Reviews with content warning for Torture - Light Bringer

This book was very evenly paced and balanced between action and build up. Characters were especially broody and reflective in this book all around. And each time you thought something was going to work out it didn’t but every time you thought it’d go wrong somehow it went right. Wild ride for sure.

Content Warnings

amre23's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was a ride! These characters have been through the ringer! As like all the previous books in this series the list of people and locations continue to change a lot but the worlds that've been built are still interesting. The politics are still engaging and the alliances that are formed at times make you hesitant to believe they will stick. Whether they stick or fall through, a few will definitely surprise you. So many of these characters you hate to love and love to hate.

I enjoyed most of the book but when I got a little past the half way point felt it did slog a little. Then the last 1/4 of the book I was VERY upset about a death. I had suspected it earlier in the book but then kept trying to convince myself it wouldn't happen. It did = Emotional Damage. Did enjoy most of the twists that occurred and thought they were good ways to move the story and tie certain things together.

I think Dark Age was better but this was a great installment and have no idea what to expect with Red God.

Content Warnings

cassiealexandra's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful tense

5.0

After the struggles of Iron Gold and Dark Age, this felt like a homecoming. The battles and politics of the previous two books were, at times, tough to follow, as was getting to know so many new characters. This book was the perfect pick-me-up, if one can actually call it that. After so much darkness, it brought hope and a certain amount of lightness that had nearly been snuffed out.

I tried counting all the times I got misty, teary, or outright sobbed, but I lost count after a little while. There were reunions I didn’t imagine could happen, characters who met for the very first time, redemption arcs I was not expecting, and missed connections that I’m still lamenting a bit. The humor and callbacks to specific scenes and times at the Institute in Red Rising were welcome additions to what was already a story with a lot of heart.

I make this sound like there was so much brightness to it, and there was, but our characters were not without heartache and suffering. Twists and turns abound. Questions about good and evil continue to be asked. Ideas about tribes and culture and family are explored. Plot points and storylines that seemed unconnected in prior books were resolved and tied together here. And the final 75 pages are absolutely heart-wrenching. Just when I thought I’d be able to come up for air, I found myself crying again.

It’s difficult to put into words how much I loved this book. It made me want to start the series all over again and remember every detail of its almost 3500 pages. These characters are like family to me now, and I will sorely miss them while I await Red God with the rest of the howlers.

The bottom line: This is exactly what was needed after the long journey through Iron Gold and Dark Age. Expect a nostalgic return to the feel of the original trilogy while keeping multiple points of view and a complex take on humanity and culture.

— NOTES —
Genres: science fiction, dystopian, war, space opera
POV: 1st-person, multiple
Content: crude humor, language, violence, death

— MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS —
(all out of 5)

Pace: 5
Enjoyment: 5
Craft: 5
My Gut Feeling: 5

Total Stars: 5

Content Warnings