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Ella

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Ella is Currently Reading

Ella is currently reading

Golden Son (Red Rising Trilogy, #2)

by Pierce Brown (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in September 2025

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Ella said: " I need 2-5 working days to process. Review will come in time…

Provisional 4.5-5 stars!

———————————————

Okay, where do I even start?

Picking up around 2 years after the end of ‘Red Rising’, we find Darrow, having graduated from both the Institute and the I need 2-5 working days to process. Review will come in time…

Provisional 4.5-5 stars!

———————————————

Okay, where do I even start?

Picking up around 2 years after the end of ‘Red Rising’, we find Darrow, having graduated from both the Institute and the Academy, plunged into yet another adventure full of political machinations, bloody fights, and shocking revelations.

Darrow continues to be a fantastic protagonist, but I found this instalment really solidified him as multifaceted. True, he made some mistakes in the first book, but he always felt a little infallible. I feel here we get to glimpse behind the curtain more, to really see what goes on inside his head, how and why he makes the choices he does. We see Darrow, as well as the Reaper, and it endeared me to him even more - even though he made some choices that had me internally screaming. We also have familiar faces returning, including best boy Sevro and his Howlers, as well as new introductions, like the Telemanuses, who I adore, and Ragnar, who was truly excellent. And the best character of all: Sophocles, obviously.

The plot, while initially confusing, had me gripped very quickly. I think I just struggled to adjust to the huge time jump, but once I settled into this new reality, I was immersed within a few chapters. I enjoyed the grander scope of this book, exploring new places and getting to see more of the society. While the action of the first book was obviously great, the consequences of Darrow’s decisions and actions here have much higher stakes, and the tension throughout this book was just painfully brilliant. As usual, I never quite knew what anyone was going to do next, and I just kind of went along for the ride, completely at the author’s mercy. There were some mind shattering plot twists and reveals, but nothing broke me more than the final page. I had to laugh, because if I didn’t, I fear I would just cry.

The writing was, as before, just fantastic. Pierce Brown writes such accessible characters and worlds, and I think he expertly shows, not tells, in a way that allows the world building to be both immersive and informational, without dumping lore on you and overwhelming the reader. I do think he allowed us closer to Darrow this book, as I’ve mentioned above, giving us a tighter focus on his inner workings, which allowed the emotional punches to, essentially, knock me for six every bloodydamn time.

I am absolutely salivating to get to the final book, but I am also, frankly, shit scared of what more can happen. How much more pain will you cause me, Pierce Brown?

Absolutely recommend this book (but obviously read Red Rising first) and I cannot wait to continue with the final instalment in this trilogy.

5 🌟 ...more "

progress:

(page 12 of 442)
"We’re so back" — Jun 04, 2026 02:27PM

Sep 03, 2025 05:21AM · see review