Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses death by suicide and capital punishment.

Darrow, the protagonist of Morning Star, joined the Sons of Ares following the execution of his wife Eo. After his surgical transformation into a Gold, he undertook a mission to bring down the Gold hierarchy from within, but his identity was eventually revealed and he was captured. In Morning Star, Darrow begins to take a leading role in the Rising openly and is eventually able to kill the Sovereign, critically weakened the Society.

The fulfilment of Eo’s dream—her wish for Darrow to live for more than service to the Golds and for the system of enslavement to be destroyed—is Darrow’s main goal throughout the series. In Morning Star, he struggles with feelings of disconnection from Eo, The Ethics of Revolution, and his role as the “Reaper.” While Darrow is an exceptional combatant and strategist, Brown presents his capacity for love as the crucial part of his success in overcoming these challenges. In previous novels in the series, Darrow tended to isolate himself, something made worse by his need to hide his identity. With his identity revealed by Morning Star, he can strengthen the bonds he has and form more genuine relationships.