{{Possible spoilers if you haven't read the first book in the series! I will try not to ruin anything, but you have been warned!}}
Where do I even start?! Ok, this book was just as incredible as the first. Most times when you have a trilogy the second book tends to slow down; it becomes a filler containing mostly just enough info and action to get you through to book three. It's no fault of the authors, usually, the middle of the story just runs the risk of lagging. Not in this series.
The Blinding Knife is filled with just as many revelations, twists, points of drama, fights, complications, and moments of actual happiness as the first book. I found myself laughing, squealing, yelling, clutching my heart just as much as I had in the first book. There is so much to love and hate about this second part of the story. The fact that it took my an extra two days to finish it was simply due to the world outside the story.
Once more we find ourselves following multiple characters: Gavin Guile, Kip, Karris, Liv. With the occasional visit to the prisoner and a new plot twist, experiencing a chapter here and there as other people who will no doubt come to mean a lot more to the plot long after you have forgotten the details of their brief story. Because there is a lot more going on here! Kip is training with the Blackguard, Gavin is trying to stop a war, control the Spectrum, and get rid of banes while keeping his secrets, Karris is trying to find a way to tell Gavin she knows some of his secrets, and all the other players on the board are trying their damnedest to ruin things for everyone.
And again the brilliance of Brent Weeks is evident. I had forgotten how vividly he painted war, making the reader understand just how atrocious it really is. He is also adept at intertwining story lines, making the reader really work to figure out where everything is going and what the possible outcomes could possibly be. With about a third of the book left I went to my husband to talk to him since he had already read the book. "You've figured a lot out, but your missing some stuff that I thought you would have gotten by now." Now that I am done with the book I get what he meant, and wow, yeah, I should have seen at least one of those things coming. These books sure are keeping me on my toes. And making me overly suspicious of everyone! Because everyone in the Chromeria is a viper just waiting to strike.
I was, however, reminded of my one problem with Weeks' writing. His timelines. The problem with following multiple characters you run the risk of getting days and weeks confused. While Gavin and Karris are in one place and you think they should be back quickly, Kip is watching days, weeks, months go by, and it's not till the end of the next chapter that you figure out what is keeping the first two away so long. Weeks does as best as he can putting everything in order, but a couple of times I was thrown on precisely when events occurred in relation to other events. He straightens it out, but it throws me off just a little, nonetheless.
So other than that this books is another great read by Brent Weeks. Seriously, pick up this series! I am excited to open the third, and last, book today without hesitation. While I am terrified how Weeks can ruin everything for my beloved characters, I just have to know how everything turns out! See you on the other side!
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