samtherat17's reviews
158 reviews

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The fifth book in the Red Rising series, Dark Age aptly lived up to its name, featuring some of the most dark and gruesome moments of the whole series. It felt like whenever something started to go right for our characters, it all came crashing down and went horribly wrong. While the book might be difficult to get through for some people, I had read/watched some reviews and I was prepared for it.
After taking some time to get invested into a couple of POVs in Iron Gold, I felt like they really shined in this book. Also, the addition of Virginia/Mustang's POVs was a surprise, but a welcome one as it provided a great look at the workings of the Senate and what's going on behind the scenes. A great thing about the book was that even though it was a chonker, it felt like there was never a dull moment, except maybe some of the Mercury part dragging a little bit. Not gonna lie, I felt a bit weary after finishing the book, because Pierce Brown packs SO MUCH into these 750 pages. The only complaints I had were that I felt like one plot twist came out of nowhere and felt a bit forced,

(Dancer's sexuality)

and the battle in Part 1 dragged a little bit. There was also a plot twist which just felt a bit weird to me, even by Red Rising standards.

(the Jackal's clone)

Apart from that, Dark Age was yet another solid entry into the Red Rising series, and leaves me itching to read Light Bringer, considering the point this book leaves off on.

Iron Gold by Pierce Brown

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was a great start to the Red Rising sequel books. This book was a big shift from the previous books as this time we get multiple POVs instead of just Darrow's. I personally found some of the POVs a bit difficult to get into at the start of the book, but they grew on me as I progressed further through the book. I loved how the POVs showed us the effects of the Rising throughout the solar system. This book is set 10 years after Morning Star, and it shows as there are more mature themes throughout the book, especially with Darrow's storyline. This book is also relatively slower than the first trilogy which I saw some people complain about but wasn't a problem for me, perhaps as I took a break between the first trilogy and this which didn't make the change jarring. I did have a few complaints, the POV one which I mentioned and I didn't really like the path Darrow takes in this book as a couple of his actions don't feel like something he would do. Also, I kind-of predicted a plot twist at the end. Overall, Iron Gold was not on the level of something like Morning Star, but I thoroughly enjoyed the new direction of the Red Rising series and will be continuing with the sequel books.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Absolute masterpiece. Whether you agree with Orwell's opinions or not, the use of a fable to get your point across is genius.

Rhythm of War Part Two by Brandon Sanderson

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

(reviewing the whole book)

Now, Rhythm of War is personally my least favourite Stormlight book, but it's still absolutely amazing.
The storylines of Kaladin, Shallan, Navani and Venli were so good. The mental health struggles of Kaladin and Shallan were explored so well, although I feel like Kaladin's struggles got too much at a certain point. Navani's arc in this book was at the level of any of the 'the big three'. Her studies and relationship with Raboniel was such a interesting dynamic. This was lowkey kind-of Navani's book. While I personally thought Venli's flashbacks were just okay, the end of her arc was satisfying. A certain flashback at the end hit me right in the feels. Also, the arc of Kaladin. His journey in this book and it's end...just so good. Dalinar is more of a side character in this book but I feel like it was justified after Oathbringer.
While I mostly loved this book, I felt like it had a bad slump in the middle. The pacing was just so slow and this book could have been shorter. Also, some of the science in this book was a chore to read, even though it was important. However, I feel like the Sanderlanche and ending of this book more than makes up for it.
This book also had some crazy Cosmere connections and well, the end of this book... let's just say I am eagerly awaiting Book 5.

Dawnshard by Brandon Sanderson

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Pretty good 250 page "novella". I was particularly interested in a certain area of Roshar and this book focused on it, so that's great. The characters were great as well-Rysn, Nikli and obviously the Lopen. This book definitely provides some great lore for Roshar and the wider Cosmere.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

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mysterious tense medium-paced