JasnahKholin

I don't know exactly where to start. Oathbringer, like the two SA books before it, put me into a reading frenzy and I finished it in a couple days. I really enjoyed it, very few books keep me enraptured like Sanderson's do. I've occasionally lurked here and on the SA subreddit but I have some complicated feelings regarding this book that I need to write down and share. I don't know how to feel exactly because, on the surface, OB is far and away one of my favorite fantasy books. It's a personal 5-star for me, same as the other two in the series, because it's rare that any form of media puts me in a state where I can't bear to put it down for longer than it takes to make food. But I have this vague feeling that I can't really explain fully, that somehow the book left me unsatisfied compared to the other two. Again, that isn't to say I thought the book was bad or that I didn't enjoy it immensely, which is why the book seems undeserving(?) of dissatisfaction. But I want to convey my positive feelings as well, so here's a list of pros: HOLY CRAP I really enjoyed Dalinar's character arc throughout the three books. He honestly may have slid into first place in front of Kaladin for my favorite, most well-developed character. The amount of pain he went through coming to terms with the man he used to be was heartbreaking, especially when he tried his best yet everything seemed to slip out of his grasp anyway when the Coalition fell apart. It was especially sad on the reader's end because the reader knows the entire time that Dalinar's actions and persona were largely influenced by Nergaoul, but Dalinar had to deal with it as if the Thrill was all caused by his own monstrosity. And when he truly comes to terms with everything about himself, defying Odium right after Renarin has you convinced that Dalinar will end up becoming Odium's champion in a 180 twist...that was a roller coaster ride. I got those weird chills up my spine at that moment, the ones you get when seeing something really epic. I'm actually pretty glad Kaladin had some severe mental hang-ups and failed to protect Elhokar. I've always thought that the whole "protect everyone" idealism he had was sadly unrealistic in war, and I'm really glad Sanderson chose to shove that truth right into Kaladin's face. Hopefully we see the result of that next book. Personally I want to see Kaladin become a bit "harder," kind of like Kelsier, although I have a feeling that I'll enjoy wherever Sanderson takes the character. Learning more about the Cognitive Realm, the Warbreaker characters, and the other Shards was a real treat, and I'm sure there are a whole host of easter eggs I missed and will see when I inevitably reread the book. I really hope we get a Warbreaker 2 that bridges the gap between the first book and the characters entering Roshar. The Unmade were a treat to finally see in the flesh, and I can't wait for more to appear. The effects of the Heart of the Revel were particularly disturbing to see manifested, and I like that the Unmade aren't necessarily bad because they choose to be. They simply are what they are. They remind me a lot of Lovecraft, from their names to the way they're described, and in my book more Lovecraftian horrors is always a good thing. The Bridge 4 POVs were largely enjoyable, especially Rock's. I just fricking love Rock, and I really hope Sanderson delves into the mental consequences of him killing Amaram in the next book seeing how opposed Rock was to fighting. I really liked Rlain's POV too. Looking into his inner thoughts about how he's casually ignored by others was pretty eye-opening, because I realized that I myself had developed the tendency to forget Rlain was even a character. You really have to feel for the guy, his people are gone, the other Parshmen are being conscripted into the forces of insane gods, and the only people he can truly call friends unintentionally leave him out all the time. Adolin grows on me the more I read him. I didn't like him that much for most of WoK, he grew on me throughout WoR, and at this point I can confidently say I just plain like him. He's been thrust into a world where everyone around him is now basically a living god out of legend. His father, his brother (who he had always been more important than, let's be honest), his girlfriend, and his friend/friendly rival who his girlfriend may or may not have the hots for. And does he succumb to jealousy or resentment like most people in his situation would do? No, in fact he does the opposite and remains cool, confident, friendly, and all-around likable. And I REALLY liked how Sanderson gave us a glimpse into Adolin's mindset regarding all this. Of course he has insecurities regarding the whole situation, who wouldn't? But the fact that he never let those insecurities control him really solidified my appreciation for his character. Jasnah was, as she always is, a badass. We REALLY need to see her journey throughout WoR. Our first glimpse of Odium was amazing. "No, Dalinar. I'm the other one." CHILLS went down my spine. Sanderson really did a great job conveying to the read just how massive and otherworldly Odium's true self is. Also, I know this is another planet and all, but with most races on Roshar being visually similar to some sort of Asian/Indian/Middle Eastern and the Shin being noticeably "white," am I the only one who thought of Odium as evil Dumbledore or Gandalf the White when Sanderson described his appearance in Dalinar's vision? To be honest, I can keep going on and on about what I liked, so now I'll go into what I feel were the cons, and the reasons I have a vague unsatisfied feeling: I feel like several seemingly important plot threads were sort of brushed over, if that's the right phrase. Jasnah's return didn't really elicit much reaction from Navani and the others, despite Navani's feelings about Shallan being repeatedly emphasized in the last book. It felt kind of like Jasnah's entire journey never happened, like all the characters just sort of went "alright she's back, moving on." I know it's the end of the world and all that, but I feel like more character thoughts about Jasnah's "death" would have drastically improved my sense of immersion in the book. Another one, possibly the most important, was Szeth joining the team. You're telling me no one, especially Dalinar could spare a few paragraphs thinking about whether letting in the storming Assassin in White was a good idea? Sure, he helped out in the battle, but that could have just been a convenient way to fool them into letting him in. Why wasn't he tossed in jail and interrogated? Next thing we see, Dalinar's just letting him guard him as if it's the most normal thing in the world. I didn't notice it as I was reading because the events engrossed me so much, but Taln and Ash appearing as if they were going to help Dalinar's side in the final battle and then just being offscreened for the entire thing was really disappointing. It felt like the entire sequence including them was pointless, just a way for Dalinar to check off two more boxes on his Radiants checklist before being sidelined. The same goes for Jezrien being killed. I had such high hopes Renarin or somebody would find a way to slowly alleviate his madness and he would become a much more important character in the future. His entire presence in the books seems so pointless. I feel like Shallan's entire love triangle thing was solved too quickly and painlessly. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't a fan of a love triangle developing in the first place, but at this point it kind of seems like Sanderson intended for her and Kaladin to get together and then quickly changed his mind halfway through writing the story. Even Shallan and Adolin's wedding was completely offscreened. In addition, upon looking back after finishing the book I feel like OB was sorely lacking in meaningful interactions between the POV characters. We got a lot of individual thoughts and actions of everyone, but I was really looking forward to all the potential dialogue between Kaladin and Jasnah, Kaladin and Shallan/Adolin (which we got a little of), Lift and the other Radiants, etc. I especially wanted to see Wit follow up on his interactions with Jasnah from the end of WoR, since it seemed like he was treating Jasnah as a bit more of an "adult" on the Cosmere playing field if that makes sense. The dialogue between characters that we did get was great, I have no complaints. I loved Lift's first impression of Dalinar's tight butt. But I kind of feel like I was expecting more dialogue, like one combined story rather than multiple separate stories that lightly brush up against each other and then converge in the last part. I'll end my thoughts with that, honestly I could probably write a thesis on these books and I have a feeling that what I wrote is already way too long. If you bothered reading great, but regardless, I'm curious if anyone else felt a little "conflicted" about OB - how great it is VS the void of expectation it doesn't quite fill compared to books 1 and 2.