Review: Morning Star by Pierce Brown

Description:
Darrow would have lived in peace, but his enemies brought him war. The Gold overlords demanded his obedience, hanged his wife, and enslaved his people. But Darrow is determined to fight back. Risking everything to transform himself and breach Gold society, Darrow has battled to survive the cutthroat rivalries that breed Society's mightiest warriors, climbed the ranks, and waited patiently to unleash the revolution that will tear the hierarchy apart from within.

Finally, the time has come.

But devotion to honor and hunger for vengeance run deep on both sides. Darrow and his comrades-in-arms face powerful enemies without scruple or mercy. Among them are some Darrow once considered friends. To win, Darrow will need to inspire those shackled in darkness to break their chains, unmake the world their cruel masters have built, and claim a destiny too long denied - and too glorious to surrender.


My Thoughts:
This is the final book in the Red Rising Trilogy. Wow. Darrow has come a long way from Red Rising. He has quite a job to do. He is attempting to bring down a broken society and replace it with something else. Ultimately the book, and the series, is about people and relationships, loyalty, betrayal, and love. It is fast-paced and action packed with great, complex characters. Just don't get too attached to anyone because the body count is high. There are so many twists in this one that my head is still spinning. This series is one of my top favorites. 

My Rating: *****
Steam Factor: !
*Notes: Some language. Violence, graphic gore.

My Source: Library


Where to get it:

Amazon | B&N | iTunes


Where to find the author:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram| Goodreads

Review: Golden Son by Pierce Brown

Description:
With shades of The Hunger Games, Ender’s Game, and Game of Thrones, debut author Pierce Brown’s genre-defying epic Red Rising hit the ground running and wasted no time becoming a sensation. Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded among the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down Society from within. A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart, Golden Son guarantees Pierce Brown’s continuing status as one of fiction’s most exciting new voices.

My Thoughts:
Red Rising was so unexpectedly good, I had no idea how the next book could possibly live up to it. I had astronomically high expectations for Golden Son. This book delivered and then some. I was not disappointed. Darrow is continuing on with his mission even though he has had no direction in two years. He's trying to play the game of politics to keep his place. This book is full of action, battles, and full-out war. Darrow has a handful of friends, but he finds that he can't trust anyone. Loyalties shift and are tested. There is betrayal and much death on both sides. This series is a study of human nature. My favorite character is Sevro and I love how even in the most serious of situations he brings some lighter moments. The only bad thing about this book is having to wait for the next. I can't wait to see what is in store.

If you haven't read Red Rising, do yourself a favor and go check it out right now:

Amazon | B&N | iTunes


My Rating: *****
Steam Factor: !!

*Notes: Mild language (most of it invented). Violence but not overly bloody.

My Source: Netgalley


Where to get it:

Amazon | B&N | iTunes


Where to find the author:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Review: Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Description:
The war begins...

Darrow is a Helldiver, one of a thousand men and women who live in the vast caves beneath the surface of Mars. Generations of Helldivers have spent their lives toiling to mine the precious elements that will allow the planet to be terraformed. Just knowing that one day people will be able to walk the surface of the planet is enough to justify their sacrifice. The Earth is dying, and Darrow and his people are the only hope humanity has left.

Until the day Darrow learns that it is all a lie. Mars is habitable - and indeed has been inhabited for generations by a class of people calling themselves the Golds. The Golds regard Darrow and his fellows as slave labour, to be exploited and worked to death without a second thought.

With the help of a mysterious group of rebels, Darrow disguises himself as a Gold and infiltrates their command school, intent on taking down his oppressors from the inside.

But the command school is a battlefield. And Darrow isn't the only student with an agenda..

My Thoughts:
Wow. Just wow. This book had me hooked from the very beginning: "I would have lived in peace. But my enemies brought me war." Dark, gritty, intense dystopian sci-fi. Society is divided up into different social classes. Your place in society is decided by your color. Darrow is Red, the lowest of the low. But he has his family and he is fine with the way things are until his wife prompts him to do more. He soon learns that everything he knows is a lie. Brace yourself because you will get attached to characters who die, loyalties shift, and things are never as they seem. The unexpected always happens and it is just so good. More mature fans of Hunger Games and Divergent will love this. I can see this one as a movie as well. I will be waiting impatiently for the next book.

My Rating: *****
Steam Factor: !!
*Notes: Violence, language, rape (though not described)

My Source: NetGalley

Where to get it: 

B&N

Where to find the author:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads