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A review by fairymodmother
Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson
5.0
I'm exhausted, physically and emotionally. Be prepared for a book bender, because this one grips you hard. Storms I love this series.
CONTENT WARNING: (not actual spoilers unless you're very sensitive to spoilers)
Things to love:
-The reveals. Again, Brandon answers my questions and concerns just at the point where ignoring them much longer would have been a turn off.
-The characters. We focus on Dalinar on this one, and I really liked the way it went. I've found him a bit one dimensional, but this rounded him out nicely for me!
-The inclusion of "others." Oppression, gay marriage, mental illness...this world is not a sleek homogeneous heaven. People feel left out, make unusual homes, grapple with their own humanity.
-The in-jokes. It could just be me, but I felt some wry self-referential humor and lots of references to things like global warming that were that little extra spice that keeps me invested.
-The other jokes. Chapters 18/19 were some of the funniest things I've read in quite some time. There were classic moments of banter, but Pattern and Syl have me emanating laughterspren like a Shadesmar Comedy Club.
-THE END OF PART 4/BEGINNING OF PART 5. OMG. 83%-93% was harrowing, was it not? I'm afraid I was not good company when I got there. But the people around me weren't Knights Radiant, so I think I'll survive. This was a brilliant series of events that kept me on the edge of my...me. All of me was on edge.
Things that felt clunkier than I was expecting:
-Kaladin with the other Knights. There were so many times I was expecting him not to be the big damn hero. To have someone remind him he's human. To let him have something nice. And yet. Poor mopey Kaladin.
-Some pacing issues. There were a few parts that went on a bit long and/or were repetitive. But not nearly as many as a 1200 page book should have, damn it all.
-The love triangle. I'm not mad about it, but I was pretty salty throughout this book. Once again this is that thing that I felt in WoR where we skated so close to eyeroll territory (and strayed exactly once! Not shabby!) that it made me nervous.
-The info dump. There was a small info dump that was made more noticeable by how long we've gone without an info dump. I wish instead it had not been an info dump, but it was short, and we all survived unscathed.
I mean, this series can't really get better. I'd say this is my second favorite book in the series so far, and I cannot wait to see how this works next. If you're a fan of epic fantasy, you need to check this out. It's simply a masterpiece.
CONTENT WARNING: (not actual spoilers unless you're very sensitive to spoilers)
Spoiler
lots of war, of course. Death of a spouse. Oblique mention of rape. Mental illness including depression, addiction and PTSD.Things to love:
-The reveals. Again, Brandon answers my questions and concerns just at the point where ignoring them much longer would have been a turn off.
-The characters. We focus on Dalinar on this one, and I really liked the way it went. I've found him a bit one dimensional, but this rounded him out nicely for me!
Spoiler
I like that he was a terrible human to highlight how hard he fights now to be good. That became meaningful by the end, though of course imagining him yelling at his sons is painful. But it should be, and it was.-The inclusion of "others." Oppression, gay marriage, mental illness...this world is not a sleek homogeneous heaven. People feel left out, make unusual homes, grapple with their own humanity.
-The in-jokes. It could just be me, but I felt some wry self-referential humor and lots of references to things like global warming that were that little extra spice that keeps me invested.
-The other jokes. Chapters 18/19 were some of the funniest things I've read in quite some time. There were classic moments of banter, but Pattern and Syl have me emanating laughterspren like a Shadesmar Comedy Club.
-THE END OF PART 4/BEGINNING OF PART 5. OMG. 83%-93% was harrowing, was it not? I'm afraid I was not good company when I got there. But the people around me weren't Knights Radiant, so I think I'll survive. This was a brilliant series of events that kept me on the edge of my...me. All of me was on edge.
Things that felt clunkier than I was expecting:
-Kaladin with the other Knights. There were so many times I was expecting him not to be the big damn hero. To have someone remind him he's human. To let him have something nice. And yet. Poor mopey Kaladin.
-Some pacing issues. There were a few parts that went on a bit long and/or were repetitive. But not nearly as many as a 1200 page book should have, damn it all.
-The love triangle. I'm not mad about it, but I was pretty salty throughout this book. Once again this is that thing that I felt in WoR where we skated so close to eyeroll territory (and strayed exactly once! Not shabby!) that it made me nervous.
-The info dump. There was a small info dump that was made more noticeable by how long we've gone without an info dump. I wish instead it had not been an info dump, but it was short, and we all survived unscathed.
I mean, this series can't really get better. I'd say this is my second favorite book in the series so far, and I cannot wait to see how this works next. If you're a fan of epic fantasy, you need to check this out. It's simply a masterpiece.