(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – SPOILERS ALERT: “Golden Son,” the second book is the “Red Rising” series by Pierce Brown. “Golden Son” continues the story of Darrow and his mission to take down the Gold society and lead the Reds in a revolution.
In “Golden Son,” Darrow becomes a personal-hire soldier by the Arch Governor of Mars. Darrow is attempting to make the Golds turn against each other and start a civil war in the hopes that the Golds will end up taking down each other. He is also trying to form alliances with people from the other colors.
As Darrow continues to pretend to be a Gold, he is falling in love with Mustang, the Arch Governor’s daughter. Darrow is trying not to fall for her because he still wants to be loyal to Eo, his wife, who died at the beginning of the first book of Red Rising. Darrow wants to convince Mustang to turn away from the Golds, so she does not get taken down with them in the revolution.
I enjoyed “Golden Son” very much. I like Darrow’s inner conflict of not letting his anger at the Golds drive him to vengeance. He wants to ignore his vengeful thoughts and focus on the bigger picture and do what is right for his people and society.
The “Red Rising” series reminds me a lot of “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins.  Both series take place in the future and each of the main characters want to lead a revolution against the dominant part of their society. Darrow also wants to try to let go of his anger at the Golds for killing Eo. He wants to revolt for the good of the Red people and for society, and not for his own personal vengeance.
I enjoyed Darrow’s inner conflict between loving Eo, and loving Mustang too.  I like to think of it as a half-love triangle because Darrow loves both Eo and Mustang, but Eo’s death makes the relationship more complex, adding another layer to the plot. If you enjoyed “The Hunger Games,” or if you like stories about the future or minority groups, I think you will enjoy “Golden Son” and the Red Rising series.
Merrin Guthrie is a THRIVE intern reporting for the Muleskinner. THRIVE is a two-year program to help intellectually- or developmentally-challenged young adults build skills for transitioning from home to independence.