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marjen's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and War
Minor: Rape
bookwisp's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is another excellent, bloody and brutal entry into the series.
Having survived the brutal war games of the Academy, Darrow is launched into Gold society. Here he must survive and negotiate planetary politics, blood feuds and shifting agendas to further his own revolutionary designs.
I wondered how the scope of the story would change following Red Rising and Brown did not disappoint. Gold politics are integral to Golden Son and it’s impossible for these sections to be dry, on account of all the bloodshed. If you’re not into fictional politics, you might struggle with this book but, to be honest, there’s probably enough action to carry you through even if that’s not your exact cup of tea. This book is packed with combat ranging from one-on-one duels to interstellar warfare. And, if that’s not enough, Ares is unmasked in this book; a reveal I found to be narratively satisfying.
The cast of characters is, quite literally, colourful: Ragnar, an Obsidian, Orion, a Blue, and Theodora, a Pink, were my favourite additions. As before, friendship, trust, and loyalty stay on as key themes. As an aside, I do wish Mustang had been more developed in this second outing. Her character absolutely has potential, but I thought she was criminally under-used in this novel.
Epic Fantasy is a recognised sub-genre – with Golden Son, I’d be able to make a pretty strong case for this series being Epic Sci-Fi. This book is very much about building the legend of the Reaper and, after THAT ending, I’m deeply intrigued to see how the legend unfurls.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence
Minor: Rape and Torture
grets_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and War
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Trafficking, Police brutality, Classism, Genocide, Slavery, Xenophobia, and Grief
Minor: Torture, Pregnancy, Rape, Vomit, and Alcohol
nerdylari's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, and War
marcella98's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Vomit, and War
Minor: Rape
cmel6's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Rape
blues_and_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Child death, and Violence
powkaye's review against another edition
The book was just too violent they bashed babies heads in
Also I was told that the writing and overall story would improve from book one but over 100 pages in and wasn’t getting better it was getting worse.
Also I was told that the writing and overall story would improve from book one but over 100 pages in and wasn’t getting better it was getting worse.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Rape, Sexism, Torture, and Violence
I know now that this is grim dark series. I’ve read them before but this was the absolute worst I’ve ever read and it’s directed at young adults. Reviewers don’t mention the barbarism when they review the book and thus aren’t being honest with their audience. I wish I’d known. Waste of time and money although I sent mine back for a refund.astrea13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Death, Gore, Grief, Murder, Torture, and Violence
embers_pages's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence