Confessions of a Literary Addict

This review is spoiler-free!

The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks
Series: Lightbringer #2
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Release Date: September 1st 2012
Format: Paperback, 671 pages
Rating: ★★★★☆
Find it here: Goodreads

So you know how I said the school setting I’d heard about would probably like me like this one more than the first book? It absolutely did. I LOVE a school setting, especially when combined with magic. Especially when the magic system is as interesting as the one in this series is. That, along with a bunch of new characters that I really enjoyed learning about, is the reason I gave this one four stars. It would have been five, but there were a few scenes I did NOT vibe with (and will not mention for the sake of spoilers since I can’t quite remember where they happen and if they’re spoilery exactly). Four stars isn’t bad for me, though. I’m a pretty rough rater.

(Also, not enough Liv! There were some great scenes with her that set her up to either be incredibly tragic or one hell of a twist, don’t get me wrong, but she’s still my fave character. I want more! Come on, Liv, you know better than this!)

Kip grew on me a lot more in this second book. I liked his interactions with the old and the new characters, I liked the way he handled the situations thrown at him, and I loved the way he battled with and handled some pretty dire moral decisions presented to him. There were some great lines to be had specifically in those scenes where Kip had a moral obligation he had to waffle with before settling on a decision I very much approved of. It made me like him a lot, though him growing up probably also has something to do with it. It’s always fun seeing characters go through changes as they’re aging from a child up. I don’t know what the timeline of this series looks like, but I hope we get to see Kip growing older.

Most (if not all, actually) of the scenes I Did Not Vibe With happened with or around Gavin this time. He made a very specific decision I wholeheartedly agreed with (if you know, you know), but there were other sections and aspects I just found pretty unnecessary for a lot of reasons. I do like how his story in this book ended, so that’s a good high note on his part, but. Eugh. Some of the things were just a big no. Probably circumstance, though, so hopefully they won’t be coming up again.

The magic was still the biggest highlight for me out of everything. It’s SUCH an interesting take on the idea of the light spectrum, I love reading and learning more about it as I go. I’m really curious as to how this is all going to go considering Kip’s position with it. I was also told this series just keeps getting better with each book, and since this is only the second (and the first I gave three stars, so, so far so good), I’m very excited to see if the trend continues.

We’ll take a little pass though on Gunner’s side with the novella story (another character I loved! Gunner was GREAT), and then onto the third book!

Thanks for reading!