fuck lysander

Wow, where do I begin? I’m a Howler from way back to the first Red Rising book and have converted many to the Church of Darrow. However, a tiny confession, I almost gave up during the last book, Dark Age. It was exceedingly brutal, one scene in particular was too much. Just, too much. I still made my way through it for many moments of great storytelling between the brutal moments, even gave it a four star review. All this to say,for the first time I was really apprehensive about starting this book.

However, Pierce Brown gave me back the story and the characters that I loved in Lightbringer. This book felt a lot like his earlier work in all the best possible ways. That made it feel personal to me. The multiple POV’s had a flow to the way he set them up here. There was a heart to it that I had missed.

Yes, the war is waging on, there are moments of military campaigns that are well played out here that Pierce describes in breathtaking prose. Yet it’s the human moments, interludes with characters, glimpses of their hearts and souls that make Lighbringer sing.

As Pierce does so damn well, there’s a knife twist at the end that sets the series hurtling toward its conclusion. This book reminded me why I loved this world, these characters, and that bloodydamn Pierce Brown in the first place.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this early copy of the book.