Light Bringer

Pierce Brown did it again. The man ripped my heart out and left it in a million tiny pieces. Light Bringer is amazing, and pretty comfortably one of my favorite books in the series so far.. It has everything I love about Red Rising—the chaos, the heartbreak, the badass moments—but in each book Brown is showing an uncanny improvement on his pacing and writing style.

What I love most about this series is that Brown keeps pushing himself to improve with every release. It sets insane expectations, and just when you start doubting, he goes and blows your mind all over again. Light Bringer feels like a return to the emotional depth and character dynamics of the original trilogy, but with the brutal scope of Iron Gold and Dark Age. The pacing is different—more methodical, more intense—but it keeps everything that makes the series so damn addictive. The dialogue is sharp, driving the action forward in a way that felt a bit missing at times in the last two books.

And the emotions? Off the charts. The small gestures of affection between characters hit me almost as hard as the action. These people have suffered so much, and it shows, not just in their scars but in the way they hold onto each other. It makes the brutality of war feel even more real. Because this book doesn't shy away from the cost of war—but it also remembers that hope matters just as much. I'm so glad Brown leaned into that balance.

And then there's the action. Clang. Clang. Clang. That sound is going to live in my head rent free for a while. The battles in Light Bringer are some of the best in the series, and that duel? Ashvar? Holy shit.

Let's talk for a second about Sevro, because I missed him in Dark Age.
Sevro's verbal takedown of Cassius was one of the most brutal things I've seen him do, and he didn't even lift a blade. And when he shows up at the last second in a starShell to save Darrow and Cassius? I was literally jumping up and down. I swear, when this series gets adapted, I'll be the guy in the theater jumping up and screaming. Lastly, of all characters that can make my eyes tear up, I wasn't expecting Sevro in that list. But when he puts Ares' helmet in Cassius coffin, I had to stop reading for a minute.


There's only one thing I really didn't like and made me even consider rating this a 4 star: Why did we waste time with the Figment in Lyria's head just for her to have it removed in this book? Felt like a pretty big waste of a plot device.

I don't know how Red God is going to top this, but if there's one thing I've learned, it's that Brown will find a way. I'm not ready. But I also can't wait.