feels for Mustang after having lost his wife multiple years prior to Mustang’s father when he ordered her death for treason… I like Darrow. I love his friends more – Mustang, Sevro and Ragnar! They made this book for me, I can’t imagine this series without them. I need the four of them protected at all costs…
However, I just felt lost throughout most of Golden Son. There were definitely parts where the action picked up and I got into it again, but as soon as it was over I struggled to stay interested. This has me so damn torn… I find that I’m only reading on because I have friends who love this series, and it’s making the rounds in the book spheres and being loved by many. So, why am I not loving it?
I don’t know… but 84% was when it picked up for me. I realised I’d been pretty much rage reading for a good chunk (about 40% of the book) not to long before everything started picking up and I started really enjoying it. I was reading Golden Son throughout the whole of January, and yet the last 20% I read in two days. I think that says a lot about how much I struggled with it, but also how much I loved the ending.
I read the ending on my lunch break at work, and the amount of times I had to stop myself from having reactions to things that were happening… yeah it was ridiculous. The last 15% felt pretty non stop to me! Non stop both with actions, and decisions and reveals and twists… Yes, it was very good. Not only is it a good ending to the stage of war that Darrow is at, but it’s also a great cliffhanger to lead to Morning Star…
I will add that when I was really struggling I did switch to audio! I have a trial on Book Beats – I really love the idea of the subscription being time based rather than book based, as I very often wish I could just listen to a couple chapters or I’m using it like now, where I’m switching to listening past the half way point – and I did about 30% as an audio read. I’m really glad I did. When I thought I was going to be giving up on it, I was able to keep going thanks to switching to audio and it gave me enough enjoyment that even though I wasn’t in love with the story, I could keep listening. I’m tempted to look into the graphic audio for Morning Star (or at the least the audio from the start) as I’m hoping it’ll help hook me…
So yes, I am going to read Morning Star. I’ve come this far right? I might as well see it through! But, I really need it to wow me from the start if I have any hope of enjoying the final book in the original trilogy… The second trilogy is apparently where things get much darker and much more emotional, so if I like Morning Star enough I will probably return and read the second trilogy… but there is a huge chance I don’t do that. I’m nervous. I’m nervous for Darrow, and I’m nervous for myself… Let’s see where things go after this, shall we!
A very quick comment on one of the reveals at the end – big spoiler, do not read.
Fitchner as Ares makes total sense. I loved this reveal, and it was one of the things that actually solidified, even before the ending, that I was going to give Morning Star a read. I think this was brilliantly revealed too!
“Tell all who will hear, the Reaper sails to Mars. And he calls for an Iron Rain.”
Reading With Tyler 
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