Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown Review

Red Rising

Rating: 4 / 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I would have lived in peace. But my enemies brought me war.

I really enjoyed this! There were basically no boring moments, and the fast pacing kept me hooked throughout. That said, I couldn't help comparing some of the situations to The Hunger Games. There are definitely similarities in the structure and the whole survival competition aspect, so I kept getting little Hunger Games vibes while reading.

However, Red Rising definitely has its own identity. The world-building, characters, politics, and plot twists make it feel much bigger than just another dystopian competition story.

Initially, this was a 5-star read for me. I genuinely thought it was so good and was really excited to continue the series. I had also heard that the next books move away from the Hunger Games feeling of the first one and become even better, so my expectations were pretty high.

And then I read Books 2 and 3!

After finishing the next two books, I had to come back and change my rating to 4 stars. Not because I suddenly thought Red Rising was bad—it really isn't—but because the next books completely changed my perspective on it. When you compare the first book to what comes later, it almost feels mediocre in comparison. After experiencing how much bigger, more complex, and more intense the series becomes, I can see its early weaknesses a lot more clearly. It's kind of funny when a book gets downgraded because the rest of the series is just too good.

Still a really solid first book and definitely worth reading, but now I understand why everyone told me the series gets better. They weren't kidding.

Golden Son

Rating: 5 / 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's not victory that makes a man. It's his defeats.

I am honestly OUT OF WORDS. That ending...

I already know the next books in this series are going to be even crazier and more intense, and I'm absolutely here for it. This was easily one of the most action-packed fantasy/sci-fi books I've ever read. The story kept escalating, and every time I thought things couldn't get more intense, Pierce Brown somehow managed to prove me wrong.

I don't even know what else to say. It's just SO GOOD. This is easily my top read of the year.

Morning Star

Rating: 5 / 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Justice isn't about fixing the past, it's about fixing the future.

Morning Star is such a beautiful story overall. Honestly, the entire original trilogy feels like a masterpiece of sci-fi fantasy.

Throughout this entire book, I was never bored. I was constantly sitting there wondering: Who's going to die? Who's going to betray them? Who's going to survive? Who's going to be saved? It was stressful in the absolute best way possible. There was so much tension, action, betrayal, and emotion that I felt constantly on edge.

That ending was incredibly bittersweet, but at the same time, it felt like the perfect conclusion to the original trilogy.

I'm really excited to start the next arc of the series. If Pierce Brown managed to make the continuation even half as good as the original trilogy, I'm in for another wild ride.