MY ⭐️ RATING: 5/5
Format: Kindle Whispersync & Graphic Audio
BOOK DESCRIPTION
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 REVIEW
Morning Star is the epic finale to the original Red Rising trilogy, and bloodydamn, it’s a wild ride. This book delivers everything you’d want and then some, making this series one of the best I’ve ever read. Right now, it’s sitting pretty high at the top of my favorite books of 2022.
There’s not much more I can say that I haven’t said in previous reviews of this series. Darrow and his crew, with all their messy trust issues and betrayals, had me hooked. Brown nails their growth, making every arc feel real and earned. The world he’s built, with its brutal caste system and insane battle scenes, sucks you in completely. The story moves fast, packed with action that kept me glued to the pages way past bedtime. I’d try to stop at the end of a chapter, but nope, something crazy would happen, and I’d be reading till dawn. If I’m being picky, the plot’s massive scope can feel a tad overwhelming, but Brown’s pacing keeps it all together.
“In war, men lose what makes them great. Their creativity. Their wisdom. Their joy. All that’s left is their utility. War is not monstrous for making corpses of men so much as it is for making machines of them. And woe to those who have no use in war except to feed the machines.”
Tim Gerard Reynolds’ audiobook narration is pure magic, his voice brings every emotion to life, and I can’t imagine this series without him. Then I finished my re-read of Morning Star on 6/10/25 with the Graphic Audio version and it’s a whole new beast! The full cast, roaring ships, and epic fights explode into a heart-racing movie in your ears-next-level stuff that left me breathless. Every scene crackles with life, the narrators carving these characters into vivid, unforgettable souls.
Morning Star is a total knockout, and the Red Rising trilogy is a must for sci-fi and epic fantasy fans. Whether you go with Reynolds’ killer narration or the immersive Graphic Audio, this series will grab you and not let go. I’m already itching to dive into the graphic audio “re-read” of Iron Gold.
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