Rate: 5/5

Medium: Audiobook

Overview (No Spoilers):

I find myself laughing as I typed the title for this review because it had just now dawned on me as to it’s brutal double meaning behind the third book of The Lightbringer series. Nope, no spoilers here so you’ll have to skip to the next section of this review if you want the secret to the title. Title epiphanies aside, Weeks has completely won me over as a fan with this fascinating, detailed literary realm, and its numerous plot twists of varying predictability. The Broken Eye contained more maneuvering and pawn positioning that its predecessors, but every time I started to find my attention drift, I was unapologetically bolted awake with an unexpected turn of events. So many secrets were revealed throughout The Broken Eye, but with every layer unveiled, a new even more complex knot lay just under the surface. Weeks tore at our emotions with various deaths, tortures, and a heavy layer of palpable suspense interspersed throughout this read. Ultimately, The Broken Eye set the stage for the remainder of this series that gets better with each subsequent installment. Every time I felt as though I had a handle as to where Weeks was going to direct the story and the path of the characters, I had my tenuous footing ripped out from underneath. This constant state of reassessing the implications with every shift of the tide was immensely satisfying from an analytical standpoint, forcing the reader to ponder implications of previous conversations that had seemed straight forward but were in fact multifaceted. Overall, The Broken Eye not only added significant depth to an already complex literary world but managed to keep the reader on their toes, constantly guessing as to what surprises each subsequent chapter would have in store.

Additional Insight (Spoilers Abound):

• What was the significance of the opening battle between the sea demon and the sperm whale?
• Karris is the White! Sure I cried over the old White’s passing, but the scene where she obtained the lofty title was perfect! Especially as it was paired with Kip’s daring escape taking place in the periphery.
• Gavin’s eye getting burned out was terribly difficult to read! Ironfist’s sister is crazy! And talking about Ironfist, I couldn’t believe he was the secret agent of the Order of the Broken Eye, but it made so much sense! Especially when Kip would confess everything to him and he would warn Kip about being so free with his trust. One of the best twists was Grinwoody being Ironfist’s uncle! I cried so much when Tremblefist confessed all that he knew to Ironfist as he died. What will Ironfist choose? What will the Order of the Broken Eye do with the black seed crystal?
• How long did Andross know about the Gavin’s secrets? Will he choose to draft Black? How will Gavin escape the traps he himself built?
• Why did Kip marry Tisis? Could he have just ran away? It all seemed so rash and exactly what Andross had wanted so why do it?
• Will Kip and his crew find the Color Prince?
• What did the Cards do to Kip? Does it mean he is the Lightbringer? What was that strange other world he went to?
• Are the rest of the crew Gavin sailed with still alive?
• Will Andross be able to control Zymun? How will Karris be manipulated ruthlessly by her son? I’m still so confused why Andross would put Zymun in a place of power despite not knowing him.
• Interesting that the knife makes the next Prism, which is why Gavin was around so long. How did Kip’s mom end up with it?
• If Ironfist knows Teia is a double agent is she safe?
• Ugh, I’m so tired of Liv’s chapters. What will she do now that she has the seed crystal?