TEST
Morning Star is the third book in Pierce Brown’s Red Rising Trilogy. While I did not enjoy it as much as the previous two books, it nevertheless provides a satisfying if uneven conclusion to the saga.
For those readers who are unfamiliar with the trilogy, the series takes place a couple of hundred years in the future when mankind has colonized much of the galaxy. Society is divided into different colored castes – with the Golds ruling the planets with an iron fist, followed by the Silvers, the Blues, the Greys, and so on. 16-year-old Darrow of Lykos is a low Red, a class of people who lives beneath Mars’ surface, mining the Helium-3 needed to terraform Mars so Mars’s air will one day be breathable for future generations. When the tyranny of the Golds results in the death of Darrow’s wife and leads him to discover that millions from the upper classes are already living on Mars’s surface and enjoying the fruits of his people’s labor, Darrow joins the revolutionary group Sons of Ares. With the Sons’ help, and through a series of painful medical procedures, Darrow physically transforms himself into a Gold so he can bring down the caste system from the Golds’ inner sanctum.
The first two books of the series, Red Rising and Golden Son, set up Darrow’s backstory and chart his meteoric rise from a student at a training academy to becoming a renowned military leader. By the time Morning Star opens, Darrow has succeeded in turning Mars’ most powerful houses against each other. Unfortunately, Darrow himself has also been outed as a Red spy and is captured and imprisoned. When the Sons of Ares, now led by his good friend Sevro Au Barca, finally manages to rescue Darrow nine months later, Darrow is surprised to find a society in complete disarray. Not only are the different Gold factions battling each other for dominance, the lower classes have also risen up against their overlords. Wars have broken out everywhere, and hundreds of thousands of civilians have sought refuge with the Sons of Ares, living in squalor in underground camps. At first, weakened by the time he spent in captivity and feeling overwhelmed by the magnitude of the war he helped start, Darrow is content to follow Sevro in guerrilla warfare. But when it becomes clear that Sevro has no long term plan to unite the people and wrest control of the planets from the feuding Golds, he is forced to assume leadership. Joined by his friends Sevro, Virginia, and Victra, Darrow comes up with an audacious plan to recruit an army, steal a fleet of warships, and march towards the empire’s stronghold to depose of its sovereign, Octavia au Lune.
Like its two predecessors, Morning Star is action-packed from beginning to end. But despite its fast pacing, the first half of the book did not really grab my attention. While I was reading the first two books, I was constantly on the edge of my seat, wondering what Darrow was going to do next and if he was going to be exposed as an impostor. With his secrets now in the open, and with more than half of the book still to go, I was in no doubt that he would succeed in whatever missions he embarked upon, which significantly lessened the suspense quotient. Furthermore, there is a tonal shift in the first part of the book that is quite jarring. In order to bolster his army, Darrow seeks an alliance with the Obsidians, a tribe of fierce warriors who for decades have been duped into worshiping the Golds as gods. The Obsidians are a primitive people who still fight with spears and ride giant griffins. This part of the book reads more like a medieval fantasy than the science fiction I signed up for. While other readers may not be bothered by this, it is just not my cup of tea.
Once we are past the midway point, the book picks up considerably. The tactics Darrow uses to best his foes in battle are often brilliant; and there are plenty of twists to keep readers guessing. But what gives the book its emotional impact is the nuanced relationship between Darrow and his enemies. Many of these are people whom Darrow used to call friends; and care is taken not to demonize them, but to portray them as people who believe in their cause as strongly as Darrow believes in his. Of course, there are a few foaming-at-the-mouth villains that readers would be more than happy to root against, but Darrow’s refusal to let some of his friendships go is what makes part of this book truly heartbreaking. Luckily, things are not all dark. Darrow’s friends Sevro, Virginia, and Victra are all given their moment in the sun and their support is what gives Darrow the strength to do what he needs to do.
In the end, Morning Star is an enjoyable if flawed book. The ever shifting loyalty between Darrow’s friends, enemies, and allies are confusing at times; and towards the end, there are too many twists and the ending is too neatly tied up. One twist in particular is such a deus ex machina that it cheapened the impact of what came before. Still, one can do worse when it comes to books of this genre and on the strength of the series as a whole, I would heartily recommend it.
Grade: B
Book Type: Young Adult
Sensuality: N/A
Review Date: 26/04/16
Publication Date: 2016/02
I discovered my first romance novel at the age of 12 when I accidentally picked up a Harlequin (or was it Silhouette?) title from the library. Since then, I've mostly gravitated towards historical romance and more recently, urban fantasies. I live in the Washington DC area with a cat and the biggest Star Wars nerd this side of Tatooine.
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.