I had to give this a second reading to make sure I wasn’t being biased or quick to judge with my 5 star review. Golden Sun was a clear improvement, and then Morning Star was an even bigger improvement, providing an absolutely fantastic conclusion to the trilogy. Although I have unbridled fondness for the series, I am not afraid to admit my favorite book in the entire series prior to the existence of Light Bringer has always been one of the books in the first Red Rising trilogy. I always cared more for the the interpersonal relationships of characters and the philosophical themes of these books than any big fighting scenes or fast paced action (the reason Golden Son is actually my least favourite in the series).

In Iron Gold and Dark Age, Darrow is mostly separated from the main characters from the first trilogy. And like me, you will laugh, you will cheer, you will gasp, you will stress eat, and you will probably cry.Anyway i feel if the whole show had to be laid at anyones feet im glad it was TGR cus he is a marvel. They were established and reflected, and they exponentially enhanced the emotional value I have with the series. There were some shocking moments, twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, and lots of good ol’ Pierce Brown action scenes with the high stakes and blistering pace that I’ve come to love. Without him, I don't know if I ever even finish the first book, and now this series is among my favorite of all time. The next may bring ruin, the next joy, but these stones are not your destination, they are but your journey to the path’s end.

I see alot of comments already complaining about TGR taking over the whole production instead of having different voice actors for each POV like the last 2 books. So even though Light Bringer is not as grandiose and emotionally exhausting as Dark Age, this book was worth the wait!their just too gd believable and puts humanity and all its flaws under a microscope for all of us to bare witness to.

So begins Darrow’s long voyage home, an interplanetary adventure where old friends will reunite, new alliances will be forged, and rivals will clash on the battlefield.Pierce went overboard in DA and introduced a myriad of new, compelling events that he couldn’t bring himself to juggle with in the sequel. I appreciate TGR, and it hurts me to leave a negative review, but the quality of this production is so far removed from what I came to expect from this series. That’s how Earth and its multitude of nations strangled itself… The purpose of war must be to find the road back to peace.