Scan barcode
A review by alext8086
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Words of Radiance is a good book. I really enjoyed it. However, it is certainly not perfect.
The positives: This book continues to expand the epic scale of the series. Sanderson is great at creating characters. The book has many incredible moments and a surprising amount of humor. Shallan’s backstory was more interesting than I expected it to be and is expertly written.
The negatives (some spoilers ahead): I have 2 main criticisms of Words of Radiance. First, Kaladin’s arc annoyed me. After having his whole hero awakening arc in the first book, it felt a bit strange for him to drop into such a pit of anger and despair. That being said, it makes sense to a degree, and this is not what bothered me about it. What bothered me is that Kaladin just refuses to develop as a character for about 800 pages. I kept waiting and waiting for the moment when he would change, and it takes forever to come. My second main criticism is that some of the moments that Sanderson spent so long building up were rather underwhelming once they happened. For instance, **SPOILER ALERT** Amaram is finally revealed to have committed the crimes Kaladin accused him of, and nothing really happens. Now, I suspect this is because Amaram will be a villain again down the road, but in the moment I kind of went, “wait, that’s it?” Additionally, I felt like the return of the Voidbringers was overshadowed a lot by Szeth’s appearance.
My other criticism is more a matter of preference: I really wasn’t a fan of Shallan’s spy storyline. I don’t think there was anything inherently wrong with it, but every chapter she was infiltrating the Ghostbloods, I found myself rushing to get through it so I could get back to Kaladin and Dalinar.
I know I wrote a lot of negatives, but this was still a great book. The last 200 pages were absolutely epic, and I’m really excited for the rest of the series
The positives: This book continues to expand the epic scale of the series. Sanderson is great at creating characters. The book has many incredible moments and a surprising amount of humor. Shallan’s backstory was more interesting than I expected it to be and is expertly written.
The negatives (some spoilers ahead): I have 2 main criticisms of Words of Radiance. First, Kaladin’s arc annoyed me. After having his whole hero awakening arc in the first book, it felt a bit strange for him to drop into such a pit of anger and despair. That being said, it makes sense to a degree, and this is not what bothered me about it. What bothered me is that Kaladin just refuses to develop as a character for about 800 pages. I kept waiting and waiting for the moment when he would change, and it takes forever to come. My second main criticism is that some of the moments that Sanderson spent so long building up were rather underwhelming once they happened. For instance, **SPOILER ALERT** Amaram is finally revealed to have committed the crimes Kaladin accused him of, and nothing really happens. Now, I suspect this is because Amaram will be a villain again down the road, but in the moment I kind of went, “wait, that’s it?” Additionally, I felt like the return of the Voidbringers was overshadowed a lot by Szeth’s appearance.
My other criticism is more a matter of preference: I really wasn’t a fan of Shallan’s spy storyline. I don’t think there was anything inherently wrong with it, but every chapter she was infiltrating the Ghostbloods, I found myself rushing to get through it so I could get back to Kaladin and Dalinar.
I know I wrote a lot of negatives, but this was still a great book. The last 200 pages were absolutely epic, and I’m really excited for the rest of the series
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse