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A review by allisonwonderlandreads
The Way of Kings, Part Two by Brandon Sanderson
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.
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.