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tiana_king's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I personally love multiple POVs in a story so it was great to have so many. Maybe it’s because I have no skin in the game but I really don’t understand why everyone was fighting Darrow on just finishing the war once and for all 🤷🏼♀️ He does somehow have a God complex without having one though. Lysander is annoying but I have hopes for him and I liked where Lyria and Effrim’s stories are going.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, Grief, Abandonment, Blood, Gore, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Confinement, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual content
kjbeale's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: War
Minor: Sexual content, Torture, and Slavery
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, War, Blood, Cursing, Murder, Grief, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual content
cassiealexandra's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Set 10 years after overthrowing the Society on Mars, Luna, and Earth, Darrow and his family/friends are finding that rebuilding a government from scratch and giving agency and dignity to the oppressed Colors is not as simple as it seems. Add to that a continuing war with the Society remnant on Mercury and Venus ruled by the Ash Lord and the fragile peace with the Raa’s of Jupiter and the Rim, and you still get a dystopian sci-fi read, but with very realistic crises and politics.
This one had some differences from the original trilogy that were a hurdle for me at first. To be specific it includes 4 different points of view, Darrow: the voice we know and love, Lyria: a Gamma Red recently moved from the mines of Mars to a refugee camp, Ephraim: a Gray military man turned Son of Ares turned criminal and thief, and Lysander: grandson of the overthrown and killed Sovereign of the Society. These POVs were masterfully written with a different voice, tone, and style. I was fascinated that Ephraim’s world felt so much like urban fantasy meets heists, while Lyria’s starts almost like historical fiction, and Darrow’s and Lysander’s feel very much like a space opera. Once I got used to the new voices and the worldbuilding, I was invested in every character, even the ones with very complex, mostly negative feelings about the new Republic, Darrow, and Mustang.
Highlights: the severity of Victra, Sevro, and their daughter Electra, Darrow’s emotional conflict between responsibility to his fleet and his exhaustion and desire to be home with his wife and son, and the inside look at the Raa family and reflections on the Society through Lysander’s eyes.
What I wanted more of: surprisingly, Cassius screentime and Mustang—she’s my girl crush, in that I want to be her when I grow up, even though she’s technically younger than I am in this book.
Anxieties: the cliffhangers!, the fragility between Darrow and family, and the rise of a new dictator in the Society.
On to Dark Age, which will likely bring no resolve.
This one had some differences from the original trilogy that were a hurdle for me at first. To be specific it includes 4 different points of view, Darrow: the voice we know and love, Lyria: a Gamma Red recently moved from the mines of Mars to a refugee camp, Ephraim: a Gray military man turned Son of Ares turned criminal and thief, and Lysander: grandson of the overthrown and killed Sovereign of the Society. These POVs were masterfully written with a different voice, tone, and style. I was fascinated that Ephraim’s world felt so much like urban fantasy meets heists, while Lyria’s starts almost like historical fiction, and Darrow’s and Lysander’s feel very much like a space opera. Once I got used to the new voices and the worldbuilding, I was invested in every character, even the ones with very complex, mostly negative feelings about the new Republic, Darrow, and Mustang.
Highlights: the severity of Victra, Sevro, and their daughter Electra, Darrow’s emotional conflict between responsibility to his fleet and his exhaustion and desire to be home with his wife and son, and the inside look at the Raa family and reflections on the Society through Lysander’s eyes.
What I wanted more of: surprisingly, Cassius screentime and Mustang—she’s my girl crush, in that I want to be her when I grow up, even though she’s technically younger than I am in this book.
Anxieties: the cliffhangers!, the fragility between Darrow and family, and the rise of a new dictator in the Society.
On to Dark Age, which will likely bring no resolve.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Violence
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Sexual content
josiah17's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
3.5
The new POV's give a refreshing feel to the series, presenting new characters that Brown creates distinct and unique voices for. But I wasn't a fan of Darrow's actions here and the way this book began. Otherwise, it was a solid entry to RR.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual content
classical_learner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
3.75
This book series has been so masterful, and this book is no less imaginative, but I find myself needing to give it the lowest rating I’ve given any of the books because of the direction of the plot. While it is well woven together from multiple angles (that is a joy to see cohere), it is often driven only by Darrow continuing to make the same mistakes, which is frustrating My other note would be that this book is definitely more depressing and hopeful than the other—a fact that isn’t aided by the book not having a satisfying ending but one that sets up for the next book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Physical abuse
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