Golden Son (Red Rising, #2)

by Pierce Brown

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • 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.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR, BUZZFEED, AND BOOKLIST • “Gripping . . . On virtually every level, this is a sequel that hates sequels—a perfect fit for a hero who already defies the tropes. [Grade:] A”—Entertainment Weekly

As a Red, Darrow grew up working the mines deep beneath the surface of Mars, enduring backbreaking labor while dreaming of the better future he was building for his descendants. But the Society he faithfully served was built on lies. Darrow’s kind have been betrayed and denied by their elitist masters, the Golds—and their only path to liberation is revolution. And so Darrow sacrifices himself in the name of the greater good for which Eo, his true love and inspiration, laid down her own life. He becomes a Gold, infiltrating their privileged realm so that he can destroy it from within.
 
A lamb among wolves in a cruel world, Darrow finds friendship, respect, and even love—but also the wrath of powerful rivals. To wage and win the war that will change humankind’s destiny, Darrow must confront the treachery arrayed against him, overcome his all-too-human desire for retribution—and strive not for violent revolt but a hopeful rebirth. Though the road ahead is fraught with danger and deceit, Darrow must choose to follow Eo’s principles of love and justice to free his people.
 
He must live for more.

Praise for Golden Son

“Stirring . . . Comparisons to The Hunger Games and Game of Thrones series are inevitable, for this tale has elements of both.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Brown writes layered, flawed characters . . . but plot is his most breathtaking strength. . . . Every action seems to flow into the next.”—NPR

Don’t miss any of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising Saga:
RED RISING • GOLDEN SON • MORNING STAR • IRON GOLD • DARK AGE • LIGHT BRINGER

• ISBN10: 0345539818
• ISBN13: 9780345539816
• Publish Date: 6 January 2015 (first published 1 January 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Del Rey Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 464
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780345539816

Reviews

[Beth C.]

I read Pierce Brown's first book, "Red Rising", when it was an Amazon Vine title. I went back and forth before finally deciding to try it, and when I did, I was totally blown away. Going into "Golden Son", I was kind of freaked out. Would Brown be able to keep the momentum going, keep the story strong, and make "Golden Son" into a force on it's own? I was dying to read it, but hesitant at the same. I finally took the plunge, and wasn't sure where I stood until about halfway through - when I couldn't put it down.

I won't bore you with a synopsis of the book, since plenty of people have already reviewed it - and if you're reading reviews, you probably already have a good basic idea of what this is about. What I will say is this - this book is a more-than-worthy sequel to "Red Rising" and is so filled with twists and turns that you may end up with whiplash. I won't give away the ending (I *hate* spoilers), except to say...hang on to your hat, and be prepared to have your comfortable assumptions turned upside down.

[KitsuneBae]

This review first appeared on Wayward Kitsune .

It is without a doubt that Pierce Brown has successfully cemented his place on my favorite authors’ list with this Red Rising sequel. Before picking up the Golden Son, there was this gnawing fear that the awesome Red Rising that I’ve read in late 2013 was just a product of a wonderful dream. To be honest, it took a lot of courage for me to pick up this book because there’s always the possibility that it has been infected with the Second Book Syndrome. Thankfully, Pierce Brown has lots of tricks up his sleeve to ensure that Golden Son will outdo its predecessor.

Golden Son started two years after the events in Red Rising. Now, we see Darrow as one of the Peerless Scarred grudgingly serving the house of his enemy, Nero Au Augustus. Though one may think that his path to revenge is now easier compared to the ordeals that he had to go through in Book 1, that’s not the case in Golden Son. Darrow is further immersed in the world of Gold where treachery, violence, and sinister machinations are part of the culture. It’s obviously a scary world to live in but what’s scarier is the fact that Darrow is at war with himself because the lines between I-am-a-Red and I-am-a-Gold is becoming very blurry. On one hand, Darrow infiltrated the Gold society in order to avenge his wife and to better the lives of his fellow Reds. On the other hand, Darrow also realized that his most trusted friends and followers, and even the new love of his life are all Golds. So what’s a conflicted hero going to do?

As if conflicting emotions were not enough, Darrow finds himself succumbing to his hubris at times (bloodydamn, it always terrifies me when he lets his hubris get the better of himself), pushing the people he needs on his side, and ultimately coming to a conclusion that avenging his wife and bettering the lives of the Red are only child’s play compared to what really needs to be done…that is to tear down the whole sick Caste-esque system of the society and bring about a new one. I was seriously amazed that he managed to hold it all in while he’s busy hatching plans to destroy Nero’s enemies and Nero himself. But what’s more amazing is that the whole story was carefully laid out that even if we’re reading from Darrow’s POV, there are still some things that he did that managed to surprise the hell out of me. It’s like there’s a “behind-the-scenes” within the story that the delivery of the plot twists merits a bloodydamn exaltation.

The well-deserved as well as the painful deaths in book 1 were all compensated with Pierce Brown introducing new unforgettable characters in the Golden Son. Back stories of some old characters were also revealed that made me understand them more. In this world created by Pierce Brown, there’s no black and white especially when it comes to our characters.

Political maneuverings aside, the fight scenes were not only stunning but stirring and felt like every character is in a death and life situation. Unlike in the first book wherein some readers took issue with the fact that Darrow seemed like an invincible hero, the Golden Son is set to ruin your day in the most positive way (does this even make sense?). Instead of giving you a sense of security, this book is all about bringing out the worst emotions in you…that sense of dread, anxiety, bitterness, and pain.

And that ending…why? Why? WHY?! If only I had an inkling that things would end up that way, I would’ve procrastinated in reading this book until this year’s last quarter. Seriously, I don’t think I’ll have a good night’s sleep for months to come since I’m sure that I’ll always find myself thinking what will happen next.

Overall, the Golden Son amazed me in explosive proportions… so much so that it hurts.

[Chelsea]

Quick Thoughts:
1. Completely amazing.
2. A lot different from the first book but still has the same feel.
3. Lots of war and political stuff.
4. So much action!
5. Darrow just got better and better.

[lizarodz]

During the holidays we played a game in our office during our Christmas lunch.  We passed a box that was wrapped in paper until the music stopped and then peal a layer of wrapping paper off.  The winner was the one that unwrapped that last layer.  The point to this little story (yes, there is a point!) is that reading Golden Son felt like unwrapping layer after layer of pure awesome to get to even more awesome.

Giving details about this book is very hard. The plot is so complex, complicated, twisty, action packed, surprising; honestly is a gem.  I cannot fathom how Brown came up with it and kept track of it all! Golden Sun starts almost two years after the end of Red Rising.  Darrow has spent time with the Andromedus family and is now finishing the Academy.  He is committed to his cause, to make a different, to make Eo proud.  He has lost contact with the Son of Ares, but keeps his goal of becoming someone with power.

“For seven hundred years, my people have been enslaved without voice, without hope. Now I am their sword. And I do not forgive. I do not forget. So let him lead me onto his shuttle. Let him think he owns me. Let him welcome me into his house, so I might burn it down.”

Darrow is such an intricate character, full of contradictions. He’s afraid and fearless. Brutal and tender. Loyal and traitorous. His mission makes it a necessity to always plan ahead and always lie.  It’s such a hard life, such a twisted path.   I adore Darrow.

“Were I still the man Eo knew, I would have stood frozen in horror. But that man is gone. I mourn his passing every day. Forgetting more and more of who I was, what dreams I held, what things I loved. The sadness now is numb. And I carry on despite the shadow it casts over me.”

Darrow’s relationship with Mustang is complicated (I know, I know, but it really is!)  There is no doubt that they love each other, but there are both so strong and unbending.  Darrow doesn’t feel guilty anymore of being in love with someone else, but he’s doesn’t believe he deserves her when he’s keeping such a big secret from her.  There is a host of amazing characters from Red Rising and also new characters that make an appearance here.

“She wears black in a sea of gold, white, and reds… I’m reminded of the warmth of her flesh, the mischief in her voice, the smell at the nape of her neck, the kindness of her heart. “

Brown’s writing is enthralling and thought provoking.  It kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time.  There is defeat, war, death, life, love, trust, friendship, and so much more in this book. This ending, bloodydamn! How am I ever going to be able to wait a whole year for Morning Star? I can’t even explain because it would the mother of all spoilers.

Overall, Golden Son was such a great read.  I wish there were words to describe how good this book, the series is, is without spoiling it for you.  If you like strong characters, complicated plots, amazing writing, fantasy and sci-fi, this is the series for you.This review was originally posted on Reading With ABC

[Stephanie]

Oh. my. god.

[Linda]

*I received a free ARC of Golden Son from Del Rey (Random House) via Netgalley in exchange of an honest and unbiased review*

I don't even know where to start! Golden Son is fast-paced awesomeness. Full review will be posted on Monday.

This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews

[littleread1]

I am not really sure how I feel about this book. On one hand it took me almost 2 weeks to read it cover to cover. And the MC is still one of the most robotic narrators for a story I have ever read. But on the other that ending ... full review to come.

***FULL REVIEW***

I am in the minority here - Golden Son was just an ok read for me. I really really REALLY wanted to like this book, this trilogy, but Darrow, the MC, makes it extremely difficult if not impossible. Before we get to that, let me talk about the good. Because there is plenty.

The world building - incredible. This is the kind of world building Sci Fri producers have wet dreams over. Not only is there technology, but there is a social system, unique slang terms, and so many things both familiar and foreign it is entirely believable that we evolved into this perfect/horrendous society. The people on top are better - stronger, faster, supposedly smarter, and genetically superior to those "beneath" them.

The story itself - pretty good. The boy from the bottom rising to the top, overcoming obstacle after obstacle is a tried and true trope. There is nothing wrong with it. It is in fact one of the better plot-lines to read about. And without giving anything away, I would not be surprised to see this series end differently than most. Not even a little.

Ok, now onto the less than good - the characters. I myself am a very character driven reader. I don't have to like all the characters to connect with them. I just need to feel like they are real. Darrow is a terribly robotic narrator for a main character. He tells the story, but doesn't show you anything. He says he has all these emotions that he has to keep locked away, but as a reader I don't believe him. Even when he talks about his wife - he says there is sadness but again I don't BELIEVE him. As the MC he needs to be believable and accessible to the reader. Especially when the story is told in first person. As a reader you ONLY have his POV. And when you can't stand the narrator, it colors (pun intended) your whole reading experience.

This may be one of those instances where it really is me, not you (you being the book). Sometimes there are people in life, fictional and real, that you just don't like. A conflict of personality/beliefs/style choices/opinions/etc that just can't be resolved. In this instance it really is unfortunate because I WANT to like this story. In fact, I do actually like this story (and that ending - whoa buddy that saved the book for me) and the world building, and many other things about GOLDEN SON, but Darrow ruined that experience for me.

I am undecided if I will read the third book. I tried book two thinking maybe as he got older he became a better MC, but that didn't seem to happen. But already 2/3's invested in the story ... I might. Maybe book 3 will save the story for me! A girl can hope.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Brown drops us right back into this strategic game of Chess and deceit. Our hero Darrow struggles in the first part of the book making me a tad nervous that my hero had lost his mojo, but we witness his rebirth as he seeks alliances, ferrets out the truth and finds the power from within as he sets his eyes on the prize. Golden Son the second in the Red Rising Trilogy is brilliant in its own right and has a different feel than its predecessor. Second book syndrome is not a part of Brown’s vocabulary as he continues to flesh out the world and the characters.

Golden Son, raises questions as we navigate political strategies, begin to understand the different colors and learn that even a bad idea can come from the best intentions. Through Darrow, we learn more about the complexities of this world and its people. Brown will make you question how the oppressed can be happy and why those in power are never satisfied. Darrow’s inner circle is among my favorite. They are unique individuals with their own personal scars and unwavering loyalty to him. I grew attached to them, felt their sorrow and joy. Brown ripped some of them away from us, reminding us that war is ugly and requires sacrifice.

Darrow is such an impressive hero. Brown shares his inner struggles as he moves forward with his pawn; eyes forever on the prize. Darrow mourns every life lost, and has this unique ability to understand his enemy. We see tremendous growth in him as he allows those loyal to him within his confidence. His treatment of the colors was brilliantly portrayed. There were moments, like when they gained control of an enemy ship. His speech to the crew made the hairs on my arms raise as I watched him go from warrior to a man who could lead them all.

What makes this trilogy stand out in the science-fiction fantasy genre is the incredible dystopian setting and unique cast of characters. Brown’s vivid descriptions and perfectly paced story captivate the reader allowing the rest of the world to slip away. When I can close my eyes and see both the world and the characters I obtain this euphoric book high that makes me want to demand everyone read and experience it. Marketed in the young adult genre the Red Rising trilogy will appeal to the masses. Epic battles, complex relationships, deceit, alliances and secondary characters will have you enthralled. Darrow is a hero we can all relate to as he strives to do what is right, even as it hurts him. A climatic ending will leave the reader eager for the final installment.

Copy provided by publisher.This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer