Reviews with content warning for Violence - Im Haus der Feinde

This book was an excellent follow-up to the first. I can't believe how quickly I fell in love with Pierce Brown's universe. It's intense, gritty and readers should be wary of it's graphic detail, however it was more manageable in this one than the first. I really enjoy listening to these books and can't wait to listen to the third.

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heyjaycee's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A couple of years after the events of Red Rising, Darrow is embedded deep in his campaign to infiltrate Gold society and rise to the top so he can destroy it from within. Out of the Academy, there's bigger and badder foes to deal with, and consequences are more dire. Darrow must navigate politics and war to come out of the turmoil in a position of ultimate power if he's to turn the Golds against themselves, fracture society, and liberate the lowColours.

I mean, wow. Golden Son went hard. If I thought Red Rising was brutal, then damn, my eyes have been opened. Golden Son is the story of Darrow figuring out how to trust anyone when he's living a deadly lie, and how important trust in his Gold fellows is when he's putting his life on the line in the gambit of civil war.

Is this too vague? I honestly don't know how to talk about this book, and not just because everything is such a spoiler. So. Much. Happens! Twists and turns all over the place. Absolutely gripping, and very dark.

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miak2's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

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

3.5

"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."

This series is SO hyped and I definitely see the appeal but something about it just isn't fully clicking with me.

As usual, I'll start with what I enjoyed. My god, not many authors can write plot twists like Brown. So many moments had me genuinely 'drop the kindle, hand over my mouth' in shock. And these twists weren't just included for the shock factor, but really helped to progress the story and challenge Darrow. Incredible. The last chapter alone was full of shocking and entertaining moments. I'm glad we got to see more of the society as well, that part was really interesting and Brown did some great worldbuilding.

Most of the characters are really fantastic as well. Sevro, although sometimes too much of character, is my little goblin son and I love every scene he's in. Darrow continues to be a compelling narrator, and much of the supporting cast were really strong too (Lorn, Roque, Mustang, Ragnar, etc.)

Here's where I get to my first criticism. While some characters were so strong, others fell short. Namely Victra, who had so much potential but I felt like she existed only to 1. be a romantic alternative to Mustang and 2. to give us someone whose loyalties we should question. Additionally, because there was a time jump between the end of Red Rising and the start of Golden Son, Darrow's forged and developed relationships with characters we've never met before, or met only briefly. In such an action-packed book with a huge set of characters, it's hard to build strong feelings for them when so much of the development took place off-screen.

I don't feel as strongly about this book as so many others do, but I am looking forward to reading the third book; I'm sure Brown will continue to shock and surprise me with it.

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