Burning White by Brent Weeks.
Introduction
Burning White by Brent Weeks is the fifth and final book of The Lightbringer series. The three main characters set up their roles for the last book in the series. Gavin has lost his powers, takes on a suicide mission, and faces the god Orholam. Teia must use her skills as a master assassin and destroy the Order of the Broken Eye. Kip must prepare his army to face the White King with their last stand at the Chromeria. Kip must defeat him or risk the colors going out of balance, leading to their destruction. Their missions lead to one ultimate question. Who is the Lightbringer and will the Lightbringer bring balance to the world?
Summary – General
Chromaturgy is the magical system of the Seven Satrapies. They call magicians who use Chromaturgy drafters, and the best drafters live on the Chromeria, the seat of the Satrapies government. Drafters can take a part of the spectrum of light and make a substance called luxin. They can shape luxin into items, with the color of the luxin determining the properties of the item. Most drafters can draft one or two colors, while the Prism can draft all the colors. There is only one Prism alive at one time and the Prism is the military, spiritual, and political leader of the Satrapies.
Summary – Characters
There are three principal viewpoint characters and three minor viewpoint characters.
Gavin was the Prism but has lost his powers. He escaped the special cells under the Chromeria. He must now find the god, Orholam, at the Tower of Heaven and kill him to save the seven satrapies.
Kip has taken the city of Dunbheo in the Blood Forest. Kip must keep his volatile coalition together to protect the city from the advancing White King. The problem is that the White King could get between the Chromeria and Dunbheo. Kip must decide who to protect. The wrong choice could lose the war and end the seven satrapies.
Teia had infiltrated the secret Order of the Broken Eye. It is a dangerous mission, complicated by her interaction with the assassin named Murder Sharp. The Order sends her on an important mission, and she must succeed or they will kill her father.
Karris White Oak is the new White. She must marshal her forces against the White King with the help and hindrance of Andross Guile.
Andross Guile is shown becoming the man he becomes through the use of flashbacks.
Liv Danavis serves the White King and has come into a significant power.
Recommendation
In Burning White by Brent Weeks, the three principal characters have important tasks to perform. The tasks are straightforward but are not complete by the end of the previous novel. In this novel, the author answered all questions about Gavin, Kip, and Teia. I felt like the ending was an unnecessary Deus ex Machina. What happened to Kip bothered me. Maybe it could have gone down another way. I guess my problem with the story as written is that I felt like Kip was the main character in the novel and he would have agency at the end. I was wrong. Gavin is the main character of the series and that clouds the ending for me.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Burning White by Brent Weeks.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43100496-the-burning-white
My review of Blood Mirror by Brent Weeks, book 4 of The Lightbringer series. The author sets up the last conflicts for the Lightbringer to bring balance to the seven satrapies.
Review of The Broken Eye by Brent Weeks, book 3 of The Lightbringer series. Gavin, Kip, Teia, and Karris fight the Color Prince and the Order of the Broken Eye. They face a climactic confrontation at the Chromeria. Another excellent book in the series.
This is the link to my review of the Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks.
This is the link to my review of Black Prism by Brent Weeks.
