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mackim'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
house_full_of_books's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
fictionalcharacter's review against another edition
5.0
storm you brandon sanderson for sneaking so much philosophy into a high fantasy book and making me love it! this book reminded me just how great it feels to read about characters with honor and integrity, who truly respect others and want to protect people who can’t protect themselves. throw in some anti war and anti ruling class/abuse of power and it’s cemented as one of my favorite fantasy books. I will say the world building and diving into character histories in detail felt slow at times, but the payoff was worth it. anyone who loves lord of the rings or game of thrones should read this right away.
jmck7233's review against another edition
5.0
Just incredible!! This book swept me away! It lagged here and there, but I was determined and I was so glad to have read this and am so excited to read more. I absolutely LOVED this story. It's going to be an epic tale! From the character work to the world building, Sanderson doesn't ever seem to disappoint.
taylerreads's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I listened to the story on audiobook and the narrators did a fantastic job of bringing the story to life. It was a little bit difficult to follow the story.
falanuhlaaalu's review against another edition
5.0
2nd read in preparation for Rhythm of War
For my second time I decided to listen to the graphic audio of this novel instead,which I will say made the experience incredible and I highly recommend it.
Now to the review:
The Way Of Kings and The Stormlight Archive in general have to be one of my favourite fantasy works .
Each character has a unique personality and perspective to the world that they are living and it just makes everything more interesting reading from different point of views.Instead of this making you feel tired, it pulls you in and gets you more invested. Anything from social status,gender issues, politics and philosophy is included and given a lot of time as a part of each character's background and ideas.
It might be a long book ,but I think each chapter serves an important purpose to the narrative ,either explaining a certain character's backstory or personality, continuing the story ,or just giving you something like a tour of Roshar.
The story is separated to three main point of views(and many minor ones):
-Dalinar Kholin,highprince and general fighting in a war in the Shattered Plains to avenge his dead brother and former king of Alethkar,Gavilar Kholin. In this point of view we also see from the view of his son , Adolin Kholin,prince and duelist(not much though).
-Kaladin Stormblessed, slave turning bridgeman joining the army of highprince Torol Sadeas
-Shallan Davar, daughter of a minor lord in Jah Keved coming to Khabranth (a kingdom in Roshar) in order to become a ward of Jasnah Kholin, sister of the current king of Alethkar,Elhokar Kholin.
I won't get into spoilers but each main point of view gives us an interesting perspective of the world. Dalinar, a man of power amidst a war dealing with politics, family issues,and personal struggles. Kaladin, a man of lower rank ,going through the worst life can offer to him, trying to find strength to move forward. Shallan ,the only woman and non Alethi of the main three learning new things and joining the world of scholars and research while trying to help her family.
As I said I will not delve into spoilers and story moments,but I will not stop recommending this to anyone. If you like fantasy and especially when fantasy gives morally grey characters, philosophy and analysis on the world while providing great world building,magic system, story and characters ,then I highly recommend this story :)
For my second time I decided to listen to the graphic audio of this novel instead,which I will say made the experience incredible and I highly recommend it.
Now to the review:
The Way Of Kings and The Stormlight Archive in general have to be one of my favourite fantasy works .
Each character has a unique personality and perspective to the world that they are living and it just makes everything more interesting reading from different point of views.Instead of this making you feel tired, it pulls you in and gets you more invested. Anything from social status,gender issues, politics and philosophy is included and given a lot of time as a part of each character's background and ideas.
It might be a long book ,but I think each chapter serves an important purpose to the narrative ,either explaining a certain character's backstory or personality, continuing the story ,or just giving you something like a tour of Roshar.
The story is separated to three main point of views(and many minor ones):
-Dalinar Kholin,highprince and general fighting in a war in the Shattered Plains to avenge his dead brother and former king of Alethkar,Gavilar Kholin. In this point of view we also see from the view of his son , Adolin Kholin,prince and duelist(not much though).
-Kaladin Stormblessed, slave turning bridgeman joining the army of highprince Torol Sadeas
-Shallan Davar, daughter of a minor lord in Jah Keved coming to Khabranth (a kingdom in Roshar) in order to become a ward of Jasnah Kholin, sister of the current king of Alethkar,Elhokar Kholin.
I won't get into spoilers but each main point of view gives us an interesting perspective of the world. Dalinar, a man of power amidst a war dealing with politics, family issues,and personal struggles. Kaladin, a man of lower rank ,going through the worst life can offer to him, trying to find strength to move forward. Shallan ,the only woman and non Alethi of the main three learning new things and joining the world of scholars and research while trying to help her family.
As I said I will not delve into spoilers and story moments,but I will not stop recommending this to anyone. If you like fantasy and especially when fantasy gives morally grey characters, philosophy and analysis on the world while providing great world building,magic system, story and characters ,then I highly recommend this story :)
piscesvsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? No
5.0
snowyshallows's review against another edition
5.0
Honestly, only one step under The Name of the Wind. I don't immediately go for books with multiple perspectives, in fact, I avoid them. However, I cared about every character when they came on screen. Although I kept getting stuck on who and where I was at first, eventually I got the hang of it. Brandon Sanderson is a master at teasing you to keep reading. The chapters end on perfect notes and when you turn the page to find out what happened, you're with another character. And when this other character is struck with a realization or in a precarious situation, you get another perspective. It's an endless cycle of burning anticipation.
Also, the videos on youtube of "stormlight characters as vines" are perfect. Kaladin is such a sweet, sad boi I love him. Adolin is a lovable dick and Shallan is adorable. Amazing characters and great plot.
Also, the videos on youtube of "stormlight characters as vines" are perfect. Kaladin is such a sweet, sad boi I love him. Adolin is a lovable dick and Shallan is adorable. Amazing characters and great plot.
hjswinford's review against another edition
5.0
My Overall Thoughts - 5/5
This is the introduction to a massive world. A 1200 page introduction. A compelling, intricate, deep introduction to what I can only assume is going to be an utterly ginormous book series. Brandon Sanderson can pull it off. I have no doubt.
I picked up The Way of Kings several times before. I never made it past the Prelude. Now, I’m not incredibly anti-prologue or whatever…but I just never got hooked enough to move past the “okay” prelude into the honking novel that was The Way of Kings. Finally, my husband read it and he said, “Just keep reading. I promise.” And those kinds of promises always irritate me. Like, why can’t it just hook me from the get go? Why does it have to wait to get good?
My ONLY complaint is that the prelude, when the reader is otherwise uninformed about the world of the story, isn’t that engaging. Going back, of course, after I read the book, the prelude makes perfect sense as the opening. What other opening could there be? But it did take me a while to muster up the will to move past it into the meat of the book. And I am so glad I did—as I knew I would be.
The entire book might be an introduction to the Stormlight Archive as a series, but it doesn’t feel that way. Not in the moment. I was so involved with the characters, getting to know them and their stories and their place in this huge world…I loved it. And I came to love every narrating character for their own reasons. Kaladin and Shallan, from the start, I adored. And while it took me a little longer to love Dalinar, I came to look forward to his narration as well.
Characters are what pull me into a story, and The Way of Kings does not want for character. More on that below. The worldbuilding is great, of course, and the magic system—what Sanderson is kind of known for—is complex and interesting and I still don’t feel like I’ve done more than scratch the surface when it comes to understanding it. I can’t wait to start Words of Radiance. And by that, I mean I’ve already started it. Started it moments after finishing this one.
Very mild spoilers below.
Character Development - 5/5
The character growth from opening of book to closing of book was spectacular. This book does not stand alone, so character arcs are not complete and they are not meant to be. We get the building of several character arcs and each one is compelling and complex. Each one is unique, but feels authentic.
We get much more of Kaladin’s backstory than anyone else’s. In fact, we get basically all of Kaladin’s backstory and basically zero of anyone else’s. I like that, honestly. Sanderson doesn’t slow down the book by trying to cram a handful of backstories into everything. For the other characters, the here-and-now matters far more than the “then.” We see Shallan grow and struggle and chance and she is interesting without knowing more than a scattering of details of where she came from. It works and it aids in making each character feel more unique because they are all presented to the reader through different methods.
Story Structure - 5/5
Some people don’t like multiple POV books. I can understand why. It can be done very poorly. But Sanderson’s structure is basically flawless, especially for the scope of this series. With only three primary narrators, and a few others sprinkled in among the interludes (the short chapters between parts), it never felt like more than was needed. The stories, at first, seem unrelated, the only similarity between the characters being that they live in the same basic part of this world. However, as their stories go on and events unfold, we begin to see how they are tied together. We see how they will continue to weave closer together into the next book. The end of the book, when two of the “unrelated” narrators finally meet, I was just filled with joy at seeing them interact because I was finally able to see these two characters—whom I’d grown to love separately—thrust together and working together and doing everything just exactly how they should. It’s like when two of your good friends finally meet and they hit it off and you just can’t contain your happiness.
Tone/Style - 5/5
Classic fantasy; timeless and elegant without being stuffy or outdated.
World Building - 5/5
I can’t imagine having anything negative to say about Sanderson’s worldbuilding, like, ever. And this is especially true here. You get a feeling of the scope of this world without being overwhelmed or drowned in useless exposition. In fact, I never once—not in 1200 pages—ever thought, “Okay, let’s move past this exposition and back into the story…” That’s not to say he never broke off into exposition for a bit. But it does speak well of the writing when I didn’t notice it.
Representation/Diversity - 4.5/5
Set in a fantasy world, so races and species are utterly different, though the Alethi are specified as “human.” Various skin tones are mentioned for many, if not all, the characters. Sexuality is not a topic of discussion in general, but all mentioned couples were heterosexual.
Content
Sanderson writes clean stuff (he’s a devout Mormon). No content issues.
My Final Thoughts
I WILL GO READ WORDS OF RADIANCE NOW. BYE.
This is the introduction to a massive world. A 1200 page introduction. A compelling, intricate, deep introduction to what I can only assume is going to be an utterly ginormous book series. Brandon Sanderson can pull it off. I have no doubt.
I picked up The Way of Kings several times before. I never made it past the Prelude. Now, I’m not incredibly anti-prologue or whatever…but I just never got hooked enough to move past the “okay” prelude into the honking novel that was The Way of Kings. Finally, my husband read it and he said, “Just keep reading. I promise.” And those kinds of promises always irritate me. Like, why can’t it just hook me from the get go? Why does it have to wait to get good?
My ONLY complaint is that the prelude, when the reader is otherwise uninformed about the world of the story, isn’t that engaging. Going back, of course, after I read the book, the prelude makes perfect sense as the opening. What other opening could there be? But it did take me a while to muster up the will to move past it into the meat of the book. And I am so glad I did—as I knew I would be.
The entire book might be an introduction to the Stormlight Archive as a series, but it doesn’t feel that way. Not in the moment. I was so involved with the characters, getting to know them and their stories and their place in this huge world…I loved it. And I came to love every narrating character for their own reasons. Kaladin and Shallan, from the start, I adored. And while it took me a little longer to love Dalinar, I came to look forward to his narration as well.
Characters are what pull me into a story, and The Way of Kings does not want for character. More on that below. The worldbuilding is great, of course, and the magic system—what Sanderson is kind of known for—is complex and interesting and I still don’t feel like I’ve done more than scratch the surface when it comes to understanding it. I can’t wait to start Words of Radiance. And by that, I mean I’ve already started it. Started it moments after finishing this one.
Very mild spoilers below.
Character Development - 5/5
The character growth from opening of book to closing of book was spectacular. This book does not stand alone, so character arcs are not complete and they are not meant to be. We get the building of several character arcs and each one is compelling and complex. Each one is unique, but feels authentic.
We get much more of Kaladin’s backstory than anyone else’s. In fact, we get basically all of Kaladin’s backstory and basically zero of anyone else’s. I like that, honestly. Sanderson doesn’t slow down the book by trying to cram a handful of backstories into everything. For the other characters, the here-and-now matters far more than the “then.” We see Shallan grow and struggle and chance and she is interesting without knowing more than a scattering of details of where she came from. It works and it aids in making each character feel more unique because they are all presented to the reader through different methods.
Story Structure - 5/5
Some people don’t like multiple POV books. I can understand why. It can be done very poorly. But Sanderson’s structure is basically flawless, especially for the scope of this series. With only three primary narrators, and a few others sprinkled in among the interludes (the short chapters between parts), it never felt like more than was needed. The stories, at first, seem unrelated, the only similarity between the characters being that they live in the same basic part of this world. However, as their stories go on and events unfold, we begin to see how they are tied together. We see how they will continue to weave closer together into the next book. The end of the book, when two of the “unrelated” narrators finally meet, I was just filled with joy at seeing them interact because I was finally able to see these two characters—whom I’d grown to love separately—thrust together and working together and doing everything just exactly how they should. It’s like when two of your good friends finally meet and they hit it off and you just can’t contain your happiness.
Tone/Style - 5/5
Classic fantasy; timeless and elegant without being stuffy or outdated.
World Building - 5/5
I can’t imagine having anything negative to say about Sanderson’s worldbuilding, like, ever. And this is especially true here. You get a feeling of the scope of this world without being overwhelmed or drowned in useless exposition. In fact, I never once—not in 1200 pages—ever thought, “Okay, let’s move past this exposition and back into the story…” That’s not to say he never broke off into exposition for a bit. But it does speak well of the writing when I didn’t notice it.
Representation/Diversity - 4.5/5
Set in a fantasy world, so races and species are utterly different, though the Alethi are specified as “human.” Various skin tones are mentioned for many, if not all, the characters. Sexuality is not a topic of discussion in general, but all mentioned couples were heterosexual.
Content
Sanderson writes clean stuff (he’s a devout Mormon). No content issues.
My Final Thoughts
I WILL GO READ WORDS OF RADIANCE NOW. BYE.
reads_for_charity's review against another edition
5.0
I would rate it a 4.5
I really enjoyed this book, the story already feels epic and the characters are deep and memorable. The last couple hundred pages flew by because things are happening quickly and you feel so engaged in the story. The ending was satisfying while also leaving you craving the next installment. I would rate it a 4.5 only because of the slow beginning and feeling a little lost at times, although I do think the payoff in the end is totally worth it! And, knowing it is the start of a long series makes all the unknowns forgivable, with the expectation that all will be explained eventually.
I really enjoyed this book, the story already feels epic and the characters are deep and memorable. The last couple hundred pages flew by because things are happening quickly and you feel so engaged in the story. The ending was satisfying while also leaving you craving the next installment. I would rate it a 4.5 only because of the slow beginning and feeling a little lost at times, although I do think the payoff in the end is totally worth it! And, knowing it is the start of a long series makes all the unknowns forgivable, with the expectation that all will be explained eventually.