Review: Golden Son by Pierce Brown

Title: Golden Son
Author: Pierce Brown
Series: Red Rising Trilogy #2
Publisher: Del Rey
Publication Date: January 6th, 2015
Source: purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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.

It seems like I waited ages to get my hands on Golden Son. When I read Red Rising last year, I was blown away. I mean, that book.... I have no words. So you would think that I'd rip through Golden Son in a day or two.. Nope. Here is the thing, I need to have a little sit down with Pierce Brown and Del Rey. They just can't be putting out such awesomeness during the Holiday Season. It's Cruel!!

I really wanted to get it read and reviewed before release, but I couldn't bring myself to rush through it. I read it slowly and savored every word. Wow... what a sequel. Usually the second book in a Trilogy isn't as action packed. That is definitely not the case here. While I found the middle to be a little slow, it was only because of all the "war talk, strategy'ish stuff". The crap that goes down before and after more than makes up for it.

What I really loved about Golden Son... were the answered questions. Now I'm going to be vague, because some of you, including Jen, have not read Red Rising yet. So I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. In Red Rising, you never find out who Ares is. It's revealed in Golden Son!!! yup!!! That it is!! And I was shocked.

There are so many shocking moments. One that brought me back to that tragic scene in book one that started it all. Poor Eo and Darrow. And the list just goes on. So many times I put my kindle down, thinking.. "no.. that did not just happen." but it did. Oh yes it did.

Also!! I forgot how violent Pierces writing can be. Holy cow, there are some really messed up scenes..There are deaths. A ton of them.  And the blood, and other bodily fluids, but like I said when I reviewed Red Rising, it's necessary. This is war, and war is not pretty.

I loved Golden Son, and I cannot wait for the final book. That ending. OMG I can't even... so here is a gif.

About the author:


Pierce Brown spent his childhood building forts and setting traps for his cousins in the woods of six states and the deserts of two. Graduating college in 2010, he fancied the idea of continuing his studies at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a magical bone in his body. So while trying to make it as a writer, he worked as a manager of social media at a startup tech company, toiled as a peon on the Disney lot at ABC Studios, did his time as an NBC page, and gave sleep deprivation a new meaning during his stint as an aide on a U.S. Senate Campaign. Now he lives in Los Angeles, where he scribbles tales of spaceships, wizards, ghouls, and most things old or bizarre. Note to the reader: Always feel free to contact him via his website, twitter, or facebook. He likes people. Except if you're a trollish person. Then he merely puts up with you for the sake of manners and propriety.

Find Pierce:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Labels: awesome, Del Rey, golden son, mars, Pierce Brown, random house, Red Rising, reviews, trilogy, war