sathyadgs95's review
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
New direction, but not in a good way. I read one book after the other in the original trilogy followed by this one and the differences are huge. Firstly Darrow is no longer the only focus as the story is told from Lyria, Lysander, Ephraim and Darrow's points of view. The epic cross galaxy wars are now told from individual perspectives so you lose the grandeur of the original books.
The problem with that is that the stories are just boring. The book starts 10 years after the end of Morning Star and there's political unrest in the Republic, Venus is the last standing power and uprising in the ring. That situation doesn't change at all by the end of the book. Simply put, nothing happens in this entire book.
This book could have been great had they told the story from Mustang, Cassius and Darrow's points of view but they don't. Cassius dies but this is merely told to Lysander and just seems so flat after his heroic arc in Morning Star. Mustang is almost written out entirely, appearing only very briefly at the beginning.
The worst part by far though is how stupid the author has made Darrow. He constantly makes decisions that are so unbelievably dumb that it makes no sense. He was set up as a man of the people, devoted and loyal to his friends and Mustang. In this book, he constantly betrays them, treats them like they're the enemy and generally always opts for the most idiotic path to take. For example, he leaves his son and wife then kills Republic guards trying to arrest him even though he knowingly accepts it would damage his wife politically, he loses half his army leaving Luna, ignores and loses Sevro by the end of the book and when he learns his son has been kidnapped decides the best course of action is to not go home. The author has tragically ruined the amazing character he spent 3 books building in this one book.
The problem with that is that the stories are just boring. The book starts 10 years after the end of Morning Star and there's political unrest in the Republic, Venus is the last standing power and uprising in the ring. That situation doesn't change at all by the end of the book. Simply put, nothing happens in this entire book.
This book could have been great had they told the story from Mustang, Cassius and Darrow's points of view but they don't. Cassius dies but this is merely told to Lysander and just seems so flat after his heroic arc in Morning Star. Mustang is almost written out entirely, appearing only very briefly at the beginning.
The worst part by far though is how stupid the author has made Darrow. He constantly makes decisions that are so unbelievably dumb that it makes no sense. He was set up as a man of the people, devoted and loyal to his friends and Mustang. In this book, he constantly betrays them, treats them like they're the enemy and generally always opts for the most idiotic path to take. For example, he leaves his son and wife then kills Republic guards trying to arrest him even though he knowingly accepts it would damage his wife politically, he loses half his army leaving Luna, ignores and loses Sevro by the end of the book and when he learns his son has been kidnapped decides the best course of action is to not go home. The author has tragically ruined the amazing character he spent 3 books building in this one book.
bookishstone's review against another edition
I'll have to come back to this one later, maybe with an audiobook. I just can't seem to get into it.
skinnygetout's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. It's a continuation of the strange and engrossing vision of the future created in the first three Red Rising books.
This book takes place ten years after the Society the Golds had created falls. The Republic formed by the Sons of Ares, Darrow, Virginia, Sevro, and the rest is barely holding on to its cohesion. There are so many twists and turns in this book that are new and fresh, making the fourth book feel like a meaningful contribution to the worlds Brown has created.
What I like most about this book is that we get to meet new characters and there are multiple points of view that let the reader see the entirety of the universe. Personally I loved reading Lysander's story the most. He is the grandson of the former society sovereign, and he is conflicted on the edge of the galaxy, trying to decide between following the Republic or waging war in an attempt to restore the Society.
This book couldn't stand on its own, so if this sounds interesting, start from book 1!
This book takes place ten years after the Society the Golds had created falls. The Republic formed by the Sons of Ares, Darrow, Virginia, Sevro, and the rest is barely holding on to its cohesion. There are so many twists and turns in this book that are new and fresh, making the fourth book feel like a meaningful contribution to the worlds Brown has created.
What I like most about this book is that we get to meet new characters and there are multiple points of view that let the reader see the entirety of the universe. Personally I loved reading Lysander's story the most. He is the grandson of the former society sovereign, and he is conflicted on the edge of the galaxy, trying to decide between following the Republic or waging war in an attempt to restore the Society.
This book couldn't stand on its own, so if this sounds interesting, start from book 1!
kayeness's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed the trilogy and I was curious about where the story would go. Wow! Layer after layer of story. Heists? Banter? Interspersed with some cold hard truths about rebellions, war, and revolution? This series gets better the longer it goes on.
pointlessape's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
charmaineac's review against another edition
4.0
This is a simmering bridge book if I've ever read one! Once again, the game is truly afoot...
We see three pieces of the puzzle, with no conclusive evidence. I don't know if I support Lysander's side or Darrow's side, and that makes this saga extra-delicious. I didn't really understand the Lyria/Ephraim side-story though. What is Lyria's role? I feel as though she is yet to be awakened, and that she's going to play some pivotal role in this game. Her potential seems... important.
Lyria and Ephraim's stories came together while none of the others did. I hope to see more come out of the story, other than more death, fighting, and gruesome war.
I am so glad to understand the rim and their point of view a little better now. Dido and Romulus have a beautiful story, and I almost cried at how this ended up. It was sad to see the state of the rising, considering how much hope we had at the end of Morning Star.
I mourn the loss of Cassius, too. He was a great man who deserved so much more than his eventual demise.
And can we PLEASE get Atalantia's point of view? Why is the society so evil? Help!!
There were so many loose ends to this story. To be honest, I don't care who the syndicate are at all. I'm sure Pierce Brown has something clever up his sleeve as to who the queen is, but I kind of want this aspect of the story to go away. It's all noise to me.
Honestly, it's really hard to pull off disjointed stories like this, but Pierce Brown did it properly. It has all the right elements: you don't want to leave the point of view you're reading when the section ends, you don't know who to cheer for, and these misaligned stories start coming together before you know it. Excellent.
We see three pieces of the puzzle, with no conclusive evidence. I don't know if I support Lysander's side or Darrow's side, and that makes this saga extra-delicious. I didn't really understand the Lyria/Ephraim side-story though. What is Lyria's role? I feel as though she is yet to be awakened, and that she's going to play some pivotal role in this game. Her potential seems... important.
Lyria and Ephraim's stories came together while none of the others did. I hope to see more come out of the story, other than more death, fighting, and gruesome war.
I am so glad to understand the rim and their point of view a little better now. Dido and Romulus have a beautiful story, and I almost cried at how this ended up. It was sad to see the state of the rising, considering how much hope we had at the end of Morning Star.
I mourn the loss of Cassius, too. He was a great man who deserved so much more than his eventual demise.
And can we PLEASE get Atalantia's point of view? Why is the society so evil? Help!!
There were so many loose ends to this story. To be honest, I don't care who the syndicate are at all. I'm sure Pierce Brown has something clever up his sleeve as to who the queen is, but I kind of want this aspect of the story to go away. It's all noise to me.
Honestly, it's really hard to pull off disjointed stories like this, but Pierce Brown did it properly. It has all the right elements: you don't want to leave the point of view you're reading when the section ends, you don't know who to cheer for, and these misaligned stories start coming together before you know it. Excellent.
artsymusings's review against another edition
Hey, I'm all for white covers, but can we please not have ugly ass fire on covers anymore?! >.>
(Yay for an August 2017 release date, though!)
(Yay for an August 2017 release date, though!)
Spoiler
(Still holding out hope for Sevro's POV *prayer hands emoji*)idroplungs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
chrissa_somerset's review against another edition
3.0
Overall an enjoyable read. However, the plot felt a bit drawn out and it took some time adjusting to the new characters. The speed of the plot picks up a bit after the first half of the book. Also at that point as the reader you should have developed a sufficient enough investment in the new characters to make the reading more enjoyable.