Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Golden Son by Pierce Brown

17 reviews

clara_groeni's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Slavery, Violence, Genocide, Grief, and Death

War

gandalf_a's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Vomit, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Slavery, Physical abuse, Violence, Death, and Classism

Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Cursing, and Grief

Minor: Cannibalism, Genocide, Sexual content, Alcohol, Excrement, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Child death, Trafficking, Death of parent, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Rape

linneak's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Genocide, Physical abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Slavery, Gore, Blood, Death, Grief, Torture, Classism, War, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Murder, and Toxic friendship

erikajosephison's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I found this instalment a little more complex and difficult to follow than Red Rising - a little too much detailed world-building and in-world slang/terminology for my personal liking (though this might appeal to many). I also found the book seemed to use the same plot twist over and over again throughout which started to make it predictable. However, the pacing was good and I liked the relationship-building between the characters and the character growth. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Murder, and War

Minor: Grief

tiana_king's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

There was so much treachery in this book. Despite not being in a hunger games situation, it still had plenty of action. We finally find out who Ares is! The revolution is in full swing and I’m apprehensive of where it will go from here because that ending was a dozy. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Grief, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Medical content, and War

Moderate: Genocide and Slavery

Minor: Colonisation

lua_'s review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a VERY fun book to read, but you can tell this author has never suffered any kind of structural discrimination in his life.

I'll say the bad stuff first because I only see people talking about the positives in this book, but keep in mind that I did like it and I'd rate it around 3.9 / 4.0

First, more then in the first book, Golden son makes some very superficial and surface level type of commentary and criticism on the subjects it tries to discuss. Pierce Brown creates some extreme situations and then have his characters fight against its injustices, but he really doesn't recognize or address some of the more subtle violence that structural discrimination creates, which is why I say it's pretty clear Pierce Brown has never actually experienced discrimination. This book gives some strong vibes of white guy talking about what if racism was against white people.

My other criticism is that Pierce doesn't know how to write women to save his life. This DOESN'T  mean I dont like some of his female characters, like Mustang and Victra, it just means he writes them pretty badly overall. Most if not all of his female characters are just plot devices to push his male  characters further (could Ares backstory be more predictable? Let me guess, a woman you loved died and now you know people deserve rights?). Even though Golds are supposed to be the physica pinnacle of society every female character that isn't a love interest gets the "she's so petite, weak and delicate" treatment and either dies to make a Male character sad, or falls into the role of "traitorous bitch". The main character of this book (and most of his Male characters) is so fun to read about, and clearly meant to have several "badass" moments, it's pretty disappointing to see how disposable and surface level Pierce Brown makes his female characters be. (Also Darrow is weirdly forgiving towards a sex trafficker?? Wich to me just once again proves how distant Pierce B is from actual structural violence)

Now the good stuff, this book is one of those books you read when you want a easy "badass action movie" type of book. It's very fun, has some surprising and satisfying scenes, and honestly a very cool and likable main character. Darrow escapes a little from the traditional format of grey character by having some surprisingly "sweet" depth, showing remorse and sadness towards death that most "cool and calculist" characters tend to ignore. His love for people and speacially his friends is emphasized several times, and in ways you'd typically not see with "badass" action male characters like him, wich makes it a lot more fun to read about him (though he could back off with his internal monologues a little).

Overall it's a fun book with space battles and satisfying twists and fights (Pierce didn't right this book to be realistic, he wrote it to be the fun type of power fantasy). But you do have to keep in mind (and trust me, Pierce does not let you forget) that it is a book about structural (sci-fi) racism, written by a white male author in 2012, so it does a few points you have to ignore to read. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Sexism, Death, Grief, Child death, and Misogyny

Moderate: Trafficking, Slavery, and Vomit

Minor: Sexual violence and Adult/minor relationship

murrayscottferguson's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Kidnapping

ohyeah_karyn's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Cursing, Murder, Suicide, Slavery, Classism, Death of parent, Body horror, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, and War

praaliine's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

where do i even start? golden son was really something, only one other book (series) has ever put me through an emotional wringer like this. every little detail in this book was worth paying attention to because pierce brown leaves no stone unturned. this was in no way a senseless science fiction, it really explored the tragedy of human nature and the relationships developed in this book were the most profound and complex i’ve ever read. there’s a big cast of characters and not one was irrelevant, pierce brown breathed so much life into the supporting characters that i cried at their pain.

i really love how Darrow, as hot headed as he was (rightfully so), remained self aware through it all, he’s broken, confused, (stupid)ly brave and gets ahead of himself way too much, yet he realizes this and isn’t afraid to say so.

I could go on all day about every single character, but i’ll stop here. it took me longer than i would have liked to finish the book, but that’s on me because i’m pushing through a slump. golden son was epic, i’ll always recommend it.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Slavery, Violence, War, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Medical trauma, and Vomit

Minor: Alcohol

luxxltyd's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, War, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Grief, Blood, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Genocide

Minor: Child death and Sexual content