Golden Son

How can I even attempt to describe or review this book? I have no words! Golden Son is an exhilarating blend of political intrigue, intense action, violence and emotional depth, wrapped in twists and surprises from the beginning until the end. Even when I know something

And the pace? I haven't read anything like this! Each chapter is masterfully crafted to make you want to keep going, I could hardly breathe. So here I am, trying to write something after not having slept a minute because I couldn't stand not knowing what was going to happen to the characters.

I bloodydamn love this books and I bloodydamn love your writing Pierce Brown!

Also, a huge appreciation for all the fantastic female characters you've written. Reading these books made me understand how much of a disservice fantasy and sci-fi writers have been to women because I keep expecting certain things to happen and they never do.

There are no mentions of breasts, their bodies are described as much as any male body, they are not sexual magic entities, they are not one-dimensional, they are smart, confident and not socially awkward, they can be smart and not evil, and we can even find call outs for sexist behavior 😮

Whether they are female or male, antagonist or protagonist, Pierce writes characters based on their virtues and role in the story, not their identity. I'm half in love!

This is a must read sci-fi series but please, do not start this book without having Morning Star ready, you'll need it. (less)

As always, Pierce Brown captured my heart in one hand while also shattering it in the other. Bloody damn brilliant.

“I will die. You will die. We will all die and the universe will carry on without care. All that we have is that shout into the wind - how we live. How we go. And how we stand before we fall.”

Wow, this was really good. Not an accurate description content-wise, but it kind of felt like an American/sci-fi anime in that it's really fast-paced, not to be taken super seriously, but also pretty bad-ass. Lots of memorable moments, intense twists, and interesting character relationships. This was a great read.

After the first book ended, I needed to start this one immediately. And by the end, I started to be amazed on how this one was even better than the first!

Not to suggest I didn’t enjoy the story and writing, buuuuuut…. between the first career setback for Darrow and the climactic celebration, I kept screaming at the characters, “Are you all idiots? Do you learn nothing?”. Especially during the denouement. A distrustful father and untrusting partner allow the deceitful and dangerous villain to prepare a large gathering unfettered. The bad guys at the end commit the classic error even a middle school student would advise them against: don’t leave the hero alive. Kill him when you have the opportunity. I’m still going to read book three of the trilogy. I do care about four remaining characters and I would like to see some hot vengeance served up. Going to retire now to an unrelated novel, where the author doesn’t take their characters for idiots.

The dynamics at play in this sequel are vastly different than the original, and potentially for the better. The foundation is still the same - a society classed by colors/roles filled with people that are technologically modified - but this story is much more driven by the politics in their world and the protagonist's struggle to navigate a looming war while figuring out how to further navigate a double-life. One might struggle (again) with the thick prose and extensive world-building (including far too many characters, houses, and names to keep track of), but in the end, its the properly-paced beats and the sum of all parts that make the continued journey from slave to warlord so intriguing - the writer even adds a shocking ending this time around. This one also elevates its themes as the writer doesn't shy away from raising some thought-provoking questions about tyrants and ends justfying the means.

Golden Son – A Thrilling, Well-Written Sequel

⭐ 5/5

Color me impressed. While Golden Son follows a more traditional structure than Red Rising, it more than makes up for it with improved writing, relentless pacing, and expertly executed twists. The tension never lets up, and the story grips you from start to finish. The expanded world-building feels natural and full of things to explore, adding richness without slowing the pace. The combination of action, strategy, and character development makes this a truly exciting read—a rare sequel that surpasses the original.

★ ★ ★ ½
Okay. I have very conflicting thoughts about this one. My three words for this book are repetitive, unoriginal (sorry), and captivating. Throughout the entire book, Darrow's inner monologue is pretty one dimensional, and even after the first few chapters, extremely repetitive. The amount of references to Eo got exhausting real quick. We get it—he's doing all this for red-haired girl from the mine who wanted more from the world. His internal conflicts are pretty basic, and almost too straightforward. The way it's written leaves little for the reader (me) to infer or fill in, and it just too on the nose. It's like a robot tried to have and express their emotions the way they think emotions should be expressed, but it just falls completely flat. I know there was so much potential for me to really feel like I was in his mind—experiencing what was—but I felt very disconnected from it. Also, the first couple chapters with the war games was literally just Ender's Game? Ok. Moving on to what I liked. I loved the pace of it. I was never bored (well, except from about 50% - 60%, but we'll get to that). I finished it in a couple of days, and didn't struggle to keep turning the pages. Also, I really liked the way the dialogue is written—I wish that writing style had carried over into Darrow's thoughts. I also felt like there were a ton of twists, and I never really saw them coming. Every time you think it's going well, sure there's that little hint of “well something has to go wrong”, but I never knew what exactly was going to go wrong. I will say, from the halfway point until about the 2/3 mark, I zoned out, and wasn't really following what was happening, and didn't have much of a desire to figure it out either. Really, what's carrying this rating is the pacing and amount of action. I still don't feel the urge to pick up the next book and find out what happens next.

Audiobook

:(

8.5/10

I feel like I fell out of the book a bit in the middle part. The start was cool, but the strongest part of the book was the end. It was just chapter after chapter of crazy war, betrayal and reunions.

I definitely preferred the first book. I don't think I will continue with the series. Lots of battling and dramatic moments and not knowing who's on whose side etc. the part I liked about the first one was the descriptions of the different worlds and the details on how the society works. This one had less focus on that, and more on political drama and backstabbing and snobbery etc.

if sevro dies in the next book i am quitting. he is my #1 favorite character right now. this series has been absolutely amazing. i love it. the ending was terrifying

I thought the first book was good but the author's second outing blows the first out of the water. Granted, they are very different in scope, with this second novel truly befitting the term "space opera". The character development is a delight and the twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. Easily the best book I have read thus far this year.

10

Like mainlining flakka straight through the cool-o.

After getting 40% through this book, I couldn't go any further. I really wanted to like this series but it just isn't for me. If you liked this book, great!

I really like the premise of this story and I think it could have been exceptional. However, I just find myself not caring for any of the characters - even Darrow. I thought Red Rising was OK, but this was a step back for me.

My issues:
1. As in Red Rising, Darrow can again do no wrong. Or when something doesn't go his way he just magically is better and saves the moment and everyone loves him.
2. Way too many characters to try and keep track of, many of which don't seem to play much of a role.
3. I can't see any reason to root for Darrow at the moment.

I was on my toes the whole time. This book will build you up and break you down, just when things couldn't get worse they did. And man do you want to find out what happens next after that.

Q U E F I N A L .

É costume o primeiro livro das séries ser o melhor, especialmente em ficção científica. O que Pierce Brown havia feito com Red Rising foi bom, mas semi-genérico e com poucas razões para querermos saber do protagonista. Falo por muito quando digo que estávamos mais investidos em Sevro, Mustang ou até do poeta Roque. Em Golden Son, ficamos a perceber Darrow e a forma como os erros que comete (apaixonar-se e perdoar) o vão mudar nesta missão suicida.

SPOILERS

Aquele final. A saga não tem nada de YA e não é nada recomendado para adolescentes: é violenta, é cruel, é demasiado humana e com traços políticos que um adolescente teria dificuldade em perceber. Foi uma viagem autêntica repleta de twists que me levaram a ter a mesma sensação de A Song of Ice and Fire: ninguém está a salvo. Todos podem morrer (i mean, vamos listá-los: Victra, Lorn, Nero - o antagonista - e Ares - o mentor, o líder da revolução).

Durante aquele fatídico capítulo, pensei a cada linha que passava que ia ser a cabeça de Mustang naquela caixa. E o que descobriríamos? Que perder Mustang quebraria Darrow mais ainda do que o homem que executou a mulher e o mentor que permitia que tal acontecesse.

Para Morning Sun, palpita-me que Darrow irá liderar a revolução, já que - sendo o POV - não irá morrer, à partida (DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT PIERCE). Ainda temos Sevro, ainda temos Mustang, ainda temos Ragnar. Há uma base, falta saber como Darrow a utilizará para vencer.

Incrível, 10/10.

You don't have to like the MC to like a book. Sort of

When I say, I don't like the MC, I mean it. He is self-righteous, selfish and calculating; feels superior most of the time and is not really bothered by being knocked off his pedestal; and talking about pedestals: women are either put on pedestals to be worshipped and adored and thought of without flaw - and every other female character is not worthy of being thought of as female.

All of the above would not stop me from liking the story if such a character was the entire point of the story. Well... it's complicated. We as readers only have our MC's POV and lacking at that. There is barely a mention of plans ( and to be fair, a big fun part of rebellion stories is the plans, the failing of said plans and then the subsequent quick thinking). Things happen and then it turns out to have been the plan. Deus ex Machina for the win! Maybe I could understand this IF we had Multi-POV and the plan or rescue or whatnot is part of another POV. I repeat, we only have MC'a thoughts - for my dislike on this, please refer to the beginning of my post. The few occasions where a plan was discussed, it was hinted that it was plan-ception and a bigger plan was hashed out before - and we were not invited to read about that!

Story wise a lot of back and forth between parties and loyalties happens and I have to admit, I lost track. If you liked the first one for its gory violence, this one will not disappoint in that regard. Admittedly, the relation between Darrow and Mustang evolves (not necessarily meaning the romantic aspect) and we finally get more information on Ares.

The 2 last chapters (no kidding) saved my rating on this, finally some planning, finally an actual goal where it's going. While not liking the MC, some ideas are interesting with regard to philosophy, politics and the state of our planet; and I would have loved to like this book more because of those aspects. They are few and sparse and the other IMO negative aspects put a heavy damper on me while reading. I will hesitantly continue, at least I now know what to expect.

betrayal left, right, up, down. I cannot keep up. Darrow you are too trusting I would never spill the beans

Fast pace peak

i thought the first book was bad but i was like ok first book is going to be shit sure but then it got worse
why the fuck does every woman want to fuck darrow it reeks of self insert
why the fuck did brown make eo pregnant if just to make her death more “tragic” like bro nobody cares about her we knew her for 50 pages 
 but why the fuck did eo sacrifice herself if she was pregnant? it wouldve been one thing if she didnt want it, but she was clearly excited for it cause she had a whole baby room and crib and shit. she couldve just gotten 40 lashings and lived. but ????? shes like nah i wanna be a martyr. for what reason??? she clearly wanted the kid???? why did she feel the need to die???? im confused????so the book could start ??? idk ??? i dont understand help . theres so much stupid shit in these books
also  holy fucking shit is the only good memory darrow has of eo the last time they fucked? Literally the only fucking thing he talks about. Did she have any personality? did he even love her or just love the sex ??? 
the writing is so fucking shit that i had to reread paragraphs MULTIPLE TIMES to understand what the fuck was happening, and most of the time i still didnt fucking understand
last but not least i fucking hate how darrow the main character, keeps sympathising with fucking rapists. it puts a disgusting taste in my mouth for pierce brown. fuck this book and fuck the author. skip this one

Me he quedado tiesisima con el final... como va a pasar eso. Quiero seguir la saga pero necesito un break demasiado todo mal y guerras.

5/5