Review: “Golden Son” (Red Rising #2) by Pierce Brown

After I finished listening to Red Rising, I reserved Golden Son right away and was so flippin’ excited to dive right back into the series.

I’m so glad I have the change to read such a great amount of books that have turned the tides for me in genres that I didn’t initially like. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ve just read crappy books in that genre so I just decided then and there that I didn’t like it.

Case in point? This. Freakin’. Series. Curse you, Pierce Brown, and your writing skills. I don’t think I’ve talked to myself more or shouted randomly more than I have while listening to Golden Son. I’m just a hot mess.

Spoiler-free reviews below (may include a lot of gifs though). XD

Title: Golden Son (Red Rising #2)
Author: Pierce Brown
Release date: January 6, 2015
Publisher: Del Ray
Genre: Science fiction, dystopian, AWESOME
Length: 430 pages (hardback)
Synopsis: (from Goodreads) “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 rating: 4.5/5 stars

First off:

And then:

But also:

And then at the end:

That seriously sums up how I feel about the book.

Brown, you amazing me with your writing skills. I need them through…osmosis or something. Will kissing you allow me to gain some your writing skills? I mean, I’d do that too. Just like a peck on the lips. I’m married, after all.

Golden Son picks up about two years after Red Rising ends. We meet the familiar characters we’ve grown to love (or hate) and we’re taken on a full-blown excursion into space. We’re introduced to many new characters as well.

This story is an epic.

The worldbuilding is fantastic. This is so well thought out with all the t’s crossed and all the i’s dotted, and I seriously have nothing bad to say about this book outside that Darrow can be a bit cocky in this book. There are plot twists galore and that cliffhanger is no joke. Just when you think things are going well, NOPE. LIES. It all comes tumbling down.

Ships rise and fall. Characters that you like, the ones you were rooting for, crash and burn. They betray you, and it’s painful. So gorydamn painful. But some rise high, and the ones you didn’t think you would like, you end up liking and scream because you don’t want them to crash and burn.

And all the while I’m thinking, How the HELL is Brown going to pull of the final book in this series? I mean, seriously. It’s not on audiobook so I can’t get it from the library. I’m dying on the inside because my TBR is piled so high I don’t think I’ll get to Morning Star to a while. But I will do it. I will find out how this ends. I will cry all the tears.