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stormlightreader's Reviews (936)
adventurous
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So many things happened in this book and the ending left me...concerned.
The stakes felt a lot higher in RoW, probably because we're nearing the end of the first SA arc and the Radiants were presented with very real obstacles to their powers. I found this so intriguing! I am beyond excited for book 5.
- I think Sanderson definitely handled mental illness (specifically depression) well in RoW. Kaladin's and Teft's struggles were so emotional to read. That said, mental illness seemed to be way more prominent in RoW than it was in books 1-3. Hopefully, this is the build up to a more consistent discussion in future SA books because it really did deepen the characters.
- so much world building! Some of this will have definitely gone over my head because there was so much world building but there was so much interesting information and development. We also get to explore more of Shadesmar, which is awesome! The world felt way bigger by the end of RoW.
- RoW provides so much development for so many characters, both characters I like and dislike. We have a lot of character POVs. I'm an absolute Kaladin fangirl, so his plotline was brilliant! Kaladin's depression gets worse in RoW and my god, my heart went out to him (and Syl). Kal and Syl just melt my heart! They really go through the ringer together in this one. Teft and his struggles. Ah man, Teft :( on a more positive note, I really really liked the interactions between Raboniel and Navani (I love that name!). Navani's passion to learn is beautiful! I can also count on one hand the number of times I've honestly enjoyed following Shallan and RoW provided with one of those, even if the resolution for her plot felt too quick. I've really struggled with Shallan's character right from the start but as the SA progresses, she becomes more and more bearable for me and her plotline in RoW was great and I really felt for her. Some of my favourite characters don't really get a lot of page time/development in RoW - Lopen gets a fleeting mention (it's lucky he was in Dawnshard!) and I don't think Adolin got much page time, which is sad because I love Adolin and cannot wait for him to get his moment in the spotlight. Adolin seems to be there to support other characters' journeys and I just want to see Adolin get some real development.
- RoW brings together details from the greater Cosmere, which is so enjoyable to me! I definitely don't remember a lot of the finer details from the other books clearly enough to have picked up on all of the connections, but the ones I spotted, really added to the scope of the Cosmere. I also love that RoW also actively refers to the Cosmere by name. Very meta! On that note, I would definitely say that reading the rest of the other Cosmere books would be best before reading RoW because the references are not subtle.
- I know on reread I'll grow to appreciate flashback chapters in the Stormlight Archive, but the flashbacks in RoW didn't feel like they added that much to the overall story for me. These centred around Venli and Eshonai and while these characters really interest me as part of the main story, the flashbacks didn't have the same effect. I tried to take what I perceived to be valuable information from them but in hindsight they just really slowed the pace down. At 1,200+ pages and 57+ hours for the audiobook, it goes without saying that there would be some pacing issues but these weren't actually too bad. The main pacing issues arose around the flashbacks but otherwise the rest of the book flew by for me.
- While I love Sanderson's writing, the way he writes political meetings is a bit long-winded and repetitive. I'm definitely no expert in writing but when leaders are negotiating, particularly in Dalinar's POV (across the SA), the discussions feel overly long and repetitive. The point has been made but we end up circling back round to to include more discussion to reach the conclusion already made beforehand. This is a minor complaint.
Overall, Rhythm of War was a really interesting, world-building, high stakes instalment to the Stormlight Archive and I can't wait to see how Sanderson ends this arc.
Stormlight Archive ratings so far:
- The Way of Kings: 5*
- Words of Radiance: 4*
- Oathbringer: 4*
- Rhythm of War: 4*
The stakes felt a lot higher in RoW, probably because we're nearing the end of the first SA arc and the Radiants were presented with very real obstacles to their powers. I found this so intriguing! I am beyond excited for book 5.
- I think Sanderson definitely handled mental illness (specifically depression) well in RoW. Kaladin's and Teft's struggles were so emotional to read. That said, mental illness seemed to be way more prominent in RoW than it was in books 1-3. Hopefully, this is the build up to a more consistent discussion in future SA books because it really did deepen the characters.
- so much world building! Some of this will have definitely gone over my head because there was so much world building but there was so much interesting information and development. We also get to explore more of Shadesmar, which is awesome! The world felt way bigger by the end of RoW.
- RoW provides so much development for so many characters, both characters I like and dislike. We have a lot of character POVs. I'm an absolute Kaladin fangirl, so his plotline was brilliant! Kaladin's depression gets worse in RoW and my god, my heart went out to him (and Syl). Kal and Syl just melt my heart! They really go through the ringer together in this one. Teft and his struggles. Ah man, Teft :( on a more positive note, I really really liked the interactions between Raboniel and Navani (I love that name!). Navani's passion to learn is beautiful! I can also count on one hand the number of times I've honestly enjoyed following Shallan and RoW provided with one of those, even if the resolution for her plot felt too quick. I've really struggled with Shallan's character right from the start but as the SA progresses, she becomes more and more bearable for me and her plotline in RoW was great and I really felt for her. Some of my favourite characters don't really get a lot of page time/development in RoW - Lopen gets a fleeting mention (it's lucky he was in Dawnshard!) and I don't think Adolin got much page time, which is sad because I love Adolin and cannot wait for him to get his moment in the spotlight. Adolin seems to be there to support other characters' journeys and I just want to see Adolin get some real development.
- RoW brings together details from the greater Cosmere, which is so enjoyable to me! I definitely don't remember a lot of the finer details from the other books clearly enough to have picked up on all of the connections, but the ones I spotted, really added to the scope of the Cosmere. I also love that RoW also actively refers to the Cosmere by name. Very meta! On that note, I would definitely say that reading the rest of the other Cosmere books would be best before reading RoW because the references are not subtle.
- I know on reread I'll grow to appreciate flashback chapters in the Stormlight Archive, but the flashbacks in RoW didn't feel like they added that much to the overall story for me. These centred around Venli and Eshonai and while these characters really interest me as part of the main story, the flashbacks didn't have the same effect. I tried to take what I perceived to be valuable information from them but in hindsight they just really slowed the pace down. At 1,200+ pages and 57+ hours for the audiobook, it goes without saying that there would be some pacing issues but these weren't actually too bad. The main pacing issues arose around the flashbacks but otherwise the rest of the book flew by for me.
- While I love Sanderson's writing, the way he writes political meetings is a bit long-winded and repetitive. I'm definitely no expert in writing but when leaders are negotiating, particularly in Dalinar's POV (across the SA), the discussions feel overly long and repetitive. The point has been made but we end up circling back round to to include more discussion to reach the conclusion already made beforehand. This is a minor complaint.
Overall, Rhythm of War was a really interesting, world-building, high stakes instalment to the Stormlight Archive and I can't wait to see how Sanderson ends this arc.
Stormlight Archive ratings so far:
- The Way of Kings: 5*
- Words of Radiance: 4*
- Oathbringer: 4*
- Rhythm of War: 4*
I now feel like I'm checking in with my cult when I log into Instagram now. This was a really interesting look into the world of cults and the language that they use with their members. The book moves from discussing some criminal cults to more subtle 'cult like' organization including fitness and social media. This was a good introduction to the world of cults and has definitely got me wanting to read about some of the more sinister ones (Jonestown and Heaven's Gate), which were only really touched on in Cultish.
Original rating: Story: 2.5* | Audio narration: 4* | Average rating: 3*
Reread rating: Story: 4* | Audio narration: 4* | Average rating: 4*
Originally, I felt that the story had potential but fell flat but I enjoyed it more this time. I also originally disliked the background music but on reread, I found it really added something to the story/intrigue. I'm glad it was a short story, because as a full length novel, the ending would have felt like a let down but it was satisfying for this book length.
On a separate note, the vibe of this story is so unlike any Sanderson book I've read. I like it!
Reread rating: Story: 4* | Audio narration: 4* | Average rating: 4*
Originally, I felt that the story had potential but fell flat but I enjoyed it more this time. I also originally disliked the background music but on reread, I found it really added something to the story/intrigue. I'm glad it was a short story, because as a full length novel, the ending would have felt like a let down but it was satisfying for this book length.
On a separate note, the vibe of this story is so unlike any Sanderson book I've read. I like it!
The Hillside Stranglers felt such hatred towards women and it's a little harsh to read. The book covers a lot of the criminals' backgrounds (probably a little much for my liking) and it also describes some of the crimes against the women in excruciating detail (which makes for quite uncomfortable reading at points). The last half a dozen or so chapters were a bit of a drag and give a lot of legal detail. However, the book succeeds in illustrating the disgusting nature of these men.
The information provided was fine but something about the writing style just didn't grab me. It was very jarring because it reads more like fiction. There is so much dialogue. How? Why? There's no way anyone (even the killers) could recount all of these conversations. Surely!
The information provided was fine but something about the writing style just didn't grab me. It was very jarring because it reads more like fiction. There is so much dialogue. How? Why? There's no way anyone (even the killers) could recount all of these conversations. Surely!
Do not care. Harry is not a likeable protagonist to follow. Just dull.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fairly ok until about 30% of the way through but then becomes quite farfetched and ridiculous but it was short so I finished it .
This guy needs an editor.
Bind, Torture, Kill: The Inside Story of BTK, the Serial Killer Next Door
Hurst Laviana, Roy Wenzl, Tim Potter
informative
fast-paced
Positives:
- pictures throughout the book rather than a collection of pictures in the middle
- short summary after some victims stating how the spouse or family were impacted down the line
- the info on Dennis Rader (BTK) was good, like Anne Rule's Green River, Running Red, it wasn't unnecessarily detailed and built a clear picture of the crimes and the length of time it took the police to apprehend him
Negatives:
- There was a bunch of pages (approx. 143-179) on the personal lives/impact BTK was having on the detectives (fine with that) and on the authors who are reporters at The Eagle newspaper in Wichita. I really struggled with the authors (reporters) inserting themselves into the narrative more than necessary. It only happened for a relatively short section of the book and it only annoyed me because they did it in third person but it took me out of the narrative and I struggled to get back into it fully.
- pictures throughout the book rather than a collection of pictures in the middle
- short summary after some victims stating how the spouse or family were impacted down the line
- the info on Dennis Rader (BTK) was good, like Anne Rule's Green River, Running Red, it wasn't unnecessarily detailed and built a clear picture of the crimes and the length of time it took the police to apprehend him
Negatives:
- There was a bunch of pages (approx. 143-179) on the personal lives/impact BTK was having on the detectives (fine with that) and on the authors who are reporters at The Eagle newspaper in Wichita. I really struggled with the authors (reporters) inserting themselves into the narrative more than necessary. It only happened for a relatively short section of the book and it only annoyed me because they did it in third person but it took me out of the narrative and I struggled to get back into it fully.
I just can't get away with Crouch's writing. It started out really strong and I read the first 10% so quickly. I was really intrigued but at around the 25% mark, the writing just became dry, with a constant churning out of random facts and information which didn't seem to move the plot forward and just started feeling like too much was going on. I get that the slightest change in one's genotype can result in substantial changes throughout the body, but there were a few pages where more and more effects were continually listed followed by a really dry Q & A just to demonstrate that the main character has an IQ in excess of 200. Unfortunately, it really took me out of the story and made me lose interest. All the character and relationship building that drew me in for the first 10% of the book vanished in a flash.