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A review by ryanhutton
Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson
4.0
Rhythm of War started out being my favourite Stormlight Archive book, which I know is a little bit of an unpopular opinion. Despite all the criticism, I was vibing with the larger focus on science and progress within the world. Adolin was getting a lot more focus which is always great, and Sanderson has clearly grown comfortable with writing the characters to the point that they're just fun to be around.
Around page 500 something happened that really hooked my interest. And then... nothing really happens until the end (and even then, I'd say Rhythm of War has the weakest ending of the Stormlight Archive novels). Okay, nothing is an overstatement, but the final 800 pages don't warrant their length at all. If they were in service of payoffs feeling earned in the end, I'd be a lot more game. But at this point in the series, certain payoffs left me feeling fatigued and thinking "couldn't Sanderson have found a more interesting way to resolve this?"
That said, I still loved so many of the smaller moments (and even larger moments). Though Shallan and Kaladin's arcs are at this point a tad repetitive, I still think they're great characters. My boy Adolin absolutely shines in this novel and everything surrounding him is a high point of the novel for me. The focus on smaller characters (I won't say who, but if you've read the novel you'll know) was grand also, with a particularly heart wrenching moment later on. Navani isn't my favourite character and I found her presence a little overbearing, but I loved her dynamic with Raboniel, as well as Sanderson's effort to not make Raboniel this 2D villain (as so many of his other villains tend to edge towards). Anytime the two were talking to each other, I was glued to the page.
Despite pacing issues, there's still so much to love, which is indicative of the entire series really.
Around page 500 something happened that really hooked my interest. And then... nothing really happens until the end (and even then, I'd say Rhythm of War has the weakest ending of the Stormlight Archive novels). Okay, nothing is an overstatement, but the final 800 pages don't warrant their length at all. If they were in service of payoffs feeling earned in the end, I'd be a lot more game. But at this point in the series, certain payoffs left me feeling fatigued and thinking "couldn't Sanderson have found a more interesting way to resolve this?"
That said, I still loved so many of the smaller moments (and even larger moments). Though Shallan and Kaladin's arcs are at this point a tad repetitive, I still think they're great characters. My boy Adolin absolutely shines in this novel and everything surrounding him is a high point of the novel for me. The focus on smaller characters (I won't say who, but if you've read the novel you'll know) was grand also, with a particularly heart wrenching moment later on. Navani isn't my favourite character and I found her presence a little overbearing, but I loved her dynamic with Raboniel, as well as Sanderson's effort to not make Raboniel this 2D villain (as so many of his other villains tend to edge towards). Anytime the two were talking to each other, I was glued to the page.
Despite pacing issues, there's still so much to love, which is indicative of the entire series really.