Morning Star by Pierce Brown
(Red Rising, Book 3)
Released: February 9, 2016 | Genre: Science Fiction, Space Opera
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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.
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Writing Morning Star was a serious struggle for Pierce Brown. He revealed that he battled writer’s block throughout the process, not because he lacked ideas, but because he had too many possibilities for where the story could go. His solution was to stop obsessing over all the potential directions and focus on making each individual scene matter. The book took him around nine months to write.
REVIEW
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
(I’m aware that Morning Star isn’t the final book in the series, but at the time I read it, it was. So this review reflects my thoughts as I experienced them back then.)
A near-perfect finale. 🎖️👍
After the explosive and emotionally devastating ending of Golden Son, my expectations for Morning Star were sky high, and somehow, Pierce Brown still managed to exceed them. This book is a masterclass in payoff, delivering a story that is both thrilling and highly satisfying, filled with the same political intrigue, action, and heartbreak that made the first two books so compelling.
The entire series is an emotional roller coaster, but nearly every aspect of the plot is extremely well thought-out. Brown isn’t just throwing twists at you for shock value, every reveal, betrayal, turning point, sacrifice, and loss is either earned or makes sense within the wider story. The unpredictability of the story only adds to that impressiveness. The narrative shifts in directions that are completely unexpected, but at the same time feel completely right.
Pierce Brown seems like he’s mastered the art of the build-up. As Darrow rises from the ashes, builds his army, discovers what is precious to him, and copes with the weight of losing it, you can just feel that something is coming throughout the book. It has an intensity about it. And the final showdown is one of the best: epic in its implications but deeply personal in its execution. We’d heard for so long how dangerous Aja was, and when we finally got to see what she was capable of, it was every bit as intense and jaw-dropping as expected. “You do not fight a river. You do not fight Aja” - Lorn au Arcos.
It’s rare for a trilogy to deliver a conclusion that not only meets expectations but surpasses them. So many series stumble at the finish line, but Red Rising sticks the landing and is without a doubt my favorite series.
