My Rating:

A few facts about Golden Son:

• Title: Golden Son
• Author: Pierce Brown
• Series: Red Rising Saga (Book Two)
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
• Pages: 430

Synopsis:

As a Red, Darrow grew up working the mines deep beneath the surface of Mars, enduring backbreaking labor while dreaming of the better future he was building for his descendants. But the Society he faithfully served was built on lies. Darrow’s kind have been betrayed and denied by their elitist masters, the Golds—and their only path to liberation is revolution. And so Darrow sacrifices himself in the name of the greater good for which Eo, his true love and inspiration, laid down her own life. He becomes a Gold, infiltrating their privileged realm so that he can destroy it from within. 

A lamb among wolves in a cruel world, Darrow finds friendship, respect, and even love—but also the wrath of powerful rivals. To wage and win the war that will change humankind’s destiny, Darrow must confront the treachery arrayed against him, overcome his all-too-human desire for retribution—and strive not for violent revolt but a hopeful rebirth. Though the road ahead is fraught with danger and deceit, Darrow must choose to follow Eo’s principles of love and justice to free his people. 

He must live for more. 

(Goodreads)

Review:

”They go with the wind, chasing power. But they don’t realize power doesn’t shift. Power is resolute. It is the mountain, not the wind. To shift so easily is to lose trust. And trust is what has kept me alive. Trust in my friends, and their trust in me.”

My first thought to you. READ THIS TRILOGY.

If you are reading this you may have read Red Rising, or you may not have and you are looking for some potential to seal the deal, nudge you over the edge and get you to pick up Red Rising from your TBR. So, again READ THIS TRILOGY. It is amazing.

Anywho, moving on…

So, I’m writing this review having read the third book already and I can safely say that this is an amazing five star read and my favourite book of the trilogy! It was phenomenal! And because of that I will no doubt really struggle to review this book! It is one of the books that you cannot stop reading, there is no time to stop and breath! You are so utterly caught up in the whirlwind that is the book and its characters that you don’t stop until its complete and even then it’s barely for a minute because you pick up the next book.

“Through the thorns to the stars,”

Pierce. Pierce. Pierce. What a storyteller you are. It is always great to see that a writer is versatile, and truly talented and Pierce is, without a doubt. He continues to wow with his ability to show the beauty of the world while also demonstrating the cut-throat savagery that fills it. However, he also manages to really break you. Golden Son is filled with harsh betrayals, unwanted revelations and gut-wrenching moments. Pierce shows he is not limited to one tone and excels in making us feel so much for past events, new motivations and more twists and turns. 

“Hic sunt leones. Here be lions.” 

I felt sorrow, disgust, happiness, shame and so much more. The writing of this trilogy is brilliant.

Golden Son is so different to Red Rising, and in a good way, the plot intensifies and escalates greatly! It is no longer a just a game, or at least it isn’t to some, things are in motion that simply cannot be stopped. One just has to go with it and hope for the best. Darrow faces so much, with the list of those he can trust diminishing and his enemies endlessly increasing this is a fast paced and utterly scintillating follow up to Red Rising. 

Golden Son is filled with epic and bloody battles, amazing revelations and beautiful moments.I enjoyed everything about this book.

“For seven hundred years, my people have been enslaved without voice, without hope. Now I am their sword. And I do not forgive. I do not forget. So let him lead me onto his shuttle. Let him think he owns me. Let him welcome me into his house, so I might burn it down.” 

We also get to see more of the world that Darrow and his friends live in, for better and for worse, and it is fully mesmerising. 

Pierce continues to grow and develop his characters, and I only grew to love them or in some cases hate them even more, though Pierce does not limit you to one end of the spectrum! No. He gives us such a depth to his characters that not all can be loved or hated. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses, and things they hold dear to them, ideals that guid them in their decisions both in favour of Darrow and against him. 

We also see some new characters in this instalment, and I LOVED them! Ragnar. Oh, Ragnar. What a character. I found myself utterly attached to him, among others. And Sevro continuous in all of his awesomeness!

“I’m Gold, bitch. What’d you expect? Warm milk and cookies just because I’m pocket sized?” 

I really recommend these books, they are appropriate for both readers new to the Sci-Fi genre and those who have loved it fora time. The writing is sharp and exciting, the world is altogether compelling  and the characters are outright incredible.

“Rise so high, in mud you lie.” 

OTHER QUOTES I LOVED…

”We were scrawny, innocent things then. How could such a frail girl as she have such a spirit, such a dream as freedom, when so many strong souls toiled and kept their heads down for fear of looking up?”

“But this is why I was made. To dive into hell.”

”Thoughts like his belong to the age I am trying to destroy.”

”It takes only one truth to bring a kingdom of lies crashing down.”

“He has to play my game!” Sevro says. “Shithead isn’t getting out till he plays nice. I’ll give him a riddle instead. “What do I have in my pocket?”

“Friendships take minutes to make, moments to break, years to repair.”

“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.”