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cheyannejeanette'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? No
4.0
Graphic: War
Moderate: Medical content, Slavery, Death, and Grief
kennacrowe27'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
5.0
Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination.
I do not normally write out book reviews, but this is seriously one of the best books I have ever read and cannot stop thinking about it.
The Way of Kings is an aptly named book. Although it follows several different characters with very different (though connected) stories, this book is about honor above all else. To take responsibility and do what is right over what is easy or personally advantageous. The amount of true introspection, courage, and sacrifice exhibited by the characters admittedly moved me to tears.
This is indeed a long book, but to experience the rollercoasters of the incredibly well-crafted character arcs is absolutely worth every single page. Watching these characters struggle and come to grips with their situations is truly inspiring and, as only the best books do, has made me feel less powerless in the world.
Apart from the characters, the world-building is just as incredible as other Sanderson books. Roshar is an incredibly rich and diverse place, and I am looking forward to learning more about the various cultures in the next book. There were also a number of plot twists presented at the very end that are making me so impatient to start Words of Radiance.
Graphic: Child death, Murder, Medical content, Slavery, Classism, War, Blood, Death, Grief, and Violence
Minor: Suicide attempt
nojerama's review against another edition
- 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
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:
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
- 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
Graphic: War, Death, Violence, Murder, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Slavery, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, and Mental illness
katrinarose'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
4.0
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
scifi_rat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Misogyny, Blood, Murder, Slavery, War, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Violence, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Classism, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
dailbrae'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
Moderate: Racism, Death, Violence, War, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, and Slavery
Minor: Child death, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, and Medical content
ashley_mrose530's review against another edition
- 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
I loved all of the characters even the more minor ones. They were all so well developed and had such distinct personalities. I even loved the one who was killing everyone and will be seen as the "bad guy". They all had a lot of depth throughout the book and stood out as individuals. I rooted for every single one of them to get what they wanted.
I also really liked the pacing of this book. Like I said, it does drop you in like right away with a character who is killing people as he's trying to kill a king, so it starts off on a high note which I think was a great way to start because when that was over you were completely ready to slow down and get a deeper sense of the world that you needed in order to move on. But the book itself was also separated into parts with interludes in between. I really enjoyed that it took a step back from the main story with those and added a side story to give you more information about the world and how it works without inundating you with exposition. It really worked with the pacing of the novel as a whole.
So yeah this was definitely a 10/10 read and I will be recommending it to anyone who is interested in high fantasy.
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Misogyny, Slavery, Self harm, Violence, Blood, and Classism
ekcd_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Infidelity, Suicide, Torture, Animal death, Classism, Alcohol, Body horror, Death, Suicide attempt, Genocide, Murder, Physical abuse, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Gore, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, War, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, and Religious bigotry
mads_reads_books's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Murder, Death, Colonisation, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Genocide, Child death, War, Violence, Slavery, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Genocide, Ableism, Dementia, Deportation, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Death, Drug use, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Chronic illness, and Gaslighting
Minor: Slavery, Sexual harassment, Trafficking, Violence, Torture, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, War, Xenophobia, Racism, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Police brutality