Golden Son

A step up from it's predecessor. Golden Sun takes what Pierce Brown started in Red Rising and makes it a little more mature, and a little more exciting. I was pleased to see Brown's writing improve, even though there were still certainly criticisms. 

My biggest disappointment was the continued unevenness of the writing. Brown still falls into holes where the prose flows jaggedly and the pacing is all off. Honestly, it felt as though Brown was forced to rush through some plot points during the first 2/3rds of book. Thankfully this trend abated towards the end of the book, where I was treated to one of the better endings that I have read recently. The stakes are high, the pace was perfect, and I immediately wanted to continue on to the third book, which I don't even have as of this review. The outcomes were a tad predictable, but honestly I didn't much care. I also much preferred the plot of the this chapter, over the tired school setting that Red Rising used. 

The characters are what really shine in Golden Son. The main cast of characters are all distinct, make logical choices based on their history, and (most importantly) elicited actual emotional responses from me. I felt connected and sympathetic with the heroes, and even some of the villains. What a treat it was to feel that way.

Entertaining and emotional. I'm left feeling very happy to continue onward into the third part of the trilogy.