u/Twisted802113

Some Random Thoughts on the Words of Radiance and Oathbringer(Spoilers for Both)

I've been reading the cosmere universe in publication order and this is what I've read so far in order:
Elantris
Hope of Elantris
Mistborn Trilogy
Warbreaker
The Way of Kings
The Alloy of Law
The Eleventh Metal
The Emperor's Soul
Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell
Words of Radiance
Sixth of the Dusk
Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Elantia
Shadows of Self
Bands of Mourning
Mistborn: Secret History
Whitesand Omnibus
Edgedancer
Oathbringer

So I've just finished reading Oathbringer a few minutes ago and I want to share a couple of random thoughts. This is not a review of any sort.
It was an amazing and a very enjoyable read, I would say that the fight in Thaylen City in the last 200-300 pages got kind of boring toward the end but was still readable without wanting to put down the book. In my opinion, in the Stormlight Archive series so far, Words of Radiance has been my favourite without a doubt, I loved the chapters where Adolin has a 4 v 1 fight and Kaladin helps him. However, the main reason I loved Words of Radiance was the last 300 pages, I genuinely could not put the book down, I read the entire thing in almost 1 stretch, the entire part with Kaladin and Shallan in the chasms was so emotionally well written and engaging.
Oathbringer was quite good, I liked Dalinar's backstory, I really hated the old Dalinar who killed Evi, but I like the man he has become. I also really liked that Brandon didn't make a very complicated love triangle with Adolin, Shallan and Kaladin. The few flirty moments with Veil was alright, but if this went into a full on love triangle drama I would've stopped reading, I don't like those kind of dramas.
One thing that I did not like in Oathbringer and in Words of Radiance too was the lack of a reaction in some phases. Mainly these 2:

  1. In Words of Radiance, we don't see at all how Shallan reacts to finding out that Kaladin is a Radiant, it kind of just cuts to her acting like its a known fact.
  2. We don't see any reaction of Kaladin finding out that Szeth is still alive and is now supporting Dalinar.

I don't mind the second one too much, because I didn't really care much about Szeth and Kaladin's relationship, but I was extremely disappointed by the first one, pretty much the entirely of the chasm sequence was leading up to Shallan finding out that Kaladin was a Radiant, and Brandon never gave us a reaction of any sort, I wish he had given a few lines of Shallan's suprise and shock just to cleanly close out that sequence.
I'll be picking up Dawnshard next and then Rythmn and War after that, Stormlight Archives has been crazy good so far, I hope it continues.

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u/Twisted802113 — 2 days ago