Joint Discussion: Golden Son - Pierce Brown

This month Carole and I will be discussing "Golden Son" by Pierce Brown

Author: Pierce Brown

Title: Golden Son (Red Rising #2)

Genre: Sci-FI, Fantasy, & YA

Pages: ebook

First Published: January 6th 2015

Where I Got It: My shelf (Bought on Amazon)

Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded among the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down Society from within.

A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart.

B: I am thinking of this book, and he will totally die at the end of book 3 wont he? Ok let’s start then ;)

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C: LOL oh I bet he will in the third. Where shall we start? Maybe the beginning? What did you think?

B: was bored, again! I am sorry, but Brown is not good at beginnings. He does not make me want to read on, but at the same time there is something pulling me to read more, he just does not make it easy. So I read and skimmed a bit, but then at 200ish..again! I started to focus and really liked it.

C: Honestly, I think he tries to hard to have the beginning be gripping and it fails. I was not hooked until the last 50 pages. The whole book went like a blur for me. I….I….just couldn’t care about the characters or what was happening until near the end.

B: OH so this one was much worse for you then! I did like it...after page 200. But then they really started killing each other then, and for some reason he brings out the bloodthirsty monster in me and I am all kill kill kill!!!!!

C: Those were certainly the most entertaining parts! I feel this series does bring out the inner Golds in all of us. ;) I was wondering and hoping for the next battle and fight. Those moments were fun. The storyline and character-building were total mehs for me. I did not care. I just wanted the fun parts!

B: Lol, well the bloody parts are fun :D He is good at that. And…*thinking* eeeeeh, well he is good at that! Hmmm, I really do not care about a lot of other things when I think about it. He makes me a Gold like you say. All for the blood and gore. Those goorydamn Golds are insane. I mean honestly, fucking insane.

C: 0_0 The Golds scare me! They are insane! I do wonder though….how in the hell is this considered a YA????????!!!!!!! SO MUCH GORE AND LANGUAGE! Holy cow.

B: I was thinking the same. First, I mean he is older now. And his age compared to us, he has killed so many so he is not really 20, he feels like 30. I am babbling. Anyway then there is the blood and gore. Sure it is not that explicit, but it also never feels like YA. At least there was not any rapes in this one. I can not get over the rapes in the previous ones. If I have to compare anything to NA (which I still do not get), I’d make this that.

C: No rapes, but a love triangle of sorts. Which was silly and unnecessary to the plot. In real life, Darrow would not be forming any love attachments especially to the gal who is the daughter of the dude that issued the execution of his wife. Makes no sense to me. Silly and not realistic.

B: I would not call it a love triangle. She f’s someone for the sake of her house. She does not love him, he does not love her. BUT, yes I do not get how he likes her, her father killed his wife! But then again, he did not know that when he fell for her. I also feel like the Mustang in the book is gone, the glorious warrior, the one in this book is rather lame. Oh oh! When he dies in book 3, and he totally will, she will take the power and blah blah blah

C: She prolly will. IDK. It just all seemed silly any hint at any romance or crushes. Darrow...you are there to CRUSH the Golds. Gah. But yes...that ending was good. Had me slightly interested in moving forward just to see how he gets out of it.

B: God I know! I will be totally bored, but I HAVE to read the next one. I want to start it at once, cos it was so daaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn good. I was all eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!! Best thing about the book really.

C: LOL so you don’t wanna wait til next month and read this and discuss it? Hehehehe. I’m on the fence on moving forward. I may just to say I did.

B: It depends...what do you think? I can wait. I can brace myself since I know that the first part will bore me, and that I will get mad when he dies...I can so not get over that. Why am I so convinced he will die? I think it was because of secrets spilled.

C: We can totally read it together. I will if you will. ;) With stories like these the hero normally dies and those who he “changed” will take charge and make this a perfect world. Normally how it goes. I’d be damned surprised if he makes it out alive. Maybe we shall be surprised and the beginning will be the best part. LOLLLLL

B: Yes! And the ending will suck when he dies. There is just not a future here for him, he is a conqueror, he will die when his work is done and I will be so damn mad and hate the author forever. You do not kill the main character at the end! Arghh, I already hate him just thinking about it.

But ok, it’s a date. I did have something else to say, I must think about it...you say something …

C: Mhmmmmm. I just hope the next one is better than this. The first was good, but this is not. I am hoping the next one will make reading this one worth it. IDK - I really so no other way to make it possible for Darrow to live. I’m neutral if he lives or dies just as long as the Gold regime is ended. GADS I hate the Golds! They are blood thirsty monsters. Especially the main baddie - the Jackal or whatever he calls himself. Loony.

B: I think this one overall was better, since the beginning was not as boring as book 1. That beginning made me want to DNF it. So for that this one was better. And I remembered what to say! I think my main concern with these books is Darrow, I like the guy. But I do not believe his transformation. He was not a rebel, a warrior, a god in disguise when he was a slave. I just felt like he should have shown more of that character already back then. He went from a nobody that would have died in the mud to a conqueror...eh, I can not believe that. But still, I like him.

C: He’s okay. But like you I believe the transformation is unbelievable. It should have taken him YEARS to be prepared for that world.

B: This should have been an adult book. He could have begun his journey at 16 like here, but he would have been with the Sons for years preparing and then going to the Academy in his 20s.

C: I believe you have to be a certain age to join the Academy, but they could have easily lied about his age or something. He needed more time for me to believe it. Oh well - I guess the author wasn’t thinking too technically on this aspect….he just wanted to get the guy running. LOL

B: This is the fantasy version in my mind, and in my mind they do not send out kids to rape each other. Instead they send out 20 year olds, they can kill each other. They might be better mentally prepared and not so vicious ;)

C: Oh for sure, but the Golds are mental….I’m surprised they didn’t send them out there at the age of 10 with guns and shit.

B: True...I think that would actually have fit the book better. Send out the kids in their tweens to kill each other and the survivors can go forth. I mean they are all insane so why not.

C: Honestly, there wouldn’t have been rape! They are 10-12...so they are old enough to “survive” and kill. LOL speaking of the insanity of the Golds…..if you were forced to pick a color, which one would you pick? I feel this book gave more back story on the other colors.

B: I must say that 10-12 would be better, at that age I was a head taller than the boys so the girl would have fared better. It is not fare sending them out at 16, that is a disaster in the making. I still do not get why not all the girls just assassinate them afterwards.

I would, hmm, Pixie. Just be lazy but still Gold cos Golds to rule and in this world I want to rule. All others are treated like crap.

Oh and I liked the Obsidian backstory.

C: Oh yes! It would make it way more fair….16 the boys at top of their physical strength and I hate to say they are going to be stronger than 90% of the girls. I wasn’t taller than any of the boys at 10 (I’ve always been a short one), but I could take care of myself, but at 16? No way!

I was leaning towards the Pinks, buuuut I read that they kidnap the kids and rape them and make them a Pink. No way for that house. I am leaning toward Pixie myself.

B: Told you, do not want to belong to the Whore Cast. Pixie it is. This world is insane and needs to BURN! At 16 I was still taller than most, but at the same time, not fair.

C: Not fair at all….so anything else to add?

B: Nope, not really. We will continue with this effed up world :)

C: Huzzah! Can’t wait for Darrow and his pals to burn this world!

B: Burn baby burn!

C: LOL the end?

B:The end.