Golden Son

Golden Son built on everything I loved about Red Rising and made it many times better. I was at the edge of my seat listening to the audiobook because I literally could not guess what would happen and if any of the characters were safe from the others.

This book solidified how much I respect Pierce Brown as an author. I don’t know if he listened to criticisms he got for Red Rising but he definitely improved his craft with this instalment of the saga. I absolutely love the level of internal conflicts and self-reflection in this book because it makes Darrow a more flawed and relatable character. I love that he makes mistakes and actually learns from them, no matter how hard of a pill they are to swallow. I also liked that the characters are older in this book because character development? Heck to the yeah.

I’m all about solid, A+ friendships and this book had them! It’s one of my favourite things about it and I felt all the feels. I shipped them, I was with them, and I have more to say but I can’t because spoilers so read the book! Gah.

I’m still not the biggest fan of the romance but it is so satisfying that while it’s there, Brown kept it realistic and I’m not left rolling my eyes and gagging in a corner. (Ok I may have rolled my eyes a bit but I’m generally allergic to romance so)

This book ends in a terrible cliffhanger so make sure you have Morning Star with you before you read it! I was in shock for about 18 seconds before I started the next one because I have no self-control.

Golden Son is full of action, surprises, confrontations, and questions on life, war, loyalty, friends, family, power, society and just EVERYTHING. Hands down one of the best sequels I’ve read in a long time.