Wednesday, January 14, 2015

ARC BOOK REVIEW: "Golden Son" by Pierce Brown


Golden Son
by Pierce Brown


Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded among the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down Society from within. A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart, Golden Son guarantees Pierce Brown’s continuing status as one of fiction’s most exciting new voices.



Golden Son is book two in the Red Rising Trilogy.  There is just so much going on in this series.  I am not sure if I will be able to do this book justice.  Therefore, I will focus my review on the themes that stand out to me.

Having just recently read Red Rising, Golden Son comes at a perfect time and this sequel is near perfect. It is dark and intriguing, full of machinations by characters you both love and hate.  The book is about how friendship and loyalty can win a war and overcome centuries-old prejudices.  It shows how inspiration overcomes coercion. Ultimately, this is a story about love, commitment, and the pursuit of a higher purpose. 

However, this is second in the trilogy – it is the Empire Strikes Back book – the dark, middle story.  The dark, in this case, is about what hubris does to human nature. What happens to Darrow breaks my heart. Mr. Brown takes us on a roller coaster ride with masterful storytelling and a gripping narrative. I would’ve been exhausted after finishing, but the ending had me up all night. Needless to say, I will be counting the days until the next book.

IN A NUTSHELL:
It seems almost trite to say this is like The Hunger Games or Divergent or The Game of Thrones.  However, like those stories, this one leaves an indelible mark in my memory.



1 comment:

  1. Great review - I recently bought Red rising, now I'm moving up toward the top of my list ;)

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