Golden Son
Ratings729
Average rating4.4
I liked this better than the first one. Think it was easier to dive into after knowing the “world” and characters, etc. Ending hooked me & excited to read the next book in the series. 4.5
4.50/5.00
A satisfying sequel to red rising! Fast moving story, spectacular action made for epic tv (someday) I can totally imagine iron rain being an episode.
It took me awhile to get into this book but once I did, I couldn't stop reading. I am a stunned mullet - I can't believe the story ended that way! I really need to get the next book out asap to find out what happens to Darrow.
I don't think I would have finished this book without the audiobook going alongside it. I think I tried reading this book 2 times before this and basically DNFed it at the make point in the book. I still don't know what is the disconnect between me and Pierce's writing. I definitely enjoyed this book more than the first one in the series. The ending was pretty epic not gonna lie. I just can't seem so care enough for these characters for me to give his books higher ratings.
Darrow has infiltrated the Gold ranks. But the Sons of Ares have failed to contact him. Now he must fight to stay on top, as he tries to continue his mission of breaking the chains alone. He is forever being cut down by Augustus' advisors. Golds who are envious of his skills. Darrow has to keep his wits as sharp as his razor if he is going to survive the politics of this world. As he fights to stay distant from the Golds he calls friends, the double life will begin to wear him down. Mistakes will be made and as Darrow sparks a war among the Golds, he will learn that friends can quickly become enemies.
After being amazed by the first book, this one was disappointing. It was a build up book. The entire book was a giant war and the same things happened throughout the entire thing. Golds switched alliances to whoever looked more powerful, ships blew up, councils debated tactics and loads of people died. But really...the entire book? I honestly started skim reading because the dialogue was so wordy and philosophical it bored me. I just wanted to make sure I kept a record of who died so I wouldn't be confused.
Before the war and the last chapter of the book were the only parts that actually hooked me. I struggled through hoping the same spark the first book had could be found. I understand the point of showing the politics of the world, but there was barely any balance in this book. Everything was politics, war and things going wrong. I like a lot of conflict in my books, but this was too much.
Maybe the next one will be better. I can only hope this build up book wasn't a waste of my time.
I am speechless. This entire book was filled with ups-and-downs, ending at a high-note (or so I dared to hope) and then it came crashing down with a dramatic finish that only a true author could accomplish. Pierce Brown, I salute you. I. Salute. You.
3.5/5.
I'm conflicted on this series. On the one hand, the worldbuilding and a reliance on the science opera genre are this book's strengths, and some secondary characters stand out in the bloated cast listed at the start of the story. I'll say it's an improvement over its predecessor, as it feels like its own story instead of pulling heavily from what we've seen before.
On the other hand, the book still suffers from a few pitfalls that the first book had. The writing has gotten better, but it has its weak moments still. Darrow, while having an interesting backstory, does not offer the story much in terms of characterization. His motivations are clear but rigid, and the challenges he faces are nonexistent. Most of the obstacles in the book are resolved within a chapter or the next few pages, and then we're on to the next one. With this structure, the story feels disjointed as it's ushering us to the climax, which fizzes out as soon as we reach it.
I really do like the overall concept of the series, but it's taken me so long to get through this one. It had a good start, but sort of lost steam toward part two. Part of me wants to read Morning Star just to see how the story wraps up, and even if I do, I doubt I'd pick up the second ongoing trilogy. Then again, there's a part of me that wants to end my journey here. I hate leaving things unresolved. Here's hoping that it actually does get resolved in the last book?
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.
Incredibly visceral and intense ; Darrow is such a wonderful, conflicted, complicated mess and this second installment of the Red Rising trilogy is full of twists, betrayals and battles, love, hate, agony and joy. It is an excellent read.
Executive Summary: This book suffered from some of the same issues as the last one, but overall I found to be a much better book. If not for the slow start, I might have considered giving it 5 stars.Audiobook: [a:Tim Gerard Reynolds 4132657 Tim Gerard Reynolds https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1370714999p2/4132657.jpg] is once again excellent. He made the slower parts of this book far more tolerable, and just generally made the book better. Audio is definitely the best way to do this book in my opinion.Full ReviewAfter the slow start of [b:Red Rising 15839976 Red Rising (Red Rising, #1) Pierce Brown https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1461354651s/15839976.jpg 21580644] things finally got good, and I was excited to jump right into this book. Unfortunately the start of this book dragged as well. I'm a sucker for the school trope, but we barely get a glimpse of fleet school, and instead get a bunch of annoying posturing. I'm not sure why he did that. There was plenty of story to tell. Thankfully the lull at the start was far less than the last book. I'd say to the 10% mark vs. the 33% mark of [b:Red Rising 15839976 Red Rising (Red Rising, #1) Pierce Brown https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1461354651s/15839976.jpg 21580644].What makes this series for me is the characters and world building. The story itself has been largely done a few different ways. It's space twist is a nice change, and the computer nerd in me loves all the technology, even if it sometimes approaches magic. The characters are where things really shine. Darrow grew on me in the last book, but it was Sevro, Mustang and Pax that made that happen. I've rarely despised a character as much as the Jackel. In this book we get several more excellent supporting characters. In particular Victra, Cavix and Daxo. Orion was pretty cool too.Apart from the beginning, the storytelling is fast paced and engrossing. I really care about these characters, and wanted to find out what happens next. I always looked forward to the next time I would listen, especially the last 25% or so.Luckily for me, I picked this book after the final book was out, because it ended on a pretty bad cliffhanger. I've read books with worse ones, but only 2 come to mind. If you pick this one up, you should plan to just read [b:Morning Star 18966806 Morning Star (Red Rising, #3) Pierce Brown https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1461354277s/18966806.jpg 26984941] right after.I hope the final book doesn't suffer from a slow start like the last two, because after this ending that would drive me crazy. Either way, I can't wait to find out.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader, where I usually don't wait 10 months to write up a book. Usually.
—
I glimpse Gray police standing over arrested Brown vandals who covered an apartment complex with the image of a hanging girl. My wife. Ten stories tall, hair burning, rendered in digital paint. My chest constricts as we pass, cracking the walls I've built around her memory. I've seen her hanged a thousand times now as her martyrdom spreads across the worlds, city by city. Yet each time, it strikes me like a physical blow, nerve endings shivering in my chest, heart beating fast, neck tight just under the jaw. How cruel a life, that the sight of my dead wife means hope.
Red Rising
Golden Son
The Empire Strikes Back
Kinslayer
Catching Fire
The Deaths of Tao
The Two Towers
Morning Star
The 2nd book in the Red Rising trilogy, this follow-up brings the story in an un-formulaic direction. Somehow this book was able to make the switch from personal battles to space battles without skipping a beat all while keeping motivations realistic.
Definitely an improvement from the first book which honestly I didn't like very much at all. The writing gets better the character growth is amazing and overall I am so glad I continued with this trilogy. Although the first two acts of these first two books are a slow burn but it picks up, it always picks up in the third act so hang in there it's worth it.
A level up from Red Rising in every single way. Such a bombastic book with so many incredible scenes. A few things I didn't like as much prevented this from being a full five star read but I totally get why people love this series now.
9/10
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 need to start with the fact that I have had trouble putting down both books in this series. They are “page turners” for me.
But ...
I am finding myself more fascinated by plot and action than characters. It feels like I am reading a novelization of a sci-fi action flick. I want to care about these characters more or understand them better and I just don't.
“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.”
★ ★ ★ 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.
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.
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