Morning Star

The final volume in Pierce Brown's mega popular Red Rising trilogy. This book came out February 2016; it managed to impress us.So far, this has been our favorite read of 2016, even though it's technically a science fiction book. Without a doubt, most fantasy fans will enjoy the series and the final book in the trilogy. Brown does a fantastic job tying up the series. The book's well written, the action non-stop, and the resolution fitting. One thing I've loved about this series is the deep, often profound introspective moments by the protagonist, in between bouts of non-stop action. It provides a counter to quick pacing and frenetic action that propels the story forward to the end game. The whole series has been one of motion – from the first page to the last page, the characters are moving, plotting, and acting. It's exciting from start to finish. I loved the first book in the series the most, Red Rising. Red Rising was a perfect blend of Ender's Game, Dune, and Lord of the Flies. The exiting plot and expansive world building made it one of the most exciting books I've read, ever. I'd give the first book in the series a solid 9.5 out of 10. The second book, Golden Son, was a bit disappointing. It was still good enough to read and enjoy, but the rampant use of Dues Ex Machina to save the hero, not to mention plot twists you could see a mile off, hurt the story. The protagonist continually made bad choices over and over, which did not fit in line with his character. Fortunately, the concluding book Morning Star is far better than the last book – it reads somewhat like a cross between the first and second book in plot and overall feel. Overall, Morning Star was a magnificent read from start to finish and a fitting conclusion that wraps everything up while still hinting at more to come in future books. I note that Brown is now working on a sequel trilogy that follows on the events after this trilogy ends. So for a remarkable reading experience, start on Pierce Brown's Red Rising trilogy. Morning Star is so far my favorite reading of 2016. Given that at time of writing this, it's only the first week of March 2016, so this could change in the 9 or so months before the end of 2016 -- there are a lot of good books coming out.