samtherat17's Reviews (162)

(reviewing the whole book)
This book was amazing. Going into it, I knew it was Dalinar's flashback book and his arc was absolutely fantastic. The conclusion of his arc at the end was so crazy and fulfilling as well. Kaladin and Shallan's arcs were good but they did take more of a backseat to Dalinar this time around. 
Also, characters like Navani and Adolin, who are more supporting characters were also great in this book. One thing I love about the Stormlight Archive is that even the more background characters have their own arcs and aren't just there to be there.
I think this book had the best Sanderlanche of all which I have read so far. It just went ballistic at the end and the PoV switching was executed masterfully.
The only gripe I have is that the pacing could have been a bit better in a certain part. It felt like the story was dragging a bit there. 
There were also some great Cosmere connections in this book. If you have not read Warbreaker, I would strongly recommend reading it before this.
I think I like books 1 and 2 more than this, but that does not mean this is bad in any way. This was a top tier book and I can't wait to continue the Stormlight Archive with Rhythm of War.

Not giving a rating since this is just half of the book.

This was a great book. An amazing and unique magic system, but that is always to be expected from Sanderson. There were great fleshed-out characters and character arcs. The Sanderlanche was even better than usual, since most of the book had a relatively slower pace compared to other Sanderson books which made it feel more satisfactory. The Cosmere connectons were also there, although less obvious than Stormlight. I did have one problem however, and it was that I wish we could have seen an event at the end instead of just being told it would happen. It felt abrupt. However, do not let that distract you from the fact that this book was amazing.

I am absolutely floored after reading this. This topped Golden Son for me, which was already amazing. This was an an absolute wild ride from the start to the end. One of the best books I've ever read, space opera at its best. 

Wow. This was an absolute rollercoaster. The first book was already quite good but this just took it to another level. Darrow's whole arc in this book is amazing. And don't even get me started on the ending. Just a crazy book.

Very solid start to the series. A gripe I had is that sometimes the author is hasty in describing some events. I would like some more description. Also I expected the Institute to be like a school of sorts but it was more like a game. Not a complaint, I was just surprised.
This book was pretty good overall and  I look forward to continuing the series as I've heard it gets better as it goes on.

Edit: After reading Light Bringer, I appreciate this book on a whole new level. If you don't like this book, PLEASE continue with the series. This book is just a taste of what's to come.

Nice novella, got to see Lift's adventures and she's a refreshing PoV character compared to the regular Stormlight guys. Excited to see what happens with her next.

(I'm just going to review the whole book in this)
This was really good. Like really, really good. This was the flashback book for Shallan and I thought her flashbacks were better than Kaladin's from the first book and really fleshed out her backstory. The revelation at the end for her was crazy.
Kaladin's arc was also great in this, although obviously the focus was less on him than in the first book. A certain moment with him was amazing and we finally saw the importance of Syl and the spren. 
Dalinar had more of a backseat role in this but I know that Oathbringer is his flashback book so it makes sense. 
Obviously we got the traditional Sanderlanche in this which was just a rollercoaster ride and the moment with Adolin at the end was quite unexpected but satisfying.
The events at the end have major ramifications and I can't wait to get to Oathbringer. I'm still juggling if I like this or Way of Kings more but both are probably some of my favourite books of all time.

Can't really give a rating since it's just the first half. The book seems to be building up to a huge sanderlanche which I'm all up for.

Absolute masterpiece. Might be an unpopular opinion, but I like this book more than Words of Radiance.