So wonderful. I really enjoyed this next installment of the red rising saga. Aside from the crazy.stressful events toy come to care for these characters and their well beings. Cannot wait for Red God.

“You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” -Harvey Dent, Batman: The Dark Knight.

Man, a lot happens in this one. I thought of that quote from TDK when I was probably about halfway through the book. Darrow's transgressions on his way to saving the planets and people are being aired out in Light Bringer. I like what was done with Sevro, Darrow, and Cassius this time. Honestly, my favorite thing about LB was Casssius and Darrow's relationship. In previous books I liked how Sevro and Darrow were connected, but Cassius was my top character for this one. At one point, I thought Lysander would be redeemed, or maybe a little more likeable by the end of the book. Man, was I wrong. He also made me think of Draco Malfoy. Yet, I had some respect for Draco by the time HP ended. LP was a nice setup for the ending in Red God. By the end of the book, I felt how I did when certain characters died in Game of Thrones.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Brutal, epic, genius...the next book is going to be a bloodbath. It really makes me want to re-read the entire series....which someday I will.

Light Bringer combines Brown’s trademark character work and action sequences with the grimness of Dark Age, and the hopefulness of the original trilogy, to create a truly unique entry in the Red Rising Saga. I cannot wait for book 7, Red God!

Thank you so much to Del Rey Books and Penguin Random House for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll say this from the get go to set expectations. Light Bringer was not my least favorite nor my favorite book of the Red Rising Saga. Out of the 6 current books it sits at #4 behind Golden Son, Dark Age, and Morning Star, but ahead of Red Rising and Iron Gold. To put that into further perspective, I have never ranked a Red Rising book below 9/10. So it is no insult to say that Light Bringer is my 4th favorite of the series. They are all basically amazing. Anyway, on to the actual review.

Light Bringer has its grim moments, but it is not the despair filled, no getting off train ride on the way to hell that Dark Age was. In this entry, it felt like Brown got back to his roots from the original trilogy. For every grim moment there was a hopeful one. For every dark thing that happened there was always a little light. The themes and values of true friendship, loyalty, and love came through in a big way.

However, those of us who have read through Dark Age know that some of the relationships that we’ve come to love so much are in dire straits, potentially broken forever. I was really happy to see that the few relationships that are focused on in Light Bringer are written in such a way that feels true to the characters involved and also to the trauma of what they’ve been through, whatever the outcome. There is also a new friendship formed that I really enjoyed. How the author writes his characters is one of my favorite things about this series and that didn’t change in Lightbringer. Some of the very best moments were intimate, emotional scenes between characters with deeply meaningful relationships. That is where I will stop with that discussion though because I can’t say more without spoilers.

A large part of how I rate a book depends on if the author was able to get an emotional reaction out of me. If a book is able to accomplish that, unless they do something else that is just really not my thing, I will typically really like or love it. That being said, Light Bringer made me cry once and tear up at least once if not more. Not heaving sobs, but tears none the less. Part of that I’m sure is the love I already have for this series and especially the characters, but an even bigger part is that Brown continues to write scenes with such raw emotion.

These scenes are so relatable because it makes these giants of war and destruction feel so utterly human. They feel the same things we do. They struggle with the same demons, albeit often on a bigger scale than most of us will experience. Light Bringer made me run the gamut of emotions from rage all the way to joy and back again. I was so happy with that.

Overall, the plot itself was very satisfying. 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. There were four places that the majority of the plot took place with four very separate, but intertwining threads.Each part of the story was important and sets up the concluding book of the series beautifully while telling its own engaging story.

However, the one criticism I have for Light Bringer is that there was a major plot thread that wove itself throughout Iron Gold and Dark Age that felt like it was almost dropped. It is mentioned briefly here and there both to update us on what the current situation is and to talk about the ramifications it had on the characters that were involved. However, with how big of a reveal it was in Dark Age I expected it to be addressed more in this installment.

Mustang got more POV time! Virginia got the screen time that she deserved in this one and I was so here for it. Her character has always been a compelling part of the series so to see a major piece of this story through her eyes was so satisfying.

One thing that I found in both Iron Gold and Dark Age was that I didn’t love Lyria’s POV. It was more interesting in Dark Age than in Iron Gold, but there was still something missing. Brown found his stride with Lyria’s POV in Light Bringer in large part due to her having a more interesting part of the story to tell. In the previous two books, Lyria’s POV almost always felt kind of like a side quest. However, in Light Bringer Lyria is finally brought to the forefront of one part of the overarching conflict and I loved that.

I can’t say too much about Lysander because of spoilers. What I will say is that Brown writes him magnificently and he is one of those characters that elicits a lot of emotion out of me. Whether those emotions are positive or negative you will have to read the book to find out.

Darrow was Darrow, as usual. What more can I say that I haven’t said before? Darrow is incredibly compelling in both character and plot. He is the character through which you see about one third of this story and whose presence keeps the wheels of this story turning. He is not everything, but he is a significant portion of why this story works so well. His growth as a character throughout this series, and especially throughout this second part of the Saga, is nothing short of masterful. Sevro has always been my favorite character from this series with Darrow right behind him. However, depending on how Red God goes Darrow may overtake Sevro and several others in my top characters of all time. We’ll just have to wait and see.

The first half of this book had me questioning if I was going to finish it—something that never happened for me with a Red Rising book. I’m glad I stuck with it, though. The second was everything you’d expect from Pierce Brown. Fast-paced, introspective, and political twists and turns that I didn’t see coming.

I didn’t enjoy the spread out-ness of the cast that readers of the series have grown to love. I want the characters that I’ve cared about for five books to be together.

I can’t and won’t forgive Brown for killing a character that I love. I won’t say who and I saw it coming, but I’m still displeased. A good arc for that character, though.

Light Bringer is a 4/5 for me. I recommend Red Rising as a series to everyone that enjoys sci-fi, but this one will come with a caveat that it’s a very slow first half. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review Pierce Brown’s latest in the Red Rising series. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wow, where do I begin? I’m a Howler from way back to the first Red Rising book and have converted many to the Church of Darrow. However, a tiny confession, I almost gave up during the last book, Dark Age. It was exceedingly brutal, one scene in particular was too much. Just, too much. I still made my way through it for many moments of great storytelling between the brutal moments, even gave it a four star review. All this to say,for the first time I was really apprehensive about starting this book.
However, Pierce Brown gave me back the story and the characters that I loved in Lightbringer. This book felt a lot like his earlier work in all the best possible ways. That made it feel personal to me. The multiple POV’s had a flow to the way he set them up here. There was a heart to it that I had missed.
Yes, the war is waging on, there are moments of military campaigns that are well played out here that Pierce describes in breathtaking prose. Yet it’s the human moments, interludes with characters, glimpses of their hearts and souls that make Lighbringer sing.
As Pierce does so damn well, there’s a knife twist at the end that sets the series hurtling toward its conclusion. This book reminded me why I loved this world, these characters, and that bloodydamn Pierce Brown in the first place.
**⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️**
**Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this early copy of the book.**

A great addition to the Red Rising Saga. Pierce Brown truly captured the heart of the series in this book by bringing back so much of the magic of the original trilogy, but maintaining the growth and depth he’s added to Darrow and the world with the last two books. Not only that, Brown manages to perfectly flow between POVs, with each POV character maintaining their own unique voice, thought process, and reactions. These POV shifts allow us to see the characters both as they see themselves and as how others see them, and Pierce Brown truly knows how to do that with grace.

The entire time I was at the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. As always, Pierce Brown manages to foreshadow plot twists and weave in hidden details yet still leave me in total shock with the events that occur, both that I could and could not predict!

This penultimate book makes me both incredibly excited and very nervous for the sake of these characters I love so very much.

This review is going to assume you’ve read through the end of *Morning Star* (as that point represents a major paradigm shift). Be forewarned. Even though I’m going to avoid specific spoilers past that point, I’m writing this review for people who have read through *Dark Age* and want a sense of what to expect.

This book was good in the way that Brown is always good. It’s got the action and excitement you would expect, and the twists and turns you don’t (but also do, because they’re always there). So for those who are hungry for more Red Rising stories, don’t worry. You’ll get it.

Honestly, and this is my biggest critique of the book, you’ll get too much. I think this should have been two books. Or maybe the first third should have been tacked on to the end of *Dark Age*? I don’t know. The series is undoubtedly suffering from bloat, and is pretty much at the point where it should be treated as one big thing. Hardly a unique problem among big fantasy/sci-fi series.

This is, somewhat ironically, a consequence of something Brown has done very well in the post-*Morning Star* portion of the series. The first three books were very tightly plotted, with the climax being exactly what it had been building towards: the death of the Sovereign and the toppling of the Society. Post-*Morning Star*, it’s been the explosion of chaos from the fallout of a centuries-old empire. Things certainly seem to be pointing towards a final climax, but I’m not going to make assumptions there because we’ve been here before.

Character-wise, we spend most of our time in Darrow’s head. Lysander is #2, and Lyria and Virginia come in more or less tied for #3.

To give a mood spoiler: this book is *bleak*. *Iron Gold* and *Dark Age* were also plenty bleak, so it wasn’t exactly unexpected, but this still was painful to read.

And one last point that I want to mention. Years ago, someone asked Willem DeFoe about how he was so talented at playing villains. To paraphrase, he said that he never played them *as* villains, because no one is a villain to themselves. Everyone thinks they’re righteous. That idea was on my mind quite a lot as I read this.

Looking forward to #7, but also dreading it, because I expect the butcher’s bill to be pretty high when we get there.

Years ago, I kept hearing about the Red Rising series. It was nothing that I typically read, however, so I only picked it up when I was between book releases. I’m so very glad that I did give it a try, because it’s now one of my all time favorite series.
There is so much that Brown does right with this series, and so I’ll just touch on a few points of appreciation. By following those young characters into adulthood and the new world they managed to form in the first trilogy, we have a rare chance to explore the reality of the epic endings.

Here, we’re going to see how Darrow and Virginia have managed to actually lead this new government and society. We’re seeing that idealistic visions fail in the face of real struggles, different people, and new issues. And we see how those heroic young characters have grown into new versions. A little more weary but also now they have new focuses with lives lived and families. New responsibilities will now shape their decisions. There’s still the wider, humanistic views and concerns, but we’re now going to face them with people who have grown up and have known responsibility both mundane and grand, who now know exactly how one solution will never fit every problem.

Pierce Brown is a brave writer, and from the start, he’s made it clear that these books are not going to be easy. Characters will die quickly, ignobly. There are multiple “Red Weddings” in this series, and those don’t stop. None of these deaths feel gimmicky, though. That’s the talent that Brown has in his plotting. I have read plenty of books where certain clues will make me roll my eyes and predict the death or unlikely salvation, and that’s not the case with Brown’s writing. Each death is an ache, but also it’s understandable.

For all that, there’s always a feeling of deep hope at the end of these books. Even in dire situations, the characters have personal reflections that carry the reader beyond the action and into the reasoning and feeling of the people involved. We see wide swings between despair and sentimental hope, and they’re always realistic. Because no character maintains perfect morality, I feel like they are even more worthy of respect.

There are enough ties between these recent books and the initial trilogy to keep readers on a binge read all the way through the series. New characters introduced hit hard and become new favorites. Long-term friendships and enemies will keep the reader ready and eager to see the next interaction between them. And that wait can be excruciating, because Pierce Brown has decided to play within the entire solar system, and he does this well. Long absences are paced wonderfully, and events are communicated in ways that makes your heart ache. When Servo finally learns what happened to the child he never even got to meet, you’ll ache for him. When Darrow is seeking Servo for a long awaited reunion, you will be on the edge of your seat, wishing they’d move quicker.

The only complaint I have right now is that there will be another wait for the next book to be released. If you have not yet read these books, I highly recommend starting the series.

I got back on Netgalley for the first time in 6 years with the sole goal and purpose to try to get ahold of the Lightbringer ARC, and I absolutely squealed when I got it. The Red Rising Saga has been the best series I’ve read in years, and after the way Dark Age ended, I couldn’t wait to start Lightbringer.

I’ll do my best to summarize my thoughts without spoiling Lightbringer.

This book is amazing, because it brings the heart of Darrow back. One of the hardest parts for me about reading Iron Gold and Dark Age was not liking who he had become, and just wanting to see the same Red heart we grew to love in the first 3 books. This book does that and more (I’m looking at you, Darrow & Cassius!)

It’s only slightly shorter than Dark Age, at a hefty 682 pages, but it flows so much faster. Most everything I thought was going to happen in this book didn’t, except for one looming huge thing that did, in fact, happen. (No, I’m not ready to talk about the ending 😭)

My husband introduced me to the series, but didn’t get an ARC, so I’ve been having to read and feel all the things without anyone to talk to about it. This is the first book in the series that’s made me properly cry. The ending, man. Pierce Brown and his plot twists always get me.

I can’t wait for Red God. I love Brown because he knows how to weave a bloodydamn good story and world with great character development, and a well written sci-fi will get to me every time. Go get this book!

*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

An absolute masterpiece. I'm elated. I'm broken. I'm satisfied. And I'm longing for more. Hurry up and give me Red God, Pierce. I need it. -DW

To be terribly honest, I didn’t read Pierce’s latest title. I’m not a masochist. Once I read the first, Red Rising, I knew I had to wait until all were released to move onto the next. That’s exactly what I’m doing. It seemed cruel to my brain to have to wait between the long release of each title. I’m waiting, and look forward to binge reading once the last book to this series is released. I pulled this title from Net Galley for one of my greatest friends and truest loves. He read and reviewed it for me. He also mentioned how Pierce has an ability to write a good fight scene and how you can absolutely despise and love his characters. How they all have flaws. How nobody is perfect in his books. And how they all screw up.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for being kind enough to approve an ARC for me, and even more thank yous from my friend who totally used me to get the ARC. You’ll likely never read this but you’re welcome, you wet noodle.

with the pace of golden son and the emotional depth of dark age, light bringer makes a worthy contender of being the best book in the red rising saga. it’s devastatingly perfect!

Lightbringer is book 3 in the sequel series for Red Rising series and unless Red God is a total disaster, this book cements that I enjoy the sequel series more than the original trilogy. The character work done by Pierce Brown continues to shine in this series, there are characters you love to hate and hate to love.

Lightbringer deals with the ramifications of Dark Age(which still happens to be the most bleak fantasy book I have read) so you would think it would be all pixies and unicorns. That is not the case.... for the most part. This story is mostly through Darrow's perspective except for one part which I would say may be the most epic fight in scale for the series. Brown does an outstanding job yet again giving you a sense of hope and of course tragedy. There's one part in the book that had me feeling both at the same time, Pierce is an excellent writer when it comes to human emotions.

I would slot this book right Dark Age as my favorite Red Rising book but I would say it's almost 1a and 1b. This may not be the most detailed review, but if you loved IG and DA, there is no reason to stop with Lightbringer.

Thank you Netgalley for providing a review copy.

Huge thanks to Random House World for the advanced reader copy of Light Bringer. This is a spoiler-free review.

This dad read Light Bringer by Pierce Brown, the next installment in the Red Rising saga. It’s been 4 long years since the publication of Dark Age and howlers the world over have been eagerly awaiting spending more time with Darrow, Virginia, Lyria and, yes, even Lysander. In short, Light Bringer is a triumph; Brown has crafted my new favorite Red Rising novel. It has the plot twists and turns that make all of Brown’s novels impossible to put down, but injects so much heart and humanity that I was left in tears multiple times.

I’ll keep this review relatively light on plot details as the thrill of not knowing what will happen next is half the fun of these books. I will say that there’s a slight time jump but the events of Light Bringer pick up basically where Dark Age left off. Lysander still has his sights set on Mars and is figuring out how to make his political and physical relationship with Atalantia work to his benefit. Virginia and Victra, having been reunited with their children, are working together to best determine how to support their husbands, who still have not returned home. And speaking of Darrow and Sevro, they’ve added another to their ranks, their savior from Mercury, Cassius, but there are old wounds that need healing so it’s anything but smooth sailing. Plus our parasite-brained Lyria is still in the mix and must make some life-altering decisions about her place in the galaxy. Taking more of a central role in Light Bringer is Diomedes au Raa, who becomes a central player in the battle between the Core and the Rim, but you’ll have to read the book to find out just where his true loyalties lie. Where and how all of Light Bringer’s plot lines intersect and ultimately land is one of the thrilling aspects of the novel, and one that I’ll lead readers experience for themselves.

I’d like to keep this review centered on the beautifully written and relatable character journeys and relationships that have shot Light Bringer to the top of my favorite Red Rising novels list. Pierce Brown definitely has a knack for writing space battles and intricately shocking plotlines, but it’s his character work that keeps me most engaged. From the very first novel, Darrow has always been a relatable protagonist: from his scrappy upbringing to his central role in the uprising, he’s never been perfect but that’s why he’s so loved. In Light Bringer, Darrow’s basically an old man (though he’s not even reached 40) but he’s lived, and he’s come to realize just what he’s living for. He’s been driven by his mission to unite the colors but has finally realized that maybe what’s most important is just living a life of peace with his wife and son. This was what drove a wedge between him and his best friend Sevro in Dark Age but the Darrow of Light Bringer has a purer motivation, one driven by his heart instead of his brain. It’s this drive that brought me to tears numerous times, especially when it comes to his relationships with Cassius and Sevro. These three are the heart of this novel and you’d truly have to be dead inside to not be affected by the journey they go on. There are other character journeys that will similarly rip your heart out (for numerous reasons) from the familiar (Virginia/Victra) to the new (Aurae, a Pink, and aforementioned Diomedes, a standout).

Brown has done a stellar job of balancing the numerous characters and storylines, there’s definitely never a dull moment. I will say that there are a few characters I wish we get to spend more time with, but I have a feeling they’ll be more present in the next novel. At a certain point, Light Bringer becomes centric to one of the storylines, and I can’t even fault Brown as it’s so utterly compelling that almost nothing else matters. I will say (no spoilers) that I am now chomping at the bit to see where things go from here, so let the rabid fan theories commence to see just how things end when the Red Rising saga concludes with Red God in 2024.

Pierce Brown has topped himself once again; Light Bringer, true to its name, proves that after darkness comes the dawn and it’s a thing of beauty. I give it 🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢/5 – highly recommend!

Myth: 5/5

I love these books, and Light Bringer didn’t disappoint. It ripped my heart out, sure, but it did not disappoint! Meticulously plotted battles, with perspectives on both sides, leave you wondering if you’re a monster yourself.

The bro-mances in this book are just as strong as they’ve been throughout. They face the heights of victory, the depths of despair in their continued journey to bring a better future to the Republic.

Magic: NA

Overall: 5/5

I feel like even the parts of the book where I was saying to myself, “Why does this matter,” master planner Pierce Brown proved to me by the end why we did, in fact, need that little gem. My heart breaks continuously for Darrow on his journey, but I can’t wait to see how this concludes.

Pierce Brown continues to execute intricate plots that keep you on your toes. It’s a massive fast paced ride that never drops the ball. The world building continues to expand and the twists are just as sharp as in Dark Age with even higher stakes. The characters we’ve grown to love continue to evolve and make impossible decisions. This book feels less dark than it’s predecessor but more gritty. Pierce’s eloquent dialogue and masterful battle tactics keep the reader in suspense and eager for information via the different view points. It’s a perfect setup for the final book.

Light Bringer is the best installment of second red rising saga thus far. Pierce's space battles are so vivid I often sit and wonder how he does it. I recommend this series to just about any sci-fi fan, and all my apprehensions about where the story would go after Dark Age have disappeared. Well worth the wait.

‘“I think on the stupidity of war. How ridiculous we must be to wage it when emotions like love run so much deeper in us than hate.”

“We were all just lonely and in search of a pack.”

5/5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Happy Light Bringer eve!!!!

Let me start off by saying how much I enjoyed this book. I’ve been enjoying this series so much.

The first few bits of this book were a little tough to get through as it was still building some story & relationships, but once it got started I couldn’t stop.

I’m going to limit a lot of this review because of how Dark Age left off and I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone at all. But please read this immediately. It’s a beautiful bridge between Dark Age & what will be Red God.

The character arcs in this book are pleasant. The twists hit different than any other book & definitely harder.

Pierce writes just so eloquently and knows how to write an extremely solid plot; he also sticks to the plot which I can definitely appreciate as a reader.

This book has what all the RR series has…ME IN TEARS!!! The ending was so beautiful and so rough. I am already dreading my wait to Red God.

Hail Libertas.
Hail Reaper.“

Posted already on Goodreads, will be posting on instagram (@bradiesbookshelf) asap!

I have loved this series since Red Rising first came out in 2014, so this was a book I was highly anticipating.

Like the previous installments, I came to Light Bringer with an expectation of where I thought the book would go, the paths he means to tread. However, Pierce Brown is the master of the plot twist and yet again managed to surprise me. I've been wrong on my predictions for each book, but it is never less of a delight, and Light Bringer definitely had a new freshness of creativity and imagination.

In Light Bringer, the world continues to evolve and expand. Brown has fun building his world- there's a lot that's flashy, yet it feels gritty and real enough to make me think about it long after I finished. The heart of the books has always been with the characters, and in Light Bringer that's more true than ever.

A worthy continuation of an excellent series. Thank you to Del Rey and Net Galley for the advanced copy.

I recieved a DRC from Netgalley and an ARC from a local bookstore in exchange for an honest review.

When Brown announced the final book in this series was going to be split into two, I worried a bit that this would read a little slow as it sets up the finale.

I needn't have worried. Light Bringer moves at breakneck speed and at almost 700 pages doesn't feel nearly that long. Honestly if Brown was like, "Hey guys I'm gonna need four more books" I would just scream "THANK YOU, SIR!" and throw my money at him.

He's so gorydamn good at what he does.

Brown is a MASTER at maneuvering his characters through complex battles and war machinations without it ever seeming boring or ridiculous. His plot can turn on a dime and yet make perfect sense, and his narration and dialogue is so freaking good that I go back and re-read more than any other books I've ever read.

He's also a master at ripping out his reader's hearts (and yet we just wipe our tears and ask for more). This is by far his best work since the original trilogy...and might actually be my favorite.

I'm emotionally spent and ready to be hurt again.