First of all, I thanked my lucky stars that Hachette and Amazon released this as a Kindle edition (at a reasonable cost), despite their feud. Living as I do, where the nearest big box bookstore is an hour away, I've come to appreciate the little things in life, like being able to buy ebooks instantly instead of having to set out on a faraway journey to get the latest releases.
The tone of this book is decidedly darker than the previous installments. Before, things in the Seven Satrapies seemed grim, but never insurmountable, but in this book of the Lightbringer series, a lot of that has changed. At times, when following the adventures of Kip and the gang, the book reminded me a bit of Mistborn- kind of on the YA side of things, but past the halfway point it grew much more adult and bleak.
The Plot:
Kip frees himself from his half-brother's grasp. Gavin contemplates his options as he rows the high seas, examining his life. Karris attempts to hold herself together, despite having watched her husband die. Teia fights for her freedom as the vial of oil around her neck grows heavier.
What makes this book bleakest in my opinion is a section some time after the beginning where you get a look at what being the Prism really means through Gavin's memories. I can't say much without giving it away, but I actually had to skip ahead to see how long the section would last- it took up a few pages of the same topic, over and over again- but not in a bad way. It sets the mood of this book as darker than those previous, and although I'm not a fan of darkness, it was a facet of a character's personality that I had wondered about previously.
Ambiguous enough? Good. I'm trying my hardest in this review to not spoil things, but at the same time, discuss them.
Karris truly shines in this book- before, her character had always been in the background, never necessarily taking the spotlight. As Prism's wife, she's become a political figure and becomes caught up in some of the intrigue. What I love most about her is she's so raw and realistic you'd swear she's based on a real person.
I think I've been suffering a case of The Broken Eye blues since I finished it, not only because of its ominous ending, but also because I get to wait another couple years for the next one to come out. The Lightbringer series is one I'd heartily recommend, if you're one of those willing to play the series waiting game and like gray morals in your epic fantasy.
Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars for an ominously eerie continuation of the series.
Content: Ages 18+ for loads of death, violence, and sexual content.
Page Count: 688 pages in the Kindle edition.
Bonus: The song that was playing in my head while reading this. It explains the mood of the book perfectly:
(It should be mentioned I found this song while watching The Blacklist, my new favorite tv series.)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Feel Free to Express Yourself:
Agree? Disagree? Have something to add?