[Review] Golden Son by Pierce Brown

Golden Son by Pierce Brown

Series: Red Rising #2

Rating: 5 stars

Version: Paperback

Release Date: January 6th 2015

Goodreads Synopsis:

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.

Can I just say that the saving grace of this book is Sevro? Honestly, I can write a whole post on Sevro, but for the sake of time and space, I will just review this book.

This book was amazing, don't get me wrong. But every moment this Goblin showed up I was like -

Sevro is so precious I swear

Anyhow, Golden Son had a different angle from Red Rising; there's no Capture the Flag Hunger Games-esque stuff happening. This is the real world for Darrow and his friends, and its an eye-opener, especially for Darrow.

It takes place two-ish years after Red Rising, with Darrow slowly gaining favor with Augustus and is hoping to defeat Karnus for his final test in the Academy. Of course, that does not go according to plan, and Darrow must discover other ways to aid the Sons of Ares, one that involves starting a civil war between Golds and playing a crafty game with their pride.

I enjoyed the introduction of several new characters, especially Victra, who is one of my favorite females in the series, second to Mustang. Both are particularly strong women who do not need a man to protect them. But I love that despite Victra's tough demeanor, she has a soft side.

"I like the way stone smells before rain falls." She makes a face, cheeks flushing red. "And... don't laugh. I actually hate the color gold. Green goes better with my complexion." 

Mustang remains one step ahead of everyone, as always.

"And perhaps I fell into Cassius's bed because I was hurt and needed a salve to my pain. Can you imagine that? You may answer."
I squirm on my cushion. "I suppose."
"Good, now shove that idea up your ass." Her lips make a hard line. I am not some frill-wearing tramp. I am a genius. I say this because it is a fact. I am smarter than any person you've ever met, except perhaps my twin. My heart does not make my brain a fool."

For Darrow, I enjoyed his development into a true leader over the course of the novel. The first part of the novel details his - dare I say - whining over his trust issues and his concerns on how to properly deal a blow to the Gold Society. With Sevro to smack sense into him, and allow him to trust his friends, he is able to mature. Themes of friendship are strong with this book, because it is something Darrow struggles with constantly, and for him to allow himself to reveal his deepest secret shows how much he trusts Sevro and Mustang. There's a scene between him and Sevro that was extremely touching.

"You are my friend," I tremble out like a child. It almost makes him cry seeing me this way.
A true friend.
"Of course," he says, haltingly. "But only if you stop blubbering, man. We're still Golds." 

I was so happy for Darrow. Unfortunately, not all friendships are as strong as Sevro and Darrow's (and the loyalty Sevro has for Darrow is immense). Wise Roque brings up a good point.

"Friendships take minutes to make, moments to break, years to repair."

Beyond the themes of friendship, I was loving all the bloodydamn action that comes with this series. Aja au Grimmus and Ragnar somehow made all the fights even more epic. I loved that Darrow continued to try to stay one step ahead of the game, for it to work 90% of the time, and for him to be a cocky bastard about it. The new characters, the changes in scenery, and the fact that everyone was trying to outmaneuver each other only for it to turn into bloody fights made me so happy.

Golden Son ended on such a cliffhanger that it makes me want to read Morningstar even more!