TSweezy

Seems it's her job to accept new Radiant oaths now, something she inherited from the Stormfather. I'm also interested about the significance of her "real tears."

That kid is gonna have some strange early memories with Cryptic babysitters... I'm excited to see what it means to be Kholin in the future with the two Bondsmiths out of commission.

Just finished and those last few chapters were perfect for leaving this planet behind for a while. Taravangian at the height of his powers and yet the cracks are starting to form (hanging out with all his friends in Spiritual Kharbranth, totally real btw). Kaladin and Syl getting to work on picking up the pieces of the Heralds in wherever they are- but what will bring them back to Roshar if the Fused have remained, and they're (hopefully) doing the opposite of breaking this time? I also wonder if Books 6 and 10 will begin and end with Kalak as well. Seeing Kaladin's Herald symbol in front of the collapsed chapter headers had me PUMPED! Shallan getting a word in with Kelsier was a long time coming and his teaser of a Ghostblood civil war has me plenty ready for the next Mistborn era. (That poor Kholin kid's first sights after being born will be Cryptic heads- she might be cooked already.) My first read conclusions are pretty positive as a whole. I appreciated taking a break from the ketek structure that imo had gotten a bit repetitive. I also think that these were the best interludes since Words of Radiance; I felt that same grand feeling seeing Axies again as I did the first time I realized just how large the scope of this story will become. Reading Odium's POV was great, but my favorite has to be the 17th Shard and the Iriali migration. Adolin has always been my favorite character on Roshar and the most relatable to me, and I was pleased to see how well his arc was executed in this book. I appreciated his struggle to reconcile his image of Dalinar with reality, and how even despite his complicated (to say the least) feelings about his father he eventually strives to embrace the best attributes of both his parents. His perspective shift from his time as a one-legged spearman was also a great reprieve from how powerful the other characters have grown, and the battle for Azimir reminded me of the atmosphere of the first two books. As a big shonen fan his "power of friendship" powerup was just perfect to me. His care for his friends, soldiers, and equipment ever since the start of the series bore fruit in this book and winning the loyalty of his Plate was a big highlight. The payoff for Yanagawn was great too, knowing things about the palace that even Noura didn't. I'm excited to see where the Unoathed go from here since the implications of Notum's donning of Plate and Blade (along with his incoming fame according to the epigraphs) are pretty fun as well. I also really liked the Shinovar arc, and seeing it from both Kaladin's and Szeth's perspective definitely helped flesh out a place that hasn't seen any POV for too long. Visiting all the monasteries did get a bit repetitive, but I really liked Kaladin's budding skills as a musician and cook as he learned for new ways to find fulfillment. The therapy sessions were a bit heavyhanded at some points but overall I appreciated the way Kaladin grew into his role further after meeting Nale. Lastly, few people come to Sanderson looking for flourishy prose, but the chapter "A Perfect Moment" did move me in a way I didn't expect. I hope he's proud of that one. Jasnah's spectacular failure at Thaylen City was definitely unexpected. I liked the way her more immoral actions were brought back by Odium in their argument, and I'm excited to see what she learns in the back half. I'm curious who will be there to politick with, and what will she make of her studies when all the historical secrets have been revealed? The Shattered Plains didn't grab me as much as I'd hoped. We've had a lot of Windrunner battle POVs over Narak and although I liked Sig getting some time to shine those battles didn't feel all that different from the first two books. I don't know why, but the reveal of the Plains' Shattering simply being a clash between Honor and Odium felt a bit underwhelming, and the whole "perpendicular under the capital" thing was more effective in Mistborn Era 1. Excited to see what the "fourth moon" is all about, though. Valor? The Spiritual Realm was a mixed bag. Obviously, realizing the histories of the Last and False Desolations was a joy after such a long wait, but stretching all the way from the arrival of humans to the era of Mishram meant jumping between Connections got a bit repetitive. The Ghostblood presence also felt a bit inconsistent- I feel it might have been more interesting if they'd had to work together with the Radiant team at some points, then fight over clues at others. Credit where credit is due- Sanderson has definitely improved his romance writing chops. Renarin and Rlain had barely interacted in PoV before this book, so I wasn't sure how the buildup was going to go, but by the time it kicked into full gear I was totally on board. With how heavily Child Champion was foreshadowed, I was hoping we'd get a scene between Odium and Gavinor, especially from Odium's perspective. I would've liked to see Taravangian justify his manipulation of a five year old against his care for his grandchildren. Some final stuff: Is it just me, or was Mishram showing up in the chapter headers a couple times? I swear I saw her at chapter 76. It was nice seeing Dalinar get that bread with Nohadon one last time. Man where the vyre is Vivenna? Our other Nalthis natives got some time to shine- Nightblood obviously, Zahel with an interlude and offering to teach Lift, and even Endowment got another written clapback at Hoid. Meanwhile, Azure has been AWOL for two books now! Did she even make it to the perpendicularity before Cultivation booked it out of there? Notum hasn't mentioned her either. It's selfish, but Vasher and Vivenna have my favorite fighting style in the cosmere. I wish they had an opportunity to throw hands more often.