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Eileen Owens

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Eileen is Currently Reading

Eileen Owens is currently reading

Morning Star (Red Rising, #3)

by Pierce Brown (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: 2023-reads, audiobooks, all-time-favorites, currently-reading, 2026-reads

Reading for the 2nd time

read in June 2023

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Eileen Owens said: " That ending really had me going from “How could these characters be so dumb?” to “Holy shit, these characters are brilliant.” The last 20% of this book was gripping, surprising, heart wrenching, and so, so, SO satisfying. I was on the edge of my seat That ending really had me going from “How could these characters be so dumb?” to “Holy shit, these characters are brilliant.” The last 20% of this book was gripping, surprising, heart wrenching, and so, so, SO satisfying. I was on the edge of my seat, my heart was pounding, my eyes flying over every word. Howeverrrrr, despite being a phenomenal and explosive conclusion to the series, the preceding 80% of Morning Star is responsible for this book being my least favorite of the trilogy.

Book two ended on a bleak cliffhanger, and I was fully prepared for this book to be tough to stomach as the heroes clawed their way back out. Instead, the rescue/resolution felt like it happened very abruptly, followed by a jarring transition into mostly new conflicts and “side quests” whose buildup happened largely off-page. While I understood the narrative reason it had to happen this way (since we only get Darrow’s POV), it nevertheless left me struggling to get invested in these detours with new characters when all I cared about was resolving the loose threads that left me reeling at the end of Golden Son.

I felt very validated for having these feelings after reading the author’s note at the end, where Brown admits that this book was difficult to write because he knew exactly how it was going to end but struggled with the “how” of getting there. And unfortunately, much as I emphasize with that, it does show in the finished product. The ending is brilliantly executed and was clearly meticulously planned out, but the rest of the book certainly meanders its way there.

Still, as a whole, I’m so glad my book club forced me to finally pick this trilogy up. It exceeded my expectations, I got deeply attached to the characters, and I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next. I do plan to read the sequel trilogy, but I feel like I need to take a breather and spend some time deluding myself that these characters are finally happy before I read what actually happens to them after this conclusion haha.

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Original review: Goryhell. That ending did, in fact, blow me away. More to come when I’ve finished reeling from the emotional whiplash. ...more "

Jun 06, 2023 09:02AM · see review

Eileen’s Notes & Highlights

Book cover for Golden Son (Red Rising Saga, #2)

Golden Son (Red Rising Saga, #2) by Pierce Brown

4 highlights

The human spirit tries to break free, again and again, not in hate like the Dark Revolt. But for love. They don’t mimic each other. They aren’t inspired by others who come before them. Each is willing to take the leap, thinking they are the ...more

See Eileen Owens’s 59 books with notes and highlights…

Eileen’s Quotes

“My eyes widen at that salacious morsel. Dear queen mother was having an affair with her war leader behind her husband the king’s back? “Please tell me he’s not her twin brother,” I murmur under my breath. Zander’s eyebrows arch. “Pardon?” I clear my throat. “Nothing.”
― K.A. Tucker, A Fate of Wrath & Flame

4 likes

“He held her with the type of intensity that only happens when a person wants something that isn't quite theirs.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

489 likes

“To the gremlin girls,
I would like to tell you something inspiring,
but the truth is,
when life closes a door for us,
it doesn’t always open a window.
The good news is:
That’s what bricks are for.”
― Margaret Owen, Little Thieves

33 likes

“One doesn’t need magic if one knows enough stories.”
― Heather Fawcett, Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

219 likes

“I am his puzzle and he is my lock, and it's an arms race to solve the other first. But somewhere in all the knots and twists and trapdoors, he turned to an arsonist, leaving his embers in my veins, smoke on my tongue, a fire burning softly in my heart. And it will not die easy.”
― Margaret Owen, Little Thieves

26 likes

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