I loved Golden Son. Brown did not disappoint with the 2nd book in the series. Though I really dislike YA genre books, this series isn't that YA, as Darrow never behaves like a teen and in Golden Son, he isn't even a teen anymore. 
 First up, Brown is obviously a Game of Thrones fan. His shocking plot twists, how he tends to kill off people, how many times one character or the other mutinies... it's endless. Not unpredictable for those who've read a lot of books like it, but well written and well thought out, nevertheless. 
 Second, I love the character build-up and especially the growth of Darrow. He's been Gold for two years, and has started to think like Gold more than Red. Expected, as the boy turned into a man as a Gold. He keeps his friends way far and at arms length, and I've read some criticism over that (some saying "really, man, just open up to your friends and stop being such a wuss") except talk is cheap, especially when we don't ever compare book scenarios to real life scenarios. 
 I mean, if you were in the hornet's nest in real life, I don't think you'd be telling even your hornet-bestie that you're the enemy. Especially, when even the cutest, sweetest hornet has shown you it's capable of murdering you point blank. Anyway... 
 Despite how reckless and crazy Darrow is, rushing into situations and always, always getting out of shit by shear luck or because he's surprisingly just as strong is he needs to be. But, then, we know Darrow was built slightly stronger than even Golds, and we know that he's a boy who isn't very level-headed, a boy who's been given the burden of the whole Solar System, and a boy who's so desperate he has to give it his all. 
 Kind of like Harry Potter. 
 That boy didn't what he was doing most of the time. Darrow's got some skills at least. 
 (PS: I have an HP tattoo. I adore JK. Don't be hatin'. I'm just stating reality) 
 So yeah. Moving on, Darrow was a slight *ss with Roque. I mean, it would suck if your best friend told his plans to everyone except you. Darrow could've sat Roque down and told him of his plans (not the Ares plan, but the plan he told the Golds). And still, even though Darrow thought it was his fault Roque did what he did, I don't think it is. Roque's an entitled little b*tch. He loves being Gold. He loves being above the other colors, despite his poetic crap earlier in the series. 
 One of the things that made the book feel more "real" to me was that Darrow's pride/vanity grew slightly more. You wake up looking like a Gold, you get worshiped by those who enslaved you before, it gets to your head. Still, it didn't eat him up. He didn't forget his cause. But it just made him feel more confident and unbreakable... it got him comfortable among vipers. 
 Last note is that I love how, at the right moments, Darrow always comes back to himself. He gets back to his true Red soul. He guilts himself when something bad and not within his control happens, because he's still not that comfortable with who he is, has become. The way he seems to cry whenever something emotional happens makes him more human and makes his character convey more emotions. No guy or gal would be so composed if they looked in the mirror daily and saw the enemy, and had to lie through their teeth to those he loved. 
 Well, rant over, gonna finish up Morning Star. 
 Cause that ending was f*cked and I need to know what happened!