Iron Gold the epic fourth book in the globally bestselling dystopian science fiction series RED RISING

Ten years have passed since the events of Morning Star—ten years of relentless war, with no peace in sight. What began as a revolution has spiraled into a full-scale solar war. Darrow is now 33 and has been away from his wife and son for over a year, fighting on Mercury, where the Peerless Scarred have finally fallen. Mercury, Luna, Earth and Mars are free, but freedom is fragile and victory has come at a devasting cost. Chaos has spread across the galaxy. Two hundred million lives have been lost. Famine, genocide, piracy, terrorism, radiation sickness, and disease run rampant in the wake of the Red Uprising, while a lack of manpower and resources makes it nearly impossible to maintain order or meet even the most basic needs. Determined to end the war, Darrow pushes for one final campaign against the Ash Lord on Venus. However, he has already disobeyed a direct order from the Senate by launching another Iron Rain, putting himself at risk of being charged with treason. With Dancer now leading the Senate and Virginia serving as Sovereign, the Republic faces a critical question: what was the revolution for, if those in power still act above the law? Iron Gold is about the struggle to preserve liberty in a fractured world, where yesterday’s heroes begin to resemble today’s villains. Can good truly prevail? Not on the back of just one man alone. It takes many people from different walks of life, with conflicting beliefs and painful pasts coming together, making sacrifices, and redefining what that dream of liberty should be. “This is not the end. I loved you before I ever met you. I will love you until the sun dies. And when it does, I will love you in the darkness.” This book was everything I expected and more and it is unreal how emotionally invested I am in this series. After the first four chapters, I genuinely considered stopping, just so Darrow and Sevro could live on peacefully in my head for the rest of my life. I’ve never been this anxious about continuing a series. The stakes are unbelievably high, and I was certain this part of the story would emotionally destroy me. Every chapter had me hoping for a bearable outcome. The tension was nearly overwhelming. Some of the events in this book are so impactful that there’s simply no coming back from them. I had to take breaks just to process everything. Compared to the previous books, this installment leans more heavily into political intrigue, plotting, and scheming rather than nonstop action. The shift to multiple POVs adds so much depth, especially by adding perspectives from those who have grown up on the receiving end of power. At first, the POV changes felt a little disruptive for me, but as the story progressed, they began complementing each other beautifully. By the end, everything clicked into place, adding layers of complexity and making the story feel much larger in scope. Sevro and Victra having four daughters made me cackle. You just know any future partners of those girls are doomed. I adore them both so much, but they might be the most terrifying future in-laws imaginable. I also really enjoyed getting more insight into the au Raa family. They’re completely unhinged in the best way, and I loved seeing Romulus again. That said, the character who truly stole the show though wasn’t one of the usual favorites and not someone I ever expected to see again. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a more fascinating blend of genius and pure psychopathy in a single character. As much as I despised him, I couldn’t help but be very much in awe of him. Can you guess who I’m talking about? Story: 5 ⭐️ Spice:

This book starts 10 years after the last one ended and follows not only Darrow but a total of four narrators. First I was a little disappointed about the split story and had a harder time getting hooked by the story. The pace was a little slow as the new characters had to be introduced. Each of them has a separate story line but they are somewhat interwoven and are equally important (I think). However, some of the narrators are at minimum morally grey and not easy to like, as they each have different moral guides and pasts that influence their perception and judgement of situations. This was at times frustrating but also made the characters really real. The storyline and conflicts just get bigger and bigger and the backstabbing and intriguing just never stops. I really love the complexity of the whole story. Will Darrows universe find a peaceful ending? I hope so, but nothing is guaranteed in this series. I will definitely continue reading!!