You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.41 AVERAGE
4.41 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
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:
Complicated
6/5 probably one of the grim-est books I’ve read ever, truly a dark age for this universe and ALL of these characters holy shit, I have so many thoughts but just know this was a face hugger of a fucking book (I could not put it down but the HORRORS-Jaw dropped while reading, close book, stare at the wall, open book back up) 😮💨 GAWD🚬 I’m TERRIFIED of Lightbringer(book #6), last thing, ofc, one of Darrow’s quotes that ATE down and truly rung through the core of this book: “I would die for the truth that all men are created equal. But in the kingdom of death, amidst ramparts of bodies and wind of all screams, there is a king, and his name is not Lune. It is Reaper.”
- SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
- Darrow: I really think his entire character and continuous character arc was in captured by one of the quotes said by a secondary character Lysanders point of view, “you can practically see that red girl hanging in his eyes”. The young boy now turned into a full-fledged adult is so haunted by everything he’s learned and all of the choices he’s made along the way. You can see a bit more of his younger character whenever he is in a battle scene, but there is always a crack and then splinter that reminds you as a reader, but also himself that he is older (both in body and in mind; weariness and being haunted). I have hope for him with his escape and survival at the end of this book, but I am still 50-50 on the possibility of him being killed in Red God.
- Virginia: I surprisingly really liked her new point of views, it took me a minute to get used to more political jargon, being in her head, but it was so worth it. Seeing OG reformed Gold closer, especially with the kind of person she is compared to Victra, her empathy meeting at a crossroads with her new mantle as sovereign was interesting to see be picked apart. I was devastated with her point of view during Daxo’s GRAPHIC death, the red doves scene, and absolutely gobsmacked when her brother’s clone came in! It was also really interesting getting more backstory about her relationship with her brother growing up and what she still kept from their relationship.
- Ephraim & Sefi: i’m lumping these two together because their storylines were so intertwined in this book, I was not bored with any of these POV‘s but especially with theirs I loved learning about the Obsidian lore (specifically the Ragnar’s tribe and the collective tribes Sefi united). Ephraim was such an interesting character to follow in the last book and this book as well, his point of view was definitely needed IMO, showcasing the lower castes but also the journey of losing your faith in a movement and dying for it in the end. His complexity fascinated me, and so did Sefi (her character being warped because of a disease slowly killing her, and the medication’s side effects was so bittersweet to learn, and then watch effect everything she fought for) GAWD they deserved better🚬 (in this universe both were always gonna die ik, however, I did NOT anticipate how gruesome their endings were going to be tho) (at least they are both with their husbands now ig)
- Lyria, Victra, & Volga: Again, I’m lumping them together because most of their storylines they were tangled together, this book sealed the deal of me being a Lyria defender‼️🫵🏻 Her side quests and character development remind me so much of Darrow’s beginnings! Her point of view, though brings in a more gendered lens of, what if Darrow was a girl AND what if he stayed a Red within the rebellion? AND I EAT IT UP, I WILL CHEER THIS GIRL ON ALWAYS (knock on wood, especially with that parasite in her GOOD LUCK)! I really loved her character dynamics with Victra (especially the birthing scene, that is when it really turned their relationship into something more meaningful), and Volga (who turned into a good friend, seeing an Obsidian character show more compassion was so interesting to follow, but I felt like was such a needed quality for both characters to have and receive (compassion))
- Lysander: I fr did not think this piece of shot could get shittier- I was wrong. It is absolutely insane to me when reading his point of view he has such poised to reflect as modest self-righteousness, especially when it comes to his selective racism (which hey! You can’t be a selective racist, you can only be racist!). AND THE DISRESPECT ON ALEXANDAR?! GAWD THAT SCENE PISSED ME OFF “NO TIME” MY ASS WHEN HE WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT POETRY BE SO FR! Truly, him having to make an alliance to live by wedding Atalantia (GROSS ASF SIR! AND YOU KNOW IT!) gave him at least SOME well deserved internal shame. I am really interested on how his alliance with the Minotaur, that was forged at the end, is gonna go because of the Minotaur’s character (how easily this guy gets fixated on everyone around him, especially with his sight being on Darrow).
- My last side notes was towards how both Pax and Electra exhibit so much of their parents from the original trilogy when they were younger, I cannot wait to see how their characters are going to further develop in the next two books! I am absolutely terrified for the howler’s and Sevro tho! I think another scene that will really stick with me from this book was when Darrow went through Sevro’s room and saw his walls and collections, and he started to think with his heart again while missing his best friend. Seeing the pieces click in his mind about Sevro’s pov from both his upbringing with his father to the family. He has now was such a great sentimental moment to witness.
- That’s all that I have rattling around in my head for now, I’m gonna go binge read and watch reviews on this book before I dive into Lightbringer later 🙂↕️
- SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
- Darrow: I really think his entire character and continuous character arc was in captured by one of the quotes said by a secondary character Lysanders point of view, “you can practically see that red girl hanging in his eyes”. The young boy now turned into a full-fledged adult is so haunted by everything he’s learned and all of the choices he’s made along the way. You can see a bit more of his younger character whenever he is in a battle scene, but there is always a crack and then splinter that reminds you as a reader, but also himself that he is older (both in body and in mind; weariness and being haunted). I have hope for him with his escape and survival at the end of this book, but I am still 50-50 on the possibility of him being killed in Red God.
- Virginia: I surprisingly really liked her new point of views, it took me a minute to get used to more political jargon, being in her head, but it was so worth it. Seeing OG reformed Gold closer, especially with the kind of person she is compared to Victra, her empathy meeting at a crossroads with her new mantle as sovereign was interesting to see be picked apart. I was devastated with her point of view during Daxo’s GRAPHIC death, the red doves scene, and absolutely gobsmacked when her brother’s clone came in! It was also really interesting getting more backstory about her relationship with her brother growing up and what she still kept from their relationship.
- Ephraim & Sefi: i’m lumping these two together because their storylines were so intertwined in this book, I was not bored with any of these POV‘s but especially with theirs I loved learning about the Obsidian lore (specifically the Ragnar’s tribe and the collective tribes Sefi united). Ephraim was such an interesting character to follow in the last book and this book as well, his point of view was definitely needed IMO, showcasing the lower castes but also the journey of losing your faith in a movement and dying for it in the end. His complexity fascinated me, and so did Sefi (her character being warped because of a disease slowly killing her, and the medication’s side effects was so bittersweet to learn, and then watch effect everything she fought for) GAWD they deserved better🚬 (in this universe both were always gonna die ik, however, I did NOT anticipate how gruesome their endings were going to be tho) (at least they are both with their husbands now ig)
- Lyria, Victra, & Volga: Again, I’m lumping them together because most of their storylines they were tangled together, this book sealed the deal of me being a Lyria defender‼️🫵🏻 Her side quests and character development remind me so much of Darrow’s beginnings! Her point of view, though brings in a more gendered lens of, what if Darrow was a girl AND what if he stayed a Red within the rebellion? AND I EAT IT UP, I WILL CHEER THIS GIRL ON ALWAYS (knock on wood, especially with that parasite in her GOOD LUCK)! I really loved her character dynamics with Victra (especially the birthing scene, that is when it really turned their relationship into something more meaningful), and Volga (who turned into a good friend, seeing an Obsidian character show more compassion was so interesting to follow, but I felt like was such a needed quality for both characters to have and receive (compassion))
- Lysander: I fr did not think this piece of shot could get shittier- I was wrong. It is absolutely insane to me when reading his point of view he has such poised to reflect as modest self-righteousness, especially when it comes to his selective racism (which hey! You can’t be a selective racist, you can only be racist!). AND THE DISRESPECT ON ALEXANDAR?! GAWD THAT SCENE PISSED ME OFF “NO TIME” MY ASS WHEN HE WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT POETRY BE SO FR! Truly, him having to make an alliance to live by wedding Atalantia (GROSS ASF SIR! AND YOU KNOW IT!) gave him at least SOME well deserved internal shame. I am really interested on how his alliance with the Minotaur, that was forged at the end, is gonna go because of the Minotaur’s character (how easily this guy gets fixated on everyone around him, especially with his sight being on Darrow).
- My last side notes was towards how both Pax and Electra exhibit so much of their parents from the original trilogy when they were younger, I cannot wait to see how their characters are going to further develop in the next two books! I am absolutely terrified for the howler’s and Sevro tho! I think another scene that will really stick with me from this book was when Darrow went through Sevro’s room and saw his walls and collections, and he started to think with his heart again while missing his best friend. Seeing the pieces click in his mind about Sevro’s pov from both his upbringing with his father to the family. He has now was such a great sentimental moment to witness.
- That’s all that I have rattling around in my head for now, I’m gonna go binge read and watch reviews on this book before I dive into Lightbringer later 🙂↕️
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
I haven't commented this on any of the previous books in this series, but I think I can say it applies to all but the first book (Red Rising). I might go back and add this comment to my past reviews, because it's my main gripe and is what's keeping me from rating these higher. Plus, it just keeps getting worse as the plot gets more and more complex. To me, this book struggled with this issue significantly more than the last, but it's possible that's just because I listened to this one instead of reading it.
I'm pretty good about following world-building—especially once I'm this far into a series. But following the characters and the events in this series is so obnoxious. And it's not just because it's a dense and complex story. It's because it's dense and complex but with not nearly enough support for the reader to actually be able to follow along.
This series gradually starts to fall prey to something I often notice in the sci-fi/fantasy space (and almost always with a male author, but that could just be a spurious correlation). It's where unnecessary complexity and confusion—resulting in a struggle to figure out which character is which is somehow seen as an indicator of a good series or as writing that is inherently more worthy within the genre. It's really a weird thing that fantasy/sci-fi fans do—putting a series up on a pedestal for being confusing and under-explained/under-connected. I guess because then if you can follow it without issues then it feels like a badge of honor? I don't know.
It's not a fully formed thesis of mine. All I know is that, to me, it actually seems like poor writing or, more likely, poor editing. Your reader, especially a reader who is fairly comfortable within the genre, needs to be able to follow what's happening and who's who. If there's any doubt, that needs to be covered in a glossary of some sort. This is the first time I've listened to one of the books in the series rather than reading it, so maybe there was a super helpful glossary for those reading the hard copy. In the previous books, he did include a basic cast of characters and such. But the characters included in it were either so inconsequential to the book that it didn't really matter whether you knew who they were anyway OR were like...the most obvious, core characters to the series. It's never the information you need it to be.
TLDR: I like these characters and have enough interest in how this all will work itself out that I will read the last book, but in general, providing very little support (hints, connections, etc.) to your reader to make sure they're understanding the complex web of characters and political alliances etc. needs to start being seen for what it is—poor writing/editing, and a missed opportunity to fully communicate some really cool concepts and relationships to your readers.
I'm pretty good about following world-building—especially once I'm this far into a series. But following the characters and the events in this series is so obnoxious. And it's not just because it's a dense and complex story. It's because it's dense and complex but with not nearly enough support for the reader to actually be able to follow along.
This series gradually starts to fall prey to something I often notice in the sci-fi/fantasy space (and almost always with a male author, but that could just be a spurious correlation). It's where unnecessary complexity and confusion—resulting in a struggle to figure out which character is which is somehow seen as an indicator of a good series or as writing that is inherently more worthy within the genre. It's really a weird thing that fantasy/sci-fi fans do—putting a series up on a pedestal for being confusing and under-explained/under-connected. I guess because then if you can follow it without issues then it feels like a badge of honor? I don't know.
It's not a fully formed thesis of mine. All I know is that, to me, it actually seems like poor writing or, more likely, poor editing. Your reader, especially a reader who is fairly comfortable within the genre, needs to be able to follow what's happening and who's who. If there's any doubt, that needs to be covered in a glossary of some sort. This is the first time I've listened to one of the books in the series rather than reading it, so maybe there was a super helpful glossary for those reading the hard copy. In the previous books, he did include a basic cast of characters and such. But the characters included in it were either so inconsequential to the book that it didn't really matter whether you knew who they were anyway OR were like...the most obvious, core characters to the series. It's never the information you need it to be.
TLDR: I like these characters and have enough interest in how this all will work itself out that I will read the last book, but in general, providing very little support (hints, connections, etc.) to your reader to make sure they're understanding the complex web of characters and political alliances etc. needs to start being seen for what it is—poor writing/editing, and a missed opportunity to fully communicate some really cool concepts and relationships to your readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Physical abuse, Torture, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment
Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Dementia, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes