Celairiel

I agree with LuckyJim. If anything, Ivory may have been like Pattern in anticipating tragedy but still believing it was important to form the bond. I'm working on a re-read of the series (because there was no other book I wanted to read after finishing RoW) and as I see the Singer/Regal/Fused relationship, I wonder if they have a parallel in any of their "brands." My guess would be an inverted compulsion from spren to Singer, but Venli makes it clear that even becoming Fused has an element of agency about it on the part of the Singer or Regal giving up their body.

The point about Ishar is valid. Considering his initial power, perhaps the emulation of force came from there. I doubt his insanity is entirely to blame, since stories about him make him sound pretty influential historically as well.

Now that we have seen two Bondsmiths and their respective spren form a bond, I'm curious about the stark difference between how their bond is formed and how we have seen with the other orders. In every other instance thus far, the spren has chosen the mortal (singer or human) they will bond to. Syl sought out Kal over a long time; Testament and then Pattern were each sent to Shallan; the Skybreakers are observed by Highspren who eventually choose a Radiant from among the hopefuls; Timbre won't leave Venli alone even when she tries to drive her away. The closest examples we have to less than willing spren are Wyndle and the one Kal tries to manipulate into bonding Rlain. Wyndle would have chosen a different mortal but the Ring chose Lift so he complied, but she did not seek him out. The honorspren says he's willing to give it a go bonding Rlain after being ordered, but he still considers before telling Kal he'll do it. These are all a stark difference from the Stormfather and the Sibling being bonded by Dalinar and Navani. In each of those cases, the spren is not happy about what is happening. The Stormfather resists even as Dalinar is swearing his ideal and only grudgingly accepts the words. He then lays down some very specific rules and limitations on the bond, but he clearly is unable to refuse it. Navani on the other hand spends an extended time trying to convince the Sibling to bond her, or anyone. She uses persuasion and some amount of manipulation to convince the Sibling to at least consider a bond. And at the end point, she proceeds to swear her ideal even over the protestations of the Sibling and overrules the declaration "you aren't worthy" by her own will power. I wonder if this is simply how things are now, after so long without bonds, or if the Bondsmiths always had an almost inverse relationship in the Nahel bond from their counterparts in the other orders. Brandon's list of the orders even suggests this unusual balance when it says that becoming a Bondsmith is "subject to persuading one of the spren to form a bond." Did this persuasion look similarly forceful in the past? Or is that something new for this time of war? And why would these three highly present spren (my understanding is that all three have retained a presence primarily in the physical realm for all this time) have less control over their bond than the more populous Radiant spren?

This was my biggest complaint in the book. Not the relationship as a whole - just Hoid's part of it. He didn't feel like himself when he was around Jasnah. I'm re-reading the series (after a new installment in a big series, I have a hard time moving to a different author or story) right now and the emotion and banter from when Hoid welcomes Jasnah back from Shadesmar feels much more genuine.

Wouldn't it be equally possible that the pairing began from humans in the cognitive realm? If a spren-human couple wanted to get physical, they could bring the human to the cognitive realm. Especially since when those sorts of pairings were most likely, there was access to surgebinding and oathgates to make the transfer reasonably accessible.

I am new to the forum, and I just want to thank everyone here for the wonderful ship names. My favorite name being shakadolin. This name must be, even if the three of them won't be. Generally, I would really like to see a major lead end up single, not due to inability to find a match, but because they came to a place where they are truly complete in their own selves. That said, pairs I'd be very pleased to see include Kaladin and Leshwi, Cord and Rysn, and Lift and Gawx (I'm pretty he's had a crush on her for years, and is just waiting for her to notice him).

I was really excited to see how well this was presented. I'd been hoping she'd be revealed as gay, but this works wonderfully too. I've read one other book with an ace POV and can recommend Banner of the Damned. Slightly different version of asexuality, but a very compelling character, in my opinion.

I finished the book last night, and as I told my mom, I haven't shouted at my kindle this much in years. It's probably best that I live alone. While it's definitely a bit of a "set up" book for 5, I really enjoyed it. It wasn't as much of a page-turner as the others have been for me, but there was so much in it. My only definite suggestions/wishes would have been to pace Adolin/Maya and Shallan/Pattern a bit better. There was a lot of redundant lead up to both plots and they were both ones I cared about a lot, so I wish the lead in had been more engaging. Also, the Hoid/Jasnah romance fell flat for me. I almost never cry while reading, but I got super close a couple of times. When Venli and Eshoni were visiting their mother together and harmonizing. Knowing that Venli has to say goodbye to Eshoni is such a painful way later, I got really teary. When Maya was brought the trial I was at first excited, because I was sure she was the key - she clearly loves and respects Adolin. But watching how they treated her and Adolin not being able to go to her made me so angry and sad. And then to end it with "We. Chose!" Oh my heart. And Raboniel and Navani. Watching and seeing what amazing friends they could have been if they weren't both devious and committed to a single winner. Navani I think was desperate enough to have really committed to a compromise, but if there positions were reversed I doubt she would have been any more honest than Raboniel. Navani watching Raboniel kill her daughter and later having to kill Raboniel was so moving. This is the first of the books I've actually waited for. Previously I was semi-casually reading the entire Cosmere, but I wasn't diving deep. With the pandemic, I ended up diving into the fandom and lore this year to give myself a distraction and listened to Brandon's BYU lectures. So RoW and Dawnshard are the first ones I've read on release day as well as the biggest Cosmere connection books so far. So it was immensely satisifying to me having completed an entire Cosmere re-read this summer to have so much come up here. I mean, we've got new Shard names, overlap from the systems of Threnody, Taldain, Drominad, Sel, and Scadrial, Cosmere aware beings sharing their beyond-Roshar goals (to some extent) with local players, and just so much that was blatant and obvious even on a first read. I know Brandon tries to keep his series separate so you can read each one and enjoy it without missing something, but I feel like Stormlight is getting very close to the tipping point. I'm guessing the second half will be even more explicit in its connections than we see so far. But yes, this book had me shouting at it all week. From groans and moans of despair and sadness to shouts of glee and triumph (especially with Maya), it was a very engaging and emotional read. Loved it!

Do I have to choose a favorite? I'm a LotR fan, and people ask the same question and my response is always "it's a single story, I can't separate them." But I suppose that doesn't quite fly with Sanderson. If I really think about it, the real debate for me comes down between Warbreaker or Stormlight as a series - I couldn't possibly choose a favorite of the four even though I tried. I do know my favorite novella/short story is Emperor's Soul. I really love it and was so excited to hear there's going to be a sequel!

Hi! I've been reading Cosmere books for a few years now - I started with Elantris immediately after end of Wheel of Time. That was my first introduction to Brandon Sanderson and as most readers know, after binging a series that massive (I read it for the first time the summer the last book was released), you can't just go back to "normal" size stories. A friend suggested I get into the Cosmere and start with Elantris. It's been years since I've been actively involved in a fan community, but this year with everything being weird anyways and waiting for the run up to RoW, I've lurked around the forum and the wiki a bit and figured now I can come and shout on the forums instead of just at my Kindle about all my feelings.