Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - Morning Star

This book was an amazing end to Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown !!

Throughout the trilogy we follow Darrow on his journey from red to gold to something more. But, in Morning Star we see shift from Darrow as the sole focus. Instead, we find that those around him are also just as important in fixing society. We truly see Darrow grow from a child into a man and this is reflected in his actions.

Be prepared… in this book some of the most loved and most hated character die & others live… or maybe they do both (it’s hard to explain you’ll just have to read it to find out).

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laguerrelewis's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This is my favorite installment in the Red Rising series so far. A lot of my previous complaints are less glaring here—the female characters are treated less like sexual objects (though, ultimately, almost every one invariably finds themselves smitten with a man and swayed by whatever he wants), the core of the book felt a lot stronger, and the stylized narration didn’t grate on me this time around. Pierce Brown’s strength certainly lies in his ability to create a sweeping, epic battlefield, with twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat. I felt myself caring for the characters and their fates more than I had before, though I will admit some of the “twists” were unfortunately over-telegraphed. If you liked the last two installments, I see no reason why you wouldn’t enjoy this one!

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_forestofpages's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Break the chains.

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grets_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

Scifi and dystopia isn't really my thing and I didn't think I was that into this series... Until I couldn't stop listening.

It kept me engaged and guessing the whole time - just when I thought I knew where it was going, it would go in a completely different direction (but in a completely plausible way).
I'm fairly certain that a large part of my enjoyment was due to how well the audiobook was narrated. Would definitely recommend.

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heyjaycee's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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

4.0

After the end of Golden Son, everything is different. It's one of those 'where can we even go from here?' moments. But there is somewhere to go, and the only way is up.

Kept captive and tortured by the Jackal, Darrow must escape and return to his struggling rebellion. But when he does, he must contend with the clashing personalities of everyone he has brought together.

I appreciated how Morning Star became less about Darrow—though of course he is centre stage—and more about the people around him. Brown really shines at creating memorable characters, and they were all given their moment in the spotlight in this final book of the series.

Of course, the exceptionally grimdark tone continued, and I began to find the endless setbacks and awful surprises hard to bear. There was a moment, three quarters from the end, where yet another terrible thing happened and I immediately put the book down and didn't come back to it for three weeks. Eventually I returned to it, and was glad I did. But still—the neverending tension was wearisome.

Oh, and the ending? Allow me to sigh heavily. The political conclusion made sense, but the interpersonal wrap-up for Darrow felt agonisingly hackneyed. But there will be those who like that kind of thing, I guess.

It's been a rollercoaster of a series. Pierce Brown is a master of emotional intensity, conflict, and sci-fi coolness. I'm glad I experienced it.

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