Name: Iron Gold
Series: Red Rising Saga #4
Author: Pierce Brown
Publisher: Graphic Audio
Format: Audiobook
Genres: Adult, Science Fiction / Fantasy, Romantasy, Dystopian
Spice Rating: None that I remember…
Rating:
Synopsis: Goodreads
They call him father, liberator, warlord, Slave King, Reaper. But he feels a boy as he falls toward the war-torn planet, his armor red, his army vast, his heart heavy. It is the tenth year of war and the thirty-third of his life.
A decade ago Darrow was the hero of the revolution he believed would break the chains of the Society. But the Rising has shattered everything: Instead of peace and freedom, it has brought endless war. Now he must risk all he has fought for on one last desperate mission. Darrow still believes he can save everyone, but can he save himself?
And throughout the worlds, other destinies entwine with Darrow’s to change his fate forever:
A young Red girl flees tragedy in her refugee camp, and achieves for herself a new life she could never have imagined.
An ex-soldier broken by grief is forced to steal the most valuable thing in the galaxy–or pay with his life.
And Lysander au Lune, the heir in exile to the Sovereign, wanders the stars with his mentor, Cassius, haunted by the loss of the world that Darrow transformed, and dreaming of what will rise from its ashes.
Review:
Iron Gold is the fourth book in Pierce Brown’s Red Rising Saga. It is important to note that while it is book 4, it is the start of it’s own arc. The characters are older, there has been a decade between Morning Star and Iron Gold, things have happened and things have changed. That being said, you still need to read the original Red Rising trilogy before reading Iron Gold. There will most certainly be spoilers for Morning Star and books before in this review.
I went into Iron Gold not too long after finishing Morning Star – I needed time to mourn and to get over the way Brown abused my heart in that arc’s finale. Honestly, it was cruel. But once I dove back into Iron Gold I was shocked to find a few things – first, it was multi POV now, and second, we are still following the main cast of characters. I don’t know what I was expecting honestly, but a part of me thought that we wouldn’t have the same cast of characters at least not all of them…
I am happy to say that I loved the multi POV. Again, I listened to the graphic audio production so that almost certainly had an impact on me loving the multiple POVs but I really did like them. All four of our POVs were telling parts of the story I don’t think any singular POV could have told unless Brown switched it up entirely and went third person. But I’m so glad he didn’t, because as I have already said many times – I liked the POVs!!
And we may be 10 years on, and things have changed but the main cast from the original trilogy are returning… minor spoiler below, don’t click if you don’t want it.
Minor spoiler for characters who aren’t showing up as much.
I will say I really missed Mustang (and if I’m honest about it, Victra too!) because whilst they’re in Iron Gold they’re not a huge part of it. What we did get of each of them was excellent! I just wanted more.
But really, my only complaint was that it was definitely slower in parts. I think overall I preferred Iron Gold to Red Rising, but I wasn’t able to rate it higher than a 4 because even with the graphic audio production, there were moments where I was like ‘wait who is this person?’ and of course the ‘this is dragging now…’ complaint. It didn’t happen often… but enough.
Overall, I am so glad I kept reading (or in my case, listening) to this series after Golden Son. Both Morning Star and Iron Gold are great (with Morning Star being heart destroyingly wonderful). I will definitely be continuing – but I have to wait to get another credit come through on audible first!
“Sometimes, little one, it’s best if the worlds think you a little mad.”
Reading With Tyler 
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