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Dark Age (Red Rising Saga #5) by Pierce Brown.

"Brown again delivers with a riveting, gut wrenching, soul shattering novel that follows Darrow and his continued quest for peace. Even as he fights for freedom, for people to be equal, there are forces at work, evil that knows no bounds and goes far deeper than anyone could ever guess. These books are bloody damn prime and I can't wait for the next one."

5 Stars. 

Pros: Brown still knows how to surprise even after five books of a series/My sneaking suspicion was proven right to my pleasure/Every character has a part to play and everyone is important, to the most minute detail. 

Cons: The first 100 pages were just full of jargon and slang and it was REALLY difficult to get into the story/Sometimes the characters genius level IQs and ability to solve every problem gets old, but at the same time, characters don't see something that's right in front of them/Though not necessarily a con, Brown doesn't pull any punches at ALL and kills his characters off so very easily/

Full Review: 

It's been two months since Darrow confronted the Ash Lord and learned the truth. Two months since Sevro left him. Two months and Darrow is still fighting the war, now marching on Mercury where the Free Legions have been trapped by Atlantia's troops. Virginia continues to act as Sovereign but she manages to sneak a communication to him that she will come for him, that no matter what, he must endure. 

After the vicious, blood soaked battle of Mercury, the book takes off and never stops. To explain anything would be to give things away and if you haven't read any of the other books, it wouldn't make sense anyway. Suffice it to say, even after struggling through the first 100 pages, I was glad I endured, much as Darrow did. Once I got through the first part, forced myself past all the jargon and slang, the narrative exploded and I watched the fallout in awe. 

Brown proves, again and again, that he has what it takes to tell a truly epic tale. Characters you come to love are thrown aside as easily as swatting a mosquito while other characters who you didn't even really think were going to be important, end up revealing earth shattering truths. There are war games, mind games, political games, families against families and the dead coming back to life. It's enough to make even the most steadfast readers head spin. But through it all, you're fascinated, wondering what twist or turn Brown will throw at you next. 

Though I thought Morning Star a fitting end to the first three books, I realize now that those first three novels were the stories of Darrow as a boy. And I see now that Iron Gold, Dark Age and whatever book comes next are the stories of Darrow as a man. In the beginning, he broke the chains but now, he must learn that war, peace, love, life, nothing is ever easy and everything comes with a price. I have high hopes for the next book and will be hunting down news of a release date.  

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