And if you're having legitimately conflicted thoughts, then maybe you shouldn't be killing anyone. I'm adapting that statement: if you're going to kill someone for the 'greater good,' you need to be decisive about it. I've said before that if you're going to be an assassin, you need to own it. Then sticks her head in the sand like a fraking ostrich after the decision is carried out:Īll together, twelve died last night, but I refuse to learn their names. And a husband, and a son, and a grandson, and maybe an uncle and a nephew, too. In the flickering candlelight, our shadows look like monsters on the walls. I remember the words and speak with them. 'We will rise,' he breathes, in unison with Tristan.

I can feel the weight of my action, the importance behind it. 'Are you with us, Mare Barrow?' he says, his hand closing over mine. Previously, when it was an issue, it was in regards to only two types of characters: those who stepped up, and those who didn't. I hadn't given much thought to why I typically crave bloodthirstiness from my heroines. BUT 'the inevitable disappointment' blah, blah, turned a statement that could have been a powerful illustration into overkill.ġ. 'Backs bent by work' was sufficient to get the point across. Our backs are bent by work and unanswered hope and the inevitable disappointment with our lot in life. The only thing that serves to distinguish, outwardly at least, is that Silvers stand tall. Sold as I was (at first), the heavy-handed descriptions and comparisons, piled on top of unnecessary flourishes, piled on top of still more comparisons. And as much as I love Red Rising and Golden Son, I would jump all over it if I thought this book was a copycat.īUT. royals with superpowers? And a heroine from amongst the downtrodden servant class? Okay, yes, that does sound kind of familiar, especially considering that said downtrodden heroine is a Red, but beyond that I didn't feel like there were many similarities.

Red queen fourth book