A review by alabaster_bones
Dark Age by Pierce Brown

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Without a doubt, the most meaningful of all 6 books in the [current] series, Dark Age reflects the build-up and cataclysm that Darrow has instilled in the audience from the beginning. Our political manifestations, yearn for blood and hate, and dire will for the protagonists' success is more apparent than a reader could hope for. 

Devastation only begins to reflect the emotional toll taken throughout the 900+ pages. Aptly named, the fifth book parallels  psychological drain and harrowing will the audience experiences, all for hope to seemingly rise and fall in a fashion that requires a put-down at times; but, for all the right reasons this installment solidifies the entire saga not of one that utilizes common genre tropes, unrealistic plot development, or over-characterized gore, but of one that lasts, embedded in your thoughts for some time to come. 

Truly, truly excellent.