Too Much Awesomeness

Then someone should correct this wiki entry, because Just and Confident are listed for Palah. Wiki giving false information...not cool. What am I supposed to trust in this world, if not wiki entries? http://stormlightarchive.wikia.com/wiki/Herald

I think they could make a great couple. But the moment she called him creepy and weird I gave up any hope of them ever being together. One of the attributes of the Truthwatcher's Herald is confidence, so I definitely think Renarin will develop in that area in time. Once he does, I fully expect BS to give him a romantic interest. I just don't expect it to be Shallan anymore. I can't think of any other current character that it might be though, so BS will probably just introduce a new one specifically for that purpose. Kind of like he did for Spook in Mistborn.

I actually think Rysn is a future Willshaper. I know she doesn't seem to have a 'love of adventure', as she complains a lot about the places she goes, but I think that description of the order is meant to be ironic, in the same way as the Edgedancers' description. They are described as "articulate and refined" despite Lift being their representative member after all. Besides, Rysn did say part of her reason for signing on with her Babsk was because she wanted to visit exotic places; she's not used to the culture shock of it yet, but the desire for adventure is still there. She's certainly encountered a lot of novelty and oddity in her travels so far too. She also embodies the characteristic of the order. She's capricious in temperament; lacking confidence and feeling intimidated by the Reshi one moment, then boldly jumping off a cliff the next. That's a good example of resoluteness (to make the trade happen), the primary attribute of Kalak, the Herald of the Willshapers. I think Rysn is being "seeded" to be an important Radiant in the second part of the series just like Lift is.

I agree that it can theoretically be done well. The problem with most love triangles is that authors drag them out too long and have them impair the character's judgement to the point where they do stupid things instead focusing on actually important plot points. But based on the way BS handled the romantic elements in this book, it doesn't seem like he is falling into that last trap. Shallan and Kaladin thought about each other several times, but it was never melodramatic and, most importantly, they didn't dwell on the issue ad nauseam. They had their brief thoughts and then went right back to focusing on the task at hand. If anything, their interactions improved each others judgement regarding the real issues in the plot. As long as it burns in the background and doesn't stop the characters from focusing on really important things, it shouldn't be that much of a problem. So basically, he should just handle it like he did in this book and all will be fine. Eventually things will have to boil over and be settled, but it's not usually the resolution to love triangle's that is the problem, it's the drawn out, melodramatic build up. He just needs to avoid that. I actually wanted Shallan/Renarin to happen pre-release....but any chance of it died the moment she called him creepy as far as I'm concerned. Man was that a gut punch, lol.

I'm not even sure it's a love triangle we're going to get. With Kaladin going back home it seems likely he will interact with at least one of the women from his past. I think Tarah is most likely, since he's thought about the girl like 4 times now and seems to regret how they ended things. I wouldn't be surprised if he starts a relationship with her again (to get over Shallan?). So I think we might actually get a love...square? That doesn't sound right. What other shapes have 4 sides? Rectangle? Parallelogram? Rhombus? We are going to get the dreaded love rhombus, I'm calling it now.

One of her surge powers is apparently Transportation, which explains (though we don't know the method) how she got out. But I don't understand how that knife could go through her and hit the wood below like that without killing her.

Massive improvement. I always felt let down when I saw her chapter icon in WoK, but I actually looked forward to her chapters in this book. Jasnah being taken out of play was the best thing that could have happened to Shallan's character. It forced to her to become more assertive and independent, i.e. interesting. I was hoping for BS to go the Shallan/Renarin route, but her interactions with Kaladin were actually some of the best moments in the book. Their initial meeting was hilarious, and the chasm scene was both sweet and important for Kaldin's character growth. I'm very interested to see how he plays this love triangle he's setting up, those things can easily go very wrong....

It's about Lopen. He's gonna turn out to be evil. It's Tonk Fah all over again, I know it. He's the betrayer in Bridge 4, not Shen or Moash. Every time he makes one of his silly jokes I squint in suspicion waiting for the moment to turn sinister....

Much as I like Kaladin, I think it would be a bit of a stretch for him to be able to best Szeth in their first bout. He just doesn't have Szeth's experience with their abilities. So I wouldn't be surprised if Kaladin fails to protect whichever Kholin Szeth comes for the first time (be it Dalinar, the King or possibly even Jasnah). Then whenever Szeth is sent back for another Kholin, or maybe just their high prince allies in the camp (I don't really want to see too many Kholin's die), Kaladin could fight him again. They could "spar" like this several times before Kaladin finally defeats Szeth and protects whoever was his target. I could see Szeth trying to intentionally lure Kaladin into each of his missions in a suicide-by-bridgeman type situation (that wouldn't violate his honor would it?). Kaladin's inability to protect the people he sets out to is one of the central themes of his story. So having him "spar" with Szeth with those kind of stakes on the line each time would be pretty damnation epic.