Book Review: The Blood Mirror by Brent Weeks

Today is my The Blood Mirror review and I’m so excited to share it – The Lightbringer Series is giving me everything I want in fantasy and now the story continues.

Publisher: Orbit

Date: 2016

Genre: Fantasy

Plot: Stripped of both magical and political power, the people he once ruled told he’s dead, and now imprisoned in his own magical dungeon, former Emperor Gavin Guile has no prospect of escape. But the world faces a calamity greater than the Seven Satrapies has ever seen… and only he can save it.

As the armies of the White King defeat the Chromeria and old gods are born anew, the fate of worlds will come down to one question: Who is the Lightbringer?

The Blood Mirror Review

It has been a long wait for The Blood Mirror after reading the first three over a year ago!

But wow, was it worth the wait!

It’s hard to sum up the plot considering the book is 600 pages long and spans multiple plot-lines. But in a nut-shell: Gavin/Dazen is screwed, Kip is becoming a bad-ass leader, Alivania has become a God, Teia an assassin/spy and Karris is now known as the Iron White.

The characters have all come along in leaps and bounds. Well, apart from Gavin. As being locked in your own prison slowly going mad doesn’t result in character progression in a positive, forward trajectory.

Of all the improbable situations Kip had found himself in during his short life – killing a king, killing a god, actually have friends, being able to job more than a few steps without collapsing and dying of equally lethal doses of heart attack and embarrassment – this situation struck him as the most implausible yet.
The Blood Mirror by Brent Weeks

I’ve always had a soft spot for Kip Guile, but he was my stand-out character in The Blood Mirror. He has grown into his leadership position and is prepared to do whatever it takes. Fiercely loved by the toughest warriors in the land, Kip inspires men and drafters alike wherever he goes. A true hero!

The introduction of characters meant the reader was introduced to new types of magic. I did getting lost as to who could do what, but it added another dimension to the plots – more things were plausible.

Brent Weeks is a master at blending suspense with humour. Kip is marching into war, with death and destruction all around. But a combination of themes, including potential-romance, keeps the pace steady and the reader gripped – you forget to breathe, then let it all out in a burst of laughter at the end. What more could you want?

There was only ever one chapter at a time about a set of characters. It keeps you reading, sure, but did at times felt like everything had got to big – you wanted to explore more with a certain character but instead were whisked elsewhere for another battle.

I mistakenly thought this was the last book in the series. It’s not. It’s really not. There is still so much more to come with how it was left, and I can’t wait to see where Weeks takes us next! If, like me, you’ve had a break since reading the last ones, I would definitely recommend recapping first!

Have you been reading the Lightbringer series?