Hello from my couch where I’m busy elevating and icing my foot and studying for the bar. I meant to post this review yesterday, and then I fell down the stairs and landed myself in urgent care with a sprained ankle, so here we are. Other than the perpetual bar studying and the inability to walk anywhere, life is pretty good.
I started June with the second book in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series, Words of Radiance. Words of Radiance isn’t quite as huge as The Way of Kings, but it was still a significant time investment. Honestly probably a time investment I didn’t have time to make, but I blew through it in about a week. I couldn’t put it down.
As usual, this review will be spoiler-free for Words of Radiance, but because it’s the second book in the series, there may be some spoilers for The Way of Kings. I’ll do my best, but if you haven’t read The Way of Kings, you should go check out my spoiler-free review over here to decide if this series is for you.
Words of Radiance picks up right after the end of The Way of Kings. Kaladin and the rest of Bridge Four are now working in High Prince Dalinar’s war camp as Dalinar and Adolin’s personal guards, and soon they’re guarding the king too. There’s a lot of political machinations, because Dalinar and Sadeas are both angling for power, and someone is still definitely trying to assassinate the king. Kaladin is being stretched between loyalty to his men and his new duties to Dalinar and the king. He’s also not very good at staying in line in political meetings. And then of course the guy who killed Kaladin’s old squad and enslaved Kaladin shows up as Dalinar’s ally. And as Kaladin’s loyalty is tested, he has to make choices, and the wrong choice might cost him his surgebinding powers.
Meanwhile, Shallan and Jasnah are on their way to the Shattered Plains, and Shallan is starting to learn about her powers, when they are attacked by assassins, and Shallan has to make her way onward on her own, carrying valuable information to the war camps.
Also, the parshendi are up to some really bad stuff in an attempt to destroy the whole Alethi army. Like remember how Shallan and Jasnah figured out the Parshmen were voidbringers? That kind of bad stuff.
Again, this is a huge book, so I’m barely scratching the surface with this description. I’m also probably muddling everything up.
Words of Radiance was slow at first, but once it picked up, it started flying. I just loved learning so much more about these characters and this world. I particularly enjoyed finally getting Shallan’s whole backstory, though honestly I saw some of that coming (but not in a bad way). I also loved that all the characters and storylines came together, and the way everything built toward this fantastic climax.
The only thing I didn’t particularly like about this book was the instalove between Shallan and Adolin, and then what I believe is the beginnings of a love triangle between Shallan, Adelin, and Kaladin, and these dislikes are more because I feel like it wasn’t really necessary to the plot, especially because the book is pretty long. These plots could develop into something I really love in the next book, but right now I’m kind of meh about the idea. I’m also kind of meh about love triangles in general, because they’re so often just ways to insert extra drama into a relationship.
But on the whole, I loved this book. It just blew me away. Pun intended.
And the ending! Oh, the ending!
This morning, I finished the novella that takes place between Words of Radiance and the third book in the series, and I have the third book ready to start after that, so stay tuned.