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[OB] Full Book Reactions / Full Spoilers Thread


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"Unite them" is to unite the splinters of honor's shard. Dalinar is "ascending," becoming the shard holder of honor, much like

Spoiler

Sazed became harmony.

Edit: Dalinar may even unite all the shards, Honor, Odium, and Cultivation.  Will Dalinar one day restore Adalnasium?

Edited by stormlore
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The book was definitely my favourite so far, Dalinar's flashbacks were amazing in finally 'unvelling,' eh? no? unveilling the character. We've seen as this strong, well disciplined character with moral codes and unbreakable demeanor.

Favourite Characters: Elhokar was my favourite, I really appreciated him and his journey over these books. I've always wanted to impress my peers and family and I've made many mistakes, I really related with him. Turns out I'm going to be killed by someone that thinks I crossed them. Dalinar for obvious reasons, his development of powers, character and delving into the Lore of the KR, Heralds, Odium, Stormfather and such was really interesting. He's a truely interesting character at all times in my opinion. 
Still a Kaladin fanboy, his time with the Parshmen was actually very very nice, his time helping them and showing them kindness, possibly the first kindness ever shown to them from a Human. It had consquences that broke him later on but that's also very good development for his Fourth Ideals.

Favourite Plotlines: Hoids place in Kholinar. I literally wait for Hoid to show up, he's one of my all time favourites. Dalinar's backstory - his time as the Blackthorn, his time as a Husband and later.. a widow - and as a broken man. There's no question Dalinar is a suitable leader for the Knights Radiants - he stood up to Odium and united the three realms before him, I liked some of the fan theories of him uniting the [Splinters?] of Honor and becoming a new vessel. His relationship with Evi was quite heartbreaking and I end up always feeling sorry for Evi, having to put up with the tough, cold Alethi women and society. She was such a loving, sincere lady and to meet a brutual ending like that was.. depressing. 

Least Favourite Characters: #stormMoash. People defend him, but he's had plenty of chances, he had plenty before he tried to assassinate Elhokar in WoR. Then when he actually killed Elhokar, I kind of lost it. Someone who tried so hard to do what was right and help others, killed by a man who was too clouded with his vanity and vegeance, that which was strongly misplaced. Then killing the Herald, Jezrien - like Moash, storm off to Damnation. I wonder if he's been replaced like Demid was when he Fused - but I don't care that much, I just want him dead.

Least Favourite Plotines: The love triangle. Shallan struck me as, awe struck and geninuely happy when she began bonding/courting with Adolin in WoR and then it kind of got kicked about with Veil liking Kaladin in OB. Yes they bonded in the Chasm, but that was one event that didn't change her relationship with Adolin significantly, if at all. I like the Adolin-Shallan relationship as they do work well and compliment each other in particular ways. Its conclusion was actually quite nice though, it renewed her belief in herself and what she wanted and Adolin actually spoke up and was very chivlarous about it (of course he was; good lad.) and it got resolved quite nicely.

I rate it a good: StormsStormsStorms/Damnation. Sorry for typos.

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On 11/16/2017 at 3:08 AM, Nicrosil said:

I'm not the only one thinking Timbre is Eshonai, right? I mean, the void spren said that the Fused were reincarnated listener heroes, and immediately afterward a weird spren shows up next to Eshonai's corpse? If that theory's true though, Venli is really weird. She's a listener who's bonded a void spren, but that void spren is being suppressed by her sister's soul spren, and she's also forming a Nahel bond with her sister's soul spren. Alrighty.

6

Oh, my goodness, what a great idea!  I love how tightly Sanderson writes especially this series so that next to nothing is there by coincidence.  There must be a reason for the spren's first appearance with Eshonai, right?  The spren doesn't have to be Eshonai, though, but could be a spren previously bonded with Eshonai.  Remember how Eshonai felt a tiny voice screaming inside when the war form spren took her body?  Almost as if her uncorrupted spren from a previous form had been held prisoner by the voidspren of warform, perhaps giving this uncorrupted spren, once released upon Eshonai's death, the inspiration and knowledge for holding Venli's voidspren captive.

I have so much more I want to say about other ideas and the book in general, but I need to catch up in the thread first.  Tomorrow...

I've looked up the particular quote to add, immediately after Eshonai's return from her transformation to stormform:

Quote

The humming to Awe grew louder, and some began to sing. Eshonai gloried in it.

She pointedly ignored the voice deep within her that was screaming in horror.

Sanderson, Brandon. Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive, Book 2) (p. 406). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. 

 

 

Edited by Wit Beyond Measure
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On 11/16/2017 at 3:08 AM, Nicrosil said:

I was on the fence of Adolin reviving his blade or just being an awesome, nonmagical dude, but after seeing him interact with Maya, I am firmly in the revival camp. 

 

At the Thaylen City Oathgate on the Shadesmar side when that Fuzed stood over the severely injured and defenseless Adolin, poised to strike his deathblow, I screamed and cheered as Maya jumped the Fuzed, literally, to save Adolin's life!  I fell in love with their relationship at that moment and knew he'd bring her back. When she started whispering to him on the other side, I cheered again but wasn't the least surprised.

We do have a ton of KR already, I agree, but we need at least one to three more, as I reckon.  We don't yet have a Willshaper or a Stoneward unless we count Taln, and I don't think we can count the Heralds in this respect.  And we could use a Dustbringer who is actually loyal to Dalinar.

BTW, this probably has been mentioned before, but I can't help but wonder if the similarity between Adolin and Adonalsium is fifty kinds of portentous.  Could Adolin become the new Adonalsium, reuniting all 17 shards?  Wild and crazy, yes, but I'm just throwing that out there.

On a related crazy note, I'm wondering if Jezrien's death opens a spot for a new Herald of the Windrunners.  Obviously, I'm not sure it works that way, but the other Heralds started as mere men.

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On 11/16/2017 at 6:14 AM, lastofus said:

In Dalinar's dreams, Sadeas was a sick dude. He was definitely the other Odium's champion. Thank the Almighty that Adolin killed him. By the way, Ialai in Odium's camp? She has no place to go now, and she's a dangerous woman.

Someone is Ghostbloods wanted Amaram's blood, they tried to kill him at the end of WoR, what will happen to that person? From the prologue, Gavilar had a meeting with Sons of Honor (because Meridas Amaram was there).

I guess we can determine that the old man was Restares. So there are at least 4 elite members left from Sons of Honor. What would they do?

3

Was the other officer Sadeas?  Gavilar first suspects Szeth has been sent by Thaidakar but then guesses Restares and Sadeas in the same breath.  Being a Son of Honor might explain why Sadeas was so wholeheartedly loyal to Gavilar.  And then Ialai might be one of the ladies?

Don't you love the irony of the Sons of Honor not being all sons, having no honor, and being puppets of Odium, the Death of Honor?

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6 hours ago, king of nowhere said:

I also suspected timbre is eshonai's soul or something. I was expecting some sort of reveal by the end of the book, but othing so far

That's a Willshaper spren. They're described as looking like comets. It's not Eshonai. 

 

4 hours ago, Wit Beyond Measure said:

At the Thaylen City Oathgate on the Shadesmar side when that Fuzed stood over the severely injured and defenseless Adolin, poised to strike his deathblow, I screamed and cheered as Maya jumped the Fuzed, literally, to save Adolin's life!  I fell in love with their relationship at that moment and knew he'd bring her back. When she started whispering to him on the other side, I cheered again but wasn't the least surprised.

We do have a ton of KR already, I agree, but we need at least one to three more, as I reckon.  We don't yet have a Willshaper or a Stoneward unless we count Taln, and I don't think we can count the Heralds in this respect.  And we could use a Dustbringer who is actually loyal to Dalinar.

BTW, this probably has been mentioned before, but I can't help but wonder if the similarity between Adolin and Adonalsium is fifty kinds of portentous.  Could Adolin become the new Adonalsium, reuniting all 17 shards?  Wild and crazy, yes, but I'm just throwing that out there.

On a related crazy note, I'm wondering if Jezrien's death opens a spot for a new Herald of the Windrunners.  Obviously, I'm not sure it works that way, but the other Heralds started as mere men.

There should be tens, if not hundreds of each order. So we'll get a lot more. 

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Yeah, thinking back now, I don't think Timbre is Eshonai. Timbre was following Eshonai around in WoR, and Timbre saying her grandfather was killed in the Recreance matches Ico, the lightspren captain who's father is a deadeye and daughter ran off to find adventure. As for Eshonai being alive? ...I really don't know. I mean, it's straight up said that listeners can become cognitive shadows with Odium's intervention, but Brandon already had two fake out deaths in WoR that he's said he regrets...

I have a prediction of the future. Blasphemous, I know, but here goes: We won't ever directly see Eshonai again, but Eshonai's survival becomes a hotly debated topic due to certain scenes in future books and Brandon being cagey about certain questions. Eventually, years after Stormlight 10, Brandon writes the Stormlight Archive Companion, a giant omnibus with all the little details that couldn't fit into the books. There's a two sentences on Eshonai that raise more questions than answers. Due to massive fan demand, Brandon writes Rhythm of Resolve, a full Eshonai novella, and includes it in The Lost History, an Ars Arcanum style book focused solely on Stormlight Archive, including the lost Jasnah novella, a Teft and Rock buddy cop style story, and the Stick interlude.

Edited by Nicrosil
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2 hours ago, Watchcry said:

That's a Willshaper spren. They're described as looking like comets. It's not Eshonai. 

 

There should be tens, if not hundreds of each order. So we'll get a lot more. 

Thanks!  Where is the Willshaper spren described? 

There were only three bondsmiths last time according to the Honorspren captain (Page 1017, Kindle).  There were hundreds of Windrunners and Stonewards. There seem to be hundreds of Skybreakers.  I seem to recall that the number of members per order varies greatly depending on the order, but I couldn't find that reference yet.

I have always thought that there would be one critical Knight Radiant from each order who was loyal to Dalinar and key to the plot, which was confirmed when Dalinar said that there were seven (plus Ash and Taln) when there should be ten of them at the big final showdown.

Quote

Skybreaker, Dalinar thought, counting them off. Edgedancer. That was seven. He would have expected three more.

...[when Ash and Taln are recognized]...

Those two only make nine, he thought to the Stormfather. Something told him there should be one more. I don’t know. Perhaps they haven’t been found yet. 

Sanderson, Brandon. Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive (p. 1141-2). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. 

1

I don't see how Ash and Shallan can count separately, though.  And I'm not sure Taln counts.  So I'm expecting one to three more.

ETA:  I adore how we get many "Ash's eyes!" and "Taln's palms!" and finally get to see these seemingly random curses tying in.

1 hour ago, Nicrosil said:

Yeah, thinking back now, I don't think Timbre is Eshonai. Timbre was following Eshonai around in WoR, and Timbre saying her grandfather was killed in the Recreance matches Ico, the lightspren captain who's father is a deadeye and daughter ran off to find adventure.

2

Ooo, I love that idea!

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On 11/17/2017 at 1:18 AM, Musica said:

And I can't believe Jezrien is dead just like that! What was the sword made of? How did the Fused know who he was? Was it Odium who found him?

 

Jezrien was killed by a knife:

Quote

“You have killed a king,” she said, removing something from a sheath within her robes. A strange knife, with a sapphire set into the pommel. The weapon was of a bright golden metal, so light it was almost white. “Would you do the same to a god?”

Sanderson, Brandon. Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive (p. 1192). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. 

1

And I'm wondering if Odium was really after that knife from the inner, inner, inner vaults of Thaylen City, which is what they were truly after, instead of the King's Drop or in addition to the King's Drop.

Quote

Vstim unlocked and swung open the smaller vault-within-the-vault, which was roughly the size of a closet. Light poured from it. The shelves inside were filled with gemstones, spheres, jewelry, and even some mundane objects like letters and an old knife.

Sanderson, Brandon. Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive (p. 1065). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. 

 

 

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On 11/17/2017 at 1:40 PM, Aleksiel said:

The cosmere is slowly taking over SA imo, despite Brandon saying he'll avoid that. Nightblood can be explained as a Blade poorly crafted by the Nightwatcher, however Azure is so out of place there's no in-world explanation for her. Hoid and the rest of the worldhoppers were already heavily hinting towards something far more than Roshar, but that could have been swept under the rug for most readers. Vivenna on the other hand can't, at least I do not see how all her out-of-placeness can be explained away without making the readers cosmerely aware unless she's not explained at all just like Hoid and all the cosmere mail, which makes even less sense - who in Damnation provides planetary postal service? All that magic and a bunch of heavily invested beings are communication via letters? 

8

I've only read the three Stormlight Archive books and the three Mistborn books so far, and I absolutely loved Oathbringer.  I'm relatively new to Sanderson and enjoy reading others, as well, and so I've not had time to read more.  I've just started Edgedancer and plan to read much more. 

For me, Azure was obviously from another planet ("another land" that wasn't Roshar) and she was chasing the weapon and person who stole that weapon from her planet.  I am crazy in love with Wit (obviously) because of all of the mystery surrounding him.  I had put together that he was leaving the planet and coming back, as well.  Though I'm lost by much of the cosmere conversation here, I didn't feel lost reading the books beyond what lends a nice air of mystery to the tale.

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1 hour ago, Wit Beyond Measure said:

And I'm wondering if Odium was really after that knife from the inner, inner, inner vaults of Thaylen City, which is what they were truly after, instead of the King's Drop or in addition to the King's Drop.

Oh nice catch! I think you are right. I didn’t really catch that Odium is talking about the knife in this scene below but I think you are right. If he can capture/kill all the Heralds with the knifes there is no one to keep thier side of the Oathpact and he is free. 

Quote

“What is that they carry?” Venli asked. “A gemstone? Is that why we came here? A rock?” “No,” Odium said. “That is merely a precaution, a last-minute addition I made to prevent a potential disaster. The prize I claim today is far greater—even more grand than the city itself. The conduit of my freedom. The bane of Roshar.

 

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9 hours ago, Wit Beyond Measure said:

I have always thought that there would be one critical Knight Radiant from each order who was loyal to Dalinar and key to the plot, which was confirmed when Dalinar said that there were seven (plus Ash and Taln) when there should be ten of them at the big final showdown.

 

Dalinar didn't know it, but there was a tenth there present for the battle: Venli.  And if Timbre is a Willshaper spren, every order would have been represented at the Battle of Thaylen City.

 

6 hours ago, StormingTexan said:

Oh nice catch! I think you are right. I didn’t really catch that Odium is talking about the knife in this scene below but I think you are right. If he can capture/kill all the Heralds with the knifes there is no one to keep thier side of the Oathpact and he is free. 

“What is that they carry?” Venli asked. “A gemstone? Is that why we came here? A rock?” “No,” Odium said. “That is merely a precaution, a last-minute addition I made to prevent a potential disaster. The prize I claim today is far greater—even more grand than the city itself. The conduit of my freedom. The bane of Roshar.

I actually thought Odium was referring to Dalinar.  With Dalinar holding the bond to the Stormfather, he has the power to set the conditions to release the Oathpact and set Odium free.  "The conduit of my freedom. The bane of Roshar."  The bane of Roshar meaning the Blackthorn unleashed as Odium's Champion.

Although it works to reference the knife as well, if the knife is what I think it is...

 

7 hours ago, Wit Beyond Measure said:
 On 11/17/2017 at 1:18 AM, Musica said:

And I can't believe Jezrien is dead just like that! What was the sword made of? How did the Fused know who he was? Was it Odium who found him?

Jezrien was killed by a knife:

“You have killed a king,” she said, removing something from a sheath within her robes. A strange knife, with a sapphire set into the pommel. The weapon was of a bright golden metal, so light it was almost white. “Would you do the same to a god?”

And I'm wondering if Odium was really after that knife from the inner, inner, inner vaults of Thaylen City, which is what they were truly after, instead of the King's Drop or in addition to the King's Drop.

 

I think it was in addition to the King's Drop.  Both are weapons to Odium.  My theory is that the knife is made of a godsmetal, like Atium or Lerasium - maybe even Tanavastium (since we haven't seen Honor's body yet)! A hemalurgic spike made of godsmetal can steal any property from a living soul, say, the special properties that make a Herald a Herald...

 

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7 hours ago, Sparks said:

I actually thought Odium was referring to Dalinar.  With Dalinar holding the bond to the Stormfather, he has the power to set the conditions to release the Oathpact and set Odium free.  "The conduit of my freedom. The bane of Roshar."  The bane of Roshar meaning the Blackthorn unleashed as Odium's Champion.

Although it works to reference the knife as well, if the knife is what I think it is.

Yep that is exactly how I took it as well when I read it. Now I think it’s a combination of the two. The “conduit” and “bane” is his champion wielding the knife that can kill/trap Heralds. I’d bet Dalinar would have ended up with this knife if he’d become his champion. 

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On 11/21/2017 at 4:09 PM, rjl said:

Started a re-read, noticed something I hadn't before, the "big secret" is on the first page of the book: "She'd always imagined humans - as sung in of in the songs - as dark formless monsters."

I've fallen in love with how Sanderson packs these gems in all over the place that can only be truly valued on rereads! 

Currently, I'm obsessing over the significance of this quote from WoR (Pg 418) of a quote from the historical WoR:

Quote

And when they were spoken of by the common folk, the Releasers claimed to be misjudged because of the dreadful nature of their power; and when they dealt with others, always were they firm in their claim that other epithets, notably “Dustbringers,” often heard in the common speech, were unacceptable substitutions, in particular for their similarity to the word “Voidbringers.” They did also exercise anger in great prejudice regarding it, though to many who speak, there was little difference between these two assemblies.

1

Malata, are you a Voidbringer?

In her best Wyndle impersonation voice: "I am not a Voidbringer!"

 

On 11/21/2017 at 9:15 PM, timasp said:

See, as much as I like love subplots, especially happy love subplots, I dislike love triangles, so I was actually really happy about that. Also, as long as Shallan still hasn't fully learned to be herself, it'll pop up again -- it'll make it extra interesting with the wedding. Maybe Brandon's going for a bit of Camelot stuff?

 

Something tells me that I should be steering my ship far, far away from this Bermuda Triangle that sucks you in to never let you go.  And yet here I am. 

Quote

“Oh, them,” Syl said. “Well, I know that you don’t back down from fights. You’ve lost the round, but—”

“No,” he said. “Her choice is made. You can see it.

I can?

You should be able to.” 

Sanderson, Brandon. Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive (p. 1201). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. 

 

I should be able to see it; I couldn't agree more.  Except that I am just still not seeing it.  Kind of like I didn't see the actual wedding.  I can't help but wonder if Sanderson wants us to not see it, wants us to doubt, wants us to question, and wants us to call foul.  

On 11/30/2017 at 4:40 PM, EC11 said:

One of my biggest problems was that that pay off to the arc was lumped very unceremoniously at the end. The biggest flaw being Aesudan not being built up enough to the reader before the big reveal that she's turned evil, which made that plot twist completely left field. I felt like it blindsided me completely, and had no foreshadowing, with very little proper build up to "is the queen evil, is she under the control of one of the Unmade" and her first on screen appearance was almost underwhelming as an explanation as to why the palace had gone dark. So the surprises of the city falling didn't seem overwhelming. 

Then Kaladin's Heroic BSOD moment seemed almost too abrupt, without enough context that he found himself killing former friends, then Elhokar's death almost felt forced. While Kaladin has some character growth regarding protecting people, this felt almost out of the blue that he shuts down completely. The foreshadowing on that one could have been a little more blunt.

4

Though we could have heard more Aesudan backstory, for sure, everything we did get pointed toward her being evil.  In the prologue of WoK, for instance, Jasnah is hiring an assassin for Aesudan.  Though she says she wants only tracking and reporting, she does add, "for now."  Gun hung.  That prologue left me expecting something wicked from the queen.

And then also in WoK, Pai joins the monastery of debauchery attached to the queen, finding herself the only righteous ardent in a sea of sycophants.  Pai loudly proclaims that Aesudan embodies all ten fools, and then Pai finds herself executed, presumably by command or at least consent of the queen.  

Quote

“She throws feasts every night,” Pai whispered. “She engages in debauchery and excess. She wastes money while Alethkar languishes. People in outer towns starve as they send food here, with the understanding that it will be passed on to soldiers who need it. It rots because the queen can’t be bothered.”

“They have plenty of food on the Shattered Plains,” Lhan said. “They’ve got gemstones coming out of their ears there. And nobody is starving here either. You’re exaggerating. Life is good.”

“It is if you’re the queen or one of her lackeys. She even canceled the Beggars’ Feasts. It is reprehensible.”

Sanderson, Brandon. Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive, Book 2) (p. 895). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. 

1

Regarding Kaladin's Kholinar reaction, I actually loved that he was sent into shock by killing the enemy he had personally known and loved.  Kaladin's inability to easily overcome slaughtering good folks is the only thing that separates him from the Voidbringers. 

Edited by Wit Beyond Measure
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On 11/14/2017 at 1:30 AM, Ookla the Leyspren said:

So much agreed here. Dalinar was absolutely awesome when he denied Odium. Free will > evil gods.

I think he's gonna be a Radiant, actually. Just not yet, though. Sure want to see how this is going to develop in the future!

I have a feeling the Ghost Bloods will cause much more havok in the future.  The murder of Sadeas, and Shallan's dealings with the Ghost Bloods will cause their marriage to break down at some level.  I think this will break Adolin and his dead spren will awaken to eventually save him and they'll become radiant.  This is my crazy prediction.

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Ok I just finished. This was the 1st Sanderson I have ever struggled with. There are some good sprinkles throughout and part 5 was a pure page turner but it was to little wayyyyyy to late for me. This book was bad overall and I cringe when I think I paid $35 for it. This is a new experience for me with this author who I really like. 

2/10

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2 hours ago, Briar King said:

Ok I just finished. This was the 1st Sanderson I have ever struggled with. There are some good sprinkles throughout and part 5 was a pure page turner but it was to little wayyyyyy to late for me. This book was bad overall and I cringe when I think I paid $35 for it. This is a new experience for me with this author who I really like. 

2/10

I wouldn't rate it that low, but I agree this was probably the weakest installment in the series so far. There was a lot being thrown around and I didn't find any of the character arcs as satisfying as I did in books 1 and 2.

Some of the characters seemed to slip here, and the sheer amount of stuff going on made it hard to follow some threads. Overall Shallan, Dalinar, Adolin, and Jasnah had the biggest growth. 

On 12/17/2017 at 0:07 PM, Wit Beyond Measure said:

I've fallen in love with how Sanderson packs these gems in all over the place that can only be truly valued on rereads!  

Though we could have heard more Aesudan backstory, for sure, everything we did get pointed toward her being evil.  In the prologue of WoK, for instance, Jasnah is hiring an assassin for Aesudan.  Though she says she wants only tracking and reporting, she does add, "for now."  Gun hung.  That prologue left me expecting something wicked from the queen.

And then also in WoK, Pai joins the monastery of debauchery attached to the queen, finding herself the only righteous ardent in a sea of sycophants.  Pai loudly proclaims that Aesudan embodies all ten fools, and then Pai finds herself executed, presumably by command or at least consent of the queen.  

Regarding Kaladin's Kholinar reaction, I actually loved that he was sent into shock by killing the enemy he had personally known and loved.  Kaladin's inability to easily overcome slaughtering good folks is the only thing that separates him from the Voidbringers. 

The little tidbits throughout the book were fascinating, but the overall plot itself seemed to slump.

Aesudan had zero characterization in book one (not even a name!) and her bare bones characterization showed yes she was neglectful and caused the riots, but gave no lead to the fact she would be bonding one of the unmade! It feels like it was more of a last minute addition almost, and it was sprung so suddenly (and she only appeared in that one scene) that the whole reveal felt slightly pointless.

Odium's reveal had the biggest oomph for me, and Dalinar's story was perhaps the most interesting from a growth perspective. Yeah Shallan grew too, but Kaladin seemed to slip backwards. Renarin's plot line seemed almost thrown in at random and so when his spren was "wrong" I couldn't really do anything but scratch my head at that. There was very little lead up, and quite frankly we needed more time with Jasnah to really get a look at what was going on from her perspective.

Personally, I blame the weakness of the Kholinar arc for the failings on some parts of the book, but I'm hoping book 4 sorts much of the hanging threads out.

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2/10 is a very low score I agree. I can’t believe I even had to give it that honestly. It actually hurts me that I had such a bad reaction to this book. Part of it is that $35. The book was a true slog from around pg 250 to well past 1K. 

I disliked it so much I don’t think I will ever reread it(baring part 5) years from now before the last book hits. 

Extremely disappointing to me.

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13 hours ago, Briar King said:

2/10 is a very low score I agree. I can’t believe I even had to give it that honestly. It actually hurts me that I had such a bad reaction to this book. Part of it is that $35. The book was a true slog from around pg 250 to well past 1K. 

I disliked it so much I don’t think I will ever reread it(baring part 5) years from now before the last book hits. 

Extremely disappointing to me.

I have to admit I wonder what you were smoking to come to this conclusion.  Is it possible you were in a  weird frame of mind or distracted while reading this book?  I found it to be my favorite and loved where the story went.  Even if it didn't fulfill all things I wanted I recognize the genius of it.

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16 hours ago, EC11 said:

I wouldn't rate it that low, but I agree this was probably the weakest installment in the series so far. There was a lot being thrown around and I didn't find any of the character arcs as satisfying as I did in books 1 and 2.

Some of the characters seemed to slip here, and the sheer amount of stuff going on made it hard to follow some threads. Overall Shallan, Dalinar, Adolin, and Jasnah had the biggest growth. 

The little tidbits throughout the book were fascinating, but the overall plot itself seemed to slump.

Aesudan had zero characterization in book one (not even a name!) and her bare bones characterization showed yes she was neglectful and caused the riots, but gave no lead to the fact she would be bonding one of the unmade! It feels like it was more of a last minute addition almost, and it was sprung so suddenly (and she only appeared in that one scene) that the whole reveal felt slightly pointless.

Odium's reveal had the biggest oomph for me, and Dalinar's story was perhaps the most interesting from a growth perspective. Yeah Shallan grew too, but Kaladin seemed to slip backwards. Renarin's plot line seemed almost thrown in at random and so when his spren was "wrong" I couldn't really do anything but scratch my head at that. There was very little lead up, and quite frankly we needed more time with Jasnah to really get a look at what was going on from her perspective.

Personally, I blame the weakness of the Kholinar arc for the failings on some parts of the book, but I'm hoping book 4 sorts much of the hanging threads out.

I feel like the reason Kaladin slipped back was that he was growing the past 2 books. For home to save the day twice and then fall into despair and failed to do it a third, in my opinion, made him more relatable the he was. He is easily my favorite fictional character ever

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I finished the OB about two weeks ago, so the first hype is fading. I can be more rational with the final rate.
Basically I enjoyed the book. The problem is I might be saying that just because I'm already so much attached to the characters that I'm likely to be excited watching them eating their breakfast.  

Just like @EC11 said, the arcs were less interesting than in TWoK and WoR, at least for the first half of the book. Some flying, some detective stuff and some exploration - nice to read, but nothing special about them. The parts 4 and 5 were much better, just as I expected, but even then... somehow... I felt unsatisfied when I finished the book. As if it was lacking something, though I can't precise what it might have been exactly.

As for characters, Dalinar and Jasnah were at their best for me, the took such a big step forward! Kaladin on the other hand, oh my... I  was really sorry to see him that way, but I must admit that with all of that god-like aura surrounding him so often lately, he felt more like human again.  
Shallan freaked me out with that splitting. She felt like falling apart as well, but she somehow managed to hold this process, at least for now. I was surprised with her wedding, though. Yeah, there have been some preparings and mentioning it throughout the book, but it has never felt like something that might happen already in OB.
I was happy to finally have some Renarin's POV and Renarin-related scenes. I've always found him one of the greatest mysteries of TSA and OB only confirmed that we should keep an eye on him.
 

My final rate would be 7/10 though it basically hurts me. Maybe I just can't be objective with this series after all...

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On 12/21/2017 at 7:43 AM, stormlore said:

I have to admit I wonder what you were smoking to come to this conclusion.  Is it possible you were in a  weird frame of mind or distracted while reading this book?  I found it to be my favorite and loved where the story went.  Even if it didn't fulfill all things I wanted I recognize the genius of it.

Smoking something actually probably could have helped me with Slogbringer. I ll never know as I don’t. Wasn’t in any weird frame of mind. I just found this book boring and an epic slog to get through. Shallan’s mental issue was beat over my head way to much. The political crisis was hella boring. I have many issues on why this book was so bad. Part 5 was the only page turner for me and that was to little wayyyyy to late.

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