Morning Star by Pierce Brown

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 Stars!!

Holy Shit!! I love this trilogy; I love this book!! I once read that the problem with reading a good book is that you want to finish the book but you don’t want to finish it. Well, this is exactly how I feel. My emotions are all over the place. I’m happy, sad, and yet hopeful all at the same time. Basically, I’m a hot mess right now.

“In mine, in space, in city and sky, we have lived our lives in fear. Fear of death. Fear of pain. Today, fear only that we fail. We cannot. We stand upon the edge of darkness holding the lone torch left to man. That torch will not go out. Not while I draw breath. Not while our hearts beat in your chest. Not while our ships yet have menace in them. Let other dream Let others sing. We chosen few are the fire of our people. We are not Red, not Blue or Gold or Gray or Obsidian. We are humanity. We are the tide. And today we reclaim the live that have been stolen from us. We build the future we were promised. “

Hopefully by now you have all read Red Rising and Golden Son. Morning star is the last book in this trilogy and you must read them in order. This book concludes Darrow’s epic battle for freedom and equality against the galaxy’s oppressive colored system. The book is heavy on war and action, but there’s also soft moments of love and hope that kept me captivated. I’ve been on this long journey with Darrow. I’m invested in this story, the outcome; the battle has been long and I feel so very tired along with Darrow and his crew. The story has some definite twists and surprises. This book had me all over the place. I was happy, sad, pissed off, mourning losses, and hopeful all throughout this book. I won’t give spoilers but let’s just say that in war some of the best lives are lost. I’m still grieving for some of them.

The feel of this book broadens a bit more. Whereas Red Rising and Golden Son are very Darrow centric, Morning Star focuses more on the people around Darrow. The character development was phenomenal and I found myself loving every single one of Darrow’s friends.

Darrow continues to amaze me. He is so flawed and broken, but so very real. At times, I found myself frustrated with him.

“I am just a boy, and I shiver and cower and hide from my enemy because I know the price of failure, and I am so very afraid.”

I think I was floundering with Darrow. There are times I wanted him to be stronger, bolder, harder, but then he would show me how kindness and forgiveness heals and then I realize why Darrow is so special. His character has this amazing gift to build hope and courage.

Then there is Servo…I love him so much. From the very beginning, I was praying Pierce wouldn’t kill him off. For some reason, the little goblin burrowed a special place in my heart. I just love him and he is so crazy!! Servo implanted Darrow’s old eyes and this is what he says:
“So I asked if he’d put’em in. You know. Bring us close together. Something to remember you by. That’s not so weird right?”
Oh good lord, I just love him. He’s funny, weird, crazy, but so loyal and loves hard. I prayed for him to find love and happiness and my heart has a lot of joy when I think about Servo’s future.

This book has many moments of inspiration and thoughtful speeches. It’s a book of hope and love.

“Darrow’s wife and my father never met. But they shared a dream. One of a free world. Not built on corpses, but on hope. On the love that binds us, not the hate that divides. We have lost many. But we are not broken. We are not defeated. We fight on. But we do not fight revenge for those who have died. We fight for each other. We fight for those who live. We fight for those who don’t live yet. “

I’m not a war girl, more of a flee to Canada if I can kind of person. I’m a lover not a fighter, but damn it if that speech doesn’t inspire me to be more, to take action, to live for me. So inspirational =)

I think the story ended exactly the way it should have. It is PERFECT! There is forgiveness, friendships rebuilt, love blossoming, and a hopeful future. I’m sad the story has ended, but hopeful for their future. My heart is full and that’s the sign of a great book. Give this trilogy a chance! You will fall in love with Darrow and his friends. You will feel the injustice, the oppression his people face, and their courage to fight for humanity.

“Per aspera ad astra”

Happy Reading!!
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