The first half starts off well. Golden Son has a tactical writing style averaging one betrayal per chapter, which is impressive for a 51 chapter book.
But the plot feels derivative. Now that Bean (err Darrow!) has graduated from the institute, it’s time to fight wars against classmates in the real political world. Katniss (ahem Darrow!) must band together with rivals from the game in order to lead a rebellion against the oppressive elite. Of course Tris (Darrow!) feels guilty about about a conflicted past, and Mr. Potter (mr. Darrow!) will work with his allies from Hogwarts, and realize that Snape is on his side, then a traitor, but then the betrayal was a ruse! At times it even felt like a literary version of Jupiter Ascending – not a compliment.
Still, those 51 plot twists were fun!