A review by briangal
Golden Son by Pierce Brown

fast-paced

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

2.0

I came to this book after DNFing Red Rising. I stopped RR at 80% and read the synopsis on Wikipedia. This was free on Audible, and I had heard it was better than the first book. It was, certainly. I still couldn't bring myself to like it. I don't like the main character, and I can't tell if his character is deliberate or a reflection of the author, as the other characters don't seem to be very distinctive. It had interesting points, mainly the reflective internal monologue , but the space battles were uninspiring - some ships appeared, but mine is bigger - oops more ships appeared and it looks like I've lost - hold on... Surprise, I've actually won - I'm the best, so I am.  I simplify for effect, but it's the impression I'm left with. Perhaps it's the point of view style I can't get with. However, I have found Empire of Silence from Christopher Ruocchio. It's also first person but noticeably different and much higher quality...