Scan barcode
jguerrera77's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The world is very richly built. For those who like fantasy and sci-fi, it doesn't delve too deep into world building that isn't believable. The characters are well-rounded and extremely compelling. I found myself wanting to know more about every one of them, the "heros" and the "villains" alike.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, War, and Blood
Moderate: Slavery
nojerama's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow. Holy shit. Ok I get what you were all talking about now.
It started slow, but Sanderson's storytelling was frankly immaculate and he weaved all the threads together with precision and care. Kaladin was a firm favourite from the get go, Shallan is a character archetype I adore (I'm a forever student at heart and so seeing characters in any learning environment is my jam) plus her whole dilemma and how she deals with Jasnah was wonderful to watch grow and blossom. Dalinar was a slow burn but grew on me, his dry wit and blunt nature plus the inherent vulnerability in having a POV character deeply question their sanity meant I couldn't help but love him. Also loved Wit after seeing himas Hoid in Tress of the Emerald Sea , he made me snort my tea from laughing.
The audiobook narrators were phenomenal, genuinely no idea why people were bitching about Kate Reading so much (maybe it's a marmite thing but I adored how she read Shallan). There were like one or two things I thought maybe needed a biiiiit more breathing room (for example I do not for one second believe Jasnah would have forgiven Shallan so quickly at the end there) but also for pacing sake I understand why they went the way they did so I'm not complaining.
Also sorry I just have to, spoilers below also beware of cursing:
THE PARSHMEN?!? THE PARSHMEN ARE VOIDBRINGERS?!?!?!? When I got to that bit as God is my witness I paused my audiobook and just went what the FUCK
It started slow, but Sanderson's storytelling was frankly immaculate and he weaved all the threads together with precision and care. Kaladin was a firm favourite from the get go, Shallan is a character archetype I adore (I'm a forever student at heart and so seeing characters in any learning environment is my jam) plus her whole dilemma and how she deals with Jasnah was wonderful to watch grow and blossom. Dalinar was a slow burn but grew on me, his dry wit and blunt nature plus the inherent vulnerability in having a POV character deeply question their sanity meant I couldn't help but love him. Also loved Wit after seeing him
The audiobook narrators were phenomenal, genuinely no idea why people were bitching about Kate Reading so much (maybe it's a marmite thing but I adored how she read Shallan). There were like one or two things I thought maybe needed a biiiiit more breathing room (for example I do not for one second believe Jasnah would have forgiven Shallan so quickly at the end there) but also for pacing sake I understand why they went the way they did so I'm not complaining.
Also sorry I just have to, spoilers below also beware of cursing:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Xenophobia, Violence, Self harm, Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Suicide attempt, Murder, War, Child death, Slavery, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Medical content, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Self harm, Death, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Chronic illness, Sexual violence, Body horror, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
lea2322's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, Violence, Murder, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Slavery, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, and Mental illness
martinpr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Mental illness, Violence, Torture, Suicide, Blood, Sexism, Self harm, Genocide, Gaslighting, Dementia, Death, Classism, Slavery, Suicide attempt, and Panic attacks/disorders
katrinarose's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
There’s so much to learn about this world that I feel like this 1000+ page book was just a brief introduction! While it has a slow start, it all felt necessary to build the groundwork for what I have no doubt will be one of the most epic, complex classic fantasy series ever written. Sanderson also doesn’t infodump so you learn about the world and characters a bit at a time and it doesn’t feel overwhelming (although it is often confusing because historical/magical/character context hasn’t yet been explained - but I imagine this makes rereads even better). The characters were all very compelling and the ending was so good! I’m excited to continue on with the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Medical content, Slavery, Trafficking, and War
Moderate: Child death and Grief
Minor: Alcohol
merrow's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The world building is wonderfully paced and spread out through the book, letting you learn things piece by piece. The characters feel very well driven, and individual. Cool concepts and a good balance between action, politics, and information.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Slavery, and Blood
Minor: Suicide
b_silver's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Reviewing this book is so hard. I want to give it a 5 star. But I can’t. Because the first 500 pages of this book were such a slog to get through.
I was bored by Dalinar’s and Shallan’s chapters. I thought the whole war plot with the Parshendi felt generic and boring. I was so tempted to put the book down and move on. But the one thing that kept me going was Kaladin.
Kaladin is one of the most compelling fantasy characters I’ve ever seen. His backstory is heartbreaking. He has so much depth. He’s just so likable. I had to know where his story ended up. And thats what kept me going.
By the time I got to the end of Part 3 (which is around the 700 page mark), I was hooked. My opinion on Dalinar and Shallan flipped. And I binge read to the end.
I know people say you have to give this book a chance to hook you in, and it takes time to get into. But it shouldn’t take 700 pages to do so. That’s why I can’t give this book a perfect score. But it was still incredible, and I’m fully invested in the story now. Can’t wait to dive into book 2. 4/5
I was bored by Dalinar’s and Shallan’s chapters. I thought the whole war plot with the Parshendi felt generic and boring. I was so tempted to put the book down and move on. But the one thing that kept me going was Kaladin.
Kaladin is one of the most compelling fantasy characters I’ve ever seen. His backstory is heartbreaking. He has so much depth. He’s just so likable. I had to know where his story ended up. And thats what kept me going.
By the time I got to the end of Part 3 (which is around the 700 page mark), I was hooked. My opinion on Dalinar and Shallan flipped. And I binge read to the end.
I know people say you have to give this book a chance to hook you in, and it takes time to get into. But it shouldn’t take 700 pages to do so. That’s why I can’t give this book a perfect score. But it was still incredible, and I’m fully invested in the story now. Can’t wait to dive into book 2. 4/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Slavery, and War
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Child death
scifi_rat's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Blood, Murder, Slavery, War, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Violence, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Classism, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
mattiedancer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Writing: 5⭐️/5
I think Sanderson’s writing is outstanding. Rich descriptions, beautiful dialogue, and stunningly crafted characters all twine together in this novel to create some truly decadent writing. Even the fight scenes were wonderfully written, as Sanderson has a way of describing the action without the details becoming tangled in the movement.
Characters: 5⭐️/5
Sanderson could write a spin-off about probably any character in this series, and I would care enough to read it. Every character feels real in this book.
Plot: 5⭐️/5
The plot and the world in this novel are stunning. I loved learning about the world, and I loved the stories that were explored throughout. It’s a long novel, and yet the pacing is perfect, taking the time to explain each moment that needs explaining. Ugh, I just want to dive into it again.
Who Should Read This Book?
- Someone looking for a remarkable high-fantasy series
- Someone who likes Brandon Sanderson
- Readers looking for a fantasy series with stunning writing
Content Warnings?
- War, violence, blood, slavery, mental illness, suicide, suicidal thoughts, classism, grief, murder, injury, injury detail, vomit
Post-Reading Rating: 5⭐️/5
Love, love, love. Where has Sanderson been all this time?
Final Rating: 5⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Child abuse, Violence, Suicide, Death, War, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Physical abuse, Stalking, Blood, Slavery, Gore, Murder, Child death, Gaslighting, Vomit, Colonisation, and Emotional abuse
theinkwyrm's review
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
That was… a lot. Definitely not an instant favorite, but still a worthwhile read. I have to say, there’s so much worldbuilding for such a large world that I got so confused at times and honestly felt kind of stupid (and still do). I liked our three main POVs, although Dalinar and Kaladin kind of feel like alternate universe versions of the same character, especially with their internal struggles. I also kind of feel like most of the interludes (except for Szeth’s) were kind of unnecessary and made the worldbuilding more confusing because they draw in narratives from different parts of Roshar other than the ones that relate to the main plot and don’t really seem to connect to or add anything to our main storyline. But it also may just be a bit of an issue with adjustment to Sanderson’s writing style, since it’s the first book of his I’ve read. I think I’ll probably continue with this series (since I have basically no idea what to expect in the next books), although maybe not until all the books are out so I won’t have to take a couple months of rereading each time a new book comes out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and War
Minor: Mental illness