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blaauwklavertje's review against another edition
4.0
Wat een heerlijke serie is het toch. Weer ontwikkelingen die ik niet zag aankomen, weer glimpsen van karakters die een ander licht schijnen op wie ze daadwerkelijk zijn, weer zonder het karakter geweld aan te doen. Mjum!
En nu is het wachten begonnen op deel 5. Zucht.
En nu is het wachten begonnen op deel 5. Zucht.
ironmanz68's review against another edition
5.0
4th book in a wonderful fantasy/adventure series. Highly recommended.
This book the author took on telling to story in sections from the perspective of a young adult - it was a little bit off-putting at first to have just a different perspective from that of say seasoned veterans in a preceding section but in hind sight is brilliantly done and appropriate.
I have mixed feelings that this isn't the last book in the series. Book 4 was supposed to be the last and I was looking forward to having everything tied up. However, the story has such great depth that I'm excited to get a chance to have another book. (The author sort of apologizes for needing another book in his acknowlegements....)
This book the author took on telling to story in sections from the perspective of a young adult - it was a little bit off-putting at first to have just a different perspective from that of say seasoned veterans in a preceding section but in hind sight is brilliantly done and appropriate.
I have mixed feelings that this isn't the last book in the series. Book 4 was supposed to be the last and I was looking forward to having everything tied up. However, the story has such great depth that I'm excited to get a chance to have another book. (The author sort of apologizes for needing another book in his acknowlegements....)
willdr's review against another edition
4.0
This is when this ...pentalogy(?)... really started singing for me. Weeks is doing some great character work here with Kip, Tisis, Gavin, Karris and Teia. Plot threads that have been hanging for a while have become woven into unfolding events. There's some elaboration on the magic system as well, which was a big part of the first book but has fallen into the background once the rules were established. Willcasting is an interesting addition although I wonder if it's a bit of a 'get out of jail' card for Weeks to play later.
ribsbits's review against another edition
Fun books, interesting magical theories and mind games.
fantasticlogan26's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
comadivine11's review against another edition
5.0
The first time I read this book, I remember that I didn't like it nearly as much as the first three. Not sure why I felt that way. This time around, in preparation for Book 5 finally being released(!), I enjoyed it perfectly fine. I will obviously have to see how the series ends in The Burning White before I can say for sure, but this series is interesting in that it is obviously written with a sympathetic view of Gavin, Kip, Karris, and the Chromeria as a whole with The Blood Prince and the Blood Robes as the "villains". But there are many times in this book where you are forced to question your assumptions. While I still can't view the Blood Prince as the hero (or anybody in The Order for that matter), or really even as the "good guy", you can't dismiss his complaints about the Chromeria. The Chromeria is a pretty messed up construct. Caste systems and slavery are viewed as "necessary evils", but really it's just evil. Like any system it has been built and sustained to benefit those at the top above all others. So while I can't help but to like and cheer for Gavin et al, I also wouldn't mind seeing the Chromeria's political system burn, haha. Will immediately be starting on Book 5!!
kaidadragon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
kat_sanford's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
brainstrain91's review against another edition
3.0
The penultimate volume in the Lightbringer series brings huge twists and substantial character growth, alongside a handful of terribly weak scenes and some truly cringe-worthy digressions.
Even with almost an entire book dedicated to them, the revelations about Gavin felt rushed. There just wasn't enough foreshadowing. There's a reason for that, but it doesn't keep the twist from feeling cheap and a bit unearned.
Another scene between Karris and her estranged son is almost unreadable - I suspected then, and was validated later, that this was on purpose. Weeks just needed to use the narration a bit more bluntly to flag it as intentionally unsettling, instead of accidentally, which is how it reads.
The low point for the book was Weeks using a minor female character as a mouthpiece for his opinions on feminism. I worry any sarcasm would be misconstrued - it's obvious and jarring, even if he makes a worthwhile point.
I'm also left very worried for Teia. I hope Weeks doesn't follow the path of Brian Staveley and make his assassin unredeemable. It is so incredibly tiresome, guys. Stop it. And poor Liv gets barely any screen time at all. It really sucks to be a girl in a Brent Weeks book...
The ending was incredibly abrupt. A nearly 100-page glossary makes for quite the fake-out. I was waiting for a climax and... the end.
Despite all that, it's a riveting book. I worried Kip's exploits with the Mighty were going to be a frustrating distraction from the main plot, but Weeks takes the time to really build up Kip's growth as a leader and to give his marriage to Tisis room to develop naturally. It's all very satisfying, though Weeks' descriptions reach discount romance levels of hilarity at the end.
Despite its shortcomings, "The Blood Mirror" promises high stakes and good reading in the final volume. Don't blow it, Weeks.
Even with almost an entire book dedicated to them, the revelations about Gavin felt rushed. There just wasn't enough foreshadowing. There's a reason for that, but it doesn't keep the twist from feeling cheap and a bit unearned.
Another scene between Karris and her estranged son is almost unreadable - I suspected then, and was validated later, that this was on purpose. Weeks just needed to use the narration a bit more bluntly to flag it as intentionally unsettling, instead of accidentally, which is how it reads.
The low point for the book was Weeks using a minor female character as a mouthpiece for his opinions on feminism. I worry any sarcasm would be misconstrued - it's obvious and jarring, even if he makes a worthwhile point.
I'm also left very worried for Teia. I hope Weeks doesn't follow the path of Brian Staveley and make his assassin unredeemable. It is so incredibly tiresome, guys. Stop it. And poor Liv gets barely any screen time at all. It really sucks to be a girl in a Brent Weeks book...
The ending was incredibly abrupt. A nearly 100-page glossary makes for quite the fake-out. I was waiting for a climax and... the end.
Despite all that, it's a riveting book. I worried Kip's exploits with the Mighty were going to be a frustrating distraction from the main plot, but Weeks takes the time to really build up Kip's growth as a leader and to give his marriage to Tisis room to develop naturally. It's all very satisfying, though Weeks' descriptions reach discount romance levels of hilarity at the end.
Despite its shortcomings, "The Blood Mirror" promises high stakes and good reading in the final volume. Don't blow it, Weeks.
jentwisle's review against another edition
3.0
Blood mirror is the fourth book (of five) in Brent Weeks' lightbringer series. Personally I think the series is trending downhill in quality, although we'll have to wait for the conclusion to see whether this trend is persistent. I found the first two books, although having some foibles to be engaging reads with plenty of good ideas and fast paced action, an area I think Weeks excels at. However, the plot started to get bogged down in the third book and remains somewhat mired in this one.
Part of the problem, I think, comes from the central character who drove the plot in the first two books, Gavin, having nothing to do. Without him everyone seems to be just going with the flow.
This is exacerbated by less than great writing. There are entire chapters devoted to exposition, a particularly lampshady moment is when kip effectively asks someone to give the cliff notes version of their expositing.
There's also the idiom of the characters. I don't know about you but I find it slightly off putting when characters in a (non modern) fantasy world use expressions like "awesome" and "like". It may not sound like a big deal but it is rather grating.
It's possible the final book might redeem some of the flaws of this one. I certainly hope so.
Part of the problem, I think, comes from the central character who drove the plot in the first two books, Gavin, having nothing to do. Without him everyone seems to be just going with the flow.
This is exacerbated by less than great writing. There are entire chapters devoted to exposition, a particularly lampshady moment is when kip effectively asks someone to give the cliff notes version of their expositing.
There's also the idiom of the characters. I don't know about you but I find it slightly off putting when characters in a (non modern) fantasy world use expressions like "awesome" and "like". It may not sound like a big deal but it is rather grating.
It's possible the final book might redeem some of the flaws of this one. I certainly hope so.