Review: Morning Star (Red Rising Saga, #3)

Author: Pierce Brown

Started reading: January 13th 2021

Finished the book: April 10th 2021

Pages: 524

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, YA

Published: February 19th 2016

Source: Ebook

Goodreads score: 4.48

My score:

Synopsis

Darrow would have lived in peace, but his enemies brought him war. The Gold overlords demanded his obedience, hanged his wife, and enslaved his people. But Darrow is determined to fight back. Risking everything to transform himself and breach Gold society, Darrow has battled to survive the cutthroat rivalries that breed Society’s mightiest warriors, climbed the ranks, and waited patiently to unleash the revolution that will tear the hierarchy apart from within.

Finally, the time has come.

But devotion to honor and hunger for vengeance run deep on both sides. Darrow and his comrades-in-arms face powerful enemies without scruple or mercy. Among them are some Darrow once considered friends. To win, Darrow will need to inspire those shackled in darkness to break their chains, unmake the world their cruel masters have built, and claim a destiny too long denied—and too glorious to surrender.

My thoughts

Thanks to Arjen for sticking by my side even though he did NOT like this book! I, on the other hand, really loved it and we decided that I'll be continuing this series by myself. I did feel like this book was long and that maybe it could be split in two, but I just LOVED the story and the characters and the plot twists. Oh boy, the plot twists...

Pros

• Story so far: What I loved about this book, was that there was a short summary of the two books before this one. I feel like when I continue a series and there is some time in between, that I just need to catch up to things that happend in the previous books. Especially books like these, where a lot of things happen!
• Made me laugh so hard: This book made me laugh so hard. The second book made me cry, and this book also made me cry, but the humor was just of another level. It really added that extra spark for me, because I was already moved and shocked and now it just also made me laugh from time to time. 
• Plot twists: ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME. I really felt fooled by Pierce Brown and I have to applaud him for it. I couldn't stop reading, but I HAD to because that's how a buddy read works. But I think this whole plot was brilliantly done. When you feel like you're fooled or tricked or whatever you may call it by these huge plot twists... I just love how books can do that to you.
  

Cons

• Long: There is a lot going on, but the book by itself just feels long. Maybe it's also because of the time it took us, but I don't know if that is why it felt like a long book to me. I just really like books that make me feel like I'm flying through and that was not the case.

Overall

This series is amazing. I just love the characters, the worldbuilding, the plot twists, the laughs, the deaths, EVERYTHING. I just get all the feelz and I'm curious where the next book will take me!

Other opinions on this book

"Excellent. Brown's vivid, first person prose puts the reader right at the forefront of impassioned speeches, broken families and engaging battle scenes. As this interstellar civil war comes to a most satisfying conclusion."

- Publishers Weekly

"A page-turning epic filled with twists and turns. The conclusion to Brown's saga is simply stellar."

- Booklist

Memorable quotes from this book

"It is no great thing to die" he says to me, though I know he doesn't mean it as deeply as he wants to. "Not when one has lived."

"Life is the present and the future, not the past."

Thanks for reading!

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