A review by jjwilbourne
Dawnshard by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

We finally made it! The Stormlight Archive, Book 3.5: Dawnshard by Brandon Sanderson. This series basically needs no introduction at this point, so I’m going to go ahead and skip to the meat of this novella.

Dawnshard takes place soon after Oathbringer and focuses on just two characters, Rysn and Lopen. There is a mysterious island where there is said to be an oathgate, but all previous expeditions to the area have ended in the disappearance of the ship’s crew. Fearing that the enemy has captured the island and Oathgate, Navani has sent Rysn and Lopen on a mission to breach the storms and solve the mystery of Akinah island.

Because I haven’t taken the opportunity to re-read any of The Stormlight Archive novels, I often forget who’s who. Rysn is one of those characters. While she has been mentioned at least a few times throughout the series, I remembered nothing about her. There are a lot of mentioned characters and a lot going on in these stories, so having a whole book dedicated to Rysn has ensured that I remember her. Lopen, however, has been one of my favorite characters from the very beginning. Though he is often relegated to comic relief in the series, I appreciated this opportunity to take a closer look at him as an individual.

The plot was a bit more fun than I expected. And I’m inclined to say that perhaps this book is more of a must-read than his previous Stormlight novella, Edgedancer. That novella is fun and definitely worth reading since it adds extra context to Oathbringer and completes a story that was started in Words of Radiance, but Dawnshard’s story feels more like a significant plot point in the series that Sanderson couldn’t find a way to write into the series’s primary novels.

Overall, this story accomplished two things. First, it kept me entertained and was a good way to keep Roshar fresh in my head between Stormlight novels. But it also made me that much more excited to read the fourth book.

I would certainly recommend Dawnshard to anyone who’s enjoying The Stormlight Archive so far. And if you skipped Edgedancer or didn’t like it because of its brevity, I would definitely encourage you to give this one a try because the events feel more significant.