"The Blinding Knife (Lightbringer #2)" by Brent Weeks

Cover From Goodreads

This review is for the second book in the series, and may have spoilers for those who haven't yet read The Black Prism. My critique of the first book can be found here.

Immediately after devouring The Black Prism, I continued the series by buying this for my Kindle. I must say that I almost prefer waiting a year or so for the next book in a series to come out, mostly because it gives me time to digest what I've read and prophesy what might happen in the next. But, of course, since it was already out, and due the fact I have no impulse control, I immediately started reading.

I kind of hate using B.O.B. blurbs, because so often the book's plot is nothing like it, but with this one I chose to cheat because it sums up the beginning handily.

The Plot (also from Goodreads):
'Gavin Guile is dying.

'He thought he had five years left- but now he has less than one. With fifty thousand refugees, a bastard son, and an ex-fiancee who may have learned his darkest secret, Gavin has problems on every side. All the magic in the world is running wild and threatens to destroy the Seven Satrapies.

Worst of all, old gods are being reborn, and their army of color wights is unstoppable. The only salvation may be the brother whose freedom Gavin stole sixteen years ago.'

As much as the blurb focuses on Gavin, the star of this book is truly Kip. He begins to come into his own, making friends and enemies, growing in strength until the boy from the first book becomes a distant memory. Kip even gets a new name, but he'll always be Kip the chubby country boy to me.

I really can't decide what my favorite part of this series is: the epic antagonists or the plot twists. Just when you think you know every secret every character is keeping, another one pops up. And when the secret is revealed, everything about that character (and their odd behavior) suddenly makes sense.

The Blinding Knife is an exceptional sequel that will keep you on your toes, even if you'd rather go to sleep. The Lightbringer series is currently one of my few favorites in the epic fantasy genre, and with the third book to come out in late August, I can't stress this enough: if you like unique epic fantasy with interesting magic systems, give the Lightbringer series a try. It hasn't disappointed me... yet.

Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars for a second book that preserves the quality of the first.

Content: Violence, sexual situations, and a vast amount of mayhem and brain-bending. Ages 18+

Page Count: 671 pages

Note: The third book in the series, The Broken Eye, is to be published August 26th.