The best-selling Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown is one of the hottest book series at the moment, and it is only getting hotter as the third and final book Morning Star comes out next week. The series has all of the right ingredients to hook you — a clever underdog, an angsty semi-forbidden romance, and a rebellion to overthrow an unjust caste system. The depth of the characters, the endless twists, and the non-stop action will keep you on board and addicted for the long haul. Do you need more convincing to start reading? Check out our top reasons why you need to check out this trilogy.

A World With Endless Layers

Red Rising begins with Darrow, the story’s protagonist, who is a Red. Reds are members of the lowest caste in society, miners who toil away on the surface of Mars to make it livable for future generations from Earth. After a horrifyingly life-changing event, Darrow learns the truth of the castes. The Golds have lived on Mars for centuries and the Reds are really slaves, working away under false pretenses.

After Darrow’s discovery, his world opens up. His mining colony is one small piece of a vast puzzle with dozens of colonized planets, an extensive caste system designed to support the superior Golds, and a whole privileged life unbeknownst to the Reds. As Darrow digs into the inner workings of this brave new world, it becomes clear that not everything is what it seems. There are layers and layers behind each surface in Pierce Brown’s universe.

The Women Are as Badass as The Men

Darrow is a strong, ruthless, man on a mission, but his strength and tenacity are often surpassed by the women in his life. From the start of the series, Darrow’s wife Eo shows her strength as she sacrifices herself to be the martyr for the rebellion. She’s the one who pushed Darrow to become the fighter that he evolves into. Mustang, Darrow’s love interest in the story, is a force to be reckoned with. Instantly, the reader is drawn to Mustang’s bold brilliance. She is strong, smart, and savvy, with several tricks up her sleeve. Mustang is a natural leader and she intimidates everyone around her- even Darrow. Even the romances are atypical. You definitely have a love story in this novel, but it’s not the center of either character’s world or story.

Forget the Romance; It’s All About the Bromance

While the romance isn’t as central, the bromance is a totally different story. As a Red, Darrow never ever expected to befriend, and above all love, a Gold. Golds are his enemies — the people who fooled his kind into slavery for their own benefit. Yet despite this, Darrow ends up befriending several Golds, some for political reasons and some who he can call his brothers for life. These friendships get tested, and those trials will even break your heart as a reader from time to time. I find myself rooting for the bromance way more than I am rooting for the romance in this story. Team Dassius and Devro forever! (I hope I won’t regret saying that after reading Morning Star.)

Not a Flat Character to Be Found



There are really no flat characters in this story. Even seemingly minor characters are ever-changing, adapting to new situations or revealing duplicitous personalities. Most complex is Darrow himself, who transforms literally and figuratively into a Gold as well as into a strong, fearless leader. He’s far from the typical hero, questioning himself, making mistakes, and even failing miserably. We the readers are privy to Darrow’s struggles through Brown’s first-person view, but those troubles are largely hidden from the other characters. All the while, we’re worried about those other complex characters around Darrow who just might stab him in the back at any moment. Which leads us to…

Nothing and No One Are What They Seem

What makes this story so dynamic is the ever-changing alliances in the power-hungry world of the Golds. In the beginning of the series, Golds are the ultimate evil who enslave the Reds. As Darrow slowly infiltrates the Gold world, he learns that not all Golds are aligned. Some even dream of changing the world. In the jockeying for power, Darrow’s enemies soon become his best friends. However, some of his best friends eventually betray him. No loyalty is sacred. All you know is that you’re rooting for some kind of justice to be achieved. One thing we can be sure about is that Pierce Brown will definitely have some shockers for us in Morning Star.

So, What Are You Waiting For?

Few books can live up to the hype, but trust us when we say that these books do. You have a week to get caught up before Morning Star is released on February 9! If you need extra convincing, watch the book trailer below:





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