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darrowsrising · 5 years

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Dark Age final thoughts, by yours truly! Spoilers ahead, blacklist the tag.

One thing you learn about talking about books on the internet is that if you can't take criticism of your own criticism - someone disagrees with a critique of yours - you should check your panties for uncomfortable bunches.

You can state your opinions without getting offended if someone disagrees with them (of course they should do that in a respectful manner). If you didn't want anyone discussing what you say, then pardon me, I had this ridiculous thought that we can have a conversation around our separate opinions.

I never aim to change one's opinion. I only want to present things how I see them. Because I always agree to disagree, as books are subjective. Our interpretation of them even more so.

Please, fellow Howlers, take this post of mine and if you disagree with what I say here, tell me so and add your own thoughts.

I don't have rose-coloured glasses when it comes to Red Rising, despite the what I look like. I do have rose eyes when it comes to Darrow and I ain't sorry. But it's always the good parts that interest me more than its bad parts. That's why I don't talk about them much. Why wouldn't I do that? I am here for a great time, not for Pixie time.

Now, to delve as I should in this abyss of my mind, here are my final Dark Age thoughts:

I love this book and I'd give it 5/5.

There were some plot points that kinda felt wierd to me. Like the fact that Atlas and Atalantia have way more claws embedded into the Republic than I thought possible. Some things are too much like the Obsidian Gorgon.

Yet, 99.99% procent of it was amazing.

I loved Mustang's pov the most, it delievered exactly what I wanted and more.

Darrow is on equal footing, even if his plot was heart-breaking.

Lyria was gorgeous and I loved her plot the mostn to be honest. It had everything.

Ephraim found his guts and stopped wallowing and it was glorious! I was wary of his redemption, but in the end, it was indeed glorious. Tragic, but he was built that way. I never expected otherwise.

Lysander was hard to endure. Very hard. There is no redemption for him. Too many of such arcs can be annoying, although Pierce Brown always deliever.

I knew Cassius wouldn't die like that. When he looked at Lysander, I had the same feeling as when Sevro called Lilath an 'untidy abortion'. Which was glorious. Of course, he wouldn't even think that, but he surely has some regrets that he let Lysander become this.

Pax and Electra are amazing and sweet. And feral. I am so happy that we got more of them. They are exactly what I love part mother, part father, 100% their own bloodydamn selves.

Victra was a goddess and I love her so very much. The writing is so amazing when it comes to Victra. I felt how genuine she is and how out there. It was beautiful to read. So beaitiful.

Lyria, Volga and Victra are amazing and it was amazing to read of them. Now I want more.

The girl action in this book was exactly what I needed.

Also loved Virginia with Holiday and Theodora.

I am devastated still from the death of some of my faves and my new faves.

Ephraim was always annoying to me, but after Pax and the Obsidians kick sense into him, I do come to appreciate his style. Thank Reaper he stopped with those us vs. them, I disliked those the most.

Volga is the most precious feral baby ever and if something happens to her, I don't care, we riot.

Luckly, Adrius 2 doesn't know how to erase memories yet. So here's hoping Cassius, Darrow, Screwface and Thraxa rescue them on their way to Mars.

Atlas au Raa is really overpowered imo. I dislike his comparation with Vlad the Impaler, it is ill-fitting.

Diomedes is on Earth. The Minotar is joining the fray.

Lysander got the Minotar to protect himself against Atalantia&co. And to help him bring them down, I suppose. But Apollonius is a lot like Tactus. Darrow is just worth following. I'd rather have Apollonius fight with Darrow than Lysander getting something else than life in Deepgrave (or something similar). He might want to be the Apex Predator and steal Darrow's thunder, but Darrow is the only one who beat him multiple times. Apple is unpredictable. I wouldn't count on him fighting for Lysander for long, he is no lap dog.

Holiday should kill Flavinius, that would be a sight to see.

Ragnar's father or not, that Gorgon is going down.

Lyria's parasite is interesting, but I'm dying to know what the fuck it is. Pax, you're as sly as your father and intelligent as your mother, but damn if my waiting like 2 years to find out about Figment doesn't frustrate me.

Atalantia and Lilath should die terribly.

Daxo, Sefi, Alexandar, Ephraim and Ulysses' deaths were the hardest on me. I can't re-read this book.

The violence I didn't mind in the least, I am used to it, I read A Song of Ice and Fire and Broken Empire and I'm used to it. Even if it happens to characters you like and thus dousing the flame of hope in you, I don't find it unnecessary. The Red girls destroying the Red Hand, the Reds gathering to fight, Lyria causing all of that - beautiful. Even Sefi's death - the Obsidians were feared even in Morning Star that they would rampage everything. They indeed were held back only by Sefi. So her brutal death was what ignited the wildfire. A swift death would have left the Obsidians feel sorry for their queen.

Virginia being vulnerable in front of Victra and full of scars, more than even on Victra's body, was beutiful. I just want Darrow to kiss every one of them 😭 I am happy that these two are how they are. They're coming together was beautiful.

Atalantia and Atlas are 100% for taking the Rim. Lysander hasn't find out about the real Ascomanni. That might be what bites him on ythe arse at the end. Still, there is the risk that he suffers from poison, but, as Rising data shows, he poisons himself a bit at the time to withstand poison.

Kalindora believing in Lysander makes me pity her. Lysander thinks of what people do to pay back their horrible deeds and says that it is what Kalindora, Cassius and Darrow did. I pity him too...Cassius' mercy wasn't about ganing back honor.

Lysander's mum issues are almost as disgusting as the incestuous pedophile he will have to marry.

Ajax wasn't much of a threat, more like a foot soldier, because he is no man, but a little insecure boy that let's himself be a victim and a puppy. He is no Aja or Atlas. He is a little puppet with some great razor wielding skills.

I understand how Adrius' plans deceived Virginia. We are shown exactly how he is the smarter of the twins. But Virginia pulled through and I love her arcs.

I knew the Vox was corrupted and Dancer would be a puppet. Too bad he is also a victim. He didn't deserve that.

Virginia cried before the Day of the Red Doves and after she woke up on Dejah Thoris. I cried with her.

I love Mars, I love that planet so much. I love its people. Even the Minotaur is Martian. And I love Virginia's Iron Circle and the way every martian gathered to see Pride Two and the Sovereign. I love the slingBlade made of blazes in Cimmeria. I love how Mars received the Sovereign. They love her for her, not because she is Darrow's ally or wife. They love their Sovereign.

Lyria and Volga are totally it for each other.

The writing was so beautiful, I love it very much. Well, that's an understatement, but words elude me right now.

I feel that Pierce built the clonning thing well enough that the clone of the Jackal is a twist, but not impossible, so I liled that.

The Minotaur would kill Glirastes and he should.

Rhonna broke my heart.

Valdir is surely out there gathering the remains and I totally believe he would go with either Darrow or Virginia, or Volga. He'd want to deliever the heart of that Gorgon personally to Tyr Morga.

I'm afraid for Sevro, Pebble and Clown, but here's hoping, because that's all we can do.

Aurea might be Evey and I'm all for it. Someone needs to drag Diomedes from the shiteshow.

Finally, in the immortal words of Pierce Elliot Brown on HowlerPodn episode 31:

Dark Age is the best book in the series and if you don't like it, that's fine. Fuck you!

#iron gold trilogy #astrea reads dark age #dark age spoilers #dark age

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