Words of Radiance
Ratings1,371
Average rating4.7
Reread update, April 2023 - damn this book still slaps. I said below it was my favorite book ever, but with time, A Storm of Swords still reigns supreme. Still, #2 ain't nothing to sneeze at. I even found this book funnier on reread! Who would have thought.
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I finished this book in November, five months ago. I knew it then, but I didnt review the book because at the time, I was just too beside myself to be coherent and I wanted to be sure when I said what I knew to be true the moment I closed this book. This is my favorite book of all time.
Everything fires at all cylinders in this book. The entire Stormlight Archive is amazing, but of the other three books, they each have SOMETHING that I didn't enjoy as much or didn't love. This book, though, is pure bliss. It is Harmony. The Sanderlache of this book is incredible. The scene where a character says “Honor is dead” is maybe my favorite action scene ever put to page.
If you're reading this and you haven't started this book, what are you waiting for??
Ah, hoe schrijf je in hemelsnaam een recensie voor zo'n episch en verbazingwekkend boek?! Ik heb absoluut geen idee, dus ik ga het niet eens proberen, lol.
Het volstaat te zeggen dat ik dit tweede boek in The Stormlight Archive absoluut geweldig vond, van zijn personages tot zijn plot, alles is gewoon zo VERDOMD GOED!
Heerlijk om meer over de wereld te lezen, om terug bij deze personages te zijn en hen zien samenkomen. Dit boek had fantastisch interacties, was grappig en ontroerend, vol met hartverscheurende actiescènes en huiveringwekkende shockmomenten
Dit was absoluut het boek van Shallan en ik vind haar verhaal – samen met dat van Pattern - fascinerend.
Superman Kaladin was een ding. Syl is hilarisch en zo kostbaar. Wit/Hoid was ook weer van de partij in zijn volle onnozele glorie.
Veel nieuwe Cosmere-links gedetecteerd, spannend!
Ooh, en de link met Warbreaker deden me van oor tot oor grijnzen. WAAR gaat dat heen?!
9.5/10
La historia continúa inmediatamente después de “El Camino de los Reyes”, los personajes crecen a un excelente ritmo, las escenas de acción son increíbles y Roshar sigue siendo extremadamente atractivo.
Este libro también termina en un "Continuará" bastante fuerte, pero no tan extremo como 'El Camino de los Reyes'.
Ahora a leer “Danzante del Filo” que es una novela corta que se encuentra en “Arcanum Ilimitado”
He saw it in her eyes. The anguish, the frustration. The terrible nothing that clawed inside and sought to smother her. She knew. It was there, inside. She had been broken. Then she smiled. Oh, storms. She smiled anyway. It was the single most beautiful thing he’d seen in his entire life.
2024: Onward to part #2 - Re-read commencing!
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2022: When I finished this book and put it on the shelf, I felt like I was saying goodbye to good friends. The world-building is so vivid and so incredibly demanding on the senses. I felt like I had trudged through the anguish, the heartbreak, the despair, and the thirst for retribution with the main characters. I can say without any hesitancy at all that this is my favorite fantasy book.
OK, no more rants. Onward with the review.
What can I say that has not already been said? I kind of feel like I am late to the party, but I'm glad I showed up.
Book Two is like The Empire Strikes Back. It's the best SW movie by a long shot. It's not even a contest. It takes what we learned in the first and expands upon it in a grandiose fashion. All your favorite characters show up, and they go on an exciting adventure. All the while, you sit there in awe of the spectacle, unable to take your eyes off the screen, or in this case, off the page.
Well, Stormlight Archives have not been disappointing so far. I'm so excited to be invested in this series as it's coming out, and be at least a small part of the fandom madness and speculation. It's like a mix of that excitement and all the speculation over Harry Potter, and the number of easter eggs and cameos as the Marvel Cinematic Universe has. Anyway.
Way of Kings was great because it did such a great job setting up this amazing Stormlight world but Words of Radiance even better because we're finally expanding on what we had and things are developing and happening at last. The pacing, the absolute ridiculous intricacy of the plot, the complexity of the story, the layers upon layers upon layers of storytelling, and the tremendous interweaving of plotlines and backstories and characterwork... I really wonder how he keeps everything straight in his head.
I'm almost at a loss of how to review this honestly. This was a 1,310 page chonker but it went by faster than books less than a quarter of its size. I was speculating every step of the way and I had comments for almost every single chapter.
Kaladin was pretty infuriating for most of this book. He reminded me so much of a hormonal teenager that is just stuck in his “oh, woe is me” rut all the time. In fact, he reminded me of Harry Potter in Order of the Phoenix, where he just mopes for the entire book feeling like the whole world is against him. Kaladin was pretty much like that. The only times I enjoyed his scenes was whenever he was with Shallan, because she's the only character that actually bothered to call out his bullshit and which helped him snap out of his misery jerking for a bit.
Shallan has fast become one of my favourite characters this book. She was okay in the first book but I think I liked Jasnah better. Well, Jasnah was pretty much gone for most of this book (I called it halfway through that she hadn't actually died), so Shallan took over and boy did she grow. She's been through some shit but she still gets up and tries to make it through everyday with a smile on her lips and a quip at the end of her tongue. We spend most of this book thoroughly hating her abusive dad, Lin Davar, only to realise that he had been maligned and that it had actually been Shallan who had killed her own mom instead. It was a truth she had to confront in order to take the final step to becoming a Knight Radiant. What is it going to mean for her development in the next book? What would it mean for her that she had basically murdered both her parents, one of them when she was just six years old? This complicates her character even more and I'm really here for that level of complexity.
Adolin... I didn't like him for the first half of the book but after he finally stopped being a prick to Kaladin and decided to buddy up with him, he grew a lot more tolerable. Poor dude though. He's so intricately connected to all of the Knights Radiant, but isn't one himself. My jaw also dropped when he suddenly, randomly murdered Sadeas in broad daylight at the end. What is that going to mean for him in the next book? Not that I minded what happened to Sadeas, of course. He really had that coming for him.
I'm really excited also at the introduction of Lift. She was oozing awesomeness throughout and I'm excited to see if she's going to turn out as one of the Knights Radiant too, even though she's, what, 13?
I mean, what's there to really say? If you liked Way of Kings, you'll probably enjoy this one even more. If you didn't like Way of Kings, then this one is going to be even more confusing for you. If you haven't read Way of Kings then it's a bit of a no-brainer - go read that one first! If, like me, you need a refresher before going into this one, check out the chapter summary of Way of Kings on Coppermind (fan wiki). It takes a while to get back into the stride of things especially if you haven't read it for a while, but once things get going, they really get going. Couldn't put this one down.
An excellent follow up to a pop art masterpiece - takes the fascinating characters created in the first act and finally lets them interact with each other, leading to some absolutely enthralling fiction
4.5 stars.
This was such a strong continuation of the story, with a huge amount of plot momentum propelling us forward, more additional layers and insights into this world and its people, and some excellent character work focusing on Shallan. Adolin, Pattern, Sebarial, and Eshonai were also very well built-upon (in Adolin's case) or introduced (for the other three). I definitely missed Dalinar's more in-depth involvement, though I do know that he is a focus of the next book, which I am very excited for. Kaladin, while still giving me the highest highs of excitement with his triumphs, and the lowest lows of anger and betrayal when things don't go well for him, did re-tread some emotional ground throughout this book, which knocked some points off of my enjoyment. It was clearly purposeful, as he gets involved in a clearly-wrong plot to kill the King and betray Dalinar's trust in him, Shallan confronts him about his attitude and judgement issues, and he got majorly punished by the universe with Syl's temporary loss -- which all leads to him finally snap out of his wishy-washy feelings in regards to his gifts.
I am extremely invested in this story and I am in it for the long haul, that is for sure. Can't wait to pick up the next book!
exceeded my expectations! was better than WOK, which isn't surprising since the first book was pretty much laying down all the ground work.
there were a bunch of moments that were so unexpected and shocking that i needed to spend like a minute just fangirling before being able to continue on. shallan really comes into her own in this book - she easily becomes the most fascinating character.
oathbringer here i come!!!
I'M DONE. FINALLY.
This book was my white whale this year, it took me so long get through and I almost didn't finish in 2020. I really enjoyed it though!
If you liked the Way of Kings then you'll also really enjoy this one. The cast of characters is amazing, there really isn't a single person that was a drag to read about. The story also keeps an excellent pace and actually ties up a number of lose ends from the first book.
The only issue with Words of Radiance is essentially what was “wrong” with The Way of Kings: it throws a ton of lore at you and you need to be okay with not knowing what the big picture is. Once you're invested in the characters and their adventures you'll be pulled through the bits that don't make sense or maybe go over your head.
Damn, this really was a great book!
An expected masterwork from Brandon Sanderson. The build that this book follows as you read through each chapter comes to a perfect ending.
Glad i could run around roshar alongside Bridge four n co and our new radiants ??????
This time it took me a little longer to get into this story. I eventually loved it. I found the character development very interesting and good. Sanderson is master world-builder. I'm really looking forward to the next book.
“So yes, I, Adolin Kholin - cousin to the king, heir to the Kholin princedom - have shat myself in my Shardplate. Three times, all on purpose.” - Words of Radiance
In this second book of the Stormlight Archive, Sanderson expands so much further on the world of the Knights Radiant. For most of the book, you follow Shallan and Kaladin, as well as Adolin and Dalinar. The book picks up right around where the last book ended. You follow Shallan and Jasnah as they head for the Shattered Plains, a journey with some dire consequences. You also follow Kaladin as he further explores his powers, and Adolin and Dalinar as they deal with Sadeas' betrayal. The journey these characters take is completely unexpected and full of twists and turns.
I loved this book. I didn't want to put it down at a single point. Sanderson makes me feel so attached to these characters. You care deeply for their wants and desires. Some of my favorite parts of the book were the flashbacks to Shallan's past. You learn so much, and you also see how much she has grown since her childhood. I cannot wait to pick up the novella, Edgedancer, as well as the next novel, Oathbringer.
10/10
Another masterpiece from Sanderson. I enjoyed this one a bit more than the previous one. The last 150 pages or so were fantastic. Sanderson is a truly unrivaled master when it comes to third acts.
There was a lot more action in this than the first book (which I gave 4 stars).
I'm really hoping there isn't going to be a love triangle in one of the future books but it seems like it's heading that way. Or maybe Adolin can be killed off so that Kaladin will swoop in. Also it felt convenient that in the end the Parshendi were considered the bad guys, and it was the right thing to do to kill them off, so that our characters could remain as the heroes of the story. Would have liked to see more of the "good" Parshendi (maybe that will come in a future book?)
Originally posted at www.emgoto.com.