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seershlen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical content, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
precy's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Slavery, and Murder
aseel_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
adokal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Let me start with each character and their impression on me.
Kaladin - He is just Kaladin. The pessimistic awesome leader who will pull through no matter what. His pessimisim is a lot higher than what I would appreciate but other than that I love everything about him. He is my ideal person for sure.
Shallan - She is gonna be my favourite character for sure because she will be the person giving me the most lore on the world and the things happening on it. The ending completely changed how i was gonna view her. Brandon has played with my perception of her a lot. In the end I find myself excited to read more about her.
Dalinar - Dalinar has been another awesome character. He has shown the real struggles of being a father and a leader while suffering from self doubt. In the end when he finally realised how everything fitted in. He became one of the most interesting protagonist I have seen. Its gonna be fun to know how he will unite the world against the true desolation.
All in all this book was an absolute gem. There is no way someone can read this and not continue the series. The only thing bad I can think about this book is it is a very big introduction. There is no set goal like there is in most fantasy novels. You don't know anything about what is going on. And as the story progresses you figure out who the main protagonists are and how they will interact with each other. The final part where Dalinar and Kaladin finally meet was one of the most gratifying moments ever. Being able to see the most honorable lighteye shatter kaladins expectations was fun. Along with the fights oh the fights. Kaladin Stromblessed is a hero among heros. When he fought, he fought like a Strom. His fights after seeing him struggle for so long was so much fun. It felt very very good to read. Anyways this rant aside. I will recommend this to anyone who has an itch to read an epic journey with a world so very detailed. I am sure as I read on I will only become more and more invested in this series. But I wouldn't recommend this book alone. This book has no conclusion as normal books do. For now I feel like this whole series won't be 10 seprate books but a singular big book. There is no summary that can describe this book other than as an introduction to the world of Roshar.
Anyways thats all,
Life before Death. Strength before Weakness. Journey before Destination.
Bridge 4 for life.
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, and War
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Self harm and Suicide attempt
sab7800's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Slavery, Violence, Religious bigotry, and War
Moderate: Grief and Suicide attempt
_cassidyreads_'s review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Slavery
volsungreads's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Slavery, Trafficking, and War
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, War, and Classism
lilifane's review against another edition
- 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
First of all: This book as a whole is way too long. The plot basically doesn't exist in the first half. Which is 600 pages. And I understand why. The focus is on characters and world building. Not only for this book, but for the entire epic series (of what? 10 planned books?). I understand this, but I was bored and depressed. Because this is a depressing story, and the first half is the most depressing thing I've read. I mean, how many horrible things can happen to one character?!
But. BUT. I trust Sanderson. And I knew it was worth it. So, I didn't give up. And I was rewarded in the second half. The second half is perfect, once again. The pacing is there, the plot, the characters, the emotions (I wasn't expecting to cry this much) and the twists! But then you reach the very end and it's so frustrating to have suffered through 1200 pages just to get these super intriguing glimpses of what is to come in future books on the last 40 pages. Come ON!
Characters 10/10
There are a lot of characters. And I mean A LOT. Still, the 3 main characters are extremely fleshed out. You know them, you understand them, you understand all of their decisions, no matter how bad they are. There are several outstanding side characters. And so many extras that still get names at least.
Atmosphere 10/10
I hated the atmosphere of 80% of the book. Because that's how much time we spend on a realistically described battlefield of an extremely violent war. It is brutal, it is bleak, it is unfair, and it is done so well that I felt sick reading about it. The rest of the book is just great world building with amazing and unique locations. I loved it. And the illustrations of flora and fauna throughout the book add such a nice touch. Everything felt so real.
Plot 6/10
As I said, it's too long. There were flashbacks that were too long, political intrigue that wasn't very intriguing, and a philosophical discourse I wasn't interested in at all. But then there were found family aspects, mysterious visions, cool action scenes that were played out in my head like movies, character development at its best. And I loved how all the puzzle pieces fit together neatly in the end. Also, the plot twists. Whoa. I didn't see them coming. I see plot twists coming, that's my thing. Yet, Sanderson managed to surprise me with the twistiest of twists in every single book I've read by him so far. And I respect him for that. Because the hints are there. You just don't see them, no matter how closely you look. These hints are there for the rereads and for the rereads only.
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Domestic abuse and Dementia
rainbowrachel's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Slavery and War
reading_in_progress's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Slavery, and War