Reviews

The Way of Kings, Part Two by Brandon Sanderson

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annatrller's review against another edition

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5.0

Holy shit the last few chapters were a whole ass ride but holy shit this was SOOOOO good like I couldn’t stop

joeldrama's review against another edition

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4.0

A thrilling start to what looks to be an incredible journey

corditeq's review against another edition

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5.0

This book was something I bought on a whim, because everyone was always telling me that Brandon Sanderson was a Fantasy god.
Well.
He is.
I read both volumes in a grand total of one day - from midnight to 3 in the afternoon, with only a brief stop for food, sleep and a lecture. It was engrossing, compelling and I could not put it down. It was in the top five books I've ever read, and when I finished reading it, I immediately went and bought several other Sanderson novels, because apparently I have been massively missing out.
The characters were fleshed out, beautifully crafted, and vividly alive. The universe was wide and lavishly filled in every detail. The plot was both clever and understated, and I even got a few surprises with one event or another.
All in all, if you haven't read it, you should. There is a reason this book won a David Gemmell award, and that reason is how truly magnificent a piece of work it is. So shoo - go read it! I'm going go wait for the Mistborn trilogy to arrive in the mail.
(Note - I have posted this review on both volumes of the novel. Just for completeness.)

vickylovesreading's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging 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

allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

4.0

I've been so intimidated by this series of chonky books, even with them broken into halves for the paperback editions. Yet every time I've picked The Way of Kings, I struggled to put it back down. I was just honestly mesmerized, even by Kaladin's story. And he has so much main character energy that I wanted to dislike him on principle.

Part two picks up right after one of the characters has gone full Jesus on everybody. Like classic lit textbook symbolism-- I'm not even being snarky here. That doesn't mean we're in for smooth sailing post-rebirth. Quite the contrary. Part two leans into the politics that the first part of The Way of Kings just started to develop. There's a betrayal that made me gasp aloud and a momentous decision to follow that had me yelling advice at characters who couldn't hear me. That's investment, people.

While some aspects of the characters' arcs are certainly wrapped up by the end, it's a prime example of a good introductory book in a series that everyone has a lot of work to do yet. A couple of new alliances gave me hope. And the revelations of several enemies countered any buoyancy with an equal amount of dread.

I still don't understand the magic system, which is ok because neither do the characters. It left me with a healthy dose of curiosity about how everything works and how the characters can learn to harness their abilities given access to little or no instruction. There's a sense that Roshar is headed into a legendary era, and I can't wait to see how this motley crew will rise up to confront it.