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A review by karlee_reads
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Alright we're back to the Cosmere after a break post-Mistborn. This was a DOOZY. The Stormlight books are LONG. This is the kind of length people warn you about with high fantasy. 45 and a half hours on audio is an undertaking. And honestly if I hadn't come in with such high praise from friends and my own high expectations from Mistborn, I'm not sure I would be considering continuing this series.
There's three primary POVs: Kaladin, Shallan, and Dalinar; plus some shorter POVs in interludes, with Zseth being a reoccurring one. Kaladin's story is far and away the most interesting of three to me. He has the most engaging plot to me, and is also given ample backstory, something that is not really given to our other two narrators. Shallan's narrative is in the middle, interesting but not as engaging as Kaladin's. Dalinar's was downright boring for me until like Part Four.
However I came into this with the understanding that we are laying the groundwork for what is an absolutely massive body of work that is STILL ongoing, so I'm giving it a bit of grace. There are definitely interesting elements: I think the concept of the spren are fascinating, the ecology of the world is interesting, and the caste system that's established on eye color is wild. I'm going to keep going on my Cosmere journey - but I'm going to take a break before diving back in.
There's three primary POVs: Kaladin, Shallan, and Dalinar; plus some shorter POVs in interludes, with Zseth being a reoccurring one. Kaladin's story is far and away the most interesting of three to me. He has the most engaging plot to me, and is also given ample backstory, something that is not really given to our other two narrators. Shallan's narrative is in the middle, interesting but not as engaging as Kaladin's. Dalinar's was downright boring for me until like Part Four.
However I came into this with the understanding that we are laying the groundwork for what is an absolutely massive body of work that is STILL ongoing, so I'm giving it a bit of grace. There are definitely interesting elements: I think the concept of the spren are fascinating, the ecology of the world is interesting, and the caste system that's established on eye color is wild. I'm going to keep going on my Cosmere journey - but I'm going to take a break before diving back in.