Book Review | Light Bringer by Pierce Brown

Light Bringer by Pierce Brown

Darrow returns as Pierce Brown’s New York Times bestselling Red Rising series continues in the thrilling sequel to Dark Age.

“The measure of a man is not the fear he sows in his enemies. It is the hope he gives his friends.”—Virginia au Augustus

The Reaper is a legend, more myth than man: the savior of worlds, the leader of the Rising, the breaker of chains.

But the Reaper is also Darrow, born of the red soil of Mars: a husband, a father, a friend.

The worlds once needed the Reaper. But now they need Darrow. Because after the dark age will come a new age: of light, of victory, of hope.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #7: At least four different POVs)
2024 Finishing the Series Challenge
2024 Audiobook Challenge
2024 Library Love Challenge

The Reason

It’s the sixth book in the Red Rising series, and I spent the last year and a half reading (and rereading) the first five books.

The Quotes

“I’m not really blessed at keeping friends. But you are. I truly respect that. I know how special your friends are to you, how protective you are of them. And it means…quite a bit to me that you’ve invited me into your pack and made me feel welcome. No…it means everything, really. Without this, without your friends, I’m very much alone.”

“Forgetting is essential to learning, just as exhaling is essential to breathing. Breathe out, then in. Find the self, then lose it once again. Thus, the path goes ever onward.”

“The point of war is not to kill your enemies, but to come to an acceptable peace while losing as few people as possible.”

“If a man cannot learn from his mistakes, then what hope is there but to kill us all at first sin?”

The Characters

There are a lot of notable characters in this series, and in this book, but I’ll focus on the ones that stand out to me and that I feel were most important to this book.

Darrow – the main protagonist, the Reaper, the leader, and the one everyone rallies around. Totally flawed character and makes a lot of mistakes and enemies, but I love him.

Sevro – Darrow’s best friend and right hand man. I love him, and I hate it when Sevro and Darrow are apart or at odds.

Cassius – I was ambivalent about him, but I’ve grown to love him in this book.

Lysander – one of the antagonists. Cassius mentored and raised him a bit, but their values don’t align.

Fa – another antagonist. Fierce and scary, but a great antagonist and such a great part of the story.

My Thoughts

I have journeyed long with the characters in this series, and I have fallen in love with so many of them. I know their stories, I know the things they went through to get where they are now. From the 4th book onward, there had been no rest, no peace for the good guys. Everything seemed to be going against them and the stakes just kept getting higher. In this book, it was more of the same. I think maybe in the first three books, everything seemed to go well for them to the point of being unrealistic maybe? But these last three books, it’s like everything kept going wrong and I felt so frustrated for them. There were some wins, and some very strong scenes in the later part of the book, and I loved them because we really needed the wins. But there is still a 7th book and we don’t have a proper resolution yet. My beloved characters are far from safe, and I am still so anxious for them. I need the 7th book, and I need them to be okay!

My Feels

This book… just kills me. My emotions are all over the place! I loved so many of the scenes, I love when the good guys emerge triumphant, I love how powerful those scenes were, and I cheered for the wins. And then there were some quiet scenes that were no less powerful. The friendships, the love, the trust, and the feeling of knowing your friends have got your back. It’s heartwarming. And it’s also heartbreaking. This series, with the last 5 books, have broken my heart over and over again, and with this 6th book, it has broken me again. I am inconsolable!

My Rating

5/5 stars. How could it be anything else?

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?