The Broken Eye (Lightbringer #3) – Brent Weeks

Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Orbit
Pages: 816
Release Date: August 26, 2014

As the old gods awaken, the Chromeria is in a race to find its lost Prism, the only man who may be able to stop catastrophe, Gavin Guile. But Gavin’s enslaved on a galley, and when he finally escapes, he finds himself in less than friendly hands. Without the ability to draft which has defined him . . .

Meanwhile, the Color Prince’s army continues its inexorable advance, having swallowed two of the seven satrapies, they now invade the Blood Forest. Andross Guile, thinking his son Gavin lost, tasks his two grandsons with stopping the advance. Kip and his psychopathic half-brother Zymun will compete for the ultimate prize: who will become the next Prism.

The Broken Eye is the best book in the Lightbringer series so far. From start to finish, Weeks takes readers on a wild ride as he tears everything down only to build it back up again.

The best aspect about The Broken Eye is the last ten pages. The slow methodical build up throughout the 750-page novel plays out in those 10 pages to perfection. It’s a resounding crescendo that changes everything going forward. I almost want to put off reading The Blood Mirror since the final book, The Burning White, isn’t coming out until September 2019, but I’m a glutton for punishment.

Kip has come a long way since The Black Prism. He’s still the young kid with no filter, but he’s come to acknowledge his faults and use them as strengths. Kip is a sweetheart learning valuable lessons the hard way. A lot of these lessons are learned through his interactions with Andross Guile. Their conversations are pulse pounding and easily some of the best scenes in the series.

Teia’s journey is intense. A lot of her scenes had me almost looking away since they’re harsh and potentially triggering, but well worth it. She’s come to be one of my favourite characters. Her relationship with Kip is adorable, which is a weird juxtaposition compared to her solo arc. I appreciated these lighter moments immensely. Weeks is an incredibly flexible writer with his development of Kip and Teia’s relationship since he captures the teenage hormonal awkwardness very well.

As for Gavin, well… Oh Gavin, you poor soul.

Overall, The Broken Eye is the best novel in the Lightbringer series so far. If you haven’t started this series, what are you waiting for?!

Have you read The Broken Eye? What did you think?