The Good: 
 I took notes while reading this, but now that I'm at the end, I'm at a loss. I was nervous that this one might fail following two solid installments, but I can't think of a single thing I would want to happen differently. I'm not sure how the majority of people will react to this conclusion. It's a quieter novel than its predecessors, and while I love it, I think it might bore some fans. 
 It opens on a fairly horrific note. The Jackal has had Darrow for a year. I won't go into details too much through this review because I know a majority of fans have yet to finish, but it's not pretty. That brutal intensity rears its head several times, and it shocked me every single time because of how this book is structured in comparison to the other two. 
 As I mentioned earlier, this conclusion is filled with quiet moments between the characters. Red Rising and Golden Son were driven by a furious intensity and rage. Darrow was consumed with it almost to the point of being obsessive. He had moments of cruelty as he tried to fill this legend he had created. The year with Jackal changes him deeply. The things I admire about him are still there, but his character calms. At one point he says, "I've been humbled. And it's a sobering thing." If I had to describe Darrow's demeanor in one quote, it would be that one. He regains a piece of him that died when Eo did, and it shapes every decision he makes in this book. Along that vein, Darrow redefines Eo's influence on his motivations and how he can be the leader his people need. The character growth he has undergone through these three books is incredible and very well done. 
 This is also much more character driven than the previous books. There is still plenty of action, and I would argue there is still a necessity to everything that is in here. But there is less action than Red Rising and Golden Son. Those moments are replaced with scenes that deepen the relationships between all the characters. I personally loved it. There has been plenty of hate and anger in this series, but this book brought so much love. We see more interactions with Darrow and his family, and there are key scenes between Darrow and all the important characters of Red Rising. It was needed. Golden Son rushed through those moments for more action, bringing Darrow to his knees and forcing him to face failure. Morning Star rectifies that, and this book would have been missing so much without exploring those interactions. 
 The pacing is still very good. Those quiet moments are balanced out with anxiety-ridden action scenes. I tackled this in my reviews for the other books also, but I really liked how this timeline is stretched over six years. It doesn't feel rushed. It feels like the culmination of decades of fighting for this equality, and that's exactly how it should be. Plus, it gives us a chance to grow with Darrow and his friends as they becomes adults instead of forcing the characters into a rapid change over a few months or a year. 
 I have to give a nod to my girl Mustang. What a fierce character. She is so strong, so brilliant, and so unflinching. I loved watching her and Darrow interact. They connect on a deep level. They fit each other in ways Darrow and Eo did not for the brief time we saw her. They have a lovely tension, and the emotions are raw and supportive. I wish more romances were built like this, carved out of a deep respect and understanding. Darrow does not come to her rescue once. He knows she can handle her own better than he can, and he gives her the room to do it. She has her own motivations through the plot, and I can't rave enough about how none of them depend on him. She has more important things to worry about, and she doesn't give him a free pass because she loves him. She's easily one of my favorite female characters of all time. 
 Death is a driving force for a majority of the book but not in the way Eo's death was a driving force for Darrow's journey. Red Rising was Darrow's grief. Golden Son was his rage. Morning Star would be his clarity, becoming the leader he needs to be and the person he wants to be. The characters that do die in this book (come on; you knew there would be death everywhere) are given their dues in a touching way. We are given a chance to mourn with Darrow and his friends. That grief is raw, and it's shown in each character. One aspect of these books I've really enjoyed is how I can mourn the death of characters I have just met. Brown does an excellent job of making them seem important and making me feel like I know them, regardless of how long they have been present. 
 This book is also slightly more political, if only because it's heavily based in forging alliances. There are more speeches, more arguments, and more moral debates. Again, 95% of the time, it all felt necessary and didn't slow down the momentum of the plot. I can live with that 5% where it dragged slightly. 
 The ending broke my heart in the best possible way. Prepare yourself for the last hundred pages or so. It's all over the place. I loved how realistic it is in the revolution's successes and failings. There's also one twist at the very, very end that I KNOW is going to surprise everyone as much as it surprised me. I love it. It was so subtly done, and I just cried. 
 The Bad: 
 These will be in spoilers. They are minor points and minimal spoilers for the plot, but just in case you want to go into this one totally blind, you have been warned. 
 (view spoiler)[While I loved Darrow's character growth and temperament through this book, I'm not sure I buy into how quickly he bounces back from his year of torture. He was tortured for three months and held in solitary confinement for nine. That's going to fuck a person up. I don't care how strong they are. While Darrow's character reflects that slightly, I think Brown underestimates the extent. Darrow calls it "humbling." I think it should have been called PTSD and given it's due, at least in the beginning. Granted, there are a couple months we don't see where his body is being rebuilt. However, I think that is a little far fetched. 
 I'm going to be in the minority here, but I actually don't think there were enough character deaths. An obscene amount of people died, yes, and the ending leaves no wiggle room for future dissension. But we don't lose anyone we're attached to (with a few exceptions, all of which broke my heart). One thing the Hunger Games got right (though I'm not suggesting this should be the marker for all dystopian fiction) is that the deaths were unbiased and unflinching. Finnick dies, Prim dies, a whole crowd of children die. Finnick and Prim hit hard for an audience. They are loved characters. 
 That doesn't happen here. One loved character dies. Everyone else comes through unscathed with the exception of minor characters. That's completely unrealistic and frankly, a bit of a cop out. Someone else should have died. This was a brutal, brutal war but you wouldn't be able to tell if you looked at who lived from the core cast of characters. That was disappointing. Brown took me right up to the brink, but he didn't jump. 
 Last but not least: Brown uses "says" far too much. I know that's really nit-picky but every writer has their thing. His is using "says" as a crutch in dialogue. (hide spoiler)] 
 Overall, I fucking loved it. I really did. I can't remember the last time I gave every book in a trilogy five stars. It was just so well done. I can easily overlook the small complaints I have about each book in favor of all the good that's going on. There's a lot to love. I can't say I'll feel the same in a couple days (I usually knock it down a star or two the days following after I've thought about it more) but right now, this was the best conclusion I could have asked for. 
 Mr. Brown, I applaud you.