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otakatoe3's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Genocide, Blood, Classism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Racism, Colonisation, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, and War
katelynprice's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
4.5
Obviously, the world-building here is exceptional. I'm always into stories where individual strands connect and intertwine, so this book is right up my alley. I do think it took a bit too long to get to the end, though. I honestly think a good 200 pages could've been condensed, and then it might've been a full 5 stars, but the payoff in the end was glorious and worth the time and patience! Thank you, Brandon Sanderson, for confirming for me that I do indeed enjoy epic fantasy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and War
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Grief
Minor: Self harm
kaylatibbs's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Racism, Death, Physical abuse, War, Violence, Murder, Classism, Blood, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm
Moderate: Confinement, Bullying, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Child death, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Dementia, Hate crime, Cursing, Ableism, Excrement, Medical content, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
cup_cake's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? Yes
4.75
I'm in such awe! I loved it, very hard to get through who just got into reading consistently (second book this year so far), but wow this book was so rewarding to read! Even the lengthy bits where nothing really happens were filled with anticipation of what's to come. Also some parts, though not directly relating to the plot were necessary for the brilliant world building.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and War
johannaplatt's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
4.5
Despite being around 1000 pages, I found this book medium to fast paced - the plot is pretty tight and each chapter has a purpose. Really enjoyed the varied POVs in different locations, which kept me engaged in the story. Characters with mental health struggles were written well. Really enjoyed this and looking forward to reading the next in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Murder, Violence, Death, and Suicidal thoughts
karlin0336's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
Original Review + Rating: 5 Stars.
I started reading this book eight months ago (back in April). I just finished it last week (at the beginning of December). This book is LONG. I also admit, it was a little intimidating to me, as a slow reader (thank goodness for Michael Kramer and Kate Reading). At 1000+ pages, this is the longest Fiction book I've ever read. And the font size of my Trade Paperback copy isn't what I'd call large. Those 1000 pages were no joke. On top of that, often than not, I was focusing on other books and reading this one on the side. I finally convinced myself--- at the halfway mark ---that it was time to turn all my reading attention to finishing this one. I finished the last 500 pages in under two weeks.
This book was AMAZING. Sanderson's worldbuilding, magic systems, story, characters, and plot twists were top-notch. The book starts off slow, but for good reason--- it kicks off an eventual ten-book Epic Fantasy series. There is a lot to set up, and not one of these 1000+ pages were wasted. Szeth's prologue is what got me completely invested in this book (it has become one of my favorite chapters in any book period). The Sanderlanche at the end of this book was very real and very evident. You will not be disappointed by the ending of this book. Things wrapped up very well, and yet I was still dying to start book two. This is exactly the conclusion I like to come to at the end of my books.
There were three main POVs in this novel: Kaladin's, Dalinar's, and Shallan's~~~
•Dalinar is my absolute favorite character in The Way of Kings (I don't know when and how that happened, but it happened). He's just such a good guy. I wasn't expecting to like this guy as much as I did. I loved how he tried to live honorably even when those around him did not. I loved his relationship with Adolin and how that grew and changed throughput the course of the novel. The ending of his portion of the story was SO satisfying (seriously, this guy is just the epitome of honorable). I was honestly sad when we had to take breaks from his POV to go back to Shallan chapters (nothing against Shallan). I am so ready to get to Dalinar's book (Oathbringer).
•Kaladin's story was so sad, and yet so inspiring. He was the true Main Character of the book (as we got his backstory and primarily his chapters in this one). I loved his instinct to protect and form attachments. His lack of trust and his tendency towards depression made me feel so bad for him (especially once I learned the context for all of that). Kaladin's struggles and insecurities felt so real. He was so well written.
I can't talk about Kaladin without mentioning Bridge Four. I fell in love with Bridge Four. After having read Elantris earlier in the year, their story reminded me a lot of Raoden and his sector of the prison city he dubbed "New Elantris". This was a very welcome thing. I loved seeing New Elantris grow. I do think Bridge Four did what they did even better. It was a blast getting to know these guys and to see how they gradually came together as a real team. Out of the bunch, I think my absolute favorites were Teft (our lovable old grumpy fellow), Sigzil (Michael Kramer's narration for his voice reminded me of Sazed from Mistborn, and I loved him because of that) and Moash (this dude grew a lot throughout the book, and I loved it) . I'm so, so excited to be continuing Bridge Four's story in Words of Radiance (so far, I am not disappointed).
•And then we come to Shallan. If I'm being honest here, she wasn't my favorite. She was the weakest of the three in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, she was still very well written and interesting in her own right, but I found myself wanting to just get through her chapters to get back to Bridge Four and back to the Kholins. Shallan just didn't stand out to me as much as Dalinar and Kaladin. Hopefully this will soon change. Words of Radiance will be Shallan's book, and I'm optimistic that that's when she'll start to click in my mind.
A word on Sanderson's writing here. This book was art (and I'm not just referring to the beautifully done cover and interior illustrations). Sanderson is not one to generally use flowery and elegant prose. Instead, he tells his stories in a very simple, everyday sort of manner (which is one thing I love about his writing). That said, this book was a bit more elegant than normal. It truly felt "epic" in its writing (giving me LOtR vibes at times). There were also so many quotable moments (so much so that I was admittedly half tempted to underline in my copy of The Way of Kings even though I NEVER write in my Fiction books). You can definitely see Sanderson's growth as a writer between Mistborn: The Final Empire and The Way of Kings. Both are excellent novels, but I agree with Sanderson that The Way of Kings is probably his best book.
I'm calling it now, The Stormlight Archive is going to be a classic for the Fantasy genre one day. The Way of Kings is one of my best reads of the year, and I am so glad I pushed myself to finish before the end of 2022. It was slow going, my finishing of this book, but it was SO worth it. Rating this one five stars doesn't do it justice. It is just on a whole new level. I wholeheartedly and enthusiastically recommend this to any and all fans of large-scale Epic Fantasy. It is so rare that I read a fantasy novel that makes me feel good on a Lord of the Rings level. The Way of Kings is one of those rare books.
I started reading this book eight months ago (back in April). I just finished it last week (at the beginning of December). This book is LONG. I also admit, it was a little intimidating to me, as a slow reader (thank goodness for Michael Kramer and Kate Reading). At 1000+ pages, this is the longest Fiction book I've ever read. And the font size of my Trade Paperback copy isn't what I'd call large. Those 1000 pages were no joke. On top of that, often than not, I was focusing on other books and reading this one on the side. I finally convinced myself--- at the halfway mark ---that it was time to turn all my reading attention to finishing this one. I finished the last 500 pages in under two weeks.
This book was AMAZING. Sanderson's worldbuilding, magic systems, story, characters, and plot twists were top-notch. The book starts off slow, but for good reason--- it kicks off an eventual ten-book Epic Fantasy series. There is a lot to set up, and not one of these 1000+ pages were wasted. Szeth's prologue is what got me completely invested in this book (it has become one of my favorite chapters in any book period). The Sanderlanche at the end of this book was very real and very evident. You will not be disappointed by the ending of this book. Things wrapped up very well, and yet I was still dying to start book two. This is exactly the conclusion I like to come to at the end of my books.
There were three main POVs in this novel: Kaladin's, Dalinar's, and Shallan's~~~
•Dalinar is my absolute favorite character in The Way of Kings (I don't know when and how that happened, but it happened). He's just such a good guy. I wasn't expecting to like this guy as much as I did. I loved how he tried to live honorably even when those around him did not. I loved his relationship with Adolin and how that grew and changed throughput the course of the novel. The ending of his portion of the story was SO satisfying (seriously, this guy is just the epitome of honorable). I was honestly sad when we had to take breaks from his POV to go back to Shallan chapters (nothing against Shallan). I am so ready to get to Dalinar's book (Oathbringer).
•Kaladin's story was so sad, and yet so inspiring. He was the true Main Character of the book (as we got his backstory and primarily his chapters in this one). I loved his instinct to protect and form attachments. His lack of trust and his tendency towards depression made me feel so bad for him (especially once I learned the context for all of that). Kaladin's struggles and insecurities felt so real. He was so well written.
I can't talk about Kaladin without mentioning Bridge Four. I fell in love with Bridge Four. After having read Elantris earlier in the year, their story reminded me a lot of Raoden and his sector of the prison city he dubbed "New Elantris". This was a very welcome thing. I loved seeing New Elantris grow. I do think Bridge Four did what they did even better. It was a blast getting to know these guys and to see how they gradually came together as a real team. Out of the bunch, I think my absolute favorites were Teft (our lovable old grumpy fellow), Sigzil (Michael Kramer's narration for his voice reminded me of Sazed from Mistborn, and I loved him because of that) and Moash (this dude grew a lot throughout the book, and I loved it) . I'm so, so excited to be continuing Bridge Four's story in Words of Radiance (so far, I am not disappointed).
•And then we come to Shallan. If I'm being honest here, she wasn't my favorite. She was the weakest of the three in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, she was still very well written and interesting in her own right, but I found myself wanting to just get through her chapters to get back to Bridge Four and back to the Kholins. Shallan just didn't stand out to me as much as Dalinar and Kaladin. Hopefully this will soon change. Words of Radiance will be Shallan's book, and I'm optimistic that that's when she'll start to click in my mind.
A word on Sanderson's writing here. This book was art (and I'm not just referring to the beautifully done cover and interior illustrations). Sanderson is not one to generally use flowery and elegant prose. Instead, he tells his stories in a very simple, everyday sort of manner (which is one thing I love about his writing). That said, this book was a bit more elegant than normal. It truly felt "epic" in its writing (giving me LOtR vibes at times). There were also so many quotable moments (so much so that I was admittedly half tempted to underline in my copy of The Way of Kings even though I NEVER write in my Fiction books). You can definitely see Sanderson's growth as a writer between Mistborn: The Final Empire and The Way of Kings. Both are excellent novels, but I agree with Sanderson that The Way of Kings is probably his best book.
I'm calling it now, The Stormlight Archive is going to be a classic for the Fantasy genre one day. The Way of Kings is one of my best reads of the year, and I am so glad I pushed myself to finish before the end of 2022. It was slow going, my finishing of this book, but it was SO worth it. Rating this one five stars doesn't do it justice. It is just on a whole new level. I wholeheartedly and enthusiastically recommend this to any and all fans of large-scale Epic Fantasy. It is so rare that I read a fantasy novel that makes me feel good on a Lord of the Rings level. The Way of Kings is one of those rare books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death, War, and Medical content
Moderate: Child death, Animal cruelty, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Slavery
Minor: Racism and Mental illness
kassidyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Slavery, War, and Death
Moderate: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore
Minor: Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, and Child death
jaedia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, War, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Physical abuse, Medical content, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Self harm, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Racism
takarakei's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.0
Phew I did it! I've finally started this series. Overall I thought this was good, but as the first book in what I've been told is an epic series there's a lot of setup done here for the future. I don't know if I fully like the way Sanderson does his world-building, which tends to be mentioning things several times before explaining what they are (but I just keep thinking I've missed the explanation when I haven't). It also felt rather slow in parts, and I'm not sure if it really needed to be this long (yeah I know pray for me cause they only get longer from here). I do immensely enjoy the characters. The ending is a wild ride and I'm excited for the rest of the series (I just think we could've gotten there faster) because I see the potential for where this could go.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Slavery, and War
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
fae_fatale's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts