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emolr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Child death
badbadwolf's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Infertility, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
steven_v's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Xenophobia
Minor: Vomit and War
aseel_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Sanderson got my cackling aloud in public 🤣 I did not predict any of the twists and I'm still trying to wrap my head around how the events of these books relate to the stormlight archive series but I guess I'll see
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Rape
elise_marie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Vomit, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Rape, Suicide, Dementia, Abortion, and Pregnancy
chris_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Misogyny, Blood, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Gore, Rape, Torture, Vomit, and Trafficking
lebolt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I'll admit this book gets off to a rocky start, and has some other rocky moments, but the typical Sanderson ingenuitiy in the magic system, as well as a cast of genuinely likeable characters, keeps enough momentup to get to the good stuff. And the good stuff is great! One of the most satisfying stories I've read by Sanderson - and all in a relatively short volume! Definitely worth a read even if you havent read any of his other work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Kidnapping, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Vomit and War
Minor: Animal cruelty and Rape
No spoilers: This book is pretty brutal despite its lighthearted tone. Female characters are repeatedly and forcefully stripped and/or viewed naked by others. One of these characters is a teenager. Kidnapping, torture, and contemplation thereof are recurring themes and are used frequently as plot devices. Body horror for zombie creatures is recurring. Aftermath of torture of animals is shown. Forced marriage, as well as related and unrelated sexual violence, is discussed repeatedly as a threat to female characters. Poverty and starvation are vivdly described.leona's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Quick comment: A bit irritated that Storygraph doesn't appear to have the copy of the book I read (I tried to add it but it wouldn't let me.)
This is my fourth Sanderson book (second cosmere book) and it is safe to say I am well and truly hooked. I loved Warbreaker (okay not as much as The Final Empire which I have bumped up to a 5 star rating) but still, I really enjoyed it. Also, fair warning, I will probably be comparing this to The Final Empire a lot, which is probably unfair but ...
I have a lot of thoughts about this book, so hopefully I don't forget any - now, let's get started!
And some smallish spoilers below but I will try to tag the major ones.
First off: characters.
Sanderson has great characters. I think I can say that with some confidence now. The main cast consists of two sisters, Siri and Vivenna, the God King, Lightsong - a 'returned' God, and the mysterious Vasher. It took me quite a while to get attached to the characters. I liked Siri, Vasher and Lightsong but felt quite indifferent towards Vivenna and her POV's seemed to take up so much space. Actually scrap that, I really started to hat Vivenna for the majority of the book, her attitudes towards Jewels and Parlin were so controlling and entitled and it was very frustrating. But over time I started to like Vivenna a bit more, I started to like Siri and loved Vasher and Lightsong. Vasher is just such an epic character and I love the philosophical side that Lightsong brings. But if I am going to be honest, I just loved him when I found out he could juggle (and as a juggler I think Sanderson did a pretty good job here - no stupid hand waving and other weird crap people think jugglers do). He's just such a fascinating character. Lastly, is it unfair to say that Lightsong and Vasher reminded me of the opposite sides of Kelsier (okay maybe I'm just clutching at straws now because I like Kelsier's character so much.
Now onto some major character spoilers
I think Sanderson should have shown more detail with Lightsong's death because even though I loved this character, I think his death was a bit unemotional. The same with Blushweaver - I didn't like her from the start, hated her more after she called Siri a slut, then didn't really care whne she died, other than how upset Lightsong was. I would also say the same for Parlin's death There was barely any interactions with him and he was kind of just third-wheeling. I think Parlin and Blushweaver's deaths were used more as shock value but I didn't feel any emotional attachment to them. I actually really hated Blushweaver and she's a bit of a stereotype to be honest: the manipulative seductress who is flapping her cleavage around and trying to get with Lightsong every 2 minutes. Anyway, I loved Siri and Lightsong's relationship and I wish we could have seen more interactions with them. I also felt a bit underwhelmed by the revelation that Llarimarr (not sure about the spelling there...) was Lightsong's brother, or that Vasher was one of the 5 scholars (I think that's right). Why does Sanderson always kill off my favourite characters! Also: Hoid sighting 2! Are the materials he sprinkles from the various cosmere planets? I noticed him using small metal flakes or something along those lines and being like: MISTBORN!
Plot:
I can't really talk about plot that much, but this story is very political / court intrigue heavy and also relies quite heavily on mystery to draw you in. This is part of the reason I didn't give this a 5 star rating - for the first half of the book I was getting bored of Vivenna's POVs, didn't feel all that invested in the characters, and also didn't really understand what was going on. Some of the twists didn't land that well for me but I still think this book was pretty excellent. I was quite average about this book for a long time, but the Sanderlanche was epic and I just loved it. Although I think maybe the ending may have felt a little bit rushed? I also think this book definitely needs a sequel so hopefully Sanderson will work on one after Stormlight 5. It definitely isn't as action heavy as The Final Empire, Vasher brings most of the action, which I think is mainly a matter of personal preference.
Magic system / world building:
I am by no means an expert on these aspects but the world is very greek myth-esque with an excellent and unique magic system. The basics are quite easy to grasp but I also didn't feel like I fully understood some aspects of it which was also a contribution to some of the reveals not landing as well for me. But generally, I really enjoyed the magic and themes explored in this book.
Some general comments to add:
I think this book is mainly character driven and some readers may not like Sanderson's writing style. He is quite no nonsense and to the point, which makes it very digestible and his magic systems easier to handle but it is definitely not flowery or particularly 'beautiful' prose. Despite this he still manages to capture the beauty of the world very successfully. However one thing that annoyed me (and I had a similar criticism in Mistborn with the repetitive use of the word maladroitly) by the end of this book I was sick of hearing about every woman's 'dangerously low cut neck lines' or 'cleavage that threatened to fall out' or whatever other descriptions were used / descriptions of Blushweaver's boobs. I could forgive it at first with Siri and Vivenna considering their cultural / religious views but it did really start to grate on my nerves after a while.
So overall, definitely a solid entry of Sanderson's cosmere that I thoroughly enjoyed but not necessarily my favourite / on the same level for me as The Final Empire. I wish there was a sequel so bad though and I rate it 4 stars. Yay for the cosmere and I can't wait to finish the Mistborn trilogy.
This is my fourth Sanderson book (second cosmere book) and it is safe to say I am well and truly hooked. I loved Warbreaker (okay not as much as The Final Empire which I have bumped up to a 5 star rating) but still, I really enjoyed it. Also, fair warning, I will probably be comparing this to The Final Empire a lot, which is probably unfair but ...
I have a lot of thoughts about this book, so hopefully I don't forget any - now, let's get started!
And some smallish spoilers below but I will try to tag the major ones.
First off: characters.
Sanderson has great characters. I think I can say that with some confidence now. The main cast consists of two sisters, Siri and Vivenna, the God King, Lightsong - a 'returned' God, and the mysterious Vasher. It took me quite a while to get attached to the characters. I liked Siri, Vasher and Lightsong but felt quite indifferent towards Vivenna and her POV's seemed to take up so much space. Actually scrap that, I really started to hat Vivenna for the majority of the book, her attitudes towards Jewels and Parlin were so controlling and entitled and it was very frustrating. But over time I started to like Vivenna a bit more, I started to like Siri and loved Vasher and Lightsong. Vasher is just such an epic character and I love the philosophical side that Lightsong brings. But if I am going to be honest, I just loved him when I found out he could juggle (and as a juggler I think Sanderson did a pretty good job here - no stupid hand waving and other weird crap people think jugglers do). He's just such a fascinating character. Lastly, is it unfair to say that Lightsong and Vasher reminded me of the opposite sides of Kelsier (okay maybe I'm just clutching at straws now because I like Kelsier's character so much.
Now onto some major character spoilers
I think Sanderson should have shown more detail with Lightsong's death because even though I loved this character, I think his death was a bit unemotional. The same with Blushweaver - I didn't like her from the start, hated her more after she called Siri a slut, then didn't really care whne she died, other than how upset Lightsong was. I would also say the same for Parlin's death There was barely any interactions with him and he was kind of just third-wheeling. I think Parlin and Blushweaver's deaths were used more as shock value but I didn't feel any emotional attachment to them. I actually really hated Blushweaver and she's a bit of a stereotype to be honest: the manipulative seductress who is flapping her cleavage around and trying to get with Lightsong every 2 minutes. Anyway, I loved Siri and Lightsong's relationship and I wish we could have seen more interactions with them. I also felt a bit underwhelmed by the revelation that Llarimarr (not sure about the spelling there...) was Lightsong's brother, or that Vasher was one of the 5 scholars (I think that's right). Why does Sanderson always kill off my favourite characters! Also: Hoid sighting 2! Are the materials he sprinkles from the various cosmere planets? I noticed him using small metal flakes or something along those lines and being like: MISTBORN!
Plot:
I can't really talk about plot that much, but this story is very political / court intrigue heavy and also relies quite heavily on mystery to draw you in. This is part of the reason I didn't give this a 5 star rating - for the first half of the book I was getting bored of Vivenna's POVs, didn't feel all that invested in the characters, and also didn't really understand what was going on. Some of the twists didn't land that well for me but I still think this book was pretty excellent. I was quite average about this book for a long time, but the Sanderlanche was epic and I just loved it. Although I think maybe the ending may have felt a little bit rushed? I also think this book definitely needs a sequel so hopefully Sanderson will work on one after Stormlight 5. It definitely isn't as action heavy as The Final Empire, Vasher brings most of the action, which I think is mainly a matter of personal preference.
Magic system / world building:
I am by no means an expert on these aspects but the world is very greek myth-esque with an excellent and unique magic system. The basics are quite easy to grasp but I also didn't feel like I fully understood some aspects of it which was also a contribution to some of the reveals not landing as well for me. But generally, I really enjoyed the magic and themes explored in this book.
Some general comments to add:
I think this book is mainly character driven and some readers may not like Sanderson's writing style. He is quite no nonsense and to the point, which makes it very digestible and his magic systems easier to handle but it is definitely not flowery or particularly 'beautiful' prose. Despite this he still manages to capture the beauty of the world very successfully. However one thing that annoyed me (and I had a similar criticism in Mistborn with the repetitive use of the word maladroitly) by the end of this book I was sick of hearing about every woman's 'dangerously low cut neck lines' or 'cleavage that threatened to fall out' or whatever other descriptions were used / descriptions of Blushweaver's boobs. I could forgive it at first with Siri and Vivenna considering their cultural / religious views but it did really start to grate on my nerves after a while.
So overall, definitely a solid entry of Sanderson's cosmere that I thoroughly enjoyed but not necessarily my favourite / on the same level for me as The Final Empire. I wish there was a sequel so bad though and I rate it 4 stars. Yay for the cosmere and I can't wait to finish the Mistborn trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Violence, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gore, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, and War
Minor: Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Vomit, and Gaslighting
keepsleep's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Cursing, Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Vomit, Kidnapping, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Adult themes are handled in a very non graphic manner.