Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Iron Gold by Pierce Brown

15 reviews

grim_swim's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.5

Definitely felt a bit broken-backed under its own weight. 

I love the new characters but Iron Gold suffered from poor pacing and some various cliche action scenes. I also feel that Pierce could use some work on his character voice.

It’s kinda weird that the first book of the original trilogy and the first book of the sequel series seem to be the weakest of the lot, but the book leaves off in an interesting position. I’m looking forward to reading what comes next!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Cannibalism, Death, War, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

meridith_bex's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Violence, Classism, Torture, Kidnapping, Murder, War, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Drug abuse, Addiction, and Drug use

Minor: Confinement

kiwij96's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

3.25

This was so unnecessarily long, some parts of chapters felt like filler, even some of the chapters themselves. It took half the book just to get to the plot, by which point I hated ¾ of the characters. It was riddled with typos and grammar mistakes which was entirely distracting and resulted in me having to reread parts just for it to make sense in my head.

I liked the concept though, multiple POVs surrounding a high-stakes heist, set 10 years after Darrow succeeds in ending Octavia's rule and liberating the Colours. This sees Darrow believing his own legend and how things cannot truly change in a broken system. I loved Lyria and I look forward to getting to know her better in Dark Age. Lysander's POV felt out of place in the greater scheme of things. And I definitely need more of Volga and Kavax. I also loved Holiday and Theodora essentially playing the secret service. My favourite ladies.

All in all though, this book was a disappointment compared to the original trilogy. It was over-gory, sexist, and an incredibly uncomfortable read with the amount of times the word "wh*re" was thrown around. I also do not understand Pierce Brown's obsession with breasts and general nakedness in this book it was honestly unnecessary.

Also, if the summary on the back of the book hints at "Obsidian pirates" and there are none, I need to know where they went and what else didn't make the cut in the editing process if THIS is what went to print.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Murder, Racial slurs, Slavery, Addiction, Blood, Torture, Gun violence, Bullying, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Death, Genocide, Death of parent, Racism, Toxic friendship, Violence, War, Drug use, Gore, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, and Pregnancy

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt

murrayscottferguson's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Medical trauma, Racism, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, War, Violence, Emotional abuse, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Gore, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Toxic friendship, Blood, Genocide, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Sexism, Slavery, Classism, Grief, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Confinement, and Drug abuse

inhaledmocha's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Violence, Grief, Murder, and War

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

bookbanditandaddict's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

tw:
kidnapping
blood
gore
violence
suicide/ideation
murder
drug use/abuse
addiction
anxiety
depression
ptsd

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Drug use, Gore, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Kidnapping, Suicide, and Drug abuse

katiefronk's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, War, Blood, Cursing, Murder, Grief, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Moderate: Kidnapping

Minor: Sexual content

luxxltyd's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional tense slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Grief, Death, Physical abuse, Murder, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, War, Blood, and Abandonment

Moderate: Child abuse

cody_crumley's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

3.0

“If you are wise and lucky and live long as me, you will learn that pain is just a drop in the sea”…So feel all of it, boy, before time makes you forget”

It always seems to be a struggle to continue a series after an initial end point, and the fourth book in the Red Rising saga by Pierce Brown is no different. The first half of the book really struggled to get into gear and I think a lot of that is the introduction of having multiple POVs. 

The chapters in the longest book in the series are broken up between four perspectives. Returning from the first three books is Darrow, now 10 years older after the time jump. He is still the most interesting perspective to me. Brown does a great job of showing how 10 years of war have drained this man, turned him into something he never wanted to become. You really get to see him struggle with leaving is family, and the distance that it has created between them. 

The other perspectives lag behind, they include a Red named Lyria, who was brought out of the mines but feels left behind by the new Republic, Ephraim, former Aries member turned thief, and Lysander, former Lune who was next in line for the throne before the events of the first three books. 

The non-Darrow perspectives get better in the second half once the plots start to develop, but the first half really struggled to get me to care about them. By the end they are all left in interesting positions that make good cliffhangers.

Overall I enjoyed coming back to this world and enjoyed the time jump, but I am still in a wait and see approach to see if continuing the series after what was a good ending in Morning Star (Book 3) was the right move.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, and Gun violence

chelsaat's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Winning was easy, young man. Governing's harder.

It's 10 years after Darrow and the Gang defeated(?) the Society, and 2 years after I read Morning Star. Did I have to read a recap to remember everything that happened in the original trilogy? Absolutely. But I think this book does a good job of getting you up to speed. The gist: shit's still bad.

I liked the addition of more POVs here, especially since I find Darrow INSUFFERABLE in this book. I get his thinking, but his thinking is SO alpha male that I cannot abide it. Maybe listen and work with your super smart and savvy wife for once, Darrow??? But no, woe is him. His way or the highway.

Lyria is my baby girl and I cannot allow any harm to come to her. I suspect Pierce Brown and I will have to come to blows about this as the series goes on.

Overall I enjoyed the plot here more than I did the original trilogy, because I find the concept of Reconstruction more interesting than Revolution itself. This book was a ton of set-up for the rest of the series, so I'm still withholding judgment on a lot of things (mainly you, Lysander). Minus a star because of all the graphic violence, which I'll never be a fan of. I know people love it. I know it's copying a lot of IRL history. But I could have lived my life content having never read a detailed description of a man being torn apart from the inside, you know? Sorry to be lame or whatever!! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Slavery